Glasgow projections highlight role of cycling ahead of COP26 climate event
- Projections beamed onto locations including the Barras Market, People’s Palace and Kingston Bridge
- Coordinated by charity Cycling UK to send message to political leaders ahead of COP26
- Bicycle was invented 70 miles from Glasgow by Dumfries blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan in 1839
- High resolution photos available: https://www.skyfish.com/p/cyclinguk/1983623
Some of Glasgow’s most iconic buildings and structures have been lit up with stunning light projections to highlight cycling’s role in fighting climate change, and Scotland’s unique connection to cycling as the birthplace of the bicycle.
The charity Cycling UK coordinated the projections to call on political leaders across the UK to invest in cycling, in the run up to the COP26 UN climate conference being hosted in Glasgow from 31 October-12 November.
The messages were beamed onto the Barras Market, People’s Palace, Kingston Bridge, Glasgow Green arch and the side of the M74 yesterday evening (19 October).
Domestic transport is the UK’s biggest polluting sector, accounting for 27% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The projections highlight that urgent investment in cycling and other modes of active travel is key to decarbonising transport and tackling climate change.
Cycling UK is also calling on cyclists to ‘Pedal on COP’ on 6 November, by taking part in feeder rides into Glasgow and joining the cycling bloc at the peaceful mass march.
Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns and advocacy, said: “It’s appropriate to shine a spotlight on cycling’s role in fighting climate change in Glasgow. This humble machine’s origins 182 years ago were just 70 miles from where the world’s leaders gather next week in Glasgow to decide the future of us all – its role in this fight should not be underestimated.
“Investment in cycling can help to save our planet, but time is running out. At the current rate of reduction, it would take 600 years to reduce the UK’s transport emissions to zero. Cycling can play a key role in decarbonising transport, but urgent action and investment is essential to enable more people to cycle.”
Notes to editors
1. Cycling UK, the UK’s cycling charity, imagines a world where the streets are free of congestion and the air is clean to breathe, where parents encourage their children to cycle to school and everyone shares the exhilaration of being in the saddle. For more than 140 years, we’ve been making our streets safer, opening up new traffic free routes and inspiring more people to cycle more often. www.cyclinguk.org
2. Kirkpatrick Macmillan was a blacksmith at Courthill Smithy, at Keir Mill, Dumfriesshire, who invented the first self-propelled bicycle in 1839, and famously rode it over two days to Glasgow in June 1842.
3. More information about how cycling fights climate change is available in Cycling UK’s COP manifesto.
4. To find out more about the thousands of people cycling in Glasgow on 6 November to call for climate action go to Cycling UK’s COP 26 information page.
5. For high resolution photos of the projections on the above locations go to: https://www.skyfish.com/p/cyclinguk/1983623
Press contact information
For more information, please call Jennifer Young on 07775 403 652 or email jennifer.young@cyclinguk.org. Out of hours, call 07786 320 713. Please note that due to Covid restrictions, the main press office number (01483 238 315) is not currently being monitored.
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