On 25 Jul 2004 20:56:12 -0700,
[email protected] (ADD) wrote:
>So I am prepping for an ex-pat assignment to London. Does anyone have
>much experience bike commuting around London? I have heard that it
>isn't the friendliest. Any insight would be great.
You can get specific advice from uk.rec.cycling
They're a good bunch of people (mostly).
I lived in London for a year, and commuted by bicycle (Southwark to
Aldwych, over Waterloo Bridge)
Some impressions:
*Ride on the LEFT. I know, this should be blindingly obvious, but it
bears repeating. Also: Roundabouts: Take turns. Yield to traffic
already on the roundabout.
*London is a big city, with busy traffic. Do NOT let that discourage
you. It is surprisingly cyclist-friendly, because a great many of the
motorists are compelled to treat cyclists as regular traffic because
of the narrowness of many of the streets. Take advantage of this
fact, and take the lane.
* In the centre of the city (and indeed in the City itself) there is
an abundance of cycle racks and posts and railings to lock your bike
to. Locking your bike--or at the very least riding an
extremely-undesireable looking one-- is VITAL, as theft is
depressingly common.
* The LCC (London Cycling Campaign) along with Transport for London
and the office of the mayor have compiled an excellent series of
bicycle maps covering as much of London as you'll care to see, ever.
These are availble free of charge in many bicycle shops, and at Tube
stations.
*Mudguards. You will need them. London rain falls all the time. And
there's always the road apples left by police horses....
More will probably occur to me as this thread goes on, but all in all
I found London to be a pretty natural place to get around by bicycle.
The high volume of traffic also means relatively low speeds on most
streets, which makes for an easier place for a cyclist to share the
road with cars, taxis, buses, white vans, motorcycles, horses, etc.
-Luigi
"London never sleeps--
It just sucks
The life out of me
And the money from my pocket"
-Catatonia, "Londinium"
www.livejournal.com/users/ouij
Photos, rants, raves