We Pedalled on COP to take our climate message to the world

Over a thousand cyclists converged on Glasgow for the Global Day of Action on Climate Justice on November 6th 2021, as Pedal on COP and our ‘This Machine Fights Climate Change’ slogan went global! Thank you to everyone who helped organise, spread the word, and — most importantly — turned up on the day to join us.

Marchers with bicycles fill the street
The Cycling and Sustainable Transport bloc at the Global Day of Action in Glasgow, Nov 6th. Photo (c) Andy Catlin.

Twenty-one different feeder rides defied headwinds and sheeting rain to deliver cyclists from as far afield as Aberdeen, Inverness and Dumfries, and from all corners of Glasgow. The numbers turning out for almost every ride defied organisers’ expectations, with Kelvin Way filling with bikes of all shapes and sizes as we assembled ready for the march. This was a day that was too important for people to be put off by a little inclement weather.

Small boy leading a group of cyclists up the Bears Way
Little legs can make a big difference: the East Dunbarton feeder ride is led by one of our youngest participants. Photo: David Brennan

World leaders at the summit may be ignoring the role of cycling and sustainable transport in fighting climate change but, as we joined the biggest demonstration this century on the streets of Glasgow, we sent a message that was surely too loud to be ignored: these machines fight climate change!

Before the event, we made this film to explain what’s at stake.