Parents are paying professionals to teach their child to ride a bike

A new survey has revealed that one in three parents in the UK have paid someone else to teach their child to cycle a bike.

The days of parents taking their child's stabilisers off and sticking plasters on grazed knees might be coming to an end. A surprising new survey has revealed that one in three UK mums and dads are paying a professional to teach their little ones how to ride a bike. Parents are spending an average of £143.63 per child, with some admitting to spending as much as £3,500 on bike lessons, reports the Daily Mail. The survey, carried out by website MyVoucherCodes, revealed that a shocking 33 percent of parents said they "did not have the patience" to teach their child to ride a bike. One third of the 1,016 parents surveyed admitted paying someone else to teach their child basic cycling skills, with 18 percent stating that they "did not have the time" to do so. A further 12 percent of parents said that they cannot ride a bike themselves. Many mums and dads appear to doubt their own ability to teach their kids how to ride a bike, with 20 percent saying they felt unable to instruct their child effectively. Cycling lessons in the UK can cost up to £40 per hour and £25 for group lessons, but many councils and organisations such as Transport for London offer free cycling tuition. Luke Bosdet, a spokesperson for the AA, told the newspaper that private cycling tutors are "minting it" and "charging through the nose" for such lessons:

"Of course, somebody is giving their time to provide these sessions but to be asked for £25 to be part of a group session means someone is absolutely minting it. These very high costs also freeze out the less well-off youngsters. Why should they lose out because someone wants to charge through the nose for a bike lesson?"

Matthew Hilton of North London bike shop Micycle told the newspaper that cycling tuition is far more economical than learning to drive:

"Normally kids only need one, one-hour lesson before they are up and away. To learn to drive a car people often need 40-plus lessons, so the math speaks for itself."