WHEN we heard the tragic news of the death of a cyclist last week, we were shocked and saddened and didn’t know what to do.

But the beautifully written, poignant and powerful message from the Broken Spoke Bike Coop told us exactly what we should do: get on our bikes on Friday evening and ride. It was the end of a long week, but I couldn’t ignore that message from her heartbroken friends, and I couldn’t not go.

Over 500 people gathered on Broad Street last Friday night. They came on bike, cargo bike, trike and tandem. The mood was mixed, some sad, some comforting each other, but most determined to follow the spirit of what we knew, or had heard, about Claudia Comberti. There were bright colours, music and noise.

We set off and, as always when the wheels start turning, the mood lightened. It was a chance to start to talk, because talking is easier as you roll along, especially in a mass of cyclists. People came out because they want Oxford, whose cycling culture includes both town and gown, to be a place where everyone feels safe riding a bike. Cyclists stopped to explain to people in cars and on the pavement what we were doing and why, most were positive. On the High Street, diners came out of restaurants and applauded the protest.

The resounding chant as we returned up The High was: “Whose streets? Our streets!” Our streets, are streets for people and not cars. Street designed for walking, then cycling and finally motorised traffic. Planning for the car has pushed us, quite literally, off our streets, sometimes subtly and sometimes violently. This latest violent tragedy motivated so many of us to join the ride. But the subtle removal of people from streets also has other victims – the children who can’t play outside, the elderly who are isolated and lonely, the families in a new build who can only access it by car. On Friday, we were demanding a rebalancing of priorities, whilst at the same time firing a warning shot that we will not accept the deaths of cyclists on our roads.

Countries that have very high cycling rates and world class infrastructure also had these moments. In the Netherlands the share of trips made by bike plunged from 80 per cent in the 1950s to 20 per cent in the 1970s. At the same time the Dutch people lost their streets to motorised traffic, and traffic accidents and deaths on the roads increased. Throughout the 1970s there was a strong protest movement, most notably ‘stop the child murder’, which gained momentum and political capital. The government listened, and acted, the fruits of this are seen across The Netherlands today.

Could such a movement for change take hold in Oxford? There are many who attended the ‘Ride for Claudia’, who want to maintain the energy, outrage and motivation to act to demand change. Claudia Comberti, an activist and cyclist would want us to succeed.