Have you ever considered cycling a long-distance at all? Perhaps a tour to somewhere else in the UK

or even abroad? Have you ever considered how empowering cycling can be?

Whether you have or not I say you definitely should think about it, you could even start off

tomorrow. You won’t need many things for the ride – a little food and water to keep you going – and

off you go.

Let yourself be embraced by the anxieties and excitement that comes with the uncertainties we are

often told to get rid of in this marketed and well-organised world we live in. Cycling is empowering

because anyone can do it, you start slowly and come to realise when you move at your own pace, at

your own speed, that you can go anywhere.

You will certainly discover some new parts of yourself becoming active, which may not have been for

a long time. You may wrestle with some new aches and cramps, but along the way you will also find

joy, fulfilment, challenge, meet lovely people and enjoy gorgeous views out in the countryside.

So what better a way to turn up to a climate change march than by bike! Empowered, free and with a

drastic reduction in emissions. So that is what we did. Last Friday, March the 6th we began our

journey: five of us set off on a cycling tour from Brighton to attend the Time To Act march held in

London.

Yes, it is a serious ride of around 65 miles (we even took the scenic route, it’s a bit longer than some

others and had some hilly hills, but it’s pretty), yet we still took up the challenge.

Having said that I should not forget that this decision made most of us a bit apprehensive of the

journey and the challenges to come. Apart from perhaps activities officer Lyndsay, I get the feeling

she’d cycling anywhere, at any time.

But, if you do rides, not just the longer ones, with friends and other folk you will soon discover the

beauty of calming each other and exploring the needs and desires of others and those of yourself.

You soon become a community, and we were soon making friends.

We set off early so not to hurry; this gave us lots of time for extended breaks and chats (eating is

key). The first bit through the South Downs National Park seemed to be the hardest, you go up and

down and up and.. (I said there were hilly hills) though each section had its own peculiarities. This is

the time to take it easy, to enjoy the view at Devil’s Dyke and of all those villages, far-off country

lanes, farms and sights you probably miss being a city-concrete surfer.

Cruising through the loosely civilized areas, quaint idyllic villages and calming views, sharing the

experiences with each other as much as we could. A halfway impromptu shared lunch under a

leafless tree in beautiful landscape.

Onwards we cycled to London. As we carried on life started to become more dense and the traffic

thick. Everyone was overwhelmed by the contrast between the gorgeous off-the-track quiet

countryside into the manic cycle lanes and cycling-antagonistic-atmosphere of London. Six and a half

hours later, we had arrived.

The Time to Act climate march on the Saturday was a wonderful experience, with many people on

many bikes. So many citizens coming together from a plethora of groups to march for our future. We

had a good reason to do such a lovely trip; to make this powerful statement of personal freedom of

movement and protest all powered by bikes!!

By Luke Richards and Mike Korsonewski

On March 3rd 2015, I went to London to see a political panel about transportation policies chaired by

Guardian correspondent Gwyn Tophan and attended by three representatives from the

Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats. In the lead to the upcoming elections this Big

Transportation Debate should act as the stage for all the party members to provide knowledge about

their dealings with issues of mobility, investments into infrastructure, difficulties and challenges for

the future, failures and advances made in the past. At this evening in the Institute for Mechanical

Engineers not far from Parliament Square, various representatives of transportation companies,

lobbying agencies, national charities, UK-wide operating and international economy officials came

together to listen to the political talk and confront the MPs with their perspectives. And me in the

middle of all of that hustle and bustle!!

I expected the evening to be overly stiff, formally dry and not very fun but I ended up being in a very

challenging discussion. The panel was not exclusively devoted to talk about major investments into

the highway building and national railway infrastructure. Moreover, cycling and people on bikes,

accessibility and sustainable methods of commuting to put far-off and smaller villages and towns on

the map and on the move again were highlighted topics. Much of the following discussion dealt with

environmentally-friendly and community supportive options and opportunities that either will

become necessities in the future or are already operating in some of the areas in the UK. What a

symbol of transformation or am I too quick to draw a conclusion about all of this!!??

Gwyn Tophan did not hesitate to remark that, “none of the points about transportation have been

put into practice since the last elections.” One should be more sceptical about what will become set

in stone and what will remain as a dream of mobility, mutual support and sustainability.

How did the panel members go about this? To say it briefly, the Tories and Labour were mocking

each other about current or past program points and projects. Who made this and who

miscalculated that project? Lilian Greenwood MP (Labour), and shadow minister for transport,

stressed the importance of efficient investment in a better national railway infrastructure and

companies’ dealing with it as well as a stronger say for the passengers who still remain passive

consumers in UK’s transportation network. Tory’s MP Patrick McLoughlin – Secretary of State for

Transport – very much highlighted the investments that were made into the A14, stressed the

importance of the 5-year-plan and the magnificently working networks in London and Manchester as

sometimes helpful points of comparison and distinction to the needs of specific regions in the

country. He demanded a certain trust to be put into future planning about East-West rail

connections. Mike Thornton MP and representative for the LibDems made a very encouraging

statement about mobility, accessibility and sustainability highlighting the massive problems caused

by air pollution, erosion and the benefits of a turn towards regenerative energies and healthier and

more efficient ways to travel and commute like cycling, railway and buses.

It was delighting to hear the awareness and clearness of this stance and I was happy to hear that it’s

part of the consciousness of at least some of the top policy makers of this country.

I enjoyed the opportunity to get an idea how political talk works and public affairs are dealt with by

political spokespersons of the major parties. Moreover the discussions after the opening panel made

me very conscious of the role the corporate companies play within lobbying and putting political

officials under pressure compared to what small say we have as individuals with different desires and

abilities of mobility. Fortunately, I heard many encouraging voices from the audience supporting the

move to bring issues surrounding transport, cycling and sustainability into the political arena.

By Mike Korsonewski, Brighton, beginning of April 2015