Pedal Safe Cycle Skills
What we teach
Pedal Safe’s NZQA certified instructors deliver cycle skills compliant with the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency’s Cycle Skills Guidelines.
This three-tiered training programme is designed to teach both children and adults how to cycle safely and confidently on the road with awareness and respect for other road users.
Pedal Safe covers training for grades one and two for schools. We usually teach students between Years 4-8. Grade 3 is available for adults or students aged 13+ (year 9). If you would like to arrange training for younger students, please contact Bike Taupо̄ on kids@biketaupo.org.nz
Grade One
Grade one cycle skills training takes between 3 to 5 hours and is held in a non-traffic environment, usually in a school playground. Training at this level covers:
- bike, helmet and clothing safety checks including legal requirements
- starting off and stopping with control
- steering and maneuvering safely to avoid objects
- looking behind while pedaling in a straight line
- signaling to stop and turn left or right
- using the gears
Grade Two
Grade two training takes 7 to 8 hours in total, with a minimum of six hours riding on local roads and covers:
- competency in all grade one core skills
- recall and understanding of road signs and the road rules
- starting and stopping on the side of the road (kerb)
- ride along the road
- pass a parked vehicle
- turning left at a T intersection
- turning right at a T intersection
- traveling straight through a crossroads
Grade Three
Grade three training takes 2 to 8 hours in total, depending on requirements. In more challenging traffic environments, such as heavier traffic, higher speed roads and multilane intersections and covers:
- competency in all grade two core skills
- negotiate multi-lane roundabouts
- negotiate multi-lane roads
- pass slow moving vehicles
- pass stationary queuing traffic (filtering)
- react to hazardous road surfaces
- ride in rural, and possibly high-speed, environment
Adults
Do you live in the Taupо̄ District and are you longing to get back on your bike? Want to brush up your bike handling skills or find out how to navigate in traffic?
Riding a bike not only makes you fitter, it can be faster, cheaper and fun.
We run regular free adult courses on weekends. We have adult, e-bike, women migrant/former refugee cycle skills courses available. We can also arrange free sessions for workplace groups.
The courses include an initial bike/helmet safety check, and practice of basic handling skills:
- straight line, looking behind, one-handed riding
- emergency braking techniques
- how to use your gears
And an introduction to riding on the road:
- where to ride on the road
- negotiating traffic and intersections
