I started covering all bicycle news

by Martha Williams

Four weeks ago when we launched our Right to Ride campaign, I found that my largely inactive Twitter and Tumblr accounts took on a new significance that far surpassed my earlier humble attempts at being social-media savvy.

I coined the term ‘The News Bicycle’ to capture my cynicism of the 24-hour news cycle and the pressure on us to live high speed lives. 

But when Arts London News heard Min Joo Lee had sadly died and we became aware of the dangers facing the UAL students who have to pass through two notoriously dangerous junctions to access Central Saint Martins and London College of Communication, we were motivated to start the campaign.

This is when I, The News Bicycle, started to cover all UAL’s bicycle news. 

As we got in touch with other campaigners and covered all things cycling in and around UAL, the campaign took on a life of its own.

Real change

More and more people have got on board, passionate about protecting the safety of UAL students and staff, and about seeing real change to the King’s Cross junction and the Elephant and Castle roundabout.

Both of which, we feel, have claimed the lives and confidence of too many London cyclists.

We planned to run a four week campaign that could be tied up by the end of term and given to UAL’s senior management as a contribution towards their cycling safety initiative, giving weight to the conversations they would have with TfL.

Unbeknown to us at this time, the campaign would provide a platform through which non-cyclists could express their concern legitimately alongside those who nip around the city on their bikes everyday.

Support of UAL

Within a week we’d almost reached our target of 1000 signatures on the petition, and secured the support of UAL senior management.

The including nature of the campaign attracted the attention of the petition hosting website through which we set up our petition, www.change.org, who asked if they could work with us to make it as effective as possible. 

Cable TV channel, Community Channel, soon followed wanting to run a feature on the campaign. They felt their viewers would be moved by the loss of Joo Lee and inspired that we wanted protect the lives of our fellow student cyclists.

For a campaign that although worthy and vitally important we expected to remain low key, it seems to have quickly found a welcome home among cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

With the support of UAL senior management, the involvement of the university’s cycling society, Change.org and the continuing commitment of Arts London News, the Right to Ride campaign will, I hope, only gain in momentum.