Pedal on Parliament is a grassroots campaign group that wants Scotland to be a place where active travel is safe and enjoyable. Set up in 2012, it seeks improvements to make conditions on Scotland's roads suitable for those aged from 8 to 80. Event have been held annually, which have all included people cycling through Edinburgh to the Parliament. A simultaneous ride in Aberdeen was introduced in 2015.
Contents
- Manifesto
- Pedal on Parliament ride
- Feeder rides
- History
- Inaugural 2012 event
- 2013 event
- 2014 event
- 2015 event
- Pedal on Marischal Aberdeen
- 2016 event
- References
In 2017, events are planned over two days: on 22 April in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, on 23 April Glasgow.
Manifesto
The campaign has an eight-point manifesto of areas for improvement towards making Scotland a cycle-friendly nation:
- Proper funding for cycling
- Design cycling into Scotland’s roads
- Safer speeds where people live, work and play
- Integrate cycling into local transport strategies
- Sensible road traffic law and enforcement
- Reduce the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians
- A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training
- Solid research on cycling to support policy-making
Pedal on Parliament ride
Each year, a ride has followed a route from The Meadows to the Scottish Parliament. The main ride gathers at Middle Meadow Walk, and then goes via George IV Bridge and the Royal Mile. The ride down to the parliament is carried out at a leisurely pace as there are many children, some on balance bikes, and also people walking alongside that are not able to cycle for whatever reason. It is policed mainly by Edinburgh-based Police on bikes, who also ride in with some of the local feeder rides, which can exceed 200 cyclists, and takes around 30 minutes for the end of the ride to leave The Meadows. During the ride, road in the area are closed to traffic.
Participants in the main riders assemble at the parliament where speeches are then given by activists, politicians and others.
A minute's silence has been held at these rides, to remember those unfortunate cyclists who have been killed on the roads. In contrast, ringing of bike bells has also been used to celebrate cycling, and to signal agreement with speakers.
Feeder rides
A series of "feeder rides" are organised from various locations around Edinburgh and Scotland. These allow people to cycle to the event in a group, with the benefit of safety in numbers as well as being a sociable occasion. The feeder rides are often joined by people en route to the Meadows, either at pre-defined points, or ad-hoc. There was also a guided ride back to The Meadows along quiet streets after the event was over.
History
Pedal on Parliament is a grassroots campaign which first organised a protest ride in 2012 in response to a lack of investment in cycling. Before the group was formed, there was no national cycling campaign for Scotland. After the large turnout in 2012, the group realised that their work would need to continue. The group are now one of the organisations that take part in Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party group on cycling.
Inaugural 2012 event
The first event took place on Saturday 28 April 2012, with between 2500-3000 people in attendance. After gathering at The Meadows, people cycled down to the parliament where they delivered a petition that had been signed by over 3000 people. This rally had followed several meetings between Government and road safety professionals and safety campaigners.
2013 event
The second event was held on Sunday 19 May 2013. The procession of 4000 cyclists were led by the families of Audrey Fyfe and Andrew McNicoll who were both killed while cycling in Edinburgh, as well as the athlete Graeme Obree. Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, received the campaign's eight-point manifesto.
2014 event
The third Pedal on Parliament was held on 26 April 2014 and was the largest yet, with estimates of over 4500 people attending. The event had started at midday due to allow for the football match traffic later that day and the Great Edinburgh Run being held the following day.
Speeches were introduced by David Brennan, one of the organisers, and began with the views from three children, who were followed by a number of MSPs and campaign leaders:
Several other MSPs and councillors were at the event, primarily from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
2015 event
The fourth event was held on Saturday 25 April 2015. Transport Minister Derek Mackay attended the event along with representatives of all the main political parties.
Speeches were again held outside the Parliament, following a minute's silence for those who have been killed on the roads.
Pedal on Marischal, Aberdeen
A simultaneous ride was also held in Aberdeen, from Hazlehead Park to Marischal College, to increase the profile of cycling in the city. Around 150 people gathered at the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council and were met by councillors from a range of parties.
2016 event
A fifth mass ride event was held on 23 April 2016, during the run up to the Scottish elections, with a main ride in Edinburgh and a simultaneous ride in Aberdeen. The Edinburgh ride was attended by the leaders of three political parties- Kezia Dugdale, Willie Rennie and Patrick Harvie. It was the second year that Derek Mackay, Scotland's Minister for Transport, took part.