Are you too scared to cycle in London?

Chitori

Spook?! 

Stella

Some people ... <br><br>Great new about the Dutch roundabout. Would certainly be a better solution for Bow roundabout, but, hey, it's a start, innit?<br>

Sutent

A pleasant gentleman driving a white van was tailing me in Camden this am. He was so close to me that when I stopped at a red light half the van was in the cycle box. Police was watching and gave him 3 points. Complete idiot

Stella

To be honest, I don't mind so much if cars stop in the cycling box, as long as they give us enough space. And I think it's just hideous that cyclists, who go to stand in front of the cycling box, get fined. It's often much safer to stand there and be able to see if no car's rushing through the red lights. Oftentimes you get green and cars whoosh by. If you're in the cycle box, you can't see what's happening around the corner. Many junctions are difficult to overlook. One of them is the one Seven Sisters Rd./Blackstock Rd. toward the city. I've lost count on how many times I had to wait until cars coming from the right were gone. I always look to the right before I go, even when I've got green. <br><br><br>What I do mind, though, is when drivers risks lives. No good. <br>

Detritus

There is no difference between a car driver risking lives and a cyclists risking lives. We who cycle have to start taking responsibility for out actions, we are not 100% innocent.

Stella

I agree. If you jump red lights and cycle into the busy road, forcing drivers to brake hard, it's not all right. If you cycle with high speed through a pedestrian/zebra crossing, with people actually crossing the street, then you risk people's safety. There's rarely a life in danger; it'll mostly end up with bruises on both sides, but it's still no excuse to do it. <br><br>You do rarely hear of someone dying because a cyclists jumps a red light, though. If a car does it, it'll mostly be at high speed and the unfortunate pedestrian/cyclist in the way, will most certainly end up in hospital. <br>

miss annie

Anyone using the road should obey the law. That is all.

Idoru

<div align="justify">Yes, they should, but that needs to include pedestrians too. Why aren't they fined for crossing on red lights or wondering about in the road with headphones on and texting away?<br></div>

Stella

Haha. I see the police walking through red lights. I think we rely too much on traffic lights and laws, rather than rely on our eyes and ears. I don't see a point of a bike or car stopping at a traffic light when it's a pedestrian crossing with no-one crossing it. Pedestrians walk through red and cars have to stop. In Dalston, pedestrians just walk in the middle of the road, with a traffic light just metres away. Car let them go through, or they wait until cars are gone. Works fine, doesn't disturb the traffic. I see it regularly. Everyone thanks everyone, pedestrians pay attention, so do car drivers or cyclists. Accidents happen at traffic lights--go figure.<br>

Detritus

The point is it's the law Stella, otherwise it would be anarchy up would be down Leeds would be good at football Belgium would be interesting.

Stella

That's the point: change the law and we'll have more peace and less death. People would be forced to pay attention, rather than robot-like react to traffic lights. That doesn't apply for all traffic lights, of course. <br>

Detritus

Thats not the point Stella, why should the law change cyclists dont help themselves yet moan constantly. If the law does change then helmets should be mandatory.

Stella

I disagree, but that's nothing new. <br>

ADGS

If only the technology permitted, I'd love the - unannounced - addition of force fields to traffic lights. As soon as the light goes red, anyone going through gets the same experience as driving into a brick wall. It would be a nicely graphic way of educating morons in the highway code, permanently. 

Detritus

A better way is automatically triggered piano wire strung across the road. See a couple of heads bouncing down the road might just persuade cyclists into stopping.

kreuzkav

I don't think road laws are always to be obeyed.  The same way I decided not to pay the poll tax twenty years ago and due to mass protest it was abolished within a year.  Some laws are wrong. When I cycle down SGR I stop at the lights at the junction with Tollington Park road.  The green pedestrian light comes on and I wait until pedestrians have crossed then slowly swing a right onto Tollington Park.  Sometimes I don't and it's scary with buses and lorries nearly going into me.  Dutch cycle lights would give us a head start but until they're introduced I will do the intelligent thing.<div><br></div><div>I hate idiot cyclist who cycle through crowded areas but often in Central London there are idiot pedestrians doing the chicken run and I've seen cyclists taken off their bikes after a pedestrians run blindly across the road.  </div>

miss annie

I recommend deploying a *very* loud hooters if anyone shows signs of stepping out at an inopportune moment. I toot the whole way down Oxford Street and it works a treat.

Stella

I have a massive and loud ding dong, but only use it if I need a laugh or aren't in the mood to be messed with. iPodestrians with their ueberloud music don't hear it anyway, I've learned. Next time I might just cycle straight into the back of the one if they're walking in the cycle lane and don't move if I ding-dong three times and then have to brake anyway. <br><br>Pedestrians generally are a pain in the arse as they assume the street's clear when they don't hear anything and just pop out between cars without even looking. <br>

ADGS

Piano wire would only work on cyclists and motorcyclists. Them running red lights at speed (as against moving through them for reasons outlined above, slowly) is a problem; cars and lorries doing so is worse. 

Stella

Is everyone still cycling, though? I was asked what I do when it snows and my answer was: prepare for a few falls. :-)<br>

djmattyoung

I'm still cycling and will continue no matter what the weather is like. If it does snow I may change my tyres to mountain bike ones but I found earlier this year (unlike the years before) that most of the main roads were cleared of snow very quickly, just gotta cycle away from the kerb and mind the ice. 

Sutent

Its so warm at the moment. Its difficult to know how to dress. Was over insulated this morning. Was shouted at by a copper this morning for stopping a few cm outside the car white box at a traffic light. 

Idoru

I'm still cycling for the time being. I don't know what I'll do when/if it snows. I've only been doing this for six months and I don't like the idea of cycling in snow and ice. I'll see how I feel when it happens.<br><br>I've having the same issue with clothing. I tend to overdo it, but I really don't like being cold so prefer to sweat a bit rather than risk being underdressed. <br>

djmattyoung

Sutent - this police telling cyclist off stuff at lights is getting on my nerves as they don't seem to be targeting motorist who I've seen invade ASL boxes, jump lights and talk on their mobiles at junctions where police are but they do nothing.<div><br></div><div>A cyclist has just had a case about him going past the ASL and getting a fine dropped - <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/02/case-against-london-cyclist-dropped-crossed-red-light-safety">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/02/case-against-london-cyclist-dropped-crossed-red-light-safety</a></div>;

Stella

I also think it's ridiculous. They should concentrate on 'educating' people to not undertake buses, cars and lorries at traffic lights than shouting at cyclists who place themselves a bit further ahead the cycle box. As long as they're stopping and don't just cycle into the traffic like some idiots do, they're safe and sound. Unless they can't see the traffic lights changing, although you can tell by the cars pulling away from the lights. <br>Guess they just had a bad day.<br><br>I saw a police van in Wood Green yesterday. A car almost in the junction way ahead the cycle box, the cycle box filled with cars and above mentioned police van behind them. I just waited behind the police and merrily sang along my music. :-) Everyone really needs to calm down, all this finger-pointing at each other creates just more hatred and isn't doing any good.<br>

Stella

Re clothing: so difficult. It takes at least 10 minutes to get warm, then you feel like you're sitting in a sauna. As long as it's 'only' cold, I can take it. What I hate is when it also rains and you're not only cold, but also soaking wet. Urgh!<br>

Chitori

<p>Out of interest, say there are three rows of traffic, one turning left, one straight ahead and one turning right (pretty much what the Ludgate circus junction is as you turn right onto Fleet St), which bit of the road would you cycle up?</p><p>The reason I ask is probably because I find it a bit bewildering. The left hand lane is a bus lane and only safe for left or straight over. If you want to head right I assume you should tecnically get right up against the white line in the middle of the road and 'overtake' standing traffic that is waiting to turn right. However, this puts me in a position where they turn into me on the box junction, so I pull up like a car, make my way to the cycle box by whatever means there is room and then go ahead of them on the green. </p><p>I guess my tl;dr question is, what do you do when a) it is not safe or b) there is just no room to overtake correctly on the right hand side of a vehicle?</p>

yagamuffin

If I see the lights change to red and know I have the space and time to filter to the front then I will, otherwise I hang back in the traffic, making sure I'm visible in the middle of the correct lane with no room for vehicles to try and overtake through the junction.

Idoru

Chitori, I do something similar in Walthamstow at the big Forest Road/Blackhorse Road junction. The left-hand road is a bus lane almost to the junction, then becomes normal road. There's also a middle lane to go straight over and right-hand lane to go right. If I'm turning right, I stay in the bus lane nearly to the end, look behind me until it's safe to cross over the two lanes to the right-hand lane, indicating what I'm about to do. I then just stop in the centre of the right-hand land behind the cars. There's no cycle box so I don't go to the front. If there was a cycle box and I could safely get to it I'd go to that and again stop right in the centre of the right-hand lane. Yes that holds up the cars behind but it's the safest way to do it in my opinion. When I'm actually turning right I move over to the left to allow traffic to pass me on the right, but I'd only do this on junctions that are big enough to allow cars to pass me safely.<br>

Stella

Same as yagamuffin. <br><br>If the traffic is flowing and I'm on the left (in the bus lane) and want to go all over the right, I'll look behind me, indicate and make sure the cars behind me know what I'm planning, then change lanes and cycle up to the junction in that right lane. I don't wait until I'm almost at the junction, because cars won't let cyclists through. If you demand the space without disturbing the flow of the traffic it's much easier. Or you have to wait until it's green for pedestrians to safely cross over the lanes. <br>