The event is in support of a national campaign
A Glow Ride will be lighting up the streets of Bristol tonight(Image: Cycling UK)
A fleet of dazzlingly-lit bicycles is set to take to the roads of Bristol to call for safer streets. A ‘Glow Ride’ will start from Queen Square at 6pm tonight (October 24), with wet weather forecast.
“Together, we’ll light up the night and call for safer streets and better cycling infrastructure, especially for women riding after dark,” organisers wrote on the website promoting the event. “We’re calling for streets where everyone feels safe.”
The event is being hosted by a handful of local organisations: Bristol Cycling Campaign, Lunar Cycle, Friday Hart’s Cycling Club and All Terre Adventures. The Bristol Glow Ride is open to people who identify as women, trans or non-binary.
Thousands of people have already taken part in Glow Rides all over the United Kingdom this week in support of Cycling UK’s ‘My ride. Our ride’ campaign calling for safer cycling routes for women and more investment in infrastructure to address the gender divide. Research commissioned by Cycling UK found that nearly half (48%) of women were put off cycling by aggressive behaviour from drivers, with the problem worsening after nightfall.
Sarah Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cycling UK, said: “Too many women are telling us the same thing: they want to cycle, but they don’t feel safe. When nearly half of women say threatening behaviour from drivers puts them off cycling, and three-quarters say personal safety limits how they travel – that’s a clear indication, things need to change.
“Lighting, visibility and physical protection from traffic is critical when it comes to enabling more people to cycle. But these issues are not just about infrastructure – they’re about equality, access and freedom of movement. That’s why so many people have joined our glow rides. It’s time our streets reflected that.”
Cycling UK is calling for 10% of the national transport budget to be spent on cycling and walking infrastructure. The amount allocated towards active travel is currently just 2% of the transport budget, according to a 2024 report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, which describes itself as an “independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society”.
Maya Singer Hobbs, senior research fellow at IPPR, said cycling had been overlooked by UK governments for three quarters of a century.
“Cycling in the UK peaked 75 years ago,” she said. “Since then, UK government policy has locked in car dependency, making people walk wary and cycle cautious, at the expense of our health, our environment and our economy.
“Investment in active travel infrastructure to get more people walking and wheeling is crucial to cutting emissions and improving growth.”