A cyclist’s riposte
As Dame Tara so accurately observed last week, it can be hell to navigate the streets of any major city. But I would argue it’s not just the growth of cyclists or drivers at play here, it’s a far greater problem. First, even as a cyclist, I empathise with all of her criticisms. I watch, waiting at the red light, while others shoot past me dicing with death. My jaw drops as a two-wheeled rider bangs on the side of a bus, swearing, as it pulls up at a pedestrian crossing and there’s no room to overtake. I might take this opportunity to point out that the gentleman in the picture above was not the one in question, although he did have to fight for space with both bus and lorry.
Equally, though, I have been knocked off my bicycle four times by drivers who park and then open their car door without looking behind them. Two sets of concussion mean that I now give parked cars a much wider berth and if I hog the road a bit, well that’s too bad. Then there are the drivers, again without due care, who turn into the road you’re riding down and expect you to dive down the nearest space between parked cars so that you don’t obstruct them. Or even those who delight in obstructing the bicycle lanes when there is plenty of room on their other side.
And finally, let’s not forget pedestrians. If car drivers think they have a problem, imagine what it’s like to be a noiseless cyclist. Yes, along with the growth of cars and bicycles, we have greater numbers of people spilling out from the pavement without looking or seemingly caring, often pushing their children in buggies ahead of them. I may not be the fastest cyclist around but it’s still tricky to pull off an emergency stop when a couple engaged in deep conversation step out into your path, unaware of what is going on round them.
My pet hates as a cyclist?
1. White vans still top the list. What is it about them that makes their drivers so evil?
2. Lorries carrying skips. I give them a wide berth at traffic lights , but boy do they encroach on bicycle lanes – and at great speed.
3. Anyone, cyclist, driver or pedestrian, who ignores what is going on round them.
4. Pedestrians who linger on zebra crossings or wait until you’re right there to cross. I have my own points system, details on application.
5. Road rage. Who do these people think they are?
In London we are constrained by the city’s layout. There is limited space for all those who need to use it. There can be no possible solution which will please all interested parties. But is it time to think about more radical solutions? If we can’t co-exist, should there be roads that are closed to cars, and others closed to bicycles? This happens, to a limited extent, in some boroughs already. Obviously this could never apply to pedestrians, but sometimes I feel that the wide expanse devoted to them could be trimmed without major problems. And no cheating about driving/cycling on the pavements!
Finally, the Highway Code. Let’s beef it up. Let’s enforce it. Let’s prosecute those who flout it. If I sound like a ‘hang ’em and flog ’em’ enthusiast, I apologise. But it does make my blood boil when I see a police officer eye a cyclist contravening it and turn a blind eye. I’m off to see whether it applies to pedestrians, too. If not, it needs a rewrite.