People who cycle in London come and speak to me.

[ApolloandDaphne]

My DD (who is age 26 and a grown adult and can do as she pleases, i know this) Lives in South London. She has told us that she plans to buy a bike to cycle around London both to work appointments and for leisure. Her DP cycles in London so she knows about safety equipment etc but she hasn't cycled for many years. I am beyond terrified she is going to get ploughed down by a car or a bus. Please tell me what it is like cycling in London? I am not really an anxious person but this fills me with dread.

London is easy to cycle in. I feel much safer cycling in London than anywhere else. The roads are much better maintained, there are bus lanes on all the main roads. Traffic is generally slow moving and motorists are used to cyclists.
Unlike Surrey, where I live - potholes everywhere, drivers don't know how to behave around cyclists (just treat them as any other vehicle).
Your daughter must adhere to the rules of the road, don't ride up the inside of large vehicles, be careful if cycling through stationary or slow moving traffic (for car doors opening / cars turning left or traffic pulling out of side roads), stop at red lights /zebra crossings etc, and she will be fine

Where one south London? Lots of boroughs so free cycling lessons or guided cycles in a group to get people cycling again. I cycle but I pick my route carefully. There are lots of routes in the centre where you are separated from the traffic.

I use the Santander cycles so I can cycle some routes but don’t have to cycle everywhere.

I agree that as long as you plan your journeys sensibly the cycling in London is safer than many places elsewhere in the uk. There are more reported accidents purely because there are so many cyclists.
That said I avoid big junctions.

Yep same here. Traffic in zones 3 and inward is very used to cyclists. Of course there are hairy bits like the big roundabouts but there are usually alternative routes and if she does find she has to go that way she can always walk the bike past the hairy bit.

Most of the councils offer free one on one bike safety training which I definitely recommend. You can ask the instructor to ride a specific route like a planned commute with you and practice any parts you are unsure about. This also helps avoid picking up bad roadcraft just because it's what everyone else does.

I've cycled in London for over 20 years. The number of cyclists has increased dramatically over that time, although so has the number of cycle lanes, cycle parking spots etc.

PP's idea of asking the local authority about free cycling lessons is a good one. (Or even paying for some of they're not available.) It's useful has a novice cycler to have someone give you clear guidance about how to cycle in traffic, when to indicate, how to do right hand turns etc, and say that it's okay to get off your bike and push it over a busy junction.

Thank you all! She bought her bike today and seems very pleased with it. I am glad to hear London can be okay for cycling in. I do trust she will be sensible, i just don't trust other people driving recklessly around cyclists!

Thank you all! She bought her bike today and seems very pleased with it. I am glad to hear London can be okay for cycling in. I do trust she will be sensible, i just don't trust other people driving recklessly around cyclists!
You get idiot drivers, and you get idiot cyclists. Its when you get two idiots in conflict at the same time you get issues. If she is sensible and cycles defensively, that will protect her against an idiot driver. Likewise, if she does something silly (we all do occasionally), and the drivers around are sensible, she will be fine

It isn't just about being sensible though, it's being able to spot hazards and adapt to changing road conditions. I cycle very differently now than I did 20 years ago because there are so many more cyclists and so many more vehicles. It's lucky that her partner cycles, so will be able to advise.

I cycle in another big UK city and it can be a bit hairy but you learn what to look out for eg cycling a bit further out from the kerb, not turning left inside cars / lorries also turning left, being aware of pedestrians about to step out or car doors. I also go to work early to avoid the worst of the traffic and have decent lights. Her partner should be able to advise on these things.