Posts
In just a few short months, we Londoners will be going to the polls to elect a new Mayor of London. Will Conservative Boris Johnson retain his seat? Will Labour's Ken Livingstone win back power? Or is it time for the Liberal Democrat's Brian Paddick, or even the Green Party's Jenny Jones?
As polling day approaches, our prospective candidates will be out and about, beating the streets and making promises and pledges and talking about what they'd do to make our lives better if elected to power. And now, a new web campaign aims to ensure that cyclists get all they can out of these Mayoral candidates.
Londoners on Bikes is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who love cycling in London and want to see improvements to safety and comfort for all cyclists. With nearly 800,000 cycle journeys in Greater Londoner every day, they're determined to ensure that each candidate delivers the most for cyclists and that the "cycling vote" isn't ignored. And with the most recent polls showing the race between the two main Mayoral candidates being neck-a-neck, block votes have never been more valuable to candidates, meaning Londoners On Bikes are likely to secure strong commitments in the run up to May the 3rd.
Most interesting of all, Londoners On Bikes is an entirely Web 2.0 phenomena; the software behind the website aggregates Twitter followers, Facebook friends and people who are signed up via the main website to come up with a tally of voters to entice political candidates with. Everyone who signs up is asked to invite other friends to do the same via social media channels; it's word of mouth writ large and an idea first championed during Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" campaign (and look where that got him!)
There are lots of chances for everyday and ordinary Londoners like you and me to get involved - whether that's adding a suggestion to what you think our Mayoral candidates are doing, or rolling up your sleeves and getting involved in the day to day running of the campaign; the opportunities are open to all.
And the people behind the campaign are a passionate, committed lot. I've struggled to keep up as their ideas have grown from a small nucleus to the all-signing all-dancing website they bring you today. I'm astonished by the speed at which they've worked and seriously impressed by the scale of their ambition. Come May 3rd they intend to have tens of thousands of London cyclists signed up to ensure that there is something solid for cyclists in every Mayoral candidate's pledges and that riding a bike is at the top of the agenda.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up and tell your friends already!
Who do you think most deserves London cyclist's votes? Boris with his Barclays Bikes, Ken with his congestion charge, Brian "smoothing traffic flow costs lives" Paddick or Green Jenny Jones, tireless Assembly Member and long term friend of cyclists? Would you vote on a single issue like cycling, or is the Mayoralty a wider issue than that?
Visit the Londoners On Bikes website
Share |
As polling day approaches, our prospective candidates will be out and about, beating the streets and making promises and pledges and talking about what they'd do to make our lives better if elected to power. And now, a new web campaign aims to ensure that cyclists get all they can out of these Mayoral candidates.
The view from City Hall - almost makes it worth all that hard work being the Mayor...
Londoners on Bikes is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who love cycling in London and want to see improvements to safety and comfort for all cyclists. With nearly 800,000 cycle journeys in Greater Londoner every day, they're determined to ensure that each candidate delivers the most for cyclists and that the "cycling vote" isn't ignored. And with the most recent polls showing the race between the two main Mayoral candidates being neck-a-neck, block votes have never been more valuable to candidates, meaning Londoners On Bikes are likely to secure strong commitments in the run up to May the 3rd.
Most interesting of all, Londoners On Bikes is an entirely Web 2.0 phenomena; the software behind the website aggregates Twitter followers, Facebook friends and people who are signed up via the main website to come up with a tally of voters to entice political candidates with. Everyone who signs up is asked to invite other friends to do the same via social media channels; it's word of mouth writ large and an idea first championed during Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" campaign (and look where that got him!)
Count the prospectve voters (as seen at the 2010 Mayor of London's SkyRide)
There are lots of chances for everyday and ordinary Londoners like you and me to get involved - whether that's adding a suggestion to what you think our Mayoral candidates are doing, or rolling up your sleeves and getting involved in the day to day running of the campaign; the opportunities are open to all.
And the people behind the campaign are a passionate, committed lot. I've struggled to keep up as their ideas have grown from a small nucleus to the all-signing all-dancing website they bring you today. I'm astonished by the speed at which they've worked and seriously impressed by the scale of their ambition. Come May 3rd they intend to have tens of thousands of London cyclists signed up to ensure that there is something solid for cyclists in every Mayoral candidate's pledges and that riding a bike is at the top of the agenda.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up and tell your friends already!
Who do you think most deserves London cyclist's votes? Boris with his Barclays Bikes, Ken with his congestion charge, Brian "smoothing traffic flow costs lives" Paddick or Green Jenny Jones, tireless Assembly Member and long term friend of cyclists? Would you vote on a single issue like cycling, or is the Mayoralty a wider issue than that?
Visit the Londoners On Bikes website
Share |
No comments:
Post a Comment