City cycling in London is a joke | Hacker News Reader

City cycling in London is a joke

ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net

21 pointschrismealy14 comments

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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

A+++ totally correct.

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

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-...

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

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.

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...

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.

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

The "right-angle across moving traffic" that I mention. Albeit a quiet day when Google took the photo.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.511527,-0.044597,3a,75y,25...

Pah. That's nothing. What about a central bollard?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-mo...

(via the always excellent http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-mon...)

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

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