School children in England are to benefit from the chance to take part in Bikeability, the national cycle training standard, after the government committed £10m towards the initiative.

The funding is part of a £140m package for the training scheme, which aims to enable a total of 500,000 young people to learn essential cycling skills and to gain greater awareness of the dangers on the road.

Transport minister Paul Clark revealed details of the extra investment at the end of March, with £5.4m funding earmarked for local authorities to provide Bikeability training and £4m to go towards the Youth Sport Trust to deliver cycle training in schools through the School Sports Partnerships.

The remaining £500,000 is to be awarded as bursary grants to pay for 1,600 new training staff as part of the Bikeability initiative, which launched in March 2007 to help school children cope with modern traffic conditions.

Clark said: "Having the skills to cycle to school and to make other local journeys has never been more important, especially as it helps children and young people to reach the 60 minutes of activity recommended by the government's Change4Life scheme."

The scheme is promoted in England by Cycling England. Chair Philip Darnton added: "We are determined to make 2009 the year of Bikeability training and this funding is a tremendous start.

"Learning to ride a bike is a life skill and with the engagement of local authorities and the School Sports Partnerships around the country, we are working to give all young people the opportunity to get Bikeability training within the next three years."