Best cycling town in the UK?

[Max C]

I'm soon to move back to the UK after five years away, and I really love being able to get around safely by bike here in Norway. The segregated tracks are amazing, and when you do ride on the road, Norwegians drive like they're embarrassed to be travelling around in a metal box (rightly so).

I commuted by bike to Soho daily before leaving the UK, so I'm not expecting things to be quite so idyllic back home. But I don't need to live in London any more, so the question is: what's the UK's most cycle-friendly town? I'm interested in getting around by bike, rather than leisure riding.

 

[upsidedown]

I think York, Oxford and Bristol are the usual candidates. Stay well clear of anywhere around the West Midlands. Welcome back BTW.

 

[Max C]

Interesting, I thought the candidates would be "Cambridge, Cambridge & Cambridge". I have some family in York so I'll look into what the facilities are like there. Thanks for the welcome, can't wait to get back!

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Kent is good for cycling.

And apples.

If you want to sublet a room out in an oast house to anyone, let me know! :-p

 

[Archie_tect]

Milton Keynes or Cramlington

 

[srw]

London, especially in zone 1. A combination of Al Qaeda, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson mean that bikes now outnumber other modes of transport.

 

[Rural halfwit]

St Ives in Cambridgeshire, now that the guided bus route has a cycle track taking you into Cambridge,national cycle route near by,nice local routes..near to Huntingdon for any rail connections.

 

[mcshroom]

York or Cambridge seem good. I've not been to Bristol or Oxford on a bike so I don't know about them but neither of them I would describe as flat.

Out here in West Cumbria is great in that there's so many little roads that there isn't a massive need for cycle lanes (though there are some very nice old rail path ones). On the other hand everything is rather spread out and there's a lot of hills so cycling isn't as practical for everyday stuff as in some of the others mentioned.

 

[NormanD]

The best cycling town? ... it's not been built yet

 

[peejay78]

bristol is indeed hilly, but this is what makes it special. it has amazing scenery on the doorstep. however, the drivers are no different to anywhere else in the UK; frequently impatient and dangerous with a fierce antipathy to all cyclists.

there is a fantastic cycling culture in Bristol, perhaps even more so than London.

 

[Red Light]

London, especially in zone 1. A combination of Al Qaeda, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson mean that bikes now outnumber other modes of transport.

+1. I cycle in lots of "cycling cities" in the UK, Cambridge, York, Oxford, Bristol..... and Central London is by far and away the most enjoyable to cycle in IMHO.

 

[Dave 123]

Cambridge....... Well there are lots of cyclists here, and a few LBS's, and it's flat with undulating bits. But where Cambridge falls short is a lack of "leisure rides" that are safe and pleasant so that cyclists and their families can get out and enjoy themselves. There should be a cycling loop of the city with one or two cafes and maybe a decent bike shop- basically like Rutland/Grafham Water. Where the cafe/bikeshop is situated there should be a decent mountain bike/bmx course so that it becomes a destination for cyclists. This should of course be liberally smattered and sprinkled with nature reserves. I think that for such a "biketown" a trick is being missed.
Also, the Cambridge-Oxford disused railway needs to be reinstated as a cycle track.
I've been thinking about this for a while, what I should do is get off my arse, form a plan, apply for lottery funding and get on with it.....

 

[srw]

Also, the Cambridge-Oxford disused railway needs to be reinstated as a cycle track.
I've been thinking about this for a while, what I should do is get off my arse, form a plan, apply for lottery funding and get on with it.....

You're too late. The bit between Oxford and Bicester is about to be upgraded by Chiltern railways, while East-West rail got funding to reinstate the rest of the line as part of George Osborne's "I'm not a Keynesian really" autumn statement.

 

[Dave 123]

I'll stick to me loop then!

 

[Bigsharn]

Don't believe the hype. York is an amazing city for cycling, but the existing cycling facilities (lanes, ASZs and ASLs) are incredibly substandard.

Stay away from the cycle lanes that (according to 90% of the population) you MUST use, and you're good