Dozens join first ‘Critical Mass’ cycle event in Peterborough

Sunday’s socially distanced group ride saw dozens of cyclists, turn out for the first event of its kind in Peterborough which started at the Sessions House on Thorpe Road at 2pm and finished in Cowgate.

Critical Mass events are set up via social media but are ‘leaderless and have no organisers’.

The aim of the Peterborough event was to ‘imagine how cycle friendly the city could become’.

In May, the government announced its ‘Safe Cycling Inititiave’ as a response to the increased interest in the pursiut during lockdown.

A £250 million emergency travel fund was set up to create pop-up cycle lanes, wider pavements and safer junctions across the country.

Those taking part wanted to ‘demonstrate the presence of cyclists in the city’ and ensure that Peterborough’s share of the funds is used appropriately to fully enhance the experience of cycling in the city.

Green Party city councillor Nicola Day, a long term champion of cycling, was at the event with a petition calling for more permanent facilities in the city to support cycling.

She said: “It was really good. We had far more people turn out than we expected.

“Most importantly we had families on bikes and one gentleman rode with his daughter on a tandem.

“The feedback was very good. We are planning to hold a ride on the second Sunday of every month but already people are saying we should do it more frequently and also include a longer route.

“That is great because we are really trying to show that there are many people who wuld like to cycle.

“We had a petition which people signed. The petition is calling on the city council to invest government funding into high quality cycling provision in Peterborough, not just with temporary measures but also on a more permanent basis so that experienced and new cyclists can choose cycling as their preferred mode of transport.”