London cycling tips

denty85

has anybody with experience of London got any tips for cycling in London? I'm aware that almost everyone jumps the lights. Is there anything i should know? security? cheers

spasypaddy

dont go down the inside of anything bigger than a white van.

ride in the primary position

stop at red lights

dont argue with taxi drivers

biondino

Never lose concentration. Watch out for peds stepping out, taxis pulling over, and other cyclists.

Most drivers in London are professional drivers and as a result drive to a higher standard than in most towns. However, there are way more of them so there are still more than enough idiots. Be very aware of the possibility of left and right hooks and ride accordingly (i.e. don't be to the side of a vehicle when approaching an exit, but in front or behind - if they can't see or ignore you, you're going down).

Be assertive but never be reckless. Ride primary when you are going at ambient speed; otherwise ride in a way/position that makes overtaking either easy or impossible and cars will not have the chance to make dangerous manoeuvres.

Don't push to the front of a queue of cyclists unless you're the quickest of the lot.

In the rain avoid metalwork or white lines, though if they're not avoidable go over them straight and upright.

davmaggs

1) Signal your intentions clearly and with certainty (you wouldn't like if the person in front suddenly changed direction without warning). Ideally look at the driver

2) Cars tend to pass you at about the same distance as you ride from the kerb e.g don't hug the kerb.

3) ride with confidence and speed rather than wobbling about nervously trying to squeeze into a lane.

notsoblue

Take primary when you can keep up with the traffic, come in a bit when you're slower to let drivers pass, but never let them bully you into the gutter! Taxi drivers in particular will get impatient and always try and squeeze past you, even if it only gets the to a red light a few seconds quicker. Ride assertively, make eye contact and they'll give you space.

Don't jump red lights unless you know the junction's light sequence well (i.e. on the Oxford St/Regent's street junction, eastbound lights go green exactly 10 seconds after the pedestrian crossing switches to red).

Never assume that other road users have spotted you or know where you are in relation to them.

And enjoy the ride Personally I love London riding, fast paced and technical, always something interesting to see.

chuckcork

Get some training.

Get some insurance, which comes with membership of the CTC and is available from others like British Cycling, Sustrans and so on at quite reasonable rates. Gives 3rd party cover and legal cover.

Ride assertively but don't ride stupidly, which as noted means ride in primary, but not up the inside of HGV's or bendy buses.

Don't run red lights unless you want every cyclist behind you who does stop thinking you're a ignorant tw*t.

And never make assumptions, unless you're assuming the worst.

Like:

Never assume because the lights go green at an intersection that it is then safe to move through it. I've seen too many cars runs reds!

Or that if you wear high viz and have lights on that anyone will notice you. Even if they look straight at you they may be looking at what is behind you and may think you are travelling at 5mph rather than 20+mph.

Never assume you will be given right of way at roundabouts.

Never assume that pedestrians will look before they step into the road, people invariably won't. People in a crowd will expect someone else to look for them; people with head phones on or talking on a mobile are on a another planet altogether; if the traffic has stopped no one thinks to look for bikes even in the cycle lane, and so on...

Don't assume people will check mirrors before opening car doors in your face, ride well out (again, in Primary)

MonkeyMonster

Can't really add much more than re-iterate how important bio's comment of don't lose concentration is.
Try not to make assumptions of how you think a ped, cycle or car will/should react - that just takes practice.
Be polite as you can... and thank drivers, cylists and peds when they are courteous and driver, ride, walk with consideration. Makes it all much easier all round.

WesternWay

denty85 wrote:

has anybody with experience of London got any tips for cycling in London? I'm aware that almost everyone jumps the lights. Is there anything i should know? security? cheers

Have fun. Ride within your limits but nice and quick

Be aware that people will overtake you on the left when you are in bus lanes. These might be bikes or mopeds/motorbikes.

Don't go through reds, don't go up the left of things, especially not big things.

Take it easy, don't get upset by every contravention of good sense by anyone else, it is just not worth it.

DonDaddyD

Jaysus Christ with all that be safe advice it's a wonder why anyone comes to London... :roll:

Remember to wear you're bullet-stab proof vest and have your d-lock at all times!

My advice, aggression, aggression aggression! Also enjoy it! Riding in London is a combination of the Death Star Trench run and Smokey and the Bandit!

Stay, cool, stay positive, keep your head, don't do anything stupid and you'll love it!

jonny_trousers

Be noticeable. High-viz gets a fair amount of stick here, but from a driver's perspective, those wearing it really stand out. Also, consider using your lights in the daytime. A flashing front light will draw attention to side and rearview mirrors when you are gliding past stationary traffic. I would advise against a super powerful front light, however, as they can distract and annoy fellow road users.

Develop the fitness (if you don't have it already) needed so that you can fire off short bursts of power when necessary. It's very useful at junctions and when you are passing that bus who suddenly decides to pull out without checking to see if you are there.

Apart from that I agree with the comments above: stay aware, be seen and have fun.

Oh, and PS. Don't waste your time with a hybrid, you'll be wanting something quicker in no time.

davmaggs

forgot to mention. Mind the door zone when in tight roads or traffic.

I've watched and watched over the years to make sure I didn't smashed by a driver wanging open their door without looking, only to find the one day I'm not paying attention I end up millimetres from disaster. Big time brown trouser moment

rjsterry

Go directly to a road bike. Do not buy a hybrid. Do not collect £200.

No, seriously, ride whatever feels comfortable - if it's got two wheels and no engine...

Headhuunter

I echo what people have said above:

1. Don't pass slow moving cars on the left as you approach a left turn, it's likely that the car is about to turn left but can't be *rsed to indicate.
2. Watch for traffic turning across your path as you proceed straight on past left and right turn off. Many drivers are either not paying attention or are of the mindset that they absolutely must at all times get out of their turning ahead of you or they will literally lose milliseconds on their journey to work. Watch out for them turning across your path.
3. Watch out for maurauding peds, especially where traffic is slow moving or queuing, yet as a cyclist you are able to filter. Often peds will wander between cars without checking to see if anyone is actually cycling through.
4. Watch for people opening car doors into your path - do not ride right up next to parked vehicles
5. Take "primary" road position at squeeze points, where the road narrows, ie where a traffic island is likely to cause traffic to attempt to shove past you, running you into the kerb. If you take the central position, temporarily, cars cannot try to squeeze through gaps to get past you. Give yourself space.
6. Be aware of what's coming up behind before making a manoevure. Too many cyclists move to the centre of the road to turn right or pull into the middle of the road to pass along a queue of traffic, without the slightest glance for faster moving cyclists or mopeds etc approaching from behind.

That's all I can think of at the moment

scouserinlondon

rjsterry wrote:

Go directly to a road bike. Do not buy a hybrid. Do not collect £200.

No, seriously, ride whatever feels comfortable - if it's got two wheels and no engine...

Wish you'd posted this a year ago......

Thinking of a CX bike next rather than rull road.

Headhuunter

scouserinlondon wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Go directly to a road bike. Do not buy a hybrid. Do not collect £200.

No, seriously, ride whatever feels comfortable - if it's got two wheels and no engine...

Wish you'd posted this a year ago......

Thinking of a CX bike next rather than rull road.

Nah, do not stop at CX.... Go straight to Mayfair, I mean a road bike. CX bikes are basically as good on the road as hybrids but with road bike bars. It's like buying a small 4x4 car when all you do is ride to the shops and back.

g00se

DonDaddyD wrote:

Riding in London is a combination of the Death Star Trench run and Smokey and the Bandit!

I like that.

What everyone else has said but also,

If you're sitting in a queue of traffic, and don't think there's enough room to filter safely. Invariably, every other cyclist thinks there is and you'll end up turning into your own little traffic island.

Of the other points, I find suicidal peds are the most common.

UndercoverElephant

scouserinlondon wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Go directly to a road bike. Do not buy a hybrid. Do not collect £200.

No, seriously, ride whatever feels comfortable - if it's got two wheels and no engine...

Wish you'd posted this a year ago......

Thinking of a CX bike next rather than rull road.

Go directly to a road bike. Do not buy a CX. Do not collect £200.

el_presidente

Now that summer is here try not to be distracted by the talent

owenlars

Learn the art of negotiating with drivers by making your intentions absoutely clear and getting eye contact with them. It is amazing how much can be agreed by doing this combined with a smile, a nod, a shake of the head or even a glance.

EKE_38BPM

Ride assertively (not agressively) and safely..
Stay out of the gutter (thats where the p* fairy lives).
Stay out of the door zone.
Assume every other person is an absolute idiot with no common sense what-so-ever.
Keep your wits about you, always be looking for danger.
Don't cycle in driver's blind spots (if you can't see their eyes in their mirrors, assume they can't see you)
Don't cycle between big things and the kerb unless you KNOW its not going to turn (and you can never know that).
Don't RLJ.
Learn the rules of SCR so that you can scalp other cyclists with a cheery 'hello'
Enjoy the sense of self satisfaction that you are using the most cost and energy efficient form of transport in the city.

Try to be zen.

Headhuunter

owenlars wrote:

Learn the art of negotiating with drivers by making your intentions absoutely clear and getting eye contact with them. It is amazing how much can be agreed by doing this combined with a smile, a nod, a shake of the head or even a glance.

I always try to make eye contact with drivers waiting to turn onto a road I am flying along. You can often tell when some woman is more interested in the kids on the back seat or checking her make up in the mirror, or whether some bloke is more interested in the email he's received on his Blackberry and are about to turn without checking properly....

notsoblue

owenlars wrote:

Learn the art of negotiating with drivers by making your intentions absoutely clear and getting eye contact with them. It is amazing how much can be agreed by doing this combined with a smile, a nod, a shake of the head or even a glance.

I think this is worth reiterating. Drivers are far more likely to be cautious around you if you've made eye contact with them. It has a humanising effect.

EKE_38BPM

I think this is worth reiterating. Drivers are far more likely to be cautious around you if you've made eye contact with them. It has a humanising effect.

I believed that up until the woman who looked me in the eye before I passed her as she looked to exit a side road, pulled out, tried to overtake me and ended up left hooking me. As I lay in the ambulance I heard her say "I thought I'd make it."

The lesson learnt there is, ride primary. If I was more central in the lane, she probably wouldn't have tried to 'make it'.

rich_e

What's all this...

"Everybody jumps red lights in London" stuff all about.
Yes, a lot of people do it, but don't tar everyone with the same brush.

One thing I'd like to point out about people who jump red lights on my commute in London and that is aside from the Cycle Courier types who are going fast for a living and jump them, the majority of people I see who jump red lights, do it, and then I pass them again after waiting for the lights to change.

What I'm trying to say, is that if you are a good rider, and don't just pootle along, you can still get to where you are going in good time without having to jump lights.


I'd also reiterate that pedestrians are one of the biggest worries, especially when you get right into the center. Many will cross without even a look to see whether traffic is coming, especially around the busy shopping areas like Oxford street. I've even had people shout at me when they were crossing during a red man, and I had a green light, just because there were no actual cars at the time, they seem to disregard a cyclist as still having the right of the road way.

My pet hate and the people I find I have the most altercations with tend to people on 'Pizza Bikes'. They are again, people who are in a hurry to get somewhere, so their driving is already pretty shoddy, a lot of them also tend to be foreigners and I'd love to know how many of them actually have proper license and insurance.

Don't let everyone's stories put you off though as London has loads of cycle lanes. Just watch though, as some aren't greatly designed. (Around Tavistock place, I'm looking at you!)

lost_in_thought

Abide by the law.

Enjoy it.

Keep your eye out for numpties - they're everywhere!

Expect the unexpected.

Headhuunter

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I think this is worth reiterating. Drivers are far more likely to be cautious around you if you've made eye contact with them. It has a humanising effect.

I believed that up until the woman who looked me in the eye before I passed her as she looked to exit a side road, pulled out, tried to overtake me and ended up left hooking me. As I lay in the ambulance I heard her say "I thought I'd make it."

The lesson learnt there is, ride primary. If I was more central in the lane, she probably wouldn't have tried to 'make it'.

That's true actually. I hit a ped at quite high speed a couple of years back. He literally looked me in the eye (or appeared to) and then simply stepped out in front of me as I flew along an open road.

Aidy

biondino wrote:

Most drivers in London are professional drivers and as a result drive to a higher standard than in most towns.

Did you manage to type that with a straight face?

Aidy

Oh, and if you see another cyclist it is your duty to (legally) overtake them.

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

That's true actually. I hit a ped at quite high speed a couple of years back. He literally looked me in the eye (or appeared to) and then simply stepped out in front of me as I flew along an open road.

Just out of interest, what happened with that?

robz400

Most importantly


Its a race. No arguements.

deptfordmarmoset

I was reminded of this yesterday - many tourists will expect traffic to come from the other direction so might step out without looking your way. Evasive action almost put me under a car yesterday.