by Rachel Wood, Eco Earlswood

From cargo bikes to tandems and everything in between, around 300 people showed up to two Kidical Mass cycle rides, one in Earlswood & Redhill and another in Guildford, on the Coronation bank holiday Monday, in order to campaign for safer cycling spaces for kids. With bubble machines mounted on crossbars, flags secured to baskets and stereos blaring from handlebars, this was a ride to sit up and notice.

Kidical Mass is a global movement which campaigns for safer cycling spaces for kids and improved cycling infrastructure – something that Surrey sometimes struggles with. According to Cycling UK, 66% of people who don’t regularly cycle are put off by fear of traffic, showing the need for a dramatic increase in designated cycle paths.

Eco Earlswood, a local sustainable business, was the powerhouse behind Earlswood & Redhill's first Kidical Mass ride. Owner and local resident Rachel Wood explains why she felt motivated to organise it: "When you live where we live, the habit most families have is to get into their cars and drive to neighbouring towns. Eco Earlswood exists to celebrate Earlswood & Redhill, and Kidical Mass allowed us to do just that, but by bike. The roads in Earlswood are sadly often used as a rat run to get from one side of Redhill to the other. National Cycle Route 21 runs through Earlswood, but the infrastructure is poor, and fear of cycling on the road genuinely exists here."

The route, which started in Memorial Park in Redhill and ended at the YMCA in Earlswood, also went past both Earlswood schools. Local parent Rob Jeffery, who has previously tried to set up a bike bus in Redhill, helped organise the Kidical Mass ride. He commented: "It was a deliberate decision to cycle past both Earlswood school sites. Safer cycling and scootering routes to schools should be a priority, and we hope to include other local school sites in future Kidical Mass rides to amplify this message."

From the moment Rachel first discovered the Kidical Mass movement, she was keen to hold an event in Earlswood. A few tweets later, and she had formed a committee of enthusiastic cyclists, including trained Sustrans ride leaders. A route was agreed, and the global movement of Kidical Mass provided excellent training webinars which answered most of the "What next?" or "How to?" queries. Kidical Mass UK also have a very supporting and inclusive Facebook group. The two Surrey rides teamed up together to promote the events both online and through local media stations, resulting in fantastic attendance numbers at each ride. Both Chloe Sutcliff, organiser of the Guildford ride, and Rachel are keen to channel collaboration over competition and would urge anyone wishing to set one up to do it.

Despite the elections only a few days before, several local councillors showed up to support both rides. Surrey County Councillor Jonathan Essex bravely accompanied his daughter on her balance bike for Earlswood & Redhill's Kidical Mass. He commented that it was “Great to see so many different people, of all ages, take over the roads on their bikes. Surrey County Council have a commitment to active travel, and I am looking forward to seeing the planned new safety improvements for cycling and walking from Redhill to Earlswood in the future.” Both rides have received considerable local press coverage, and off the back of this, Paul Deach (Surrey County Council's deputy cabinet member for the environment and the Active Travel Champion for Surrey) has set up a database for active travel users. Additionally, funding has been allocated to improve the cycling infrastructure in Earlswood, which is a phenomenal result!

Over 500 Kidical Mass rides took place in towns and cities worldwide over the Coronation weekend as part of the Global Action Weekend. The next Global Action Weekend falls in line with World Car Free Day on Friday 22nd September 2023. So, hold on to your cycling hats people, as both Earlswood & Redhill and Guildford are already planning their next rides! Guildford's next event is scheduled for Sunday 24th September. Will you be holding one in your town too?