For over 10 years Butan plin, part of the SHV Energy group of companies, has been encouraging young people to get involved in safe cycling activity through their ‘Safe on the Bike’ initiative. In 2020 they rolled out the scheme to 140 Slovenian primary schools helping to teach the pupils about road traffic rules and encourage them to actively use their bicycles through fun and traffic-themed tasks.
A healthy school challenge with over 66,000 km cycled
The pupils
cycled a total of 66,210 kilometres, accumulated with many different leisure
trips and everyday errands. Around 600 pupils took part in the challenge, from
October to May, entering the distances online and competing to see which school
had highest average number of kilometres cycled. The initiative generated some
healthy competition, and the pupils were able to aim to win some useful prizes
for the school and the local community, with the overall winning school
receiving a new bike.
Rewarding support for a very worthwhile
charity
The “Varno na kolesu/Safety
on the Bike” programme also partnered with the Neurotrast Foundation, a charity that provides support to people who have suffered neurological illness
or related injury. The Foundation also raises public awareness about
these conditions, what is involved in neurorehabilitation, and the importance
of prevention to avoid head injuries.
As partner in the scheme, the
Neurotrast Foundation converts the total kilometres cycled into a donation for
the purchase of rehabilitation equipment. This equipment supports those who
have suffered head injuries and therefore may have certain limitations and experience
a variety of day-to-day challenges.
Mobility,
sustainability, and safety
The success of
the scheme operated by Butin plin is a great example of how important
sustainable mobility and safety is viewed and encouraged in the Slovenian
school system. It promotes the fact that a bicycle is the perfect solution for
shorter distance travel and for school trips. It allows people, and in
particular school-age children, the opportunity to socialise and enjoy a range
of leisure time activities.
The amount of
participation also makes a statement about the commitment to reducing
environmental impact with a ‘Safety on the Bike’ Scheme that has an estimated saving
around one and a half tonnes of CO2 emissions.
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