Joy on Britain's Roads

london-red

Having watched Wednesday's programme, for which I'm aware there's a separate thread, I can't help but feel that it presented a pretty poor and inaccurate image of urban cycling, and I want to write a blog about what it's really like.

I was hoping some of you lot would be able to help in a couple of ways - first, to let me know on how many occasions in the past 12 months you've felt threatened cycling through a city and why; and second, to share some stories of why, despite the odd dodgy experience, cycling is your antidote to life in the city.

Any input would be very gratefully received.

iPete

I started on two wheels as a mountain biker, perhaps I like city riding so much because its basically the same, except the trees are metal and they move. If anything its the freedom, every time I have to use public transport I quickly wish for a bike. No delays, go where I want when I want.

london-red

iPete wrote:

the trees are metal and they move.

Not sure that would be a slogan for the LCC.

rubertoe

I have been back on the bike since 2010; I have never really felt threatened at all on my commute, of course you get the odd close overtake but that is just something you have to live with.

I do mainly cos I love it, and like iPete the PT leaves feeling dirty and longing for my bike! Its the knowing that I am a lot happier than people who are sitting in their metal boxes doing 11 mph, while i have the wind in my face and the sun on my back!

I've been knocked off by a smidsy, but i still would want to cycle to work everyday and as long as I can ride I cant ever see a bike not being part of my life.

Anonymous

I actually really like commuting. I like the additional awareness it gives me. A car let me pull out today. Cheeky smile and a wave.

And I met Matt Cardle last night on my way home, he was pretty lashed and asking for directions....don't get that in a car!

london-red

coriordan wrote:

I met Matt Cardle last night

Is that a reason to get the train?

Anonymous

He's a pretty good lad from the press reports. Good singer, still goes to the White Horse then Embargos.....classic

veronese68

I'm still off the bike from my accident. Tried once and I wasn't really up to it, couldn't brake hard enough. It's now been over 2 months of getting lifts, public transport and recently able to drive myself. I skirt around town, not into town so the traffic isn't too bad.
I desperately miss riding my bike. For a start it's faster, it helps get me going in the morning, it's fun, it keeps me fit, it's cheap(ish)*.
It's also less stressful than driving or riding a motorbike. On my bicycle I can ride through Kingston on cyclepaths and avoid most of the one way system, even if I did get knocked off on it. Cars and motorbikes have to negotiate the whole thing, with people desperately cutting in front to try and make up every inch of space they can. Once I've cleared Kingston I cross the river and then go into Bushy Park. I get a lovely ride through the park rather than the dul road around it. People smile and say hello, I occasionally have a chat with some of the regular folks that I see if we meet at the gates, or say hello to the dog walkers as I slow to go by. It's great.
The lnext bit isn't as good as I have to ride along a narrow but of the A312. But, I'm usually going at the same speed or faster than the traffic. If the road is very clear the cars can go faster than me but there's not enough room to pass safely, so i take the lane and get on with it. I can usually manage up to about 25 mph for that stretch. Which is exhausting, but fun. It's also fast enough that most cars don't mind sitting behind me.
I love riding my bike to work.


*if not blame Wiggle

tailwindhome

coriordan wrote:

He's a pretty good lad from the press reports. Good singer, still goes to the White Horse then Embargos.....classic

He's a mate of Lost in Thought who used to post on here back in the day.

roger_merriman

Like Veronese68 my Commute is Bushy Park but quiet roads either side so my commute is this


Some of this.


The odd bit of this.


It's not a challenging commute but it is lovely and stress free.

Kieran_Burns

London-Red wrote:

Having watched Wednesday's programme, for which I'm aware there's a separate thread, I can't help but feel that it presented a pretty poor and inaccurate image of urban cycling, and I want to write a blog about what it's really like.

I was hoping some of you lot would be able to help in a couple of ways - first, to let me know on how many occasions in the past 12 months you've felt threatened cycling through a city and why; and second, to share some stories of why, despite the odd dodgy experience, cycling is your antidote to life in the city.

Any input would be very gratefully received.

I don't live or work in a city. Apparently I'm not the only one.

adam0bmx0

Commuted in London for a year from Oct 11 to Oct 12, only once did I shout at a car and that was when they pulled up to a T-Junction, looked at me, paused, then pulled out about 5ft in front of me as im going along at a steady pace.

So yea, 1 incident. Back in Bristol now and commute daily, agian, never had an issue or moment of feeling theatened.

supersonic

let me know on how many occasions in the past 12 months you've felt threatened cycling through a city

Not once.

Applespider

I'm not sure how you're defining threatened? Are we talking deliberately by a vehicle, accidentally by a vehicle or physical/verbal threat of abuse?

I've had a couple of very close shaves (SMIDSY) by cars/vans. In one instance, I did stop further up the road and told the driver that he'd come a little close to me and he apologised. I'll bet he was less pleasant when he saw the scratches on his paintwork (which my handlebars had inflicted as he squeezed past me - not that I'd done in retribution!). And there's at least a couple of idiots a week that do no harm but I mutter under my breath after them.

I've had one set of verbal abuse from a van driver who was revving aggressively and moving into the ASL, well before the lights were due to change. He was about to bump cyclists at the front of the ASL who were looking back at him in some alarm so I tapped on his window (since I was next to him) and asked him to be careful, pointing out that he wasn't meant to be moving yet. That got some verbal abuse and a lovely rev of his engine as he passed us all further along the road. I think he thought better of trying to scare us by swerving into us.

Having said that the majority of my commutes are incident free. I quite like life in the city so I'm not sure I'd describe my cycling as an antidote. It does destress me, helps me sleep better since I've exercised, keeps me warmer/cooler (delete for appropriate time of year) than waiting/squeezing onto public transport and takes out any worry about when I'll arrive in the office.

I guess the other thing that I really love it for is that you are far more aware of the seasons when you're on a bike. The time of sunrise/set means more, the gradual changes in temperature, what direction the wind is from - and what's happening to the trees/gardens that you pass by.

confused@BR

+1 on the seasons thing. Rode today in bright sunshine and no wind. Possibly too warm but a quiet and friendly journey to charge up the equanimity stores.

notsoblue

Applespider wrote:

I guess the other thing that I really love it for is that you are far more aware of the seasons when you're on a bike. The time of sunrise/set means more, the gradual changes in temperature, what direction the wind is from - and what's happening to the trees/gardens that you pass by.

Yeah, I love that. Especially when it starts to get warmer. The first ride without a baselayer, then without a jacket, and eventually with just a short sleeved jersey and short bibs. I commute mostly along the Thames and then have the option of riding through a huge park on the way home, summer commutes with a cooling breeze are a real treat.

rjsterry

An almost perfect commute this morning: light traffic, watery winter sunshine filtering across the river. Just enough competition to keep me spinning along without flogging myself. A spot of tailwind would have put the cherry on top.

gtvlusso

99.9% of the time my commute is lovely, for an urban commute. Bit icy this morning, slow and easy.

I wish I had the environment and commute that Roger M has, some lovely pics, but thats life.

I will dig out some of my commute pics from Cambridge, Rome, Tel Aviv, Milan and Naples (Naples was a bit dodgy!) I may even have some from New Jersey....will look - This was in the era of print film! I may even have some commute pics from London when the Jubilee extension was being built out near Surrey Quays.

I had a good Time Trial run on Friday night - 10 miles door to door in 27 minutes.....stopping at red lights, of course.

supersonic

I love riding on crisp winter's day, when the air is crystal clear. Close to my house is a viewpoint where you can see the landscape and building 60 miles away!

Blue Meanie

I had a bus slow down when overtaking me, driver opened the door and shouted 'Get in mate!'

It was an awful sideways sleety night, but I only had two miles to go.

Thing is, I ride the same roads daily at the same times and I've maybe let him out, or he's a cyclist too?

Mikey41

So far in 4 months of commuting I've never felt threatened. I get the occasional close pass still, but 99% of drivers are actually very respectful.

I had to laugh this morning as I was near the end of my commute and stopped at some lights. I saw a silver car pull up behind and I set off on the green expecting that the car would be past before the pinch point at the ped crossing a bit farther up. No, it had stayed behind, ah well now I'm past the crossing surely they will pass, it's not a narrow road and its clear just now. Nope, still hadn't passed me by the time I got to the last set of lights. Went round a right hander and finally got a good look at the car.

It was a learner.

She looked petrified, so first or second lesson I reckon.

iPete

For all the moaning you see around here...

I love crisp cold mornings
I love never getting stuck on a train
I love riding through Richmond Park at 3am with only moonlight for a guide
I love the warm sun on my back
I love getting the right lines through traffic
I love working with strangers in random chain gains
I love trying to break other riders only to chat and laugh about it at the lights
I love the sunday am pootle to the shops
I love being broken
I love eating everything in sight
I love lamp
I love feeling the seasons change
I love getting to the top of that f***ing hill
I love stripping and rebuilding the bike
I love riding fixed
I love the tailwind home
I sometimes love attacking that f***ing hill
I love the fat angry man stuck in the traffic getting irate at cyclists
I love my gadgets


I don't love headwinds :?

Some of the above might change when I wake up and it's sub zero!

london-red

Thanks for all the comments guys - I published the piece on Sunday evening, so included some of them there.

Article here if anyone's interested: http://www.andbike.cc/sunday-read/joy-on-britains-roads-what-lifes-really-like-as-an-urban-cyclist/