On September 22nd a new cycling revolution will hit the streets of Birmingham, as pedal power comes together to create bike trains.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Push Bikes and Sustrans are all working together to give people a way of cycling to work together in a safe and sociable way for In Town Without My Car Day this year.
The groups are recruiting experienced cyclists to lead rides in along 5 major routes to arrive in time for a cyclists’ breakfast in Victoria Square. It will work in the same way as “walking buses”, which have been successful for schoolchildren, but with adults travelling together to work.
A web page will soon be set up at www.birminghamfoe.org.uk in order for people to register their interest in taking part and find the route that will take them to work.
Joe Peacock of BFoE said: “We have seen this working along busy routes in other towns, so it seems like a perfect way of creating a buzz around cycling into Birmingham.”
Rachel Vann of Sustrans added, “This is a great opportunity for those considering cycling to work to have a go whilst being safely led by experienced and qualified ride leaders. There are some fantastic Sustrans NCN routes into the city which many people don’t know about, so this is a great way to discover them. Cycling to work is a great way to fit some exercise in to your day, helping people to keep healthy.”
John Bennett of Push Bikes stated, “To get more commuters on their bikes we need to show that cycling on main roads can be safe and enjoyable. We think that bike trains will achieve this.”
