There's supposed to be a tube strike today, and so it seems the perfect opportunity for some evangelising about cycling in London. The best thing your author has done since he arrived in London is to buy a bike. It saves time, it helps you exercise and it helps you to understand the city better. Sure, it's rather dangerous, and our medieval street pattern isn't even designed for bicycles, let alone cars, buses and cycles all vying for the same piece of tarmac, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
You don't need thousands of pounds, an outfit made of lycra, or an encyclopaedic knowledge of bike maintenance to cycle in London. You just need a cheap bike and a willingness to follow confusing cycle routes, and probably an A to Z. You won't save the world, you shouldn't be angry with drivers, and you shouldn't go on and on and on about it. But perhaps it's ok once in a while to mention it as something worth trying...
For more, see
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/
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With the picture I thought it was going to be about using the Dangleway (© Diamond Geezer) as a method of commuting and beating the strike.
ReplyDeleteJust a lack of pictures of my bike, Barry!
DeleteI gave some thought to bicycling during my two-week visit to London last year, but decided against it, owing to unfamiliar traffic patterns & signage, the medieval layout, the state of the infrastructure, and fear of large vehicles moving faster than me. I walked a lot instead, which worked out nicely!
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