Sent this to TFL

[caesar]

Doubt anything will happen, but this morning was ridiculous!




Every morning I cycle eastwards along Upper Ground, SE1. From the junction with Barge House Street to the junction with Blackfriar's Bridge, this road is one-way westbound but with a mandatory cycle lane eastbound.

This morning I was riding along the first part of the cycle lane, coming up to the hotel(?) on the left, with a large goods vehicle coming towards me in the westbound lane. A taxi then pulled into the cycle lane from behind the HGV at speed and had to brake hard to avoid hitting me. The driver was dropping off passengers outside the hotel and held up his hands to apologise and I had to swerve around him into the westbound lane to continue. A second taxi entered the cycle lane to drop off passengers behind the first and as I tried to re-enter the cycle lane after passing between it and a third cab that carried straight on, a fourth taxi also went to pull in (without indicating, as I recall) and nearly hit me head on.

Every morning this mandatory cycle lane seems to be blocked by taxis dropping off passengers outside the hotel and by catering delivery trucks further up, outside Doggett's Coat and Badge. Please can you ensure that this lane is policed and that drivers, especially professional drivers, are aware that mandatory cycle lanes are off limits, even if they have their hazard warning lights on!

 

[BentMikey]

I reckon you should get a trials bike, and ride up and over each one that parks in that lane.

 

[caesar]

I've had that thought myself!

 

[dondare]

One of the things that I dislike about cycle lanes is that they make cyclists very territorial. Ignore the lane and use the whole road.

 

[hackbike 6]

No thanks.

 

[gavintc]

One of the things that I dislike about cycle lanes is that they make cyclists very territorial. Ignore the lane and use the whole road.

+1

 

[Cab]

Or use the cycle lane where its actually good, but don't surrender the correct road position in favour of the wrong one just 'cos its in a cycle lane.

 

[Molecule Man]

One of the things that I dislike about cycle lanes is that they make cyclists very territorial. Ignore the lane and use the whole road.

The problem here is that it is a narrow, one-way street, the bike lane is contra-flow. To use the whole road would likely mean riding head on towards oncoming motors.

 

[Cab]

The problem here is that it is a narrow, one-way street, the bike lane is contra-flow. To use the whole road would likely mean riding head on towards oncoming motors.

Yes, I've got a few of those... Some of them I simply don't use, I find a longer way to ride around the site to avoid the cycle lane.

Contra flow cycle lanes seem like such a good idea until you try to use 'em. Either a car will park on double yellow on the other side of the road and you're faced with cars accelerating right at you to get around it in your cycle lane, or they park in the cycle lane with their hazard lights on (because that makes it okay, apparently), or the lane is so narrow and twisting that to physically remain in it at above walking speed is practically impossible, etc.

Sometimes the better option is to say 'screw it' and cycle a different route. Ain't always do-able though.