Black Lives Matter: a statement from Cycling UK

During the last two weeks many of us have watched, read and listened to the global response to the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

This event has shone a light on the many centuries of oppression and racism that the Black community has been subjected to.  

At a time of global crisis, the protests will hopefully act as a catalyst for change through which we can all unite against any form of discrimination and social injustice to help create a fairer, more equal and more inclusive society.  

When we developed our current strategy, we recognised that the demographic of people in the UK who currently cycle is incredibly skewed towards certain demographics. People from a BAME background, women, the LGBT community and people with disabilities are significantly less likely to cycle than white, adult men, for example.  

Our strategy to inspire a million more people to cycle isn’t just targeted at a million more of the current cycling audience. Our campaigning, engagement, volunteering and behaviour change programmes are intended to make sure the cycling population more closely reflects the diverse make-up of the UK.  

That means the numbers of people cycling must grow disproportionately among groups currently underrepresented. We will continue to use our work, influence and reach to create behaviour change and increase inclusivity, particularly amongst vulnerable and marginalised groups and communities.  

We also recognise that as an organisation we must work harder on our own diversity and inclusion, within our staff workforce, governance, volunteers and membership to become more representative of society and particularly those groups who we seek to help through our programmes, cycling and active travel.  

We will also be educating all our staff further and trustees to learn, reflect and revisit our practices, the way we communicate and the programmes we run, and will be inviting comment, recommendation and opinion from all communities on how we can do better.

If you would like to help us learn we’re here to listen. Please get in touch and let us know how we can do better. Send us your feedback at [email protected]

We are determined to succeed and will not falter to ensure that cycling in the UK means cycling is enjoyed by everybody, regardless of culture, race, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation or ability.