24 hours in London - now I know why cyclists are so hated!

[ianrauk]

@User1314 You are King of the Road bud... pure King of the Road.

 

[Sara_H]

I went to London last weekend to see The Stones. As a cyclist I am always interested to see what others are doing and riding and in the 24 hours I was there I saw countless cyclists breaking the law by riding on pavements, jumping lights and going the wrong way. Then coming out of Hyde Park late at night, 65,000 people flooded into Park Lane so the Police had the road closed for obvious reasons. What do I see? A muppet on a road bike weaving up Park Lane, fast, swerving around groups of concert-goers and screaming abuse at anybody who he thought was impeding his journey. Soon after that a bloke on a commuter bike shot past me as I crossed a road, so close that I felt his breeze... no lights, no bell, no warning, just a deliberate "punishment pass".

Shocking altogether. I'm a cyclist but after all that I understand the cyclist-haters, some of you down there ride as if you own the place and the rules don't apply to you.

I don't think thats just cyclists, I think thats people in general in London. I felt the same on my recent trip to New York - full of inconsiderate, agressive, nasty, stupid, horrible people.

I wouldn't last 5 minutes in either city - not tough enough.

 

[subaqua]

I commute every day from North East London into the City and I've got to say that the OP is correct in his observations. The majority of those that I see have no regard for the rules of the road or the safety and consideration of others. I'm glad that riders from other parts of town ride amongst the enlightened.

what time do you travel? there are the odd one or two, out of the 30 -40 cyclists i see everyday, who ride like numpties . most are well behaved tho.

 

[mark st1]

[QUOTE 2541651, member: 1314"]Cycling home last Tuesday evening about 7-ish, approaching Seven Dials. Stressful innit - I mean look at all those errant cyclists. Seven Dials is one of the busiest parts of London btw. It's also the most haunted. whoooohhhhh!!!

View attachment 25988 [/quote]


That pigeon looks like he could get a bit punchy if it kicks off.

 

[ianrauk]

[QUOTE 2542406, member: 30090"]Go COG. And isn't something happening in a few weeks that you have not mentioned at all?[/quote]



And bloody hope you going to make an appearance.

 

[Lee_M]

Should see people on bikes around Chester. Constantly going down one ways or riding on the pavements at a good speed (As it's a relatively historic city these pavements are mostly narrow). I rarely see a cyclist follow the law (Heck today I saw a girl riding on a busy road, approach the lights and just hop on the pavement to get around it and nearly knock someone over).

Luckily I live out in the country and not in Chester anymore.

I was in Chester a couple of weeks ago and by the end of the weekend I wanted to kill someone, they dither about in their cars, don't make decisions until they've stopped at a junction, had a cup of tea and a bit of a chat. Blooming drove me mad

 

[subaqua]

I was in Chester a couple of weeks ago and by the end of the weekend I wanted to kill someone, they dither about in their cars, don't make decisions until they've stopped at a junction, had a cup of tea and a bit of a chat. Blooming drove me mad

Its like that just over the border too.

 

[classic33]

I don't think thats just cyclists, I think thats people in general in London. I felt the same on my recent trip to New York - full of inconsiderate, agressive, nasty, stupid, horrible people.

I wouldn't last 5 minutes in either city - not tough enough.

I don't believe it was you there.

Its like that just over the border too.

In Wales. You certain on that.

 

[Lee_M]

I don't believe it was you there.

In Wales. You certain on that.

hope not, im moving there!

 

[Domeo]

what time do you travel? there are the odd one or two, out of the 30 -40 cyclists i see everyday, who ride like numpties . most are well behaved tho.

I drop my daughter off at school for 10 to 9 and get into work at 9:40ish. Homeward is just after 6:00. The level of numpties, however, is not restrict to a single route or area, although vastly multiplied along the A10. Virtually every set of lights has rlj's.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Actually. The problem with London, as demonstrated by CoG pictures, is

"There are too many bicycle people on the road"

Or so a wise person once said, allegedly.

 

[subaqua]

I don't believe it was you there.

In Wales. You certain on that.

Yes, I grew up in N Wales and saw lots of numpties on bikes ( and in Cars, Vans , buses etc) I never felt the need to video themn tho, mainly because Video Cameras were the size of a house when i was growing up.

 

[Davidsw8]

I think one added dangerous element in London that other places in the UK doesn't have, is the Boris bikes. They are such a hazard, to me anyway, the people that ride them tend to be very unsure/nervous which is compounded by the bikes themselves being very heavy and difficult to handle.

I tried to overtake a VERY slow chap in a suit on a Boris bike this morning, when I could eventually get past, a cabby cut in to the cycle lane and blocked me off so I had to remain behind. He was almost going so slow as to be stationary!

I also think the black cabs having their indicator lights disabled causes a lot of problems!

 

[Boris Bajic]

Cycling in London and cycling in the Sticks are comparable in the way that Cod & Chips might be compared with a fillet of sole.

Both are excellent, but in different ways.

I am a town mouse who became a country mouse. I was cycling to school along Stamford Street (SE1) when I was eleven or twelve. I rode with verve and abandon on the street of London for many years before the arrival of young mouths made me move west.

I still ride in London quite frequently and I still love it. Out here in the Marches there is nothing like the Rollerball rush I can get from Hyde park Corner.

But London gives me nothing like the buzz I get from the rolling hills around Hereford or the buzz of descending at speed in the Malverns or the Beacons.

The Sticks cannot provide the terror of the old Old Street roundabout at speed and London cannot provide the fear of the wheelnuts of an artic inches from my elbow at 55mph.

I love both. "Vive la difference", whatever that means....

 

[HLaB]

Only ever been a ped in London but I suspect it won't be much worse than anywhere else percentage wise when it comes to rlj/pavement cyclists etc but the population density will make it seem far more