Cycling Proficiency Lessons Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Traffic signals and crossings — Coach stop lines, advanced stop boxes and filtered turns, require dismount at pedestrian-only phases, keep riders behind the instructor at complex sequences, and restart only on a clear green with space to clear the junction safely.
• Group spacing and formation — Set clear gaps of 3–5 bike lengths at speed, single out for hazards, pair only on wide, calm sections, hold compact lines at lights, and regroup beyond features so riders can practise independently without losing instructor oversight.
• Heavy vehicles and buses — Avoid close interaction by planning around bus corridors, require extra clearance and never filter up the nearside, instruct riders to fall in behind long vehicles at stops, and hold groups back if a pass or pull-out would be marginal.
• Roadworks and temporary layouts — Recce the route on the day, brief how cones, narrowed lanes and temporary signals change priorities, ride primary through pinch points, and bypass any site with plant movements or blind chicanes so pupils learn adaptation to rapidly changing streets.
• Supervision ratios and roadside instruction — Set ratios by age and road complexity, position instructors fore and aft, deliver instructions at pre-briefed pull-ins, avoid mid-carriageway coaching, and halt the group whenever sightlines or noise prevent clear, safe communication.