Fife cyclists Pedal on Parliament

The group set off from Kirkcaldy early in the morning of the event on April 23 and picked up fellow cyclists along the route before meeting up with almost 4000 others at the Meadows in Edinburgh to Pedal on Parliament.

This was the fifth annual event of its kind and the Fife contingent of the campaign group has grown every year since it started, with Kirkcaldy man Jim Drummond taking on the unofficial role as its administrator.

Jim (49) explained: “When we took part the first year there were only around 12 of us from Fife, but it has grown steadily since then and this year we had around three times that, which is great.

“Obviously things like the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games have seen a surge in the popularity of cycling, but also the fact that it is now so easy to buy the equipment for a reasonable price makes it more accessible to everyone. Before it was seen as something of an elitist sport, but now you see many more children cycling to school and people from 16 to those in their 60s took part in this year’s Pedal on Parliament.”

The main aim of Pedal on Parliament is to improve safety for cyclists on the country’s roads and they also want to see a greater portion of the transportation budget spent on cycling.

“It would help solve a lot of congestion problems as well as help to encourage children to get more exercise and fight things like diabetes and obesity,” said Jim.

“We hope the number of Fifers pedalling on Parliament will continue to rise.”