Community Influencer Lorraine: Cycling Through Fear

Lambeth’s Big Shift and Peddle My Wheels’ award-winning scheme Community Influencers has come to an end.

We gave 30 beginner cyclists a bike and followed their journeys throughout the year. We caught up with Lorraine at the end of their journey to talk about their experience.

Lorraine had previously learned to ride a bike through a Lambeth scheme about 20 years ago. She was cycling around London when she had a bad experience with a car that tried to run her off the road, which left her very shaken. As a result, she stopped cycling in London after that incident. Lorraine joined the Community Influencer programme to rebuild her confidence and start cycling in her local area again.

Lorraine decided, when she was about 30, to take advantage of the free cycle training offered in Lambeth. She started cycling around her local roads, following her instructor's guidance as she rode past a primary school. At that moment, a car behind her accelerated and attempted to run her off the road. The driver was abusive towards her for claiming space on the road. While Lorraine was unharmed, the experience left her deeply affected emotionally.

Fear of abuse from other road users is common among cyclists. It is everyone's duty to ensure they follow the law, but when cyclists occupy space on the road, they are often treated as if they shouldn't be there. This is especially true for women cyclists. Most respondents to a recent survey of women cyclists reported experiencing some form of abuse or harassment while cycling. The language used was often gendered, and many women said they had been sexually harassed too (opens in a new window). Taking up space on the road is a challenging task for any cyclist.

Lorraine wanted to start cycling again because she enjoyed the idea of cycling to green spaces beyond her local parks. She mentioned that she loved the thought of cycling to Brockwell Park on a long summer’s day. She enrolled in the Community Influencer programme to rebuild her confidence and get back on the road. She received one-on-one lessons and spent considerable time practising in her local parks. As her confidence grew, she began going out onto the roads during school hours when it was quieter. Over time, she became more confident cycling on the roads and has been able to reclaim the space and enjoy her outings on her bike.

If you are like Lorraine and need support building your confidence cycling on the roads, one-on-one cycle lessons are available to anyone who lives, works, or studies in Lambeth through Cycle Confident. You can also head to Peddle My Wheels’ website (opens in a new window) for more offers from Lambeth Council to help you get out on your bike.

Check out all the support available:

• Anyone living, working or studying in Lambeth can access free cycle lessons through Cycle Confident, just make sure to mention you want it for cargo bike (opens in a new window). 
• If you don’t have a bike yet, you can use Try Before You Bike to trial a bike before committing to buy it. (opens in a new window)
• Or borrow one from one of the OurBike locations around the borough (opens in a new window). 
• For a cheap second-hand bike, you can visit a Bike Market held throughout the borough (opens in a new window). 
• Finally, for bike maintenance support, you can visit a Dr Bike session where a mechanic can help you with your bike (opens in a new window).