Effect of the bombing on London



robalert

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Jun 8, 2005
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wondering if the boom in cycling will bring about more facilities?

LONDON A jump in sales at bicycle shops shows more people will cycle into London this week in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the public transport system, the retailers owners said.

Sales of bicycles, from foldaway models to multigear machines, have rocketed at shops across London since the bombings Thursday resulted in a temporary shutdown of the entire public transport network.

"It was just one person after another coming in out of desperation," said Grant Young, owner of Condor Bikes in west London, the oldest bicycle shop in the city, which more than tripled its daily sales the day of the attacks.

"People have said to me, great business, but it's not really. It is nice to be able to sell bikes, but for another purpose. Things will go back to normal, so if there are 500 new cyclists now and 200 of them stick to it, that's great."

Evans Cycles, the biggest independent bike chain in Britain, sold about 400 bikes Thursday, the day of the attacks, which was four times as many as usual at its nine outlets in central London, a company director, Mark Evans, said.

Evans noted that in the past people have said they feel unsafe riding a bike in the city because of the heavy traffic.

"Now they don't feel safe on public transport, so I expect over the next few weeks more people will be trying out bikes," he said.

Industry specialists say that bicycles have been growing in popularity in Britain for the past few years, with the market expanding at a rate of about 20 percent to 25 percent a year. A congestion charge on motorists driving in the heart of the city preceded this expansion.

"Most people who try it for the first time realize they can cycle to work faster" than if they took a bus or the Underground, Young said.


LONDON A jump in sales at bicycle shops shows more people will cycle into London this week in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the public transport system, the retailers owners said.
Sales of bicycles, from foldaway models to multigear machines, have rocketed at shops across London since the bombings Thursday resulted in a temporary shutdown of the entire public transport network.
"It was just one person after another coming in out of desperation," said Grant Young, owner of Condor Bikes in west London, the oldest bicycle shop in the city, which more than tripled its daily sales the day of the attacks.
"People have said to me, great business, but it's not really. It is nice to be able to sell bikes, but for another purpose. Things will go back to normal, so if there are 500 new cyclists now and 200 of them stick to it, that's great."
Evans Cycles, the biggest independent bike chain in Britain, sold about 400 bikes Thursday, the day of the attacks, which was four times as many as usual at its nine outlets in central London, a company director, Mark Evans, said.
Evans noted that in the past people have said they feel unsafe riding a bike in the city because of the heavy traffic.
"Now they don't feel safe on public transport, so I expect over the next few weeks more people will be trying out bikes," he said.
Industry specialists say that bicycles have been growing in popularity in Britain for the past few years, with the market expanding at a rate of about 20 percent to 25 percent a year. A congestion charge on motorists driving in the heart of the city preceded this expansion.
"Most people who try it for the first time realize they can cycle to work faster" than if they took a bus or the Underground, Young said.



LONDON A jump in sales at bicycle shops shows more people will cycle into London this week in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the public transport system, the retailers owners said.
Sales of bicycles, from foldaway models to multigear machines, have rocketed at shops across London since the bombings Thursday resulted in a temporary shutdown of the entire public transport network.
"It was just one person after another coming in out of desperation," said Grant Young, owner of Condor Bikes in west London, the oldest bicycle shop in the city, which more than tripled its daily sales the day of the attacks.
"People have said to me, great business, but it's not really. It is nice to be able to sell bikes, but for another purpose. Things will go back to normal, so if there are 500 new cyclists now and 200 of them stick to it, that's great."
Evans Cycles, the biggest independent bike chain in Britain, sold about 400 bikes Thursday, the day of the attacks, which was four times as many as usual at its nine outlets in central London, a company director, Mark Evans, said.
Evans noted that in the past people have said they feel unsafe riding a bike in the city because of the heavy traffic.
"Now they don't feel safe on public transport, so I expect over the next few weeks more people will be trying out bikes," he said.
Industry specialists say that bicycles have been growing in popularity in Britain for the past few years, with the market expanding at a rate of about 20 percent to 25 percent a year. A congestion charge on motorists driving in the heart of the city preceded this expansion.
"Most people who try it for the first time realize they can cycle to work faster" than if they took a bus or the
 
LONDON (Reuters) - London's streets creaked and rattled with nervous new cyclists Friday after bicycle sales rocketed in the wake of bomb blasts on three underground trains and a double-decker bus.

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Seasoned cyclists told of weary walkers offering them up to 300 pounds ($500) for their bikes as they headed home on Thursday, and of giving impromptu lessons to shaky beginners.

Tim Davies who manages Cycle Surgery near Holborn, said: "the shop is so close to where the bus got hit that we thought we'd be evacuated.

"But by 11 o'clock we were running around like crazy. We'd normally sell five to 10 bikes a day, but we sold at least double that in a few hours.

"We had people who hadn't ridden for over 10 years asking for refresher lessons -- we even had a judge."

Others, who had walked home, dug long-forgotten bikes from sheds and garages for Friday morning's commute. Fernando Gandioli said he noticed "a lot of rusty bikes and squeaky chains" as he cycled in to work at accountancy firm KPMG.

Shop assistant Maja, who works at Evans Cycles near Clerkenwell, said they had sold triple the usual number of bicycles Thursday, mainly folding bikes or cheaper models.

"It was mainly workers and executives," she said. "People who didn't want to waste money on a hotel and said: 'sod it, I'll buy a bike.'"