

City cycling in London is a joke - chrismealy
http://ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net/blog/11985/city-cycling-in-london-is-a-joke

======
7952
I think the desire for bike infrastructure often distracts from the real
problem, which is the excessive number of cars and large vehicles. The only
way to fix transport in central London is to find ways to ban private cars
(and preferably HGVs) completely. There simply isn't enough room for busy
roads. The endless stream of traffic makes the city a usability nightmare for
anyone on foot.

------
acrooks
The infrastructure for cycling in London sucks, but I find it remarkably easy
to get around.

My first or second day riding here I was unfamiliar with the territory so
spent a lot of time paying attention to signs, markings on the road, laws. It
made for a confusing and difficult ride.

Since then I have been paying less attention to the infrastructure and more to
the situation. Keep your head up and don't be afraid to break the rules a bit,
and you'll have a fun and quick ride. Just be wary that your decisions don't
impact drivers because we need as many good graces as we can get :)

------
misja111
The infrastructure for bikers in Holland is not always as brilliant as the
writer is suggesting. I'm living in Amsterdam and I would say that it's
equally dangerous to bike here as it is in London:

Pretty 'random' bike paths such as the one on the picture near the author's
house in Holland are virtually nonexistent here. And although there are pretty
clear traffic rules for right of way, many people don't obey them, so in
practice you'd better use your eyes, ears and common sense otherwise you won't
get very old.

~~~
Udownvotemeudie
It is not brilliant, but it is the best in the world, in my opinion. I am
Dutch and have cycled in many countries, including UK, Germany, Switzerland,
Belgium. Nothing beats Holland.

It is also the collective mindset of the Dutch car drivers. They know they can
expect a cyclist pop up any time from out of nowhere.

~~~
rawTruthHurts
Definitely. London is completely sub-standard, it doesn't stand any
comparision with the German or Dutch cycling networks.

------
fredsters_s
A+++ totally correct.

All I can say is never ever come to America with your bicycle.

------
nathell
Dear author, please don't ever even think of coming to Poland and admiring its
extensive network of bicycle routes with world-class solutions like this one:
[http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/14/25/ba/z12199188P,Sciezka-
rowerowa-...](http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/14/25/ba/z12199188P,Sciezka-rowerowa-na-
ul--Bukowskiej.jpg)

In comparison, London is awesome. I miss the CS3.

~~~
austinjp
Really? I hate the CS3, I find it terribly designed. That's not to say other
places are worse. The thing I dislike is the feeling you get: "There you go,
we've built you a superhighway, no more complaining, and make sure you get out
of the way of all the cars because they're more important than you are."

Problems with the CS3 and other similar routes include:

# Crossing T-junctions across right-turning traffic.

# Very narrow in parts.

# Swap from one side of the road to the other, taking you at a right-angle
across moving traffic.

I get the distinct feeling that motorists and pedestrians around the CS3 feel
they need 360 degree vision because they never know which direction the
cyclists are coming from.

~~~
zimpenfish
Narrow Street to Horseferry Road is my favourite part - you have to veer
across a busy road into oncoming traffic.

[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5101249,-0.0379109,19z/dat...](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5101249,-0.0379109,19z/data=!3m1!1e3)

~~~
throwaway049
I just call that 'executing a right-turn'. I do take issue with the position
of the turn area. Because the turn leads to a contraflow cycle lane on a one-
way road with the cycle lane on the 'wrong' side, the position to take up when
waiting to turn right is sooner than for a normal junction which confounds the
expectations of every other road user around you, unless they know the area
and/or are paying full attention.

~~~
zimpenfish
"a right-turn" doesn't generally take you into oncoming traffic though.

------
ccanassa
Oh, believe me it can get much worse than that. Here is how people commute in
my home town:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWDlYGraT7Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWDlYGraT7Y)

