London cycling tips

Canny Jock

lost_in_thought wrote:

Abide by the law.

Enjoy it.

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

Expect the unexpected.

Aidy wrote:

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

These 2 posts pretty much cover everything.

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

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?

I was cycling along, scanning the near distance for cars, peds etc, but the road ahead was literally clear when suddenly a large bloke emerged from an office on the left, walked quickly to the kerb and started to look up the road to check it was safe to cross. He seemed to see me, stopped and waited and then suddenly when I was literally within a few metres of him, stepped out. I hit him at about 20 mph. I went skating, face down across the tarmac, bike went the other way and he fell back onto the kerb/pavement. I picked myself up, bike seemed OK - bars were twisted.

Went over to him. He had taken quite a hit and had to be lifted off the ground. Both of us were dazed, he had cuts on his knuckles... Can't remember any other injuries. I waited with him for a while, so did some other bloke. At one point he called me a "crazy cyclist" when explainingto another bystander what had happened, which peed me off a bit seeing as he had walked into the road in front of me whilst I was buzzing along happily.

Later he started talking about my insurance and claiming for injuries, I basically said that there's no way I was accepting responsibility for his stupidity. I gave him my address anyway, and he gave me his (work) address and we headed our separate ways and that was the last I heard of it.

SmellTheGlove

Always make time for tea.
That person who looks like an insane scoutmaster is Boris Johnson.

EKE_38BPM

Headhuunter wrote:

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.

Once I was cycling along a one way system in the right hand lane and a ped on the right hand pavement looked to their right (in the direction the traffic is going rather than where it is coming from) and stepped out into my path. I managed to swerve a bit at the last minute so I only clipped them rather than going straight into them.
The bloke spun round and fell over so I stopped to see if he was OK and I got the usual stupid ped reaction (going too fast, look where you're going etc). I told them that with awful road crossing skills like that, he was lucky it was a bike that hit him at ~20 and not a car/truck at ~40 and rode off.

Stupid peds!

notsoblue

@Headhuunter

I had a very similar thing happen to me on Cannon street, but with a less happy ending! I was heading east down the stretch between St Paul's and Cannon St Station, at over 20mph and a woman walked off the pavement while looking entirely the opposite way and we collided. My bars twisted, and buckled my front wheel sending me flying off and landing in a heap on my face, there was blood everywhere. Meanwhile, the pedestrian was knocked over pretty hard and had broken her collarbone. I was knocked out by the accident and feeling quite concussed, so we were both taken to the Royal London, in the same ambulance as it turned out. During the journey she was incredibly apologetic about having stepped out without looking. I got a fancy skull X-Ray, and some stitches, and after checking she was ok left the hospital for home. My bike was trashed, but I just counted my blessings that nobody was hurt more than they were and thought nothing more about it. Then 6 months later she takes me to court, I get prosecuted for dangerous cycling, and long story short I end up having to pay out just under a grand in compensation...

All in all it was an expensive lesson in expecting the unexpected when it comes to pedestrians in London!

jonny_trousers

And another thing: it's not such a bad idea to offer a quick thank you to those motorist who do hold back and watch out for you. No harm in showing that cyclists do notice and appreciate thoughful driving. Share the love baby!

pastryboy

I found learning to drive helpful - in the hazard perpection test you need to look everywhere for the next hazard. It's no different on the bike - I never relax on the road - my eyes are scanning everything all around me to look for any potential hazards. As mentioned a lot of times riding primary is helpful as you've got far more space to work in if there's a car pulling out of a side road or a pedestrian about to walk in front of you.

The best tip I can give is to look over your shoulder often. The driver behind will have a bit of peace of mind that you're aware of their position (and therefore not about to weave all over the road like a lot of cyclists do) or will asusme you're considering making a move and stay watchful.

No_Ta_Doctor

Be alert. Your country needs lerts.

Seriously though, London cycling was so ingrained into me it took me a good five years to work out how to cycle here in Copenhagen. Totally different ball game.

Stake your claim to a decent bit of road, you need to assert yourself. Leave aggression behind, it leads to poor judgement. Giving incompetent drivers two fingers might seem like a good idea at the time but it doesn't always work out well.

One more thing, aside from constant scanning for hazards - those kids larking about at the bus stop, the bloke with his mobile about to pull out etc keep your ears as well as your eyes open. You'll hear the click of an opening car door before you see the door swing out, you'll hear the rev and tire squeal of the boy racer somewhere behind you. Junk the iPod when you're on your bike.

Oh, and as above - eye contact with drivers is everything.

No_Ta_Doctor

More stuff...

Be prepared to shout, loud, if someone steps into your path. A quick "OI!" tends to get their attention. Loud enough to make them jump. I use a bell here in Copenhagen, but I wouldn't be too sure that many in London would understand it in the same way.

Ride within your limits and those of your bike, make sure your brakes etc are in good order.

Enjoy it. It's a good buzz, being that focussed and burning off some energy.

No_Ta_Doctor

One more thing, unless you fancy a head-on with a motorbike courier be very wary of cycling down the middle.

Anonymous

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

And another thing: it's not such a bad idea to offer a quick thank you to those motorist who do hold back and watch out for you. No harm in showing that cyclists do notice and appreciate thoughful driving. Share the love baby!

This is very good advice.

As well as spending a lot of time cycling in London I also spend a lot of time driving a white van round London. As you can imagine being a cyclist I am always very concious of bikes and make great efforts to get eye contact, give a wide berth and hold back instead of over taking when turning left.

You wouldn't believe the amount of times I've gone to lengths to be considerate to cyclists and in return I've still been looked at like dirt. Now, I can understand where they are coming from so I don't let it get to me. But if your a delivery driver/taxi driver and never ridden a bike you can see how we are all tarred with the 'arrogant cyclist' brush.

Plus you will often find in London you are meeting the same drivers again and again on a specific trip - you filter past them, they over take you back half a mile on and so on.

A pleasant thank you wave of the hand will ensure they move out of your way again, don't and they may not.

EKE_38BPM

RichardSwt wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

And another thing: it's not such a bad idea to offer a quick thank you to those motorist who do hold back and watch out for you. No harm in showing that cyclists do notice and appreciate thoughful driving. Share the love baby!

This is very good advice.

As well as spending a lot of time cycling in London I also spend a lot of time driving a white van round London. As you can imagine being a cyclist I am always very concious of bikes and make great efforts to get eye contact, give a wide berth and hold back instead of over taking when turning left.

You wouldn't believe the amount of times I've gone to lengths to be considerate to cyclists and in return I've still been looked at like dirt. Now, I can understand where they are coming from so I don't let it get to me. But if your a delivery driver/taxi driver and never ridden a bike you can see how we are all tarred with the 'arrogant cyclist' brush.

Plus you will often find in London you are meeting the same drivers again and again on a specific trip - you filter past them, they over take you back half a mile on and so on.

A pleasant thank you wave of the hand will ensure they move out of your way again, don't and they may not.

Well said RichardSwt,

I am a WVM too at the mo and get the dirty looks too as I pass a cyclist with LOADS of room to spare. I guess they assume I'm going to left hook them or squeeze them the first chance I get.

I won't, promise.

Anonymous

Well said RichardSwt,

I am a WVM too at the mo and get the dirty looks too as I pass a cyclist with LOADS of room to spare. I guess they assume I'm going to left hook them or squeeze them the first chance I get.

I won't, promise.

Thanks, glad I'm not the only one. The irony is my (often much better) bike is in the back, ready to drive down to Leith/Holbury Hill as soon as I finish work.

I did consider hanging my SPD (well their egg beaters really) shoes from my rear view mirror, but decided this would look silly.

mtb-idle

it's a good tip. I do wave my thanks at everyone, cars that let me pass, cars that are waiting at side roads and dont pull out on me, cars that slow down behind me as the road narrows, etc. etc.

spread the love :P

lost_in_thought

Me too, I always thank people who give way, overtake considerately etc.

Why not? It's nice to be nice.

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

@Headhuunter

I had a very similar thing happen to me on Cannon street, but with a less happy ending! I was heading east down the stretch between St Paul's and Cannon St Station, at over 20mph and a woman walked off the pavement while looking entirely the opposite way and we collided. My bars twisted, and buckled my front wheel sending me flying off and landing in a heap on my face, there was blood everywhere. Meanwhile, the pedestrian was knocked over pretty hard and had broken her collarbone. I was knocked out by the accident and feeling quite concussed, so we were both taken to the Royal London, in the same ambulance as it turned out. During the journey she was incredibly apologetic about having stepped out without looking. I got a fancy skull X-Ray, and some stitches, and after checking she was ok left the hospital for home. My bike was trashed, but I just counted my blessings that nobody was hurt more than they were and thought nothing more about it. Then 6 months later she takes me to court, I get prosecuted for dangerous cycling, and long story short I end up having to pay out just under a grand in compensation...

All in all it was an expensive lesson in expecting the unexpected when it comes to pedestrians in London!

Wow! How did they work out that you were at fault if she walked out into the road without looking? She obviously knew it was her fault or she wouldn't have been apologetic in the ambulance. I would have probably reacted with a counter claim for damage to the bike etc. Stupid woman. Were the police called? THey didn't come to my accident.

It's interesting how people react in those situations. When the ped walked out in front of me and we both went flying, there was a flurry of activity around him, picking him up, dusting hom down etc. No one came to see how I was doing, lying face down in the road with my bike in a heap on the other side of the lane. There's almost an automatic assumption that the evil cyclist is in the wrong.

antikythera

Headhuunter wrote:

... There's almost an automatic assumption that the evil cyclist is in the wrong.

Which ironically is what I find to be the best tip for riding in London. As soon as I get on the bike I assume I'm in the wrong . It make a huge diffence to how I see situations on the road.

By letting go of the ego stuff or the moral (or legal) high ground. Every situation becomes an exercise in how can I avoid situations that I can (un)reasonably foresee - essentially riding defensively.

I might loose SCR points and arrive a few minutes later, but no point in being in the right... and dead!

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

Wow! How did they work out that you were at fault if she walked out into the road without looking? She obviously knew it was her fault or she wouldn't have been apologetic in the ambulance. I would have probably reacted with a counter claim for damage to the bike etc. Stupid woman. Were the police called? THey didn't come to my accident.

Well what complicated things was that it was near a pedestrian crossing. Its the one just after St Paul's on Cannon Street going east. If you know it, you'll know that a) it gets incredibly busy during rush hour, and b) its a rather wide cobbled area that extends beyond just the pedestrian crossing area. The actual collision occurred a few meters before it, but I ended up in a heap on the cobbles before the stop line. Because of the seriousness of the accident, the police did arrive on scene, and as I was recovering consciousness they questioned me about what happened and literally the first thing they asked me was "What colour were the lights?" and having just been knocked out by the accident I honestly couldn't remember. So from the start the police assumed that I'd simply run a red light and just run straight into a pedestrian that had done no wrong. Despite the fact that a) The collision didn't happen on the crossing and b) Even if it had, the light was green and c) And if I *had* gone through red, that crossing is so busy at 8:30am that I would have taken out half a dozen pedestrians.

When I got the magistrate's summons, the statement of events was that I had run a red light and collided with the ped. I pleaded not-guilty to this expecting for the hearing to be rescheduled, but the court apparently never received my plea (despite me having delivered the paperwork personally to the Magistrate's office) and I was charged, fined and ordered to pay compensation.

I'm sure I could have had grounds for appeal given that the correct process wasn't followed, but if I'm honest I just wanted to draw a line under the whole episode. Given how much the "official" version of events differed from my own, I would have had quite a struggle to defend myself, and I didn't want to risk incurring any legal charges with such a low chance of success.

Headhuunter wrote:

It's interesting how people react in those situations. When the ped walked out in front of me and we both went flying, there was a flurry of activity around him, picking him up, dusting hom down etc. No one came to see how I was doing, lying face down in the road with my bike in a heap on the other side of the lane. There's almost an automatic assumption that the evil cyclist is in the wrong.

I have to say that passers by were pretty helpful with me. I was moved off the road, and this chap made sure I was alright and kept me talking as I was pretty incoherent. I was also given a (clean!) pair of white sports socks to stem some of the bleeding from my face (he didn't get them back). I got some pretty nasty looks from those that were tending to the ped I'd collided with, and the police were pretty unpleasant. But then given the way the scene looked, and their prejudices against cyclists, I probably wasn't a very sympathetic figure. And I understand this, but it really sticks in my throat that things developed the way they did because I know I did nothing wrong, and the pedestrian initially accepted responsibility.

If the same were to happen to me again, I'd make damned sure that I recorded the events properly and got some witnesses because if its a cyclist's word against a pedestrian's, the cyclist is going to be shafted.

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Wow! How did they work out that you were at fault if she walked out into the road without looking? She obviously knew it was her fault or she wouldn't have been apologetic in the ambulance. I would have probably reacted with a counter claim for damage to the bike etc. Stupid woman. Were the police called? THey didn't come to my accident.

Well what complicated things was that it was near a pedestrian crossing. Its the one just after St Paul's on Cannon Street going east. If you know it, you'll know that a) it gets incredibly busy during rush hour, and b) its a rather wide cobbled area that extends beyond just the pedestrian crossing area. The actual collision occurred a few meters before it, but I ended up in a heap on the cobbles before the stop line. Because of the seriousness of the accident, the police did arrive on scene, and as I was recovering consciousness they questioned me about what happened and literally the first thing they asked me was "What colour were the lights?" and having just been knocked out by the accident I honestly couldn't remember. So from the start the police assumed that I'd simply run a red light and just run straight into a pedestrian that had done no wrong. Despite the fact that a) The collision didn't happen on the crossing and b) Even if it had, the light was green and c) And if I *had* gone through red, that crossing is so busy at 8:30am that I would have taken out half a dozen pedestrians.

When I got the magistrate's summons, the statement of events was that I had run a red light and collided with the ped. I pleaded not-guilty to this expecting for the hearing to be rescheduled, but the court apparently never received my plea (despite me having delivered the paperwork personally to the Magistrate's office) and I was charged, fined and ordered to pay compensation.

I'm sure I could have had grounds for appeal given that the correct process wasn't followed, but if I'm honest I just wanted to draw a line under the whole episode. Given how much the "official" version of events differed from my own, I would have had quite a struggle to defend myself, and I didn't want to risk incurring any legal charges with such a low chance of success.

Headhuunter wrote:

It's interesting how people react in those situations. When the ped walked out in front of me and we both went flying, there was a flurry of activity around him, picking him up, dusting hom down etc. No one came to see how I was doing, lying face down in the road with my bike in a heap on the other side of the lane. There's almost an automatic assumption that the evil cyclist is in the wrong.

I have to say that passers by were pretty helpful with me. I was moved off the road, and this chap made sure I was alright and kept me talking as I was pretty incoherent. I was also given a (clean!) pair of white sports socks to stem some of the bleeding from my face (he didn't get them back). I got some pretty nasty looks from those that were tending to the ped I'd collided with, and the police were pretty unpleasant. But then given the way the scene looked, and their prejudices against cyclists, I probably wasn't a very sympathetic figure. And I understand this, but it really sticks in my throat that things developed the way they did because I know I did nothing wrong, and the pedestrian initially accepted responsibility.

If the same were to happen to me again, I'd make damned sure that I recorded the events properly and got some witnesses because if its a cyclist's word against a pedestrian's, the cyclist is going to be shafted.

Sounds like you were far worse off than me. I was able to pick myself up and had nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. I know that crossing, I occasionally go that way, but mostly I cycle up to Bank and along Cheapside from the top of London Bridge. I find that there are far, far too many lemming peds along Cannon Street, particularly outside the station, people just tend to walk out of the station and march across the road through the slow moving traffic without the slightest glance. This happens less along the Bank/Cheapside route.

You were very unlucky by the sounds of things. Those raised bits of road where the road is a different surface and raised to the level of the pavement can be lethal. Peds often don't seem to regard them as road and walk out without looking. I often find probs with advanced stop boxes at lights too, on the rare occasion that the box is free of motorbikes, taxis etc etc, peds tend to cross in them, so as you filter through traffic to reach it, you sometimes find an errant ped in the middle of it and you're forced to braks suddenly.

Getting witnesses is often impossible when you've had an accident. When I got hit by a car last Nov, I was lying in the road and although coherent and conscious was told not to move, so there was no way I could have leapt up and started toget witness phone numbers etc. I tried to get hold of some of the witnesses through the police but they wouldn't hand over contact details for anyone.

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

You were very unlucky by the sounds of things. Those raised bits of road where the road is a different surface and raised to the level of the pavement can be lethal. Peds often don't seem to regard them as road and walk out without looking. I often find probs with advanced stop boxes at lights too, on the rare occasion that the box is free of motorbikes, taxis etc etc, peds tend to cross in them, so as you filter through traffic to reach it, you sometimes find an errant ped in the middle of it and you're forced to braks suddenly.

All you can really do is just be hypervigilant. Because peds often won't see or hear you coming, and even if they do they'll often misjudge your speed. If theres an accident, then all odds will be against you if it goes to court.

Headhuunter wrote:

Getting witnesses is often impossible when you've had an accident. When I got hit by a car last Nov, I was lying in the road and although coherent and conscious was told not to move, so there was no way I could have leapt up and started toget witness phone numbers etc. I tried to get hold of some of the witnesses through the police but they wouldn't hand over contact details for anyone.

Well the pedestrian was far prettier than I was, so she actually had three guys that volunteered to be witnesses... I'm guessing I didn't come over well in their version of events :P

lightfoot

After 15 years of commuting across London, my top tip is to avoid vehicles being driven by people wearing hats.

jonny_trousers

lightfoot wrote:

After 15 years of commuting across London, my top tip is to avoid vehicles being driven by people wearing hats.

Wise words, but I'd go one stage further and suggest you simply avoid vehicles.

denty85

thanks for all the replies. didn't expect 3 pages worth! They're all really good points. I'm glad i asked.

I get a buzz from city riding and having traffic with me. Saying that most RLJ was probably a bit of an ignorant assumption!

So, am i likely to get grief from people who do RLJ if i'm waiting at red? what's the best course of action here?

notsoblue

denty85 wrote:

So, am i likely to get grief from people who do RLJ if i'm waiting at red? what's the best course of action here?

Nah, they probably won't even notice you're there... I've never had grief from someone who ran a red.

TommyEss

lost_in_thought wrote:

Me too, I always thank people who give way, overtake considerately etc.

Why not? It's nice to be nice.

Yes - I always acknowledge courteous driving - was overtaken on a stretch of A road by a huge artic who waited ages for enough room - he was so far across his left hand wheels were on the centre line - more than enough room - I waited til I could see his mirrors again and gave him a big open palm towards him (I don't like to wave etc in case they think I'm being pissed off!)

Re. the guy who was taken out at Cannon Street.

Sorry to hear that - sounds like a nasty experience.

Sadly though, a few lessons others can hopefully take from this...

1. Pedestrians on the carriageway, however they end up there - have priority - hit one at your peril. Sadly this means you do have to develop the 6th sense for when they're going to jump out on you. Keep in mind that they're (normally) listening and looking for big lumps of metal - it is easy to miss a little ol' bike when glancing back.

Remember that many (most?) won't even bother a cursory glance though if they can't hear an engine - so you have to be ready for that.

Many on phones/ipods etc. will just do whatever the hell they want - just bear in mind if you hit them on the carriageway, the law will almost certainly find in favour of the most vulnerable party. (Shame this doesn't alway carry for cyclists hit by motor vehicles on the road, eh!?)

2. Get third party insurance - Join CTC or British Cycling or somebody, to cover yourself for an event like this. £1000 is a lot of money - but injury claims can easily be tens of thousands once you start adding on time off work etc - permanent disabilities and loss of teeth/limbs will be much higher.

Take it easy out there guys.

Anonymous

Would be better if we had priorities set like in Amsterdam, bikes have absolute right of way, step out in front of a bike, get hit and it's your own fault. Which really it is.

I've been thinking about how effective a loud Hope Pro2 rear hub is against warning peds of your presence. Are they loud enough?

TommyEss

RichardSwt wrote:

Are they loud enough?

A vuvuzela is only just about loud enough...

DonDaddyD

I'm a quite wide and sizeable black guy. Not many of them on bikes. I can see myself coming. I consider myself visible. It doesn't stop peds from stepping out. Neither does hi-viz.

A loud shout that stops the road, shakes office windows and grabs the attention of a cat idly pawing around at least a mile away.

I love it, riding along, spot the ped. Yep he is stepping out, I prepare myself to stop if I have to. I slow close, closer still... "Oi" 'The heavens roar'.

I ride off having taken years from the dick head ped.

Yeah I'm a dick for doing it, but having you ever ridden into a ped, fecking hurts and if you manage to skid and stop wears your tyre out.

Riatsala

And.....keep a special eye out for any car with a green "pre-booked hire" sticker on the windows. Most of these drivers seem to have a very limited knowledge of London geography or driving habits - they are prone therefore to make unpredictable changes of direction or stops. The possible exceptions to this are the more professional companies like Addison Lee.

notsoblue

Riatsala wrote:

The possible exceptions to this are the more professional companies like Addison Lee.

ROFL