Birmingham Kidical Mass calls for safer streets and a healthier environment for children

Birmingham is holding a Kidical Mass bike ride on Saturday 5th October, in the wake of a series of shocking deaths on Birmingham’s roads, including four year old Mayar Yahia, killed by a car while she walked home last April, and three fatalities in just four days in July.

The event, a ‘led ride’ open to all ages, starts at 10.15 at the Midlands Arts Centre, with three British Cycling ride leaders taking riders along sections of the A38 cycleway and the Rea Valley cycling route to Fruit & Nut Village’s Pebble Mill Forest Garden for a picnic.

The Birmingham event is one of 20 Kidical rides being organised across the UK this autumn. “Kidical Mass has been in existence for 15 years, and demands of our leaders - who seem not to be listening - the fundamental children’s right to be able to cycle and play safely outdoors,” says organiser Dr Ewan Hamnett, a retired Birmingham GP and board member for ukactive.

“We clearly must have safer roads, but there is also the broader issue of “slow” deaths from air pollution, obesity and inactivity – around 150,000 per year as opposed to around 1,400 people killed directly by cars,” Dr Hamnett says. “We are stacking up a massive risk for the current generation of children”.

Nasseam Akhtar, a mother from Sparkbrook who has been riding with Ashiana Community Project cycling group since 2019 says: “I cycle because it liberates me from the confinement of a car. The daily grind of heavy rush hour traffic really does affect your mood.

“Hearing the beauty of nature all around you does such wonders to your mental health. I have learned to appreciate my surroundings more including the local wildlife and green spaces that were locked and hidden from me as a driver!

“Children who cycle from a young age will learn that this mode of transport is just as normal as walking. They will feel physically stronger and fitter and remain part of the cycling community. It’s important for children and families to reclaim the streets on their bikes, and be seen and heard”.

Nikki, a volunteer for Fruit & Nut Village says: “I enjoy being able to get from one place to another independently, without having to rely upon others. I enjoy getting some exercise. The challenges are other road users: car drivers behaving badly on the road.

“Kidical Mass is important because it shows my child that there are many other kids of all ages who ride bikes, not just the handful they know. It allows them to feel part of a bigger movement”.