Stagecoach London has developed a training programme for its bus drivers to help them to emphasise with cyclists and understand how to minimise the risk of sharing the road.
The programme, in conjunction with Cycle Training UK, follows the implementation of a bikes-for-work scheme by the employer in 2012. A total of 1,498 employees have signed up for the scheme, which is provided by Cycle Solutions.
The cycle awareness training, which will be rolled out at Stagecoach London’s West Ham depot in summer 2013, is part of a London-wide initiative to train drivers of light goods and passenger carrying vehicles through an accredited Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) course called Safe Urban Driving.
It took the decision to develop its own CPC cycle awareness training, which is to be delivered in-house by its driver training team.
Malcolm Crichard, training officer, said: “Stagecoach London is keen to ensure that all its drivers are cycle aware. We wanted to explore this type of training and for it to be tailored to our own requirements.
“To that end, we worked with Cycle Training UK to design and develop an on-road awareness programme for us, delivered by our own training team.”
Steve Edgell, dales and operations director at Cycle Solutions, added: “With so many Stagecoach employees taking up cycling themselves, there is inevitably going to be more attention paid by bus drivers to cyclists using busy urban roads.
“By getting out among the traffic, under the careful guidance of a qualified trainer, bus drivers will see for themselves the challenges faced by cyclists when they compete with larger vehicles for space and respect on the roads.”