More London - Long and Ranty

[Origamist]

Guy on the Cannondale sounds like an inconsiderate oaf.

London's congested roads are a "fine" example of drivers and cyclists doing pretty much what they can get away with. Lawlessness is rife, the social contract is cankered and a dog eat dog mentality prevails.

I've just ordered this: Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) Tom Vanderbilt.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Traffic-Dri...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219739817&sr=1-1

 

[magnatom]

I gave some unsolicited advice (Dom, Dom, where for art though Dom?) to a cyclist today. There is a part on my commute where you can either:

a) cycle on the pavement (muppet did this). This pavement has a number of houses with little paths leading on to it.

cycle 5 metres further and take a back lane (in good condition) which bikes are allowed to take.

At the far end where we were both going back onto the main road (actually I dismounted to cross at some lights), I mention to him that he shouldn't have done that, and it was illegal. He looked surprised at that, and did not know that he could be fined. He actually looked quite sheepish (maybe he had clocked the camera at this point) especially when I pointed out that one of the reasons we cyclists get abuse from drivers, is because of cyclists cycling like muppets.

He left via the road. I have a feeling that he will use the lane in future, if only to avoid my unsolicited advice

 

[JamesAC]

It's not just London .. it happened to my wife and me on the Isle of Wight last week.

Shanklin town centre, pelican crossing, lights red for road, green man for peds. Several cars stopped at the red light. We set off (as peds) across the road, only to be mown down by a couple of POB's who cycled up the LHS of the stationary cars and totally ignored the red traffic lights and us. When I quite mildly pointed out that red means stop for bikes too, one of the chaps got quite shirty. For two pins, I would have dismantled his bike and inserted the components ... but my wife led me away.

These POBs do cyclists no favours in the eyes of other road users. I do with they'd stop it.

 

[Tynan]

riding through a ped crossing unseen is unforgivable and dangerous

 

[bryce]

There has been a rise in cycling in London so there are more bad cyclists IMO.
I could honestly spend some of my rides shouting at as many cr*p cyclists as motorists.

Agreed (and with Jacomus).

I also agree it is a tribal thing and some naive cyclists (in London) have been subverted into a make believe anarchic lifestyle culture of the Bike vs the 'Cagers'. It's very easy to follow the herd - literally - through red lights and cause danger - without thinking or looking.

 

[hackbike 6]

If it's bikes v cagers then I would have thought the cagers win hands down IMHO.If you upset the wrong one they will put a small dent in their wing and a larger dent in you.I've met some lunatics out there and upset a few just like we all have.

 

[Bollo]

In fairness, there are lots of good riders in London, plus some twunts like the one you came across Bollo.

Certainly there are. In any assessment of urban cycling skills, I'd bet that the top ten riders would probably be from London.

This post wasn't meant to be an anti-London thing either. I did a fair chunk of growing up there, went to University there and Mrs Dr Bollo is from Stratford, which lets face it is pretty difficult to love.

I think what's different about the London cycling boom is that its rapidly acquiring a nasty, f*ck you edge that will lead to problems in the long run.

JamesAC - I don't like the term POB but I know exactly what you mean. You get that anywhere - the bike-shaped-object is just a means of conveyance between twoced motors.

The type of rider I'm talking about here probably has some little messenger - urban rebel - mean streets narrative wafting about his noodle as he trundles through central London. He probably believes he's one photo away from the front of GQ.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I hate to be the boring old git... but t'was ever thus I'm afraid. None of this behaviour is terribly new, I first cycled in London in 1982 and the same stuff was happening then, I recall a cyclist hauling a driver out of a car on the Clapham high street and beating the shoot out of him, likewise drivers attacking cyclists. Many cycle commuters carried short wooden truncheons on the bars of their bikes for belting cars. RLJ'ing was also rife, I know, I was one of them (I was young and foolish), peds on crossings were moving chicanes for our pleasure. In the early 80's there were an awful lot of cycle-commuters too. The regular rigs tended to be 531 Claud Butlers, Holdsworths and Dawes Galaxies, single rear Karrimor pannier in Green. Ski goggles were also regular eyewear and in the winter teamed with a wool Balaclava gave a certain Urban terrorist look...

Oh, and some of us also rode strange contraptions with a single gear and no freewheel.

Happy Daze...

 

[Bollo]

Its not just London....

One of my favourite blogs is this one....

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

He's a New York cyclist who's just been away or a few days and isn't happy to be back.

Ignore the few posts that precede this as they were guested while he was away, but his posts all nearly always funny and insightful.

 

[Origamist]

Its not just London....

One of my favourite blogs is this one....

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

He's a New York cyclist who's just been away or a few days and isn't happy to be back.

Ignore the few posts that precede this as they were guested while he was away, but his posts all nearly always funny and insightful.

It's a very funny and acerbic blog - I remember on Bikeforums last year there was a determined effort to relieve this guy of his anonymity...