Derek, I always look out for your wisdom on this forum. Yet this is one of the times you are very wide of the mark.
I'm sure there are plenty of them
1. Cycle lanes were put in to encourage people ON to bikes, not really to help existing 'cyclists'
I can't recollect any stated aim , but that is as good a reason as any . I would venture that making life safer for cyclists , pedestrians , motorists altogether by separating them from each other is a very good idea which benefits everyone , including existing cyclists . Even if a mile of cycle lane saves only one life it is worthwhile . Car drivers , too , can make easier progress when they are not 'competing' for space on the road with cyclists moving at lower speeds .
2. You bemoan the 'Chelsea tractor' brigades favouring taxiing their little dahlings about, yet you are putting up a million and one obstacles in front of children getting on their bikes!
I merely mentioned them to illustrate how times have changed over the last 40 years .
I don't advocate putting ANY obstacles in the way of children enjoying cycling . At the same time I do believe that the busy roads we have today , populated by much faster traffic than those of forty years ago , are no place for young children to cycle unsupervised . I have no problem with very young children on small bikes cycling on the pavements , in the park , along the prom at the seaside or on designated cycle paths ( the kind often converted from disused railway tracks ) .
As children grow older , riding bigger and faster bikes , it becomes less appropriate for them to be cycling along footpaths busy with pedestrians ( including vulnerable groups such as the very young , the elderly and the disabled ) but they may not yet be ready to venture onto the roads and 'mix it' with cars , trucks , buses etc . I suppose riding on selected roads under the supervision of a responsible adult would be a good introduction ( much in the same way as learner drivers have to be accompanied by a 'qualified' driver ) as well as off-road instruction , perhaps as part of the school curriculum ( this might be carried out by suitably qualified teaching staff , local police road safety unit , volunteers from organisations like RoSPA .... ) .
I would not suggest that children or parents should be asked to pay ANYTHING for cycle tuition whilst they are still of school age - our taxes are squandered on things far less important than the safety of our young and few could object to this being centrally funded . For the less well off , assistance with items such as helmets , hi-viz clothing , lights could be funded too ?
I still think that , before being able to cycle unsupervised on public roads , passing a test such as the National Cycling Proficiency Test ( thanks to the member on the other forum who confirmed that it still exists ) ought to be mandatory - at least then we can be assured that all roadgoing cyclists have had some practical training and been tested on at least the cycling sections of 'The Highway Code' with a working knowledge of road signs , rules of priority at junctions etc etc .
A pass in the NCPT should then generate a registration number which belongs to the cyclist for life and has to be displayed any time the cyclist ventures onto the road . The pass would be certificated in the form of a credit card sized 'license' . No NCPT pass : stay off the roads ; no registration number displayed - expect to be stopped by the police unless being accompanied by a qualified rider .
Those who are going to continue cycling after school should then pay a nominal annual fee which would cover admin of the system .
Those who don't wish to be tested could still cycle on dedicated cycle tracks , away from other road users , where they are less likely to harm either themselves or others .
All of my suggestions are solely for the safety and wellbeing of those who choose to get around on two wheels .