About 50 cyclists rode through York wearing little or nothing as they took part in the World Naked Bike Ride today.

The five-mile circular route took them from Millennium Bridge via York Racecourse, The Mount, Lendal Bridge, Deansgate past York Minster, Whipmawhopmagate, Coppergate, Clifford Tower and back to Millennium Bridge.

En route they paused at the place on the cycle path across the racecourse where a college student died when she was in collision with a lorry as she cycled home, and at Clifford’s Tower where they displayed their banner.

The cyclists included people campaigning for safer roads for cyclists, people campaigning against fossil fuel, naturists and others. All were adults of various ages and backgrounds. 

Some wore body paint, tattoes, or slogans painted onto their bodies. Although most were naked, some wore minimal underwear and a couple were clothed.

Co-organiser John Cossham said: “It’s a protest. It’s serious. I’m serious about road safety. There’s plenty of serious people here. And it’s a bit of fun.”

As well as the protest aspect to the ride, it was also a celebration of zero carbon and the human body in all its forms, he said.

Fellow co-organiser Anna Semlyon called for arterial roads or main roads within the Outer Ring Road to be limited to 20 mph. She said the measure was affordable and would increase road safety.

She said that the number of cyclists in York has dropped by 12,000 from 40,000 in 2014 and that on average a cyclist is killed or seriously injured every 34 days on roads where the speed limit is 30mph or more in York.

In the run-up to the ride, she and John had called on the new Labour administration at City of York Council to provide a cycling policy for them.

Anna said she had received an email from transport portfolio holder Cllr Pete Kilbane.

In it, he said: “I have asked officers to produce a draft Local Transport Plan (LTP) by the end of this summer.

"This must be a plan that meets the Council targets of 20 per cent reduction in traffic volumes and 70% reduction in transport emissions.

"Alongside this runs the Local Cycling Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), currently also in development, that must help us achieve those targets.

Both plans were consulted on by the previous administration, however we need in depth conversations with all stakeholders as soon as the draft plans are produced.”

Cllr Kilbane hopes to have both plans finalised and ready for implementation by May next year.

The York event was one of many taking place in different places in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

Organisers provided marshalls and police helped them with traffic management.

The full ride took about one and a half hours to complete.