cycle lanes are a death trap in north london

aripallaris

ive only been commuting into london for two weeks and already found that cycle lanes are a serious death trap... covered in drains, potholes, uneven tarmac. its totally insane. i find it far more comfortable and safer riding in the main lane. same goes or bus lanes they are tarmac so badly and make for an ass battering bumpy ride. do you guys find thats the case?

oh and not to mention the countless number of drivers who decide to over take on the left side of cars turning right on a junction. without indicating i must add. almost ended in the back of on on a few occasions.

EKE_38BPM

I usually give cycle lanes a miss. Partly because of the condition of the tarmac, partly because they are so dirty with bits of glass and other debris that a visit from the fairy is more likely.

I try to ride in the left wheel track of cars as it is cleaner (but keeping out of the doorzone), moving to primary when necessary.

aripallaris

ah good plan, i pretty much eat the whole lane and just try and go faster or keep up with the car in front.... does get hard on hills though..

hows the handle bar matey? fixed and ready for a spin?

keyser__soze

CS8 is brilliant right now after the resurfacing. Unfortunately I bet it'll be a different story in a year's time after it's been vandalized by the utilities companies. Feel your pain on the cars moving across into the lanes while overtaking right-turning traffic, one of the biggest dangers I find on certain parts of my commute.

edhornby

scant consolation but the cycle provision in manchester is pretty much the same, lots of them stop when you need them the most :? such as T juctions where you have to move out of them to avoid being sideswiped, I do what eke does

one that really annoys me is where a traffic island has been put in - so the cycle lane stops to allow the cars to not slow down !!!

EKE_38BPM

I've temporarily got the bars from my roadbike on the fixie until I chose a replacement.

I'm riding to Portsmouth over the weekend and I'll have to add a few laps of Richmond Park in order to bring the distance up to 100 miles. Fancy joining me for some of that ride? I'll let you know the times when I have them sorted out.