CYCLING MOBILITY OF SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UKRAINE: LEGAL REGULATIONS AND PUBLIC OPINION (BASED ON EMPIRICAL RESEARCH)

The article is devoted to the analysis of legal regulation and social aspects of bicycle mobility of schoolchildren in Ukraine. Given the growing popularity of bicycle transport among children, legal norms that determine age restrictions, rules for using bicycles and the level of their observance were studied. The conducted empirical study allowed to assess the level of awareness of parents about the current legislation, identify key problems in the field of safety of child cyclists and determine factors that influence the popularity of bicycle transport among schoolchildren. The results of a survey of 43,480 parents indicate an insufficient level of legal awareness regarding the use of bicycles by children. A significant part of the respondents supports the idea of allowing children to ride bicycles on sidewalks, however, there are differences in attitude to the maximum age for children to ride on sidewalks. Parents also express support for the possibility of children traveling on the road accompanied by adults, which is a potential compromise solution between safety and mobility of schoolchildren. The problem of using protective equipment is separately considered: only 4.1% of children constantly wear bicycle helmets, which significantly increases the risk of injuries. At the same time, almost a third of the surveyed children begin independent trips already at the age of 6–7, which creates additional challenges for their safety. Based on the data obtained, comprehensive measures are proposed to improve legal regulation, expand cycling infrastructure and introduce educational programs on safe cycling. In particular, it is recommended to more clearly regulate age restrictions for road traffic, stimulate the creation of cycle paths and integrate traffic rules training for cyclists into the school curriculum. The need for legislative consolidation and expansion of opportunities for children to ride bicycles accompanied by adults is separately emphasized. Thus, the implementation of the proposed measures will contribute to improving the safety of child cyclists, increasing their mobility and forming a sustainable cycling culture among young people in Ukraine.