Why Fewer Children Are Learning To Ride A Bike

BERLIN — Shouldn’t the bicycle be our No. 1 mode of transportation? It’s affordable, eco-friendly, keeps you fit, and often gets you from A to B faster — especially in cities plagued by traffic jams. And crucially, kids are allowed to ride them. 

For many, a bike is the first real vehicle of their lives, a tool of independence even before they’re old enough to drive. That independence, the ability to move freely, is a basic human right — and key to social participation.

But in Germany, as elsewhere, far too few children are riding bikes. A growing number of them struggle with basic cycling skills. “More and more kids are having difficulty riding and passing their cycling proficiency tests,” says Kirsten Lühmann, president of the German Road Safety Council (DVW).

Motor skills in decline

A slew of studies shows that children and adolescents are facing a decline in motor skills. Cycling — both as transport and play — is central to their development. But because of these deficits, children’s physical movement is dropping. That sobering conclusion was already reached over a decade ago in a study by Germany’s Federal Highway Research Institute.

The Robert Koch Institute regularly reports similar findings. According to their latest data, only 11% of girls and 21% of boys are meeting the recommended recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

“In other words, kids are moving less and less. That lack of physical movement leads directly to motor skill deficiencies,” Lühmann says. The COVID-19 pandemic only made matters worse. “And to top it off, cycling isn’t a given in every household.”

The rise of the “parent taxi”

Parents play a crucial role when it comes to fostering their children’s independence. There are roughly as many bikes and e-bikes in Germany as there are people: around 84 million. But in daily life, the car still dominates. It starts early in the morning, on the way to school and work. A survey by the ADAC (General German Automobile Club) foundation found that one in four elementary school children are driven to school in a car at least three to four times a week. These so-called “parent taxis” clog up streets around schools across the country — and make those areas even less safe.

One major reason: Parents trust their children less than they used to. Many fear something bad might happen on the way to school. While bicycle training is officially part of the curriculum for third- and fourth-graders in every German state — a centerpiece of German traffic education and a self-declared “success story” — its real impact is questionable.

Sure, kids learn the basics: how to signal, shoulder check and follow traffic rules. But does that mean they’re ready for the streets?

Child-friendly traffic vs. traffic-friendly children

Can we really expect primary school kids to navigate the road like miniature adults? Children naturally have much more on their minds than traffic rules. A one-off cycling course won’t fix that. But the German traffic system punishes mistakes harshly — and for cyclists, it can be deadly. While road fatalities overall are decreasing, the number of cyclists killed is steadily rising because more people are cycling — except among children.

“German cities aren’t designed for kids,” says Ragnhild Sørensen of the NGO Changing Cities. In Berlin alone, 610 children were involved in traffic accidents last year. “That number is chilling.”

Safe streets for kids, after all, are safer streets for everyone.

Yet political action is lacking: no comprehensive 30 km/h (19mph) zones, no real push for safer school streets, no dedicated bike lanes. “We need to stop trying to make children fit the traffic and start making traffic fit the children,” Sørensen says. Safe streets for kids, after all, are safer streets for everyone.

So the cycling crisis isn’t just about physical inactivity. Of course kids won’t develop motor skills if they spend their time sitting in cars or staring at screens instead of running, climbing and playing. Parents have a responsibility here. Lühmann urges them to leave the car at home as often as possible — walk or bike with their kids to school or daycare. Even balance bikes and scooters are excellent starting vehicles that help build coordination and confidence. “But this isn’t something you can fix in an afternoon,” she warns. Teaching kids to move confidently through the world is a long-term effort.

From traffic rules to mobility education

But how much can we really “teach” kids to become confident, capable road users? Of course, safety rules matter — shoulder checks, signaling turns, wearing helmets and reflective gear. But according to Anika Meenken from the environmental transport association VCD, those are just symptoms of a deeper issue: a traffic system that’s been built for cars, not people.

In fact, most of the traffic rules kids are taught are about one thing: how not to get in a car’s way.

There have never been more cars on German roads: 49 million.

Even experienced adult cyclists make mistakes. And in Germany’s unforgiving traffic environment, those mistakes can have tragic consequences. That’s why the VCD is calling for a “forgiving infrastructure” — especially one that accommodates children’s errors. Think: wide, protected bike lanes where a wobble to the left doesn’t put you in the path of a car. Clear intersections. Traffic lights with long enough green phases for little legs.

And as examples from Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Oslo show: When cities build good infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, more people use it — and car use declines.

Learning mobility from day one

This is where the concept of “mobility education” comes in. It’s about moving beyond traditional, school-based traffic instruction and toward a broader educational approach that ideally starts in early childhood — at home. 

Whether it’s walking or riding a scooter or bike, kids need to engage with traffic from an early age, says Meenken, a mother of two herself. That’s how they become confident, independent travelers — and discover alternatives to the car, like public transit or bikes.

Ultimately, it’s about the bigger picture: the future of mobility itself, and whether Germany can finally pull off the long-discussed Verkehrswende, or transport transformation. 

There have never been more cars on German roads: 49 million, to be exact. SUVs are booming. Whether older generations are willing to give up these comforts is questionable. But the younger generation, who have more stake in a livable, climate-conscious future, might be more open to change.

That’s why Meenken believes sustainable mobility education is essential. “It empowers kids to reflect on their own mobility choices — and the impact those choices have on the planet.” It’s how they’ll start to see the car as just one option, not the default. And maybe, just maybe, the bicycle will become No. 1 after all.