THE PELOTON is a frequent sight during the Tour de France, but groups of cycling schoolchildren could become commonplace in North Oxford.

Cherwell School has so many pupils travelling to school by bike that it has decided to teach them to ride in bunches.

The school, in Marston Ferry Road, claims to have the highest number of pupils cycling to school in the country, with more than 1,000 of its 1,800 students using pedal power.

Teacher Tony Gray, who is leading the scheme, said so far more than 160 pupils have signed up to the voluntary training course.

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He said: “It is fantastic to have so many of our kids cycling to school, especially because it helps keep the roads less conge-sted. But at the same time we want to encourage everyone to ride safely, so we have now rolled out this programme which we piloted last year.”

Mr Gray said the course trained pupils to be able to ride in groups because of the high number of bikers using the cycle lane that runs adjacent to Marston Ferry Lane.

Efforts were also being made to persuade highways authority Oxfordshire County Council to extend white lines down the middle of the lanes, further east to the end of Marston Ferry Road, he said.

Mr Gray added: “We see our students keeping to the left much more when the white lines are painted on the middle, so we would like to see it all the way down to St Nicholas School.”

The school is working with the Cherwell Travel Action Group to give the training sessions, which take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, weather permitting.

County councillor for St Margarets, John Howson, is also lobbying the county council to obtain the extra white lines.

Mr Howson said: “Having helped the school with establishing double yellow lines in the service road next to the school earlier in the year, to overcome a parking problem, the school has now asked me to see whether it is possible to extend the dividing line on the cycle track on the south side of the Marston Ferry Road.

“This would help ensure lane separation between cyclists travelling in opposite directions.

“I have asked the highways department at the county as this is a heavily used cycle path and it seems a sensible move.”


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