London cyclists

[AlexanderHamilton]

Just got back from a few days in London.

Why do so many cyclists think they own the road & should get priority over everyone including pedestrians?

Several times we were at pedestrian crossings. We started to cross once the green man appeared. On one occasion we were reaching the end of the crossing as the green man began to flash when a cyclist came zooming roundctye corner almost knocking me over (dh & the kids had reached the other dude as they had ran across the road but I was only walking briskly)

On another occasion on a very busy crossing in Covent Garden. All the traffic had stopped at a red light, green man in pedestrian crossing. Due to crowds we were a bit slower. We had almost reached the other side, green man still flashing when a cyclist started to try and move off & when she couldn't yelled at the top of her voice for fucks sake this is a road (loads of families with young children)

Yet another incident at Tottenham Court Road with a cyclist ignoring a red light.

I know London traffic must be frustrating but really?????

I'm a red light obeying. Pedestrian crossing stopping. No cycling on the pavement kind of girl.

But cycling in central London turns me into a verbally abusive wreck. So many journeys involve conflict with wheeled vehicles. So much of the infrastructure is badly designed and puts cyclists in direct danger (e.g. North-south cycle lane has a car left turn routed across it, lights change and boom a whole pile of cars turn into you).

I have been nudged by a white van man, verbally abused for waiting to take my turn at a junction in the centre of the lane as I didn't want to let the articulated lorry come up beside me (cyclists die if the conflict with left turning large vehicles), sworn at by taxi drivers for remonstrating with them about their passengers attempting to door me and almost ploughed down a couple of pedestrians who have stepped into the. Y me lane without looking.
I no longer cycle in central london.
This is sad as me cycling freed up a space on the bus/tube for someone who couldn't cycle.

A few incidents I have seen...
I crossed on the green man. Cyclist cycled on, almost into me (didn't swerve around, road wide enough for 2 cars) shouted "read the Highway Code, I have right of way"
Canal path, cyclist B is behind left of cyclist A. A wants to go straight a ahead, B wants to turn right, so B grabs A by the left shoulder from behind to physically drag hi out of the way so he can turn? Other options B could have taken are: speed up and overtake, slow down and wait till A is out of the way, but nope, bizarre drag of arm til the turn is clear?!
Since cycle lanes installed, coming out of the cycle lane into the bus lane as too many slow people/people obeying red lights and stopping in cycle lane.
BEST EVER - cyclist zooms down central London red across crossings on green man. Police car sees this and flags it over. I was too far away to hear conversation, but the mimes said it all. Cyclist shrugs and starts checking the bike in a "I think my brakes are broken" style. Police just shakes head and gets pad out.

Unfortunately in London there is almost no enforcement of traffic rules by the police which leads to 1/4 drivers using a hand held phone and many car, lorry and bus drivers skipping red lights along with cyclists

Hardly Gorgo, we're essentially making the same point!

Not really. Op saying that there sewms to be an issue with lots of cyclists in london. Not all. Its not a cyclist bashing thread.

I sometimea think i'm the only polite cyclist in cambridge. I especially hate it when they zoom past me waitng at the lights with inches to spare. Sorry, do you think i'm sat here for my health???

Mind you i see far more drivers who shouldnt be driving than cyclists who shouldnt be cycling.

On my infrequent visits to London I've seen some of this, and of course lots of legal cycling. Also a lot of dickish pedestrians wandering along gawping at their phone or yelling into it. Quite often women in stupid shoes so going at crawling pace and in the way.

Not a happy place.

There's a minority of cyclists that are just horrendous. From Embankment to Westminster, there's a cycle lane, with pedestrian crossings in a couple of places. Almost every day, I see a cyclist not stop when it's a green signal for pedestrians. You've been given this facility for you to safely use, use it properly! I always look to check who's coming, others may not and completely trust the signals, but when it's really sunny, cyclists aren't that visible when you're looking at them with a background of solid traffic.

The majority of cyclists are fine. I know many people who cycle in London and regularly complain about the behaviour of other cyclists. But that minority are dangerous. And it makes me wary of the OK majority. I do not trust cyclists because of the near misses I've had when I've been in the right. Some of them shout at me to go when they're approaching a red light so that they don't have to slow and stop. No. I'll wait for you to stop thanks, so I can be sure. I was in a bad road accident as a child, caused my someone not obeying lights. I'm not taking the risk.

5rivers describes cycling in london well, and I would also agree that things are improving.

I was knocked off my bike by a pedestrian on Westminster bridge - the bridge pavements are often crowded with tourists so pedestrians who want to cross at speed sometimes step into the bike lane. I was knocked out and came to in an ambulance! Fortunately it was just concussion. I would not say the pedestrian who caused this incident was an idiot, more a frustrated person trying to get home quickly. I've done the same thing myself on that bridge!

I still cycle commute to work. It's now a relatively calm and easy journey thanks to new cycle lanes but I do still have a fair few near misses with cars on one quiet road (it's narrow and I get driven at a lot - I always get out of the cars way even though it's often my right of way as they never stop for me!).

I don't see much if any red light jumping these days. I wonder if it's worse for that in the west end - personally I hate cycling in the west end as the traffic is slow and streets so narrow (you are better off walking).

As for the numbers of cyclists being too many, I have to disagree. Cycle journeys are still less than 10% of all journeys in london, a tiny amount compared to Netherlands or Copenhagen. Active travel is essential if we are going to get about sustainably and get enough exercise. What we need is more cycling and less cars!

That's because cycling is unregulated. A lot of cyclists in big cities don't have a driving/motorcycle lincense and have no idea how to use the road. A lot of them also have a bit of a complex and think that they are somehow doing everyone else a favour by using a bicycle.

@FastWindow Bracknell is not really practically built for cyclists, it's full of roundabouts for a kick-off and was designed in such a way as to imagine what cyclists might need rather than how they actually use roads, plus designed for far fewer people to have cars - you only have to look at Birch Hill as proof.

Then the cycle lanes are poorly maintained and full of potholes/grids. If cyclists feel safer in the road there's no reason why they can't ride in the road.

Cyclists going through pedestrian crossings on red really piss me off. Generally a cyclist is only going to hurt themselves if they do something stupid but at crossings there's a good chance of hurting someone else.

I'm genuinely shocked at the number of cyclists who are willing to experiment with driver reflexes and goodwill to avoid certain death.

On a Sunday morning I was on my bike, stopped at a red light next to another cyclist. A car came up behind us, slowed, then swerved around us straight across the junction, still on a red light. No siren, no blue lights.

It's not just cyclists who go through lights on red.

Difference: The driver (that's pretty outlandish behaviour, isn't it?) will get a big honking ticket in the post and an increase in insurance premiums.

London cyclists risk their life by trying to knock down London pedestrians. Have yet to see anyone not try to kick or nudge one out of the way when they speed past - saw one cyclist fly recently when an elderly lady protected herself with her shopping trolley.

I live in central London and walk miles there some days. I see the odd cyclist skip lights and the odd idiot on the pavement. But by and large they wait for the lights in big peletons! New proper cycle lanes seem to have improved things greatly.

I cycle in London. At a red once a cabbie rolled down his window and said to me "you're not a real cyclist! You stopped at the red!"
There is a lot of twatty behaviour by cyclists in London which drives me mad. Pedestrians do often step out in front of bikes because they are looking at their phones and only listening for cars. But surely that is more reason to be vigilant, not an excuse to mow them down!