London Cyclists

[mr_cellophane]

I had to drive from Turnpike Lane to Euston Square and back at 18:00 on Monday. It is no wonder motorists moan about cyclists. I only saw one cyclist with a decent rear light. I did ask him what it was, but he didn't know . The rest of them either had no rear light or the batteries were so flat, I could only see they had one on when I was level with them. The brightest front lights were on Boris Bikes . Sainbury's at Camden Town appears to be a focal point for cyclists. especially those with no lights. I didn't see any bikes with more than one rear light.
The other thing which I found difficult to judge, especially as most bikes were not visible until they were next to me, was that cyclists passed on both sides when the traffic was moving slowly. Therefore I could not move left or right to give filtering bikes more room.
BTW - I also saw one ninja car with no lights on

On my way home tonight through the suburbs, I passed 3 ninja cyclists; 2 on the phone and one texting.

 

[slowmotion]

What was the RLJ count like in Camden? It's bordering on Hipster territory.

 

[manualtypist]

Ninja cyclists on phones or hands down pants seem to aplenty here in (cr)Acton...and they like to go up the wrong side of the Uxbridge road.

 

[mr_cellophane]

What was the RLJ count like in Camden? It's bordering on Hipster territory.

Didn't notice many in Camden, dozens along Green Lanes in Haringay.

 

[gaz]

I see more cars with none or bad lighting than cyclists.

 

[subaqua]

I see more cars with none or bad lighting than cyclists.

its the other way round for me.

Last night I gave a set of 310 decathlon lights away to a lady on a bike with no lights on it . it wasn't the fact she was a lady it was the baby in the seat attached to the bike that made me stop and give a set away.

her son ( about 7ish) on his BMX had lights. they weren't on though. she was quite hostile at first but then when i told her it might stop a car plougjhing into her and killing her kids she sort of realised i was talking sense.

 

[Alan Whicker]

I ride up the Mile End Road Of Death a lot, and I have to say the vast majority of riders have decent lights. Lost count of the times I've pointed out to a lady rider that her skirt/coat tails are covering up the rear light.

The backstreets of Whitechapel and Bow seem to be hotspots for yoof without lights, but they seem to be on the pavement most of the time anyway.

(hello Subaqua - fellow Leytonstonian here)

 

[JamesAC]

Didn't notice many in Camden, dozens along Green Lanes in Haringay.

Almost 100% of cyclists riding along Stratford High Street pay no attention whatsoever to red traffic lights. Most don't even slow down: it's as if the lights aren't there!

 

[buddha]

I kept passing cyclist on Monday who didn't seem to change cadence from Streatham to Westminster. Seemed oblivious to traffic, lights, peds etc - plodding along in a world of their own. And RLJ'd every time. I thought her time was up when she RLJ'd where the A23 meets CS7.

 

[Paulus]

I have seen many cyclists without lights, and also many who have lights but they are so badly adjusted that they are either covered by coats/various bits of clothing, or, hidden by clip on mudguards that are fitted too high and obscure the light. It needs someone to tell them at times that they can't be seen because A B or C.

 

[rb58]

And it's getting worse. On my commute through Deptford, Bermondsey etc. there's been a noticeable increase in cyclists in the last couple of weeks. The improving weather possibly? Which is a good thing of course. Many are on mountain bikes with knobbly tyres and very cheap lights. The startling thing for me is the complete lack of road sense from some. On Tuesday I tried to explain to a lady cyclist as politely as I could that squeezing up the inside of a bus turning left at traffic lights was probably not a good idea. And I would say at least 60% of my fellow cyclists ignore red lights. No wonder there are so many angry car drivers around.

Rant over, thanks for listening.

 

[Paulus]

You would of thought with the high profile cycling deaths in recent months that some people would realize that squeezing up the inside of buses/lorries is not advisable. But I suppose that the Darwinian theory will always be there for some people.

 

[Watt-O]

Agreed. But the same could be said of the shoot heaps that drive on the roads in South East London. The number of cars with faulty lights is astonishing. If the dip sticks in chage spent less money on dumb street furniture and sodding speed bumps and redirected the money to the police - they could stop these law breaking drivers. One wonders if these arrogant, selfish, thoughtless twats think it is okay to drive with missing head lights, break lights etc. what other laws they think it is alright to flout. I bet a goodly proportion of them don't even have MOT,tyax or insurance. Crush 'em.

 

[Norm]

I have, admittedly, not done many commutes in London but I have not seen a single RLJing car or bike and I've seen as many 4-wheeled ninjas as 2-wheeled.

 

[pshore]

I pass a multi story car park exit on my way home. Quite often a car will come out without lights on and then wait at a T junction whilst giving way to all the Ninja students.

I take great pleasure in telling them about their lack of lights and they always look mortified - probably because they've just been moaning about all the student Ninjas.