Parliamentary Bike Ride Returns For 2022 - United Kingdom

Parliamentary Bike Ride Returns For 2022

News item | 29-06-2022 | 13:51

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) Parliamentary Bike Ride returned yesterday for the first time since 2019.

Members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers on a bicycle — Caption: ©Marcus Ahmad / Marcus Ahmad

The event, a highlight in the annual cycling calendar, brought together Members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers, Experts and advocates for the first time since 2019, as the previous two rides had been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This year, they were joined by Trudy Harrison MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.

Commenting on the Government’s Gear Change, Trudy said:

‘’It’s been said that a few times that Gear Change is the greatest health intervention that the Government has ever made, I absolutely agree.’’

Sponsored by TIER, leading in shared micro-mobility provider, and held in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the UK, the event started at 8am at The Dutch Centre, and kicked off with speeches from the Dutch Ambassador to the UK, Karel van Oosterom, Transport Minister Trudy Harrison MP, and Selaine Saxby MP.

The group then left the centre and wound through London to Prince Phillip House, next to The Mall. There, participants heard from Chris Boardman (Active Travel England), Isabelle Clement (Wheels for Wellbeing), Annette Bennet (Joyriders), Georgia Yexley (TIER), Ruth Cadbury MP and Naseem Akhtar (Saheli Hub).

Chris Boardman addressed the meeting and said:

‘’We now need to change our language to talk about the people who aren’t in this room and what is important to them. And thankfully for us our soap box is so sturdy - you don’t want to give money to Putin for oil? We’ve got a solution for you. You want to save money for the family who’s really worried about the bills? We’ve got a solution. Health? We’ve got a solution, all of these things - and we need to make it visible in a language that other people value.’’

This comes at an exciting time for cycling in England, following the launch of Active Travel England earlier this year and a widespread increase in cycling over the past couple of years. The second Cycling and Walking Strategy (CWIS2) is also anticipated to be released shortly, which will detail how the Government’s Gear Change policy will be funded.

The group hopes that this exciting event, having brought together such a wide range of stakeholders, will provide renewed focus on the urgency required to truly deliver the conditions and infrastructure for widespread uptake of cycling.

Ruth Cadbury MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Party Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) said:

‘’I was thrilled to be able to once again join this fantastic event after a gap due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was fantastic to be joined by such a wide range of people who are making a positive difference to cycling and hear from leading advocates and businesses.’’

Selaine Saxby MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Party Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) said:

"It was great to join my first Parliamentary Bike Ride as co-Chair of the group. Seeing everyone we work with as a group cycling through London and hearing from some brilliant speakers is a great reminder of all the amazing work being done to advance cycling.’’

H.E. Karel van Oosterom, Dutch Ambassador to the UK, said:

‘’A typical Dutch street scene sees countless cyclists either heading to or from work, transporting young children to school, or carrying anything from groceries to ladders. I can understand it can seem to outsiders like cycling is simply built into the Dutch DNA. In reality, the Netherlands’ renowned cycling prowess is a combination of long term urban planning and government investment and commitment. ’As the Dutch Embassy in the UK, we look forward to working together with UK experts to promote cycling - as well as sharing knowledge and technology to improve our cycling infrastructures.”

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