Local Campaign Group actions in the lead up to May

On 5 May, elections for regional representatives are taking place across the devolved nations, as well as for Mayors and Councillors and English and Welsh Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).  

Cycling UK, alongside local campaign groups, are harnessing the opportunity to encourage local Government to prioritise safer cycling infrastructure and policy.

Across the devolved nations, Cycling UK are running the Vote Bike 2016 campaign. The campaign enables people to easily call on their candidates to support what local campaigners believe is necessary to improve cycling in their area.

In England, local campaign groups have been ramping up their efforts. Below is a list of some of their work should you wish to get involved or get inspired!

Local campaign groups are harnessing the opportunity to encourage local Government to prioritise safer cycling infrastructure and policy."
Tom Guha
Cycling UK's Space for Cycling Campaigner

Bristol: 

Over the last couple of months, the Bristol Cycling Campaign launched an incredibly successful crowdfunding appeal. They reached beyond their £930 aim to £1090, allowing them to launch their rather snazzy campaign website. 

The user friendly map on the homepage allows people to easily identify and email their candidates to ask them to support cycling.

The results have already been positive. And as the election nears, we expect to see the success continue to grow.

They’ve also been using the funding to produce bike plates and stickers that they’re now working hard at distributing around the city. This should help illustrate to candidates the widespread support for Space for Cycling in Bristol. 

In addition, they have written up manifestos for Mayoral, Councillor, and Police Commissioner candidates.

Cambridge:

Rather than getting local people to contact candidates, the Cambridge Cycling Campaign has devised a questionnaire, which they are asking candidates to respond to. 

The questionnaire takes a new approach by going beyond asking candidates to simply pledge their support for cycling. Instead it asks open-ended questions such as:

“What measures would you like to see to improve the safety of children getting to school?”

As well as allowing candidates to clearly outline their cycling policies, the approach may be an effective way of opening up a more meaningful dialogue with candidates and creating greater accountability. 

So far, 31 out of 62 candidates have responded from a range of political parties. Responses are published online and are available to view by all. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope the remaining candidates will continue to uphold the trend. 

Derby:

The Derby Cycling Group has been using the elections to boost the profile of their ongoing campaigns. However, instead of focusing on standing candidates, the group has opted to focus on existing Councillors. 

To do this effectively, they have taken a two-pronged approach. The group has been lobbying the leaders of the four parties with members on the City Council to sign the Space for Cycling pledge. Alongside this, they have put together a petition calling on all councillors to sign it. 

The pledge asks the Council to show their support for the six Space for Cycling themes – and to use them to determine future cycling provision in Derby.

If you live in Derby add your name to the petition here!

In addition, the group are planning a Space for Cycling ride at some point following the elections, to illustrate the support for cycling in Derby to the new Councillors. No date has been set yet but we expect more details to follow shortly. 

London:

The London Cycling Campaign has had incredible success in recent years with a variety of campaigns – and the results are clear to see on London’s roads.

In the lead-up to the Mayor of London elections, the London Cycling Campaign launched a new campaign called ‘Sign for Cycling’. The campaign has been gathering signatures for a petition with three main demands:

1. More Space for Cycling on main roads and at junctions

2. A ‘Mini-Holland’ for every London borough

3. An end to lorry danger

At the time of writing the petition had 6891 signatures – and the number is rapidly rising.

Get involved or add your name to the petition to ensure the new Mayor recognises investment in cycling infrastructure as a priority.

Sheffield:

The Sheffield Cycle Campaign has focussed their attention on the time following the election.

This is because in Sheffield there is a Cabinet that make all decisions related to cycle provision. So rather than focusing on the candidates, the group are planning a Space for Cycling ‘Big Ride’ on June 11 – to show the new Cabinet the level of support for cycling in Sheffield.

This is the third time the ‘Big Ride’ has taken place. In the first year 250 people took part and in the following year 500 people came along. This year they are expecting roughly 750 people to attend and cycle through Sheffield’s streets making some noise – hopefully including some Cabinet members!

There are a myriad of ways in which local groups are using the elections to put cycling clearly on the Local Government agenda. This list will continue to evolve as the elections draw nearer.

If you are a member of a local campaign group and would like to have your actions listed here, please contact tom.guha@cyclinguk.org