London commuters

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2PedalsTez

Über Member
I have spent the last two days at my works conference and inevitably noticed the cyclists. A couple of things stood out;
The sheer quantity of cyclists (with bikes of all shapes and sizes). But more importantly was the way the traffic seems to not notice riders, leaving no room (probably just my naive perception).
I am sure it is something you get used to as none of the riders seemed at all phased by it, but it would scare the crap out of me!
High five to London commuters!
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
it is something that you do have to get used to. There simply isn't room on a lot of London streets for all the traffic.
But in general, London car drivers are very good. They have to be, what with the sheer amount of cyclists that now commute.
 

thefollen

Veteran
I agree. The majority of the time everyone looks out for eachother. After a few commutes you can usually anticipate what people (and certain vehicles) are likely to do- all about taking the first couple nice and slowly at a non-peak time (which'll still be relatively busy) before unleashing yourself into the fray!
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
That's interesting.

A lot of people make comments about us "hardcore" london riders but I have to be honest, I think they have it all about face.

London is SOOOO cycle aware, almost every driver is *Expecting* a cyclist to be near them at some point, sometimes a very inexperienced one on a Boris bike.

I dislike riding outside of london where the roads open up, are full of drivers who rarely even see a cycle let alone understand how to deal with one and the speeds are much much quicker.

As Ian says, the volume and frequency of cyclists in London makes it a pretty safe place to ride...IMO.

I do take your point about the space though, some london roads are not designed for cars and bikes (let alone two lanes of cars) so it can get tight in some spots (especially in the square mile/city) but on the whole, what with all the bus lanes, cyclists tend to have a fair bit of room.

I do feel a certain sense of pride when I hear these comments though, makes me feel like a cycling pro!

But... Kudos to you members that ride out of town...I say
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
I don't live or commute in London, but I find dense urban commuting safer than those suburban roads.

Drivers tend to be more aware when it's really busy. When the road opens up, they let their guard down and floor the pedal.
 

Twanger

Über Member
I agree about suburban roads. The further out you get from the centre, the more careless drivers seem to become.

But I have always found London pretty good for cycling. Keeping an extra sharp eye out for black cabs and post office vans, though.
 

gambatte

Middle of the pack...
Location
S Yorks
Thinking about it... you know what, I believe I agree. Some of the most impatient, idiotic driving I've seen recently has been out in the Peak District.
 

nich

New Member
Location
Beckenham
I think it looks worse than what it is, or maybe I just don't notice it when I cycle.

Before I started commuting I always used to think how crazy it looked, tons of cyclists cramming into an ASL etc.

I don't find it that bad though, I guess I just go into a zen kinda state :biggrin:
 

Rumeigg

Active Member
Good to hear that motorists in Central London tend to be cycling aware.
Im travelling down from 'Up North' to London, by train in December, with bike, then cycling from Euston to Rotherhithe.
Was slightly concerned about cycling in the our nations capital, but having read this post, my fears are slightly
allayed but not to the point of complacency.

Have checked out a quietish route on Cyclestreets site, which I intend to use.

Any other tips for a 'virgin' london cycle trip most welcome :thumbsup:

rumeigg
 
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2PedalsTez

Über Member
Reading all the comments, I can understand where you are coming from in terms of London being cycle aware (and speaking from experience, suburban can be a challenge!). I think what surprised me was the appearance of calm from the riders (which I assume comes with practice!)
Cyclists certainly make excellent progress through the city streets!
 

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
I agree about suburban roads. The further out you get from the centre, the more careless drivers seem to become.

But I have always found London pretty good for cycling. Keeping an extra sharp eye out for black cabs and post office vans, though.

It's them big red ones i watch out for. and mini cabs, mind you the black cabs ain't much better, but i have driven cars for fourty odd years so you more or less know who is gonna do what, so far so good anyway, lol
 

MrHappyCyclist

Riding the Devil's HIghway
Location
Bolton, England
I don't live or commute in London, but I find dense urban commuting safer than those suburban roads.

Drivers tend to be more aware when it's really busy. When the road opens up, they let their guard down and floor the pedal.

I agree with this. I found I experienced far more bad driving during the recent half-term than any other week in October, even though there were far fewer cars on the roads. It's hard for a motorist to do a close pass when they're stuck in a queue.
 

Milo

Guru
Location
Melksham, Wilts
Certain areas of London I dislike cycling in. However on the whole I would say I feel a great deal safer there than on some of the roads around Melksham.
 
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