Cycling in London

[DrTre]

I'm possibly about to move to That There London and will be commuting from 'Ammersmith to Cov Garden. Now...I'm a bit nervous about this and would like to know what the etiquette is for getting out of peoples way etc. Seems to be a lot of people who are quite aggro for one reason or another...not a huge amount of camaraderie, or am I mistaken. And is the route I've got to go tricky in any way? Thanks very much in advance, might not be able to reply too swiftly but all help/comments are gratefully received.

[Gizmo!]

Ammersmiff to The Garden? Easy. Up to Kensington, past Hyde Park and across. Traffic's hairy, but that's the same everywhere.

[anonymous-user]

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=125...

have a look at this thread, its pretty much a meet and greet for anyone who is commuting in london. you may get some good ideas regarding routes and find some other bods going a similar way, plus you can record your scalps on a daily basis...

[sjg]

Getting out of people's way? On a bike you're no slower than anything else - average (motorised) traffic speed in London is down to about 11mph now.

Stick with usual sensible rules for using the roads in any vehicle (observe before signalling or moving, stop at traffic lights, overtake/filter with caution, use lights when it's dark) and you'll be fine. The dangers of London cycling are vastly overstated IMO.

[DrTre]

Cheers guys. By getting out of peoples way I actually meant other cyclists, oddly enough I'm happy dealing with motorists and can second guess them most of the time...its the time trialist cyclists that I don't want to impede (well, I don't want to impede any road user).
I'll have a gander at that thread tonight.
Much appreciated, and thanks for the help/reassurance

[anonymous-user]

DrTre said:

I'm possibly about to move to That There London and will be commuting from 'Ammersmith to Cov Garden.

Fulham Palace Road/Lillie Road/Munster Road/Dawes Road/Harwood Road/New Kings Road/Edith Grove/Cheyne Walk/Embankment to Waterloo Bridge/take the left off the Embankment at the Savoy just before Waterlook Br up to Covent Gdn.

And pedal fast!

[DrTre]

Thanks v much!

I always pedal fast....I leave it up to you to work out whether I'm in a high or low gear...

[WeirdNeville]

Spend time finding and refining a nice route. Along hyde park for example, and substituting main roads for side roads. Loads of undiscovered treats out there tucked away away from the hustle and bussle. Cycling in London is fun and the best way to get around. Not had a problem in 10 years of daily biking. You'll only get aggro if you generate it yourself. I just laugh off anyone who hurls abuse/ cuts you up. It's their heart attack, not yours.

[option click]

pablo said:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=125...

have a look at this thread, its pretty much a meet and greet for anyone who is commuting in london. you may get some good ideas regarding routes and find some other bods going a similar way, plus you can record your scalps on a daily basis...

and this one:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12...
making monotonous commutes much more fun, as you bust your guts going for a PB or KOM

[angusc43]

WeirdNeville said:

Spend time finding and refining a nice route. Along hyde park for example, and substituting main roads for side roads. Loads of undiscovered treats out there tucked away away from the hustle and bussle. Cycling in London is fun and the best way to get around. Not had a problem in 10 years of daily biking. You'll only get aggro if you generate it yourself. I just laugh off anyone who hurls abuse/ cuts you up. It's their heart attack, not yours.

Agree. I cycle 8 miles each way from NW London to Southbank. It took a few attempts to get in right at first but now I have the perfect route. Lots of back roads, no massive junctions, only one place where I need to turn right across traffic.

I don't find the fast cyclists an issue. It's the slow, unpredictable ones swerving around at random that get me nervous. They often seem to veer two or three feet to the right just as I am passing them for no apparent reason. They then catch up at the lights and undercut a car that's trying to turn left, forcing the car to take evasive action into my space, etc. These cyclists probably don't drive, often have headphones in and are (unintentionally) something of a menace.

Pedestrians can cause you a lot of problems too. They often rely on their hearing and peripheral vision when stepping out onto the road so bikes (and electric cars) don't register. I know this for a fact as I sometimes find myself doing the same thing....

But the vast majority of road users try their best. The sheer number of cyclists in London discourages old school driving aggression of the type I came across when I first tried bike commuting in the early 90's.

So work out the best route, make yourself as visible as possible, assume everyone is out to (unintentionally) kill you and you'll be fine.

I started commuting properly by bike 2.5 years ago and would never go back.

[angusc43]

WeirdNeville said:

Spend time finding and refining a nice route. Along hyde park for example, and substituting main roads for side roads. Loads of undiscovered treats out there tucked away away from the hustle and bussle.

Agree

WeirdNeville said:

Cycling in London is fun and the best way to get around.

Yup

WeirdNeville said:

You'll only get aggro if you generate it yourself. I just laugh off anyone who hurls abuse/ cuts you up. It's their heart attack, not yours.

This is very true. I used to get myself wound up every so often. Now I just shrug everything off. Much better karma.

[mk1fan]

DrTre said:

By getting out of peoples way I actually meant other cyclists

Treat cyclists the same way you treat any other road user. Yes, there are idiots who seem to think that rush hour is the time to train and woe betide anyone who dares hold them up but they're idiots when they drive or walk anywhere too.

[yellowjack]

mk1fan said:

Yes, there are idiots who seem to think that rush hour is the time to train and woe betide anyone who dares hold them up but they're idiots when they drive or walk anywhere too.

^^This^^

They seem to be the same bunch of numpties that get irate with the tourist gaggles clogging up the South Bank on a summer Sunday outside the London Eye, while they try to set a new PB during their marathon training. Ignore the tutting and moaning - the time to be training is NOT the same time as the area in which you wish to train is at it's busiest.