We are officially into 2019 and back to work! It doesn’t seem like two minutes ago that we were all preparing for Christmas. However, we hope you all had a successful 2018 and enjoyed a good festive period including the new year celebrations!
The deadline for Driver CPC training is now only 9 months away meaning that operators and drivers alike face an increasing amount of pressure to sort out their required training over the coming months – this can no longer be delayed! So, what can operators and drivers do to ensure they are in the best position possible to meet the Driver CPC requirement? The first thing to do is check the hours that all drivers have completed up to the current day, this can be done at the link provided https://www.gov.uk/check-your-driver-cpc-periodic-training-hours (follow the onsite instructions to find out drivers complete hours). The next advisable step is to compile a spreadsheet of your drivers and who has completed what hours, enabling you to group them together
The number of people commuting by bike is set to grow in 2019 as continued investment aims to make commutes easier. An announcement by Jesse Norman on the 29th of December confirmed that £1.6 million of government funding would go towards making cycling a seamless part of everyday journeys. The Cycle Rail Programme has already had £36 million investment from the Department for Transport. However, this additional funding will enable more people to cycle undisrupted directly to their station with new cycle paths as well as having amicable bike locking facilities.
Cycling and Walking Minister Jesse Norman said: “Improving cycling access to railway stations is good for cyclists and good for rail users, whether they’re commuters or tourists — and it has terrific knock-on benefits, by improving air quality, reducing obesity and increasing economic productivity.
One driver training course can be directly related to this continued investment and encouragement that we are seeing towards cyclists, covering relevant content and issues that drivers are facing when operating in modern day urban environments. Safe Urban Driving does exactly what the course name suggests, it educates drivers on how to drive safely in urban areas. The course was innovative by FORS and proved to be a hit amongst drivers completing the course as it included both theory and practical content, previously drivers had been attending 7-hour classroom-based modules to complete the periodic Driver CPC requirement. Adding practical content to a training session has a number of benefits for the delegates and wider road users throughout the United Kingdom, enabling people to see and feel the issues faced first hand keeps them engaged and gives them a better understanding of what they are discussing in the classroom.