Need some cheering up?
We have just the thing – some heart-warming images of families with children as young as five enjoying Central London’s new protected bike lanes – showing anyone can cycle when it’s safe.
The photos were taken by cycle campaigner, doctor and parent, Ruth-Anna Macqueen, at yesterday’s Kidical Mass, a family-focused mass ride to promote safe cycling for families.
Yesterday, around 50 people took part in the ride, half of whom were kids, riding right through the heart of Central London, separated from lorries and buses.
Kidical Massive: global bike ride for…you guessed it
Macqueen told road.cc: “This was totally different to any other led ride I’ve organised – it was so relaxed and enjoyable!
“The children absolutely loved the freedom of the cycle tracks and not having to be shouted instructions at every few minutes – in contrast to the un-protected routes we took to get there. Kids as young as five were able to ride the whole length from Shadwell to St James’s Park. One five year old managed to ride all the way from Walthamstow and back again!”
Kids cycled across Parliament Square, something that few parents would have braved even a few months ago.
Cycled along the East-West cycle highway from Monument to Parliament Square today with my 10yo – an absolute joy. pic.twitter.com/3OB5uv2uLL
— Stuart Clarke (@StuartClarkeUK) June 26, 2016
East London contingent on our way home #KidicalMass pic.twitter.com/hLc6w91Zag
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
This toddler led the family, despite tired legs…
Few tired legs approaching Parliament Square! #KidicalMass pic.twitter.com/vE7s5j25Ip
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
Kids on bikes cycled safely separately from lorries
Massive terrifying truck with trailer passes a load of kids on bikes and nobody is even a tiny bit stressed pic.twitter.com/K2FtY00qxe
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
Macqueen says there are people from Belgium, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Romania in this image alone.
She said: “It was also brilliant to have families who originate from countries all over the world coming together – including many from countries in mainland Europe where protected lanes are commonplace.”
THIS is my city. Almost as many languages as there were families. All of them fabulous. pic.twitter.com/TcwmIPQykx
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
This one is our favourite – the father and daughter riding hand in hand.
#space4holdinghandswithDad pic.twitter.com/mPfzzF48rN
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
A close second is this guy roller skiing…
Awesome things we saw today: this man ski-ing on roller skis along Embankment pic.twitter.com/kTvhwSfQEC
— Ruth-Anna (@bikesandbabies) June 26, 2016
There’s something you don’t see every day.
We think you’d struggle to find a better argument for physically separated, protected bike infrastructure than these images.





















7 thoughts on “Families flock to London’s Cycle Superhighways”
Wonderful stuff, I only hope
Wonderful stuff, I only hope Manchester has this in my lifetime
So not only does poor old Sir
So not only does poor old Sir Bob Geldof have to put up with scummy unfamous people getting about quicker than him, but their grubby children are now taking some exercise in plain sight.
Won’t somebody think of the celebrities!
The roller-skis are a common
The roller-skis are a common sight across here in Norway, but they are a pain to pass on an uphill section as they send their legs side to side and stick their poles out at all sorts of “spoke catching” angles. Great to see the superhighways being well used . . as it’ll REALLY irritate all the people claiming they are normally empty.
This should eliminate road
This should eliminate road rage in this area.
Great stuff and long overdue!
Good stuff!
Good stuff! 🙂
Looks like they didn’t get the memo from the loonies that these “elitist” things are only for “young white males”! lol
Wondeful.
Wondeful.
If only the rest of the country had this sort of money spent on its cycling infrastructure.
kitsunegari wrote:
I really don’t think that money is the main obstacle for many parts of the country. My county council seems to go out of it’s way to NOT install fit-for-purpose cycling infrastructure. They’ll happily install something that no-one will want to use, even at quite considerable cost, but never anything of even vaguely decent design quality. 🙁