Kim Harding: Hope for cycling protest

Last year, 3000 people – young and old – pedalled on the Scottish Parliament to call for safer roads for everyone.

Despite plenty of warm words from politicians since then, nothing fundamental has changed. So we’re doing it again, on Sunday, May 19, starting from the Meadows at 3pm.

Pedal on Parliament is a grass roots campaign which expresses the latent desire to make our roads safer for everybody. As the name suggest, Pedal on Parliament is a cycling based campaign, however the changes we call for in our eight-point manifesto will make the roads safer for everyone. It will also help to improve the quality of life in our towns, cities and villages.

Pedal on Parliament is calling for:

1. Proper funding for cycling;

2. Designing cycling into Scotland’s roads;

3. Slower speeds where people live, work and play;

4. Integrating cycling into local transport strategies;

5. Improved road traffic law and enforcement;

6. Reducing the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians;

7. A strategic and joined-up programme of training for all road users;

8. Improved statistics supporting decision-making and policy.

Last year, we had expected no more than 300 people to attend, so we were astounded when 3000 turned up. Pedal on Parliament has many high-profile supporters, including Mark Beaumont who took part in 2012. This year, Graeme Obree will be among the riders and we have the support of Sir Chris Hoy and Mark Beaumont again, although they can’t be there in person to join in.

Come and join us. You don’t have to cycle to be a part of Pedal on Parliament – you can walk, use a kick scooter, skateboard or roller skate, just so long as you use active means, so come along and join us on Sunday to make Scotland’s roads more people-friendly.

Kim Harding is a keen cyclist and one of the organisers of Pedal on Parliament