An informal network of cycle campaigners (whether working in local groups, as CTC Right to Ride reps or on their own) in the region, the East Midlands Cycling Forum, was started early in 2006, on the initiative of John Stubbs, Chair of the Derby Cycling Group, with the intention of providing mutual support and a channel to discuss campaigning experiences, ideas and good practice in promoting cycling, as well as to help coordinate lobbying of issues at regional level, for example with the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) and East Midlands Trains.
 
From the start EMCF has been keen to work with supportive local authority councillors and officers and people from a range of other organisations, including Sustrans, health agencies, other environmental groups, etc. One of our meetings, in Leicester, was in fact hosted by the City Council. We are also keen to support major local authority cycling projects such as the Cycle Derby Project, funded by Cycling England from 2005-8.
 
The EMCF had its first meeting in Derby in May 2006 and since, then has met, about twice a year, in Nottingham, Leicester, Chesterfield and Lincoln. So far, the format at these meetings has been a mixture of a couple of formal presentations, usually on local campaigning issues in the area, a combination of formal and more informal discussions and then, after a bite to eat and a drink,  a couple of hours guided ride to see some cycling developments at first hand, as in the pictures here, taken at the most recent meeting, in Lincoln, on 28th September 2008.
 
At this meeting there was a special discussion on the future of the group. The consensus was that the EMCF had an important role, that it should continue to meet, probably twice a year rather than yearly, but that we should experiment with more variety of formats.

These could include inviting cyclists from elsewhere in the region to take advantage of important events such a major new cycle route openings to meet up, e.g.the official opening of the complete Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership / Sustrans Water Rail Way (part of Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 1) which took place on Saturday 25 April 2009.  3 Water Rail Way leaflets are now available from Sustrans HQ - info [at] sustrans [dot] org [dot] uk or 0845 113 0065.  

EMCF convenors:-
Hugh McClintock, Pedals, Nottingham Cycling Campaign, email: Hugh.McClintock [at] ntlworld [dot] com
Mark Brown, Derby Cycling Group, email: hovis.1956 [at] hotmail [dot] com

East Midlands Trains Cycling Issues

In January 2007 Pedals, on behalf of the East Midlands Cyclists' Forum, helped arrange a meeting with East Midlands Trains to discuss various cycling issues.
A report of this meeting can be downloaded from http://www.pedals.org.uk/pedals_policy_documents