Are you too scared to cycle in London?

Ali

It should be a £60 fine and convesgate  the bike, It would stop instantly?

Detritus

I shall stick to my method of shouting very rude words at anyone who jumps a red light, it makes me happy.

yagamuffin

A friend of mine was stopped after jumping a red light on his bike a couple of years ago. He was given the choice of a fine or cycle training with the Police. He opted for the cycle training.<div>Most important thing he took away was something the Police Officer told him about road position, "it's better to be in the middle of the lane so the car driver can see you and get annoyed then in the gutter where the driver doesn't see you and knocks you off your bike".</div>

Stella

Simple solution for the red lights: take away half of the traffic lights that aren't needed and let the traffic flow. Pedestrians don't care about red lights, most of the cyclists don't and neither do many drivers. I think we have far too many traffic lights.<br>

kreuzkav

Stella, you are joking?

miss annie

That's hands down the craziest idea I've heard in ages.

Idoru

"it's better to be in the middle of the lane so the car driver can see you and get annoyed then in the gutter where the driver doesn't see you and knocks you off your bike"<br><br>This is what I try to do, even if it results in me getting beeped at. The problem is that I then get scared by the lorries and buses and my automatic response is to hide, hedgehog like.<br>

Stella

Idoru, don't be scared. Did you know that roads were built for cyclists? I recently learned about that fact. Very interesting indeed. Be brave and let them beep. They wouldn't beep if it were a car before them, just because you're 'smaller' they assume you have less rights. <br>

miss annie

Most of the roads in London were built for built for horse and cart, (some of them were originally built by the Romans) that's why our road layout is so mad. In other countries it may have been for cyclists? Very good article on the importance of confidence and knowing your road rights in the Standard yesterday, primarily aimed at women but interesting for all. You can probably find it online.

andy

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">All the roads in most cities were built for horse and cart. The difference is that the lack of a central authority and the power of city merchants means that we didn't pull it all down and start again like the French did.</font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann's_renovation_of_Paris</font></div>;

miss annie

Wren wanted to something similar I think, but was scuppered.

Arkady

If I recall rightly, while Wren and others drew up and sought the funding to do it, everyone just rebuilt their houses according to the old street plan, and then stared at him blankly.<br>

djmattyoung

Article in the guardian about a service to help women feel more confident cycling in London - <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2013/oct/02/course-female-cyclists-noam-cohen">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2013/oct/02/course-female-cyclists-noam-cohen</a>;

andy

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><img src="http://www.insightguides.com/docs/images/mood/4939b600-4307-4e3b-9f4b-de247d2de8c9.WrensLondon1666.jpg"></font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Indeed</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.insightguides.com/inspire-me/blog/wrens-plans-for-a-new-london">http://www.insightguides.com/inspire-me/blog/wrens-plans-for-a-new-london</a></span></div><div><br></div>;

Arkady

That's amazing.  Given how hardly anything from that period actually survives anyway there's part of me that wishes this had happened.<br>

Ali

I thought this didn't happen because of the lack of calrity of who owned what and the  sheer number different ownerships of the property so it was rebuilt as before on the same roads  etc.  A bit like around the  Silver Bullet area at the station.

ADGS

As much as I love Wren's churches (though I prefer Hawksmoor's), I remain eternally glad that his grand plan was stymied, and we didn't end up with a hideous 'rational' city like Paris. Those grand boulevards are good for armies and inner city motorways, terrible for urban life.

miss annie

I love a Hawsmoor too, especially Christ Church.

ADGS

Yes! The way it always looks like it's going to fall on you. I also love the architectural knob gag of St Luke's and its obelisk. Such splendidly unchristian buildings all.

Stella

Beautiful day to cycle, hope you guys are making the most of it. I'll be out on my newest ride, a Viscount Aerospace Pro in black/silver. If you see me, give me a smile. :-)<br>

Peter Crumb

Vietnam doesn't really have traffic lights and it kind of works.

Stella

Sometimes, traffic lights are off due to a failure and the traffic's still working just fine. At least people don't drive full speed to get through the orange lights, but drive slower, more cautiously. <br>

Stella

On the issue of cycling: a driver purposefully drove super close to me as 'if to pay me a lesson'. Had I wobbled for that second it would have been an accident and a whole bunch of people at the bus stop would have witnessed it. Some people don't think about the consequences of their doing.<br>

yagamuffin

Remove all lights and road markings on smaller roads and they would be a lot safer.<div>Take Lancaster road as an example, the parking spaces are marked with white lines and there is a dotted white line down the middle of the road (I'm guessing the road must be as narrow as possible to still have central demarcation). The lines give drivers an added sense of safety that makes them speed too fast along that road, I have seen a number of near misses where people have gotten too close too fast.</div><div>I am convinced that were the road markings not there people would be a lot more cautious about judging the size of there vehicle and that of oncoming vehicles and would drive a lot slower.</div><div>It's difficult to judge as a pedestrian but I would be surprised if anyone keeps to the 20 mph limit along there.</div>

Ali

<P>Lots of cyclists being booked in Amwell Street near Filthy MacNatsy's for cyling on the pavemant around a burst water pipe even though there  is a Cyclists Dismount sign. </P> <P> </P> <P>They all look so gulty when the PCOs are booking them !</P>

Detritus

So they should, silly buggers.

kreuzkav

@Ali, I noticed that this morning. I agree cyclists should dismount. Saying that it would be nice if the police made as much effort making sure motorists don't go into the cycle boxes around London. Or park in the cycle lanes  on Amwell street.

Peter Crumb

I used to cycle on the pavement everyday when I cycled to Hampstead as one part was a one way street. My personal rule is not to overtake people, I dismount if necessary. I have the same rule on the Parkland Walk and the bridge going into Finsbury Park.

Stella

I also cycle on pavements occasionally. As usual, respect needs to be paid. If the pavement is empty, fine, if there are people walking, I dismount. When being a pedestrian myself, I don't get my knickers in a twist if someone cycles past me on the pavement. They have eyes and brakes (in most cases)--no harm done. <br>

Detritus

You wouldn't drive a car on the pavement so what gives cyclists the right to do so? I cycle but am starting to think there should be harsher penalties for cyclists who break the law. One day it will happen (again) that a cyclists on a pavement or jumping a red light will kill someone. If you can't do it in a car you can't do it on a bike.