We welcome a guest blog today from the organisers of the Breakfast Bike Ride, Lindsey McClellan and Mike Smith:

Got to work on an egg... (and a bike!)To keep the momentum going after the success of Pedal on Parliament, we’ve organised rides with our councillors across Edinburgh for the 20th June. The rides converge on the city chambers, where SPOKES are holding the annual bike breakfast.

The rides will give the councillors a chance to see their city from the point of view of a cyclist. Along the routes, local cyclists will be able to show their representatives the good (e.g. off road cycle lanes) and the bad (e.g. dangerous junctions) of their daily commute.

We are aiming to have rides to go from as many of the 17 council wards in Edinburgh as possible. So far, there are 10 rides organised (covering 11 wards) with two key areas still in need of volunteers. A third of the councillors contacted so far have agreed to join their local ride with no one declining.

We hope to make the rides sociable and friendly, avoiding busy roads so it is enjoyable as well as informative.

City of Edinburgh Council’s previous administration agreed to 5% of the Councils transport budget to be spent on cycling infrastructure. It is therefore important to keep up the interest and pressure to ensure this figure is not reduced and that the spending is made effective use of.

We are a group of cyclists from Edinburgh and therefore this is where we can have an influence. However, we see the wider picture for Scotland. If we keep the pressure up here, and gain decent improvements in infrastructure and safety, it sets a strong precedent for other councils and the Scottish Government to follow. We will also be asking our MSPs and MPs along to the rides.

Here in Edinburgh we are lucky to have the annual SPOKES Bike Breakfast supported by the Council but this is an idea that can also be used in other places. There may be an opportunity for you to invite your local councillors on a ride with you. Whether it is your regular commute or casual evening ride. Get in touch for ideas or help organising such an event.

All the information about the rides can be found at www.breakfastbikeride.org.uk or on Facebook.

You can contact the Breakfast Bike Ride at hello@breakfastbikeride.org.uk or phone on 07779527004. #bike20

Breakfast Bike Rides