On three mobiles and in a bus lane

[mjr]

I promise you I feel safer in London than out on a country lane in Kent...or at lease just as safe.

I'd say "as safe". In London, I'm much more "on my guard" because everyone is going everywhere basically and not always looking where they need to. The bell gets quite a bit of use and there's a bit of chat both ways and a journey's like one long negotiation. I do try to avoid the roads busiest with motorists though because my two slowest ever rides have been picking my way carefully along traffic jams on major London roads. I wouldn't ride like some of the videos I've seen, squeezing through handlebar-width gaps between buses and cars and so on.

You're not going to get countryside-style peace there, but the flip side is that there almost always seems to be someone on a bike or on foot offering help if something goes wrong, whether it's simply getting lost, not understanding a bizarre junction layout or - thankfully rarely - crashing or suffering a mechanical. I feel this improved radically around the time of the 2012 Olympics - Londoners made an effort to be welcoming and it seems to have stuck. Long may it continue!

 

[Deleted member 26715]

It's still ignored by a substantial number of drivers.
Last week alone, Met Police traffic officers reported 4,878 drivers for using hand-held mobiles.
4,878!
And that's just one traffic department in one area.

I find that amazing 1 every 2 minutes, I don't perceive I see that many around Sheffield

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I find that amazing 1 every 2 minutes

I easily see that many in Glasgow. They're much easier to spot now that it's dark at commuting times, with that tell-tale glow of light hitting their faces. daffodils.

 

[Sixmile]

And the constant peering down at their crotch / window switches.

 

[mjr]

And the constant peering down at their crotch / window switches.

The new thing seems to be to hold it above the centre console, presumably so you can drop it into the tray if you spot the police, but this means the driver's leaning so it's still obvious

 

[Sixmile]

The new thing seems to be to hold it above the centre console, presumably so you can drop it into the tray if you spot the police, but this means the driver's leaning so it's still obvious

I seen that one this morning. She was that obvious that even another driver shouted at her!