Big Ride for Safe Cycling - London

The Big Ride, London's largest ever cycle protest, organised by the London Cycling Campaign called on the mayoral candidates to make London more liveable for everyone by making our streets as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland.

It was impossible to count the number of cyclists of all ages and sizes who took to London's streets to call on the next London mayor to show their commitment to making London's streets safer and healthier by encouraging walking and cycling. Some estimates put the number of riders at around 10,000, and at the start of the ride through central London, cyclists filled Park Lane and more were still arriving and later the ride more than filled the length of Whitehall.

Despite the rain which kept on steadily through the ride, cyclists came and called for London to "Go Dutch", and for the next mayor to select three high-profile locations for Dutch-style cycling infrastructure, which encourages cycling and walking. And the campaign has been a great success, with all the major mayoral candidates signing up to implement this if they are elected. Green Party candidate Jenny Jones, long a forceful campaigner for a better deal for cyclists was on the ride, though I didn't see any others.

It was a family-friendly bike ride just days before the mayoral election along a four-mile route through central London with police clearing the traffic and marshals controlling crossings along the route.

London Cycling Campaign's chief executive Ashok Sinha said, "The Big Ride is our best chance to show the next mayor we're serious about redesigning our streets to make them safer for everyone.

"Some of the mayoral manifestos show very weak commitments to cycling, so every person who comes to the Big Ride can help push safer cycling up the next mayoral agenda.

From its start near Hyde Park Corner, the ride went past Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament, ending up at a large balloon arch across the road near Blackfriars. Many of those taking part dressed up for the event and there were some weird and wonderful machines taking part. For many it was a family day out and there were some very young participants both in trailers and on various small bicycles among the crowd.