A very distorted article.
"The nearest purpose-made cycle path to us is about 3 miles away and is simply a straight path, where there’s no way to teach my grandson left and right turns and so on. And we needed a car to get there. Dave Symons, 75, retired, Skelmersdale, Lancashire"
He must be referring to the cycle paths alongside the Rainford bypass. These must be at least 6 miles long and segregated from the main road. Perfect for cycling along. I find it hard to understand that you need a car to travel three miles just to get to the start of the cycle paths. Roads either side of the bypass, from memory are fairly quiet country roads.
My grandsons have been brought up in Streatham and THAT is a busy road system. They learned bike handling on the grass in a local park - always under the supervision of their parents. Their mum, our daughter, before the lockdown started cycling to the tube/rail station when commuting and was considering riding the whole way into the city. She had done a couple of trial runs, but lockdown put an end to it. But they often go for rides out as a family.
I think as with anything, if you really want to do something, you will find a way. There are always alternatives and my grandsons are more interested in football and cricket. That grandad at the top of the post - I'm sure he is entertaining his grandkids in other activities. Choosing other activities before cycling is more than acceptable. The article is just a snippet of information not taken in context with everything else.
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