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Adult Cycle Training & Bike Buddy Scheme« cycle training & buddy scheme FAQs
1. What is the Wheelers Bike Buddy Scheme?It is a package of measures that members of the Tower Hamlets Wheelers and the group as a whole provide at the personal level to people new or returning to cycling. We aim to enable, encourage and support new/returning cyclists to start cycling mainly as a means of transport but also as a healthy leisure activity. It is funded by the Community Chest (a central government fund, via the St Katharine & Shadwell Trust), London Borough of Tower Hamlets (council), Department for Transport (central government) and the Wheelers' own group funds, and will last at least six months from July 2003. ^top 2. With what will clients of the scheme be provided?
Our current Rides Co-ordinator has put together an extensive and varied programme of bike rides, some of which are particularly suitable for beginners, and you would be encouraged to take part in these. You will also be encouraged to attend the Wheelers Workshop at least once to learn some basic bike maintenance. ^top 3. Who can take part in the scheme?Adults who live, work or cycle through mainly Tower Hamlets have priority as clients in the scheme. We are targeting the general public via the Wheelers website, promotional postcards and local press coverage. The Bike Buddies are members of the London Cycling Campaign whose membership address is in Tower Hamlets (or on occasion, a neighbouring borough). ^top 4. If I am a client, how much commitment to the scheme do I need to give?You will need to provide us with contact details and some idea of your ability to pay for equipment and lessons, e.g. are you unemployed. Even if you are in full employment there are several things that you will be given for free by the Wheelers, e.g. reflective strips, the Highway Code booklet; but we aim to provide recycled bikes to those people least able to buy a new/second hand bike themselves. We ask you to take up the offer of the free professional cycle training lessons. As mentioned above, we hope you will make use of the Wheelers' group bike rides and workshop. We will ask you to complete a short questionnaire before you start, which can be done over the phone, by email or by post. Amongst other information this will help ascertain what help the Wheelers can give you. Another short questionnaire will be presented to you roughly half way through the scheme and a final one at the end, when you have successfully become a confident regular cyclist (hopefully!). This is to research attitudes and fears about cycling, how helpful you found our scheme and cycling in general, and how you think more people could be encouraged to cycle. At this stage we will encourage you to inspire three other people to start cycling, e.g. friends and family. They can get support from the Wheelers too but not to the same extent as you did (due to our limited resources). If this scheme is a success we will apply for further funding and these people will get priority in any new scheme. We also strongly recommend you join the London Cycling Campaign (at a Tower Hamlets address if possible) but this is not compulsory. If you do not wish to join LCC we would hope that you would join the Wheelers directly by subscribing to our newsletter (but again this is not compulsory). ^top 5. If I am a Bike Buddy, how much commitment to the scheme do I need to give?You must be a fully paid-up member of the London Cycling Campaign (this is for insurance purposes) and you must let the scheme co-ordinator Owen Pearson know when you are going out on an accompanied ride with your client. You will be required to provide some basic information in order for you to be matched up with a suitable client, e.g. area of the borough in which you live, regular cycling destinations e.g. area where you work, times you are available to make an accompanied journey, any cycling topic in which you are experienced (e.g. fold-up bikes). The Wheelers are compiling a webpage of Bike Buddies with this kind of information plus a picture of yourself (if agreed!). Your contact details (phone and email if available) will be passed on to your client. Bike Buddies will be strongly encouraged to have a (free) on-road cycle training lesson to make them aware of any bad habits to avoid demonstrating or passing on to their client. This is not compulsory but the aim is to provide the Bike Buddy and the client with confidence that the Bike Buddy can pick a safe route through streets with traffic and ride in a sensible and safe manner. You will not be responsible for the client's safety, and it will be made clear to the client that they have full responsibility for their own safety, but there will be greater confidence on all sides if tips from professional instructors are adhered to. The minimum commitment of the Bike Buddy to the client is firstly to be available for contact three times for inquiries from the client about cycling issues, e.g, how do I mend a puncture, can you recommend a particular brand of lights. Secondly the Bike Buddy is to accompanying the client on two on-road journeys. A 'journey' is both there and back of a simple two-way trip, e.g. to work and back. The return leg is still part of the one journey, even if the journey is broken by time spent at work, for instance. The aim is to help ensure that clients avoid ending up 'stranded' somewhere without their Bike Buddy to accompany them home, but to a certain extent both parties will be 'playing it by ear' and negotiate with each other in an understanding and co-operative way. After these two minimum requirements the Bike Buddy can do as little or as much as they like, and Bike Buddies reserve the right to break contact with the client if they start to feel 'overloaded'. Equally if the relationship is good then it will be encouraged to continue beyond the life of the 'official' project. You are also asked if you wish to take part in the 'info pool' - a list of contact details for clients to try if their main Bike Buddy is not available or can't help - in which case your contact details will be made available to all the other clients. This may not be used much as we hope that clients will join the Wheelers email group where questions can be asked to the whole group. Towards the end of the project you will be required to fill in one short questionnaire about your experiences as a Bike Buddy. +++ We urge both clients and Bike Buddies to agree to their picture and quotes being used in any publicity by the Wheelers - this is not compulsory but we hope you will agree! +++ +++ Results from the questionnaires and other information from the project will be made available to the funders of the project and to the general public via the Wheelers website. As this is a project based on personal-level assistance you will be expected to let your personal experiences of cycling and Bike Buddying be publicised. But if there are any aspects which you wish to remain confidential we will respect that. +++ ^top 6. Can the clients choose their Bike Buddy?The Wheelers will do the 'matching up' of clients with Bike Buddies but the clients can specify certain aspects, e.g. a female client could require a female Bike Buddy, or to have more than one Bike Buddy to accompany them on journeys. The clients will be able to see the webpage/print-out of the Bike Buddy 'gallery' and can put in a request for a particular Bike Buddy if they wish! But that Bike Buddy is not guaranteed! ^top 7. Can a client have more than one Bike Buddy?Yes, the project is designed to be flexible so that a different Bike Buddy could accompany the client on their second journey for instance, appropriate to each other's destinations and time available. As well as their main Bike Buddy, clients will have access to the 'info pool' of other Bike Buddies for info requests etc. ^top 8. If I'm not enjoying the scheme can I stop taking part?Yes, if it's not for you, whether you're a Bike Buddy or client you can drop out at any time. The only requests we make is that you give back any equipment the Wheelers have given or lent to you and that you let us know why you wish to drop out - unless it is for a personal reason in which case you do not have to tell us any details. ^top 9. Can I keep any equipment that the Wheelers give to me as a client or Bike Buddy?Yes, you can permanently keep any equipment, as long as you remain active in the project for at least six months. ^top 10. Any more questions?Contact: Owen Pearson
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