We are LCL: Interview with Tim Pearson

Looking backward and forward with Tim Pearson

London Cycle Link’s favourite videographer, Ben Durham, recently got into some reminiscing and some visions for the future with Tim Pearson, one of the founders of London Cycle Link and Squeaky Wheel Bike Co-op. Several of the key starting goals of LCL have been or are now being achieved: improved protected cycling lanes leading downtown from the north, south, east, and west; improvements to the northern areas of the TVP; the hiring of London’s first active transportation manager. Here are some highlights from Tim and Ben’s conversation. 

LCL: When would you say LCL started to really gain momentum?

TP: Having a director really made an enormous difference. Suddenly there was someone who was dedicated, full-time, to cycling, to building LCL and to building and establishing Squeaky Wheel Bike Co-op. And from there, we really started to see enormous growth. The group really took off from there. Have we accomplished everything we set out to do? Certainly not. London still has a long way to go to become the kind of cycling city we envisaged back in 2013, when we started the group, but we’ve definitely achieved some goals. 

LCL: Why is cycling important to you? Why is LCL important to you?

TP: I can think of no better way to get around: good exercise, fresh air, it’s just a fun thing to do. Even on a winter’s day. I saw someone just this morning riding their e-bike and pulling their kid on a toboggan behind it, and they just looked like they were having such a good time. Bikes are amazing, they’re super-efficient, there’s no better mode of transportation. LCL will always have a role in advancing that. In a time of climate crisis, when we know we have to get off carbon, when we know that cars as we know them today are unsustainable, cycling has a huge role to play in the future of transportation.

LCL: What would you say the cycling community should watch out for?

TP: The biggest threat to cycling is complacency. We give up. We let cars take over the roads. It's easy to say, “It’s good enough the way it is.” Maintaining enthusiasm, bringing in new voices, diversifying those voices and perspectives. Making sure that a group like LCL is both listening to people, and providing leadership, is essential to maintaining momentum.