24 hours in London - now I know why cyclists are so hated!

[y2blade]

Don't listen to the naysayers.
As I have said previous. London is fantastic for cycling.
You will be missing out if you don't.

Have just been reading about the Barclays Cycle Hire sceme (Boris bikes)...might well grab one of those tbh.

 

[ianrauk]

Have just been reading about the Barclays Cycle Hire sceme (Boris bikes)...might well grab one of those tbh.

Good call. You won't regret it.

 

[Feastie]

Either way, you're still getting upset ("wound up") on behalf of other people. You can't control how they react, you need to learn to let it go

...okay Fret ye not, I'm not exactly losing sleep over this, I just have an opinion. Pretty sure a few seconds of thinking somebody else is an idiot isn't going to harm me too much, but thanks for the advice! Occasionally we all need a chill pill, it's true. Especially in London!

And also, I agree with everybody above. I really enjoy cycling around London and wouldn't want to put anyone off, it's occasionally stressful but compared with buses or the tube? It's a glorious thing. You see loads and it's invigorating, if a bit fume-y.

 

[stowie]

Just my 2p - I am not a particularly quick or fearless cyclist. I have an old bicycle which would only go above 30mph if it was thrown off a cliff. I am most certainly not into dangerous sports. But cycling in London is actually the best way around these days, and I would encourage anyone to have a go. Of course things could and should be much easier and more pleasant for cyclists, but as Feastie says, the tube and buses are stressful especially in this weather. And as for driving - well people who drive through London are really the ones that are mad...

 

[Svendo]

I watched the programme about TFL the other day which featured cyclists and car drivers breaking the law. It was interesting the slant given to both. With the car drivers there was justification from members of staff that it was human nature and must be frustrating in that amount of traffic. The cyclists were branded by some interviewees as maniacs for whom the rules didn't apply more than once. There was even a scene where a van driver (who had been accused of intimidating a cyclist) said that "the rules don't apply to cyclists" even though he was standing next to two traffic officers specifically there to catch and fine cyclists jumping the lights. Of course no-one interviewing him mentioned this and the narrative is allowed to stand unchallenged.

I saw that too. There was one telling bit with the cycle-plod though. He was on about the high number of RLJing cyclists even when he is about in his POLICE Hi-Viz, and turned to the red light behind him to inevitably prove his point where the lights had just turned red. Unfortunately he was confounded by a well behaved ASL of cyclists all waiting patiently!
They did get a couple though, and the plod was insightful regarding the one goes then others follow phenomenon. The bits specifically about cyclists weren't that well balanced, but the overall tone was that the roads are too full and that causes frustration and people to act like they wouldn't otherwise.

I was chatting to my sister who drives from wimbledon to paddinton for work and also into the city for meetings and so on (she is disabled BTW so no 'she's part of the problem' tangents please). Her impression as a former cyclist is that the massive rise in cyclists causes its own new problems. She was waiting to turn left across a bus&cycle lane, but the constant flow of 8-across cyclists made it impossible for her to turn, and as she gradually was able to move across she had cyclist streaming past on both sides, and sensed some displeasure that she was causing an obstruction. Annoying as she was really trying to drive considerately but not getting any in return to enable her to make progress.
In general she says RLJing isn't half as bad as you might think, what she did mention is the 'swarming' especially of buses when they stop where lots of riders filter down both sides causing potential conflicts and danger and stress for the driver when they do want to move off.

 

[ec4cycle]

I live in Central London EC4, I cycle, drive and have an HGV Class 1. I really enjoy cycling and it is a great way to get around. Working in Dagenham I frequently cycle to and from work to EC4 using Cycle Superhighway 3, but on Friday for the first time in five years suffered my worst crash - caused by another cyclist.

To be honest I am not surprised. Too often cyclists are not looking where they are going, overtaking with no room to get back, cycling too fast or going across red (cycle) lights. The biggest risk to safe cycling in London is other irresponsible cyclists. It really is time that perhaps some cyclists looked at their own standard of road behaviour before taking time to criticise other road users, road designers and planners.


I will be off my bike for a couple of weeks now and have no alternative but to drive my car, all due to some idiot cyclist.

 

[stowie]

I live in Central London EC4, I cycle, drive and have an HGV Class 1. I really enjoy cycling and it is a great way to get around. Working in Dagenham I frequently cycle to and from work to EC4 using Cycle Superhighway 3, but on Friday for the first time in five years suffered my worst crash - caused by another cyclist.

To be honest I am not surprised. Too often cyclists are not looking where they are going, overtaking with no room to get back, cycling too fast or going across red (cycle) lights. The biggest risk to safe cycling in London is other irresponsible cyclists. It really is time that perhaps some cyclists looked at their own standard of road behaviour before taking time to criticise other road users, road designers and planners.


I will be off my bike for a couple of weeks now and have no alternative but to drive my car, all due to some idiot cyclist.

Sorry to hear about your accident - hopefully you will get well soon. I certainly see some stupid cycling in London as well from time to time.

But the bit in bold is simply not backed up by statistics. Cycle fatalities involve HGVs to a level that is completely disproportionate to the number of HGVs on the road. I think it even narrows down further to tipper trucks.

 

[jansman]

I cannot comment on London. My take on this topic though, is that cyclists should obey the Highway Code. I am a hardcore commuter BTW. As a cyclist I expect motorists to abide by the Highway Code, and in return , I do the same. Mutual respect on crowded roads.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I'm coming to the city on Saturday for the day..have to option of bringing my bike with me, erm I think I'll leave it at home.

I work and commute daily in London. Just like anywhere else there are cr*p drivers and wells as cr*p cyclists its just the medias hobby horse is the woe of the cyclist in London.

Yes there are London Taxis and buses with my shoe print embedded in their sides but equally there are fellow cyclists that have nearly got me killed.

Don't let that put you off, cycling in London is really brilliant you just need to be aware and have eyes and ears about you.

Enjoy the ride, im sure you will be glad you did it.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Its is but i have to admit i work and cycle there but i wizz home to the shires at the end of the day so i have split loyalties

 

[PaulSB]

[QUOTE 2569590, member: 1314"]OP still hiding under the table, as I predicted. Why is he so upset about a "brush of wind" passing him so threateningly he needs to post about it on a public forum? He's just just scared of the other.[/quote]

Given the impression I've gained reading this thread it's hardly surprising.

As I said earlier I've had similar experience in the capital. When I raised it on here I was accused of being a part of the problem and effectively anti-cyclist.

When I visit London I use public transport as I no longer feel confident to drive as the standard of driving and traffic pressure makes it a very unpleasant experience. It's also less tiring and more productive to use the train.

If London is becoming a city dominated by cyclists this is excellent news but I feel anyone who does not recognise there is an issue with cycling standards is choosing to ignore the fact.

I can understand why some riders find it necessary to ride as they do during the week but this does not excuse the riding I observed on a quiet Sunday morning with dozens of riders endangering themselves and car drivers.

My view is some who live and drive or cycle in heavily, probably over, populated areas do as they feel necessary to get around. I'm just glad to live somewhere this is not necessary.

There is a clear them and us, drivers and cyclists, approach running through much of the commutting section which to my mind indicates the difficulty of getting a proportion of the driving public to ever accept cyclists.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

London increasingly recognises itself as a Cycling City, albeit a flawed one, still dominated by the infernal combustion engine. Evidence for the prosecution? A foyer exhibition at the Museum of London entitled "London Cycles" has just opened. It includes a fascinating, and rather beautiful, infographic plotting Boris Bike journies around the capital.

I've just sat and eaten breakfast in a hotel in EC3. Twenty plus bicycles went past while we were eating. Not one car. European tourists are jumping on Boris Bikes and taking in the sites like it was the most normal thing in the world to do whilst, generally, the Yanks and the Brits stand by, looking aghast.

Get with the programme people.

 

[Davidsw8]

As much as I moan about pedestrians and other cyclists (and black cabs) etc, and how damn dangerous it seems, cycling around London is immeasurably the best way of getting around. I get to cycle up Victoria Embankment, round Westminster Cathedral and Horse Guards Road every day and it'd be hard to imagine more iconic views of London than you get from them.

I had to get on the tube last week and it was horrible, and it wasn't even in rush hour. Driving (and parking) is pretty awful too, in fact I think the only benefit of driving round Central London is if you have to pick-up/drop-off something bulky or heavy.

Also, buses are ok if you've got the time and you don't really have to be somewhere by a specific time.

 

[Brandane]

[QUOTE 2569602, member: 1314"]I mean, London's turning into one of the world's greatest cycling cities and some people just come here and whinge about it? ffs Whinge and whine is what they do. He's a stuck-in-the-mud rural type who tries and passes his opinions off as "being normal" because that's what the people in his pub say.[/quote]

Deluded.

 

[Kies]

He's not deluded. I use tube, trains, buses and drive in Central London and have done so for the last 23 years.
Having rediscovered cycling last year, I prefer it to all the other modes of transport (weather permitting)
99% of my rides are trouble free and I arrive smiling.