The major prob in London is the single minded impatience of some cage drivers and works vans, who will always roll as far forward at lights as they can in order to be first away. I've been sat on the trike in lane at many ASLs only to find a cage rolling up beside, me into the box.
In most cases they are happy to be able to get the staggering 2 meters head start on the rest of the traffic to zoom off when the lights change just to join the back of the soild line of traffic 10 yards ahead.
On the odd occasion a cage driver will want that position in order to pick the lane ahead that suits them best when the lights change.
It's noticeable that the more impatient the cage driver, the less they actually pay attention. I'm invariably quicker away from the lights than they are, which then earns me lots of horn sounding, gesticulating, etc. Just for holding my position on the road.
My biggest despondency tho has to be RLJs on velos who frankly let the cycling argument down. It's precicely this kind of rider that has brought about the Governments suggested changes to the Highway Code.
This summer I had a row with another cyclist, on the rather scarey and tricky Goldsmith Collage one-way system at New Cross, he was on his mobile, talking loudly paying no attention in traffic moving at 20mph+ and moving slowly over an entire lane.
As I drew close I calmly suggested he might want to get off the road to take his call and took a hail of abuse in reply.
It was as if I had stormed into his office unannounced!
He wasn't, as I call them, a Catalouge rider(occasional rider of a cheap but flashy looking di-cast hybrid from Argos, no more than 250 miles p/a ), he rode a fixed wheel European racer, Animal shades and a designer courier bag. So one might not have been wrong in suspecting that he was a serious, dedicated cyclist.
This untoucable air of perfect right is as knucleheaded as it is in a cage driver. Coming from a velo rider this says to cage drivers,
'I am far more important than you, I am above the laws and courtesies of the road'.
In turn this enforces the same attitude in the cage driver who in some cases will then make a point of trying to trump you.
Once a cage driver has had a few experiences like this, they will automatically lump this opinion on all cyclists, the truth being that the majority of cage drivers, like the majority of riders, do not drive and take liberties like this.
Grrr.
I was amused to think that fixed wheels are really a totally universal bike as you don't need opposable thumbs to ride one!!
It's a joke, not a dig.
T x