Imagine yourself driving to work and there’s some idiot driving a meter from your back wheels. They keep trying to overtake you but you know the road is too narrow for them to do this safely. Imagine that, as you drive along, you’re somehow invisible to other road users, despite being lit up like a Christmas tree and decked out in a bright colour. Drivers pull out in front of you forcing you to break hard, then they spot you and shrug like it’s your fault anyway.
Now imagine that instead of driving your car with a seatbelt, a roof and a meter or more of crumple zone in front of you, you’re on a bike. All that’s between you and the front bonnet of another vehicle, the car door opened without looking or the large wheels of a HGV, is a flimsy bike wheel and some handle bars.
Imagine that the safety measures that were put in place to protect you – the bike lanes and the advanced stopping boxes didn’t work. That they too were ignored by other road users or were in the wrong place making cycling more dangerous. It doesn’t sound fun does it?
But cycling is fun. This past week I’ve cycled every day because it’s without doubt the best way to travel around London, especially when it’s hot. It’s cooler and more reliable than public transport. It keeps you fit and makes you happy. But it’s not always safe, and it could be safer.
Last week a protest ride was held by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) in the wake of two cyclist deaths. The ride was to remind the Mayor and local councils that Londoners cycling on busy roads need dedicated space to protect them from fast-moving and heavy motor traffic.
But don’t cyclist in London already have those blue lanes? Those cycle Superhighways? Yes they do. But it’s not working. One of those cyclists killed by a lorry as she was cycling along cycle Superhighway 2 through Aldgate.
The LCC says: “Since the first designs for Superhighway 2 were put forward, we’ve repeatedly told the Mayor that this route – supposedly put in place to encourage more Londoners to cycle – fails to come anywhere near providing a safe or comfortable cycle route.”
On Monday morning, just days after the protest ride another cyclist was killed. A third death in three weeks. Again crushed by a lorry. This time in Holborn on a street that has no dedicated space for cycling. Another cycling blogger describes how this could potentially have been avoided if bikes were allowed to use a nearby bus lane.
Last night again London cyclists gathered to protest against the conditions that we have to cycle in. To make the Mayor and the London councils take notice and to ask: ‘how many more deaths will there be before something is done?’
LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said, “Three Londoners have now been killed in three weeks, all of them on busy roads that provide no dedicated space for cycling.
“Mayor Boris Johnson must take swift and radical steps to redesign our streets to make them safe and inviting for cycling. The evidence is clear: if the Mayor doesn’t take urgent action, then more Londoners will die needlessly cycling on our city streets.”
We met at Russell Square and cycled past the scene of the incident. 2,500 cyclists united in wanting safer roads and to pay their respects to the cyclist killed on Monday. Hipsters, the lycra clad, those on recumbents or hire bikes, everyone united by bikes. It made me proud to be a member of the LCC and proud to cycle.
What a great post, you really put the cyclist’s perspective so well. I love cycling in quieter areas but am really nervous about busy roads, even where I live, in a quietish suburb. I would love to see better cycling facilities in London & would definitely get out on my bike more often if I felt safer & I am sure there are plenty more like me.
What an absolutely brilliant post, to the post it almost brought a tear to my eye. As a daily commuter by bike I come across some of the worst driving and actions possible, I fear for my life daily and know only too well how I will fair if, God Forbid, I ever have an accident. I dont cycle in London but can totally get on board and support this cause. If London can get on board with this there is hope for other destinations. As someone who drives and cycles I see the both sides of the story, I just wish there was more allowance for us good cyclists amongst us.
I agree that cylists should be able to ride safe but there are a lot of cyclists who don’t help matters by ignoring the laws of the road. I live in a town of about 180,000 and the local council have spent a lot of money introducing cycle paths but they are still rarely used.
Beautiful post, there is definitely a need for further safety measures. Rich is right though, efforts to make roads and laws safer for cyclists are close to pointless if we don’t use them.
That was incredibly sad to hear about the death of those cyclists. I support any change to make the road safer for those on bikes. It is such a challenge in London because the roads are so busy and there is a lack of space.
Good post Laura, I only cycle in semi-rural Sussex but it is still a problem. Difficult to persuade more people out on the road when all they see on the news is cyclists dying in avoidable accidents.