Donal Hickey: Do you let your kid cycle alone on the road?

Is it safe for a child to cycle to school by themselves? And even when they do, is it fair to expect them to breathe fumes from all the cars idling outside schools?

Dr Dean Venables, of UCC’s Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry, says engine idling causes multiple types of harm, and air pollution accounts for about ten times more deaths than road traffic incidents: “Idling releases toxic substances like nitrogen dioxide, black carbon and particulate matter into the air that harms those outside, and inside, vehicles." Picture: Lukas Schulze/Getty Images

Even though the holidays are at an end, the great majority of children who got bicycles for Christmas will not be going back to school on their new bikes.

In the absence of designated cycle lanes, many parents rightly feel it’s far too dangerous to allow children take bikes onto public roads.