We may sometimes complain about cycling in London, but ...

[CopperBrompton]

... having taken my Brompton along for the ride on a trip to Hong Kong, I can honestly describe London as cycling paradise in comparison. :-)

 

[CopperBrompton]

(Skip to 1:20 if you're not interested in seeing the places you can't cycle ...)

 

[snorri]

Where were all the people?

 

[CopperBrompton]

It was Boxing Day. Monday was the same standard of driving, just lots more of 'em.

 

[RoubaixCube]

... having taken my Brompton along for the ride on a trip to Hong Kong, I can honestly describe London as cycling paradise in comparison. :-)

as someone who live a short time in HK and visits there every so often, Commuting can be a little difficult in town as there are so many people per square mile let alone the amount of traffic on the roads. There are a fair few cycle lanes though but bus fares are so cheap compared to the UK theres no reason not to take them. HK also seems to have a decent road infrastructure in place to keep the traffic flowing at a decent pace even during rush hour periods.

If i was to live there on a more permanent basis (I have a citizenship there) Id probably just get a CX bike just for the weekend to roll around some of the parks and nature reserves. Though, with HK's being quite mountainous it lends itself more to hiking then riding a bike but nobody said you cant do a bit of CX training while youre there. Just expect to run up stairs/steps a lot more often and mind you dont knock anyone over when you shoulder your bike.

::EDIT::

with that said though, Cycling is slowly starting to become more and more popular there and not just for cycling around parks and around the shops to pick up your lunch.

 

[jay clock]

It looked fine to me. Empty roads and no terrible driving

 

[CopperBrompton]

with that said though, Cycling is slowly starting to become more and more popular there and not just for cycling around parks and around the shops to pick up your lunch.

I didn't see many people cycling – literally a handful – but it was a very short stay over the xmas period.

 

[CopperBrompton]

It looked fine to me. Empty roads and no terrible driving

That's because it was Boxing Day: those roads are normally full of cars right the way through to late at night. They feel far more like urban motorways than ordinary main roads.

The driving standard is about on a par with Manhattan, so it's not India or Russia, but it's pretty bad.

 

[T4tomo]

When I was stuck there over a weekend with work, I took the metro up to the new territories and cycled around there, there was a really good stretch of cycle path, urban parks and great views.

Central HK Island and Kowloon etc didn't look very enticing to cycle around though, I'll give you that.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Indeed, I'm told there are some good trails for weekend riding.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I didn't see many people cycling – literally a handful – but it was a very short stay over the xmas period.

Like i said, most people there cycle locally to pick up a few items for their lunch or dinner. While there's a pretty big emphasis on sports in HK. Ive yet to hear about a velodrome or a sports center where cyclists can train or compete at a higher level... Im sure there are but most likely a rarity as HK is slowly changing and starting to take cycling in general more seriously. Back in the mid to late 70s to late 80s people used to be able to cycle almost anywhere in HK but over the decades the population has exploded which pretty much put an end to commuting to work on a bicycle.

Cycling to HK people apart from using them to go pick your dinner up locally, is more something you do with the kids at the weekend in a local park.

When i was a little ankle biter, my cousin took me to a place where you could rent out bicycles for a few hours and cycle around a massive circuit.

Im not sure if the place still exists as most private land has been bought out and loads of flats built in its place to deal with the ever growing population there. the mass of mainlanders who emigrated from China to start a new life in HK when HK was handed back to China in 1997 doesnt help either but thats for a different thread all together.

 

[Brains]

I was in HK on a regular basis several times a year from the late 80's to the early 2000's and lived there 93-95, so it's great to see a few places that are still recognisable.

However I don't remember it ever being that empty on the roads in daylight hours.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I was in HK on a regular basis several times a year from the late 80's to the early 2000's and lived there 93-95, so it's great to see a few places that are still recognisable.

However I don't remember it ever being that empty on the roads in daylight hours.

people traffic - is where its at these days. I regularly head out to Sham Shui Po to meet relatives. During the weekends you literally need to force your way through the mass of people otherwise you wont get to where you want/need to go. Yuen Long was more or less the same. The only places that dont seem to be packed at all are the parks. You seem to get the usual sorts of people there - joggers, parents cycling with kids, people playing catch, football. tennis, badminton, basketball etc etc. pretty much empty though compared to the market places.

 

[CopperBrompton]

However I don't remember it ever being that empty on the roads in daylight hours.

It was only like that on Boxing Day. Bizarrely, it seemed as busy as ever on Xmas Day (when I arrived).

 

[Nigeyy]

thanks for the video, that was interesting. Obviously since HK has a high population concentration looks like it was a holiday! Never been but have a neighbour who is from there -would love to go one day!

... having taken my Brompton along for the ride on a trip to Hong Kong, I can honestly describe London as cycling paradise in comparison. :-)