Ahead of one Red Nose day during my school years, some friends and I were thinking of ways to raise money when someone suggested we all cycle to school. Aged around 12, we were young enough to still love bikes over boys, and we were familiar with the route. For originality, which would surely help with sponsorship, we didn't know anyone else who cycled to school. We went home thinking it was the best plan ever, but when we reconvened the next morning every single parent had said no on the grounds of safety. They were happy for us to cycle quiet roads and paths at weekends but busy roads at rush hour were a non-starter.

Today, in spite of recent and welcome surges in cycling participation, it appears many parents still feel the same.

Susie Strachan, a mother of two, says she wouldn't let her seven-year-old daughter cycle to school on the road.

"It's too dangerous at this age. I don't know anyone who does it but I think a lot of us would consider it if there were segregated bike lanes."

Even Poppy Smith, whose partner cycled their newborn around in a car seat on a cargo bike, would be reluctant to let her children cycle to school before the age of 10.

"It obviously depends on the road and the child but under 10 I think I'd only let them ride on cycle paths, the pavement or really quiet roads or I'd use the Trailgator tow systems on the road to get them used to being in traffic but only if the speed limit was under 30mph. When they were around 10 I'd get them to do their cycle proficiency so I could be confident they were confident on the road."

They're not alone. According to a 2010 government national travel survey, available via the national cycling organisation CTC, only 1% of children aged five-10 and 3% of children aged 11-15 cycle to school, even though the average distance travelled is just three miles.

Aside from the obvious physical health benefits, the CTC believes cycling can help "confidence, independence and sense of self-worth" alongside "navigational and roadcraft skills". With 45% of children currently travelling by car contributing to 29% of traffic between 8-9am, encouraging more children to cycle to school would reduce local congestion and pollution.

But how do you alleviate parents' fears? The cycle charity Sustrans has been running the Bike It programme since 2004. Their research has shown that half of schoolchildren would like to cycle. Last year they called for cycling to be a part of the national curriculum and they run the Big Pedal, an annual competitionthat aims to get children cycling to school as much as possible over a three-week period. This year kids from 49 secondary and 927 primary schools took part, with more than 1 million miles between them.

Sustrans also have over 120 Bike It officers up and down the country. I spoke to Ben Sherratt, the Brighton and Hove representative, about the task they face.

"We need a big cultural shift in behaviour especially as you're talking to parents about the most precious things in their lives."

But when I mention parents' fears and their wish for segregated lanes or children to be allowed to cycle on the pavement, he encourages a different viewpoint.

"One of the key things we try to do is give parents more confidence on the roads with their children. We do feedback to the council on certain problem routes but it's more about consulting with parents on how to overcome perceived problems and chipping away at their fears."

Ben himself cycles with his children (aged six and eight) to school and around the community on the weekends.

"I'm from a cycling background so whatever age my kids have been I've found a solution. Our emphasis is on having fun and showing how easy it is. Scooters are good for younger kids and once they can ride a bike we encourage Bikeability training to help their spatial awareness in traffic. We also do family cycle training rides and ride to school days with incentives where we can get 30-40% of the kids taking part. In an engaged school we can go from no kids cycling to 10% in a term or two."

Of course it won't be practical for every child. Some schools are on massive hills or only accessed by roads where the national speed limit applies but for short journeys to local schools, it would be great to see the bike traffic to car ratios rise. Parents with kids that cycle would no doubt be more careful drivers around children also. Once you start cycling regularly it becomes so embedded in your consciousness that it becomes the only way to travel.

My children are only nursery age but by the time they're ready for school I hope to have my school run cycle strategy sorted out. How about you?