1. Take candidates for a cycle ride

You know exactly what it’s like to cycle in your area and what the council needs to do to improve things. At election time, you want to convert local candidates into insightful allies, who’ll always be there for your cause if they’re elected. Talking and writing are good, but taking candidates out for a cycle ride might clinch their support because it prompts a more personal, direct understanding of local problems and the schemes that could solve them. Here are some thoughts from Gwenda Owen, our engagement office in Wales (pictured left below), who’s recently chaperoned some of her local candidates round her ward and taken them to meet other active travel advocates along the way.

a. Why do it?

Apart from winning, candidates usually want to change things for the better. What ‘better’ looks like may be subject to debate, but it makes sense for people who are running for election to listen to their voters.

It’s not a mammoth task for local candidates to research the characteristics of their electorate and neighbourhood. After all, they’re standing to represent a relatively small patch: across the UK, the average number of people in a ward is 5,500.

They will, though, be responsible for a broad range of issues if elected, including transport, planning and education. They may not have discovered much at all about active travel, let alone the positive difference cycling could make to the local community and its potential to solve problems such as school-run congestion, rat-running through housing estates and air pollution.

That’s where you can step in.

Inviting candidates to accompany you on a bike ride is a powerful way to explain on the spot why introducing new schemes and removing barriers to cycling could make such a difference to your neighbourhood on so many fronts.

b. Invitees

• All candidates need to hear from cycling advocates, especially those who don’t use bikes to get around. If you aren’t able to arrange a ride with every one of them, don’t worry – but make sure that no one can accuse you of political bias. • Invite candidates from across the political spectrum. Don’t assume that just because their national party’s policy is for (or against) cycling and active travel, they will agree. Their personal views may differ from the party line and be influenced by their relationships with local advocates. Also, approaching candidates from a range of parties helps prevent perceptions of bias – if you’re part of a local campaigning group, you’ll probably want to stay politically neutral anyway. • Don’t just invite the candidates who already support your cause. It’s great to let active travel champions and everyday cycling candidates know that their support for cycling could sway votes, but they may not win. • Research each candidate for hooks. Many set up social media accounts as part of their election campaign – use what you discover to interest them in riding with you.

c. How?

• By bike or on foot: there’s nothing quite like getting about by bike, so if your candidate is comfortable riding, this is the best way to get your point across. Not everyone will be in a position to ride, though, so ‘walk & talk’ is fine and can be less stressful than cycling around a challenging area. • On your own or with others: if you’re part of a group or have friends you can call on, perhaps arrange for the candidate to meet others who already do/would like to get around by bike, e.g. parents/disabled riders/children/commuters/leisure riders/shoppers. This gives candidates a wider understanding of the electorate’s views.

d. What and where?

• Find maps of ward boundaries on your local authority’s website. • Start your ride/walk on a positive note. If you’re aware of an example of some infrastructure or other measure that works well, begin there. • Show them what matters to you: if there’s nowhere to park your bikes near the local shops, ride around in search of the nearest spot and, along the way, discuss how local business can benefit when cycling customers can park nearer. If a cargo or adapted bike, or one fitted with panniers, can’t access a shortcut because of a barrier or gate, take your candidate(s) the long way round to show how inconvenient it is. • Chat about what matters to them / ask them what’s bothering their voters. If, for example, candidates are being barraged by complaints about a lack of car parking space around a school, offer solutions they may not have thought of: school streets4, say, and cycle parking at the school.

e. When?

• Meet at the time of day that allows you to illustrate your point. If a junction is difficult to cross at commuter times, meet during rush hour; if you want to make the case for ‘school streets’, arrange to meet at dropping off or pick-up time, not mid-morning. • If you can’t meet at the optimal time, take them to the site and show them a prerecorded video of the problems.

f. What next?

• Share any photos of the ride on social media or find other ways to let people know it’s happened, prompting further conversation on the subject. (See sections 4 and 5 on media relations). • Encourage others to talk to candidates about cycling and active travel, making the point that it’s an important issue to a range of people. • If one of the candidates you’ve ridden with is elected, stay in contact with them and develop your relationship (and hold them to account for any promises). • Keep talking to ‘unsuccessful’ candidates too. They may become allies in your ongoing local campaigning and perhaps stand successfully in future elections.

Read Gwenda’s blog. to find out how her bike rides for candidates went.

4 http://schoolstreets.org.uk/