The biannual Kidical Mass family-friendly bike protest ride will return to the streets of Brighton & Hove on Sunday 22 September 2024. The ride is part of World Car Free Day taking place globally the same day and will finish at a performance of Blazing Saddles choreographed bicycle dance.
Kidical Mass is a joyful, family-friendly mass bike ride through city streets, calling on the council to provide safer cycling infrastructure and highlighting that children are also road users. The ride is marshalled, free to join and open to everyone – children, families, friends and adults without children. This will be Brighton & Hove’s third such event, following rides this April and last September at which hundreds of children and adults participated. Kidical Mass is part of a global campaign inspired by Critical Mass rides, which are mainly attended by adults.
Kidical Mass Brighton & Hove is organised by local cycling campaign groups Bricycles, Brighton Bike Hub, Brighton Multicultural Women’s Cycle Club (The BMWs), Clean Air for Brighton & Hove, and Old Shoreham Road (OSR) Bike Train, with funding from The Big Bike Revival.
“Many children and families love cycling but rarely get a chance to ride on roads due to a lack of protected cycle lanes,” said Ursula Nield of Brighton Bike Hub, “Kidical Mass calls for a joined-up network of cycle routes around the city that would lead to healthier streets, less air pollution, fewer accidents and the opportunity for people to get around town safely.”
Iliana Koutsou from Bricycles said “We’re pleased that work on the Valley Gardens bicycle corridor will start later this year, but it’s worrying that an opportunity to connect it to potential new cycling infrastructure to the east of the city will be missed. We urge the council to build protected bike lanes along Marine Parade, to connect with Valley Gardens, so that people feel safe to ride across the city without detours.”
Kidical Mass participants are encouraged to add to the fun spectacle by wearing fancy dress and decorating their bikes. They are also invited to “bring the noise”, with bells, whistles, flags, bubble blasters and bike-mounted sound systems. The ride will proceed at the pace of the slowest cyclist to ensure no one is left behind. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
The ride on Sunday 22 September is free to join and there is no need to register – just turn up at Wish Park (BN3 4LN), Hove Park (BN3 7BF), The Level (BN1 4ZN) or Black Rock (BN2 1FY) at 2pm. These feeder rides will converge with other riders at the Peace Statue (BN3 2WN) at 2.30pm, before riding en massearound the city centre. Multiple start locations make it easier for families to join from parts of the city not well served for cycling.
The ride will end at St Peter’s Church (BN1 4GU) around 4.15pm, where riders will get to see the finalé of the Blazing Saddles bike dance show, including performers from Brighton Multicultural Women’s Cycle Club.
The protest aims to make Brighton & Hove a safer, more enjoyable place for everyone to cycle.
Volunteers are essential to the success of the event. If you would like to help as a volunteer marshal, please email Ursula at [email protected]
For more details please visit the Bricycles website at https://bricycles.org.uk
