Today I'd like to share with you a video a friend shared with me.

This guy got a ticket for not riding in the bike lane (in the USA somewhere) and so filmed himself riding into things in the bike lane.

How often does this happen to us here in the UK? Nearly everyday I have to swerve around something parked in the bike lane. Most lanes here in UK aren't enforcable and traffic can use them so really are not a great deal of help sometimes! In theory, they are just suggestions of where to cycle rather than where the traffic prefer us right up against the pavement.

Having to join traffic to get past a row of cars causes problems and is quite dangerous on busy roads. Not to mention that vehicle drivers don't like cyclsts getting in their way and slowing them down. I was beeped at by a driver, at the weekend, who though I shouldn't be in front of him on a single lane road.

CS2 Update

Segregated lanes work for everyone.

1. Cyclists are safer, enticed to cycle
2. Pedestrians don't complain about rogue cyclist on pavement
3. Drivers stop beeping and moaning about cyclists on "their" roads

Here's a photo of the bus-lane-avoiding-cycle-lane near Bow roundabout that shall be part of CS2. Not too impressed by CS2 so far as it's mostly just blue paint that car drivers use and it's busy roads.

CS2 Stratford Extension

Big surprise when I went in to Stratford; CS2 extension!

                   Segregated lanes!

All well and good but they are wide enough to park in (as shown by police car below) so I have some doubts how this will work.

Car sized lanes? Hmmmm...

Meanwhile you have to regularly join with heavy traffic including buses, coaches and lorries. *sigh*

My cycling Flickr

The "Fun" I'd Forgotten

First day back cycling into uni. Wasn't the best journey.

1. Twat of a bus driver outside Leyton Orient stadium. First he had hazard lights on and just pulled into traffic. Then as I came down the hill, he made gestures and comments because I wasn't travelling fast enough for him.

2. After nipping down the alleyway to avoid the junction at Oliver/Ruckholt Road, I found the lights weren't changing and crossing to the cycle path was nigh on impossible.

3. It started raining in Victoria Park.

I'm pretty tired today so not enjoying my pottering-about-on-campus time between lecture end and work start of 6hrs. Might have headed home for a while, if only the journey here hadn't put me off!

A Small Grumble

My start at uni should have heralded my start of cycling again, but no, I get the Ick. Though imagine my surprise today on the Central line at Mile End, when I saw a cyclist get on the tube. I'm guessing he was wimping out of the rain.

Anyway TFL does allow you to take non-folding bikes outside of peak hours on certain sections (as shown in green on this map on the TfL website) but he was using the Central line and not the allowed Hammersmith or District. Didn't help he was cramming into a carriage with a school party. No sense whatsoever.

Yet another cyclist breaking the rules and giving bad PR for the rest of us. It's my main gripe about some of my fellow cyclists

Anyway I plan to cycle tomorrow and avoid another day of rush-hour cram!