Intervention:
Nine studies (seven moderate and two poor quality) looked at the effectiveness of interventions exclusively promoting cycling to school. Embedded within the school travel plan, these studies implemented a wide range of interventions that varied in their complexity. This included simple interventions such as bicycle trains of children cycling to school under adult supervision, to more complex multicomponent interventions like Sustrans demonstration projects that incorporate extensive infrastructural improvements and behaviour change strategies. Infrastructure changes included improvements to cycling paths, installation of bike racks and separate entrances for cyclists and safer access to schools by bicycle within the school. Behaviour change components included safety education, changing the curriculum, utilising learning tools, organising promotional days and promotional events, and incentivising uptake of cycling.
Evidence quality:
The majority of studies are of moderate quality and suggest that such interventions are effective at increasing the uptake of cycling to school in school-aged children. However, only the most recent two studies reported whether their findings were statistically significant. Of these, one study found a significant increase in mean percentage of daily commutes to school by cycling in the intervention group compared to control. The second found that the intervention had no significant effect on cycling to school. Further examination of the remaining seven studies which did not report significance may provide more certainty into the effect of this intervention.
Generalisability:
Seven studies were conducted in the UK, one in the USA, and another in Belgium. Therefore, the intervention could be partially generalisable to Wales, but further context-specific exploration should be considered.
If proceeding with this intervention:
It is suggested that further exploration of the evidence base to provide more certainty of the effectiveness of the intervention, or further robust research and thorough evaluation of impact is needed.