Building biking confidence and road safety skills for primary school kids is the focus of ‘Kids on Bikes’ courses starting next week across a number of Hamilton primary schools.

Run by Hamilton City Council’s School Travel Coordinators, and supported by Sport Waikato and Cycling NZ, this is the second year of the programme.

Eight schools - Hillcrest Normal, St Josephs, Te Ao Marama, Hukanui, Silverdale Normal, South City Christian, Nawton and Melville - and Enderley Community Centre have signed up for the programme which will see students taught biking and safety skills to get them ready to later progress to biking on roads.

The trainings will be a mix of classroom-based learning, and practical biking.

School Travel Coordinator Sean Christian says the courses are a great way for kids to prepare for safely riding to and from school.

“It’s all about giving the kids the skills and the confidence they need to safely bike. If we can get them with the right skills at this age then they’re set up for a lifetime of fun, safe and enjoyable biking.”

While the current focus of the programme is on primary school aged children, it is planned to extend it into intermediate and secondary schools in future years.

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