As highlighted in several cycling strategies, cyclists do not constitute a homogeneous group of travellers, which necessitates policies that address more vulnerable bicycle users (Bergen kommune, 2020; Gothenburg Traffic Office, 2015). Children and young people represent target groups that require tailored measures. A review of cycling strategies from participating municipalities and regions within the Nordic Cycle Network reveals that youth-related issues are discussed. Municipal strategies place significantly greater emphasis on children and young people than regional strategies. However, definitions of what constitutes a “child” or a “young person” are often unclear and unspecified. Despite this lack of definitional clarity, common themes emerge across strategies, including young people’s travel to and from educational institutions, child safety when cycling, and the need to encourage higher levels of cycling among younger populations. In addition, several strategies outline specific initiatives aimed at promoting cycling among children and young people. While strategies note the importance of enabling young people to cycle, planners underline that encouraging youth to cycle remains a challenge in their work.
Cycling safety for young cyclists
According to Aarhus statistics, youth aged 21 to 30 are at the highest risk of being involved in a cycling accident (Aarhus kommune, 2017). In Oslo, a survey of school principals found that one in three believed traffic safety around their school was poor, leading them to ban cycling. Moreover, analysis indicates that 57% of Oslo’s children cannot reach their schools from home via safe traffic routes (Oslo kommune, 2015). Cycling strategies emphasize that ensuring the safety of children and young people is crucial, as it not only protects new participants in traffic but can also encourage more youth to cycle (Stockholms stad, 2022). Statistics from Copenhagen, Aarhus, and other municipalities further demonstrate that perceived safety is strongly linked to willingness to use a bicycle for daily travel (Aarhus kommune, 2017; City of Copenhagen, 2011).
Cycling safety for children and young people can be enhanced through targeted planning initiatives. Aarhus’ cycling strategy highlights that children cycle to and from school for approximately 3 months per year in the dark, making adequate lighting along the cycling network essential. The City has also introduced School Street Zones (Skolegadezoner) around selected schools to prioritise children and improve their safety (Aarhus kommune, 2017). Similarly, Bergen emphasizes planning that ensures cycling is both safe and perceived as safe. The City works with Heart Zones (Hjertesoner), an initiative which promotes safe travel to school by addressing areas near schools through complementary measures beyond those described in the cycling strategy (Bergen kommune, 2020).
Some traffic safety strategies are developed by schools themselves. For instance, in Roskilde, three pilot schools were selected to test their own traffic policy initiatives which were aimed at making cycling around schools feel safer. According to the strategy, parents that drive their children to school by cars are usually at fault for creating feelings of unsafety around schools, and the school-made traffic policies are aimed at addressing this issue (Roskilde kommune, 2017).
Cycling infrastructure planning for young cyclists
Some cycling strategies provide more detailed guidance on planning for youth cycling safety, highlighting that the cycling environment should be adapted to the needs of children and young people. The City of Gothenburg writes that, as a principle, the planning and development of the cycling network should be made in such a way that children between 10 and 12 years old could cycle independently. For example, providing separated cycling lanes and reducing car speeds to 30 km/h at points where lanes merge can help ensure the safety of children (Gothenburg Traffic Office, 2015). For young people, traffic environments should be easily understandable. For instance, intersections should clearly indicate the continuation of cycling lanes after the crossing to avoid confusion.
According to Copenhagen’s cycling strategy, it is crucial to consider that children often cycle alongside their parents, meaning that cycling infrastructure should allow cyclists to ride alongside each other (City of Copenhagen, 2011). In addition, the City of Gothenburg also suggests adequate lane widths since children can feel unsafe cycling on narrow lanes and it enables other cyclists to pass younger cyclists more smoothly (Gothenburg Traffic Office, 2015). Both Reykjavík and Aarhus discuss the need for improving facilities, such as bicycle parking near schools, to encourage young people to cycle more (Aarhus kommune, 2017; City of Reykjavík, 2021).
Introducing and supporting cycling for young people
Introducing cycling to young people is a critical aspect of increasing cyclists. Therefore, cycling strategies also discuss the importance of encouraging young people to cycle more. For instance, one of Oslo’s goals is to have the share of young people and children who walk or cycle to school reach 90%. However, according to the city’s evaluations, only 15% of children cycle to school during summer and nearly 9 out of 10 schools have no initiatives promoting cycling (at the time of the strategy’s publication). Additionally, only half of the schools teach about traffic rules, despite such education being compulsory in the curriculum. Activities that should be developed, according to the strategy, include making biking playgrounds, cycling in groups, and various campaigns (Oslo kommune, 2015).
A survey conducted in Bergen examined the travel habits of children aged 6 to 17, based on responses from parents. The results are disaggregated into three age groups: 6–9, 10–13, and 14–17 years old. Walking emerges as the most common mode of travel across all groups. Being driven by car is most prevalent among the youngest children and declines with age. Cycling is most common in the 10–13 age group and least common among those aged 14–17 years old (Bergen kommune, 2020). These findings underscore the need for continuous initiatives to encourage cycling among young people and suggest that strategies related to education and motivation should be tailored to different age groups.
Transport habits are established at an early age. Therefore, children who are used to cycling from a young age are more likely to cycle when they become older. They can also become better at navigating through traffic and support their health (City of Copenhagen, 2011; Roskilde kommune, 2017; Stockholms stad, 2022). According to a survey cited by Reykjavík, children whose parents cycle are more likely to cycle themselves (City of Reykjavík, 2021). Roskilde also notes that when children cycle more, their parents tend to cycle more as well (Roskilde kommune, 2017).
To build a well-functioning culture of cycling, cities introduce different communication and education initiatives. According to Bergen, such education should include training with equipment checks and practical knowledge of traffic. As Region Stockholm notes in its strategy, communication initiatives should be directed to a specific target group of young people, while Aarhus introduced the Aarhus Cykelby branding in schools for children to be aware of the campaign (Aarhus kommune, 2017; Region Stockholm, 2014)
Initiatives to promote cycling among children and young people
To both educate and encourage young people to cycle, municipalities have developed a range of initiatives. For instance, Roskilde, together with other municipalities, participated in the Cykelscore system in which a chip was attached to a child’s bicycle. When they passed a checkpoint, the movement was registered through a sensor and granted the cyclist one point. The more checkpoints the children passed, the more points they could accumulate. Then, through a website, a school class could follow who had cycled the most. Through healthy competition, such initiatives motivate children to cycle more. Based on the experiences of schools, Cykelscore leads to more people cycling, and over half of them cycle more than they usually do (Roskilde kommune, 2017). The City also introduced a cycling initiative directed towards younger children, called Bicycle-friendly Kindergarten (Cykelglad børnehave). Each institution received a starting package for cycling games and, in some cases, several bicycles with which the teachers would teach the children to cycle. In addition, cycling games (Cykelleg) were developed where teachers and parents can teach their children to ride bikes while playing a variety of games.
Helsingborg also has several unique initiatives directed towards young people. What started as an initiative Take Me to School (Tar mig till skolan) for children aged 7-8 has since become On Your Own Feet (På egna ben) for older kids aged 10-12 (På egna ben, n.d.). Both initiatives are a form of competition between schools that encourages students to commute by walking or cycling. In addition, the schools have different activities related to traffic, such as allowing students to test their knowledge at the children’s traffic school or learn about traffic rules. On Your Own Feet is organised by the regional traffic authority Västtrafik, with participating schools from Västra Götaland and Halland counties (plus a few schools in Eslöv and Lund in Skåne).
School Travel Plan (Skolerseplan) was a project carried out in collaboration with schools in Helsingborg. The project mapped trips to and from schools, identified travel issues within these trips, and developed better conditions for sustainable and heathier transport. This work was carried out between the school personnel, parents, and students to encourage the students to learn more about traffic safety, reduce car usage, and improve physical activity. Around 1-2 schools used to participate in the initiative every year. While the project is no longer active, the municipality still provides support to schools that initiate contact on their own (City Planning Helsingborg Committee, 2017).
Finally, the Bicycle Driving Licence (cykelkörkort) was an initiative in Helsingborg which aimed to inspire students to become more avid cyclists, making the experience more enjoyable and safer. The participating students learned about the traffic rules. After passing the theoretical and practical exams, the students would receive a symbolic bicycle driving licence (City Planning Helsingborg Committee, 2017). While the city no longer issues bicycle licenses for kids as before, children can still test their traffic safety knowledge at the Children Traffic School (Barntrafikskolan) (Helsingborg stad, 2025).
These initiatives (summarised in Table 2) show that several Nordic cities have made efforts to educate and encourage young people to develop cycling habits, especially when travelling to and from school. However, based on the reviewed municipal and regional policies, most of the projects target younger school children, suggesting a gap when it comes to creative methods for improving cycling rates among older adolescents. According to findings in the academic literature, cities and regions may consider targeted initiatives that incentivise and enable older students to continue active commuting, especially as other less environmental- and health-friendly modes of transport are made possible.