Where to leave your bike
In his column in The Times recently, Matthew Parris said that it would vastly improve life in his village if cheese wire were strung across the narrow lanes to garrotte passing cyclists. By way of retort, I have my own similar improvement for life in the city. I propose, equally in jest you understand, that all cyclists attach sharp objects to their spokes and ride like Boudicca along London’s thoroughfares, flaying the tendons and scratching the vehicles of anyone – black cabs, bendy buses, pedestrians stepping into the road – who makes life difficult for cyclists.
At the top of my hit list would be property owners who don’t allow you to lock your bike to their railings, particularly in light of Ken Livingstone’s latest proposed law to allow the forcible removal of all bikes left chained up. In theory it is their private property so they do have the right to do with it as they wish, but the decision to erect snide notices reading, ‘Bicycles left on these railings will be removed’ seems to me governed more by a knee-jerk, get-off-my-land attitude rather than any coherent reason.
Around St Paul’s Cathedral there is charity enough to allow bikes on the opposite side of the road. However the Royal Courts of Justice on the west end of Fleet Street have gone so far as to erect an additional barrier around the railings to make extra sure no one parks up. They say that bicycles left on the railings pose a security risk.
Feature continues
Further into town it gets worse. Down the Strand and around Bedford Street, Long Acre and Bow Street, the problem is exacerbated by too few bicycle racks for too many cyclists. Every lamp post available is festooned with bikes, while the wrought iron railings stand unadorned. Yet these doughty railings are quite the best street furniture for deterring thieves when a bike is secured to them with a decent lock. Famously, during World War II, many similar railings were removed and recycled for the war effort. How fitting for those premises to put their railings back into public service, this time aiding the city cyclist.
Route rating
Miles Two and a half.
Calories burned 120.
Security risks posed Possibly one.
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6 comments
'Why adhere to a law that endangers me?' (re illegal pavement cycling) The same stupid selfish comment could possibly be made about knife-carrying. Get off the pavement, you selfish git - even if people say nothing to you don't take it as tacit acceptance, it's probably because they're frightened. Read letters in the local press and reports of local community and police meetings - it's you and others like you who are making the pavements in London a no-go area for old, disabled and vulnerable people. What a stupid and irresponsible article for Time Out to endorse - I will not be purchasing it again.
I was with a cyclist who was catapulted off her bike in an accident last week. She landed on her head and shoulder. Result: Helmet severely dented, concussion, face had a nasty case of road rash, broken collar bone. Without a helmet I think it could have been much worse.
Re: amazing statistics - the trouble with accident statistics is it is impossible to measure all the accidents that don't happen...
Did the writer really mean;
'Anarchic behaviour under the guise of protest is selfish and self-defeating.'
Or perhaps;
Selfish behaviour under the guise of protest is self-defeating.
Or maybe;
Selfish behaviour under the guise of anarchy is self-defeating.
Clean up on the stereotypes mate.
I ride through that road system most days and, as I've found generally with cycling in London at all times of day and night, if you ride with your wits about you, it isn't a problem. A cycle lane past Central St. Martin's would be safer and there's loads of pavement but in the mean time the author should grow a pair and use the road.
LB 's Southwark and Lewisham provide free Adult Cycle Training for all those who live, work or study in the borough. Available via www.cyclinginstructor.com. Online Booking!
Statistics show that amazingly cyclists who wear helmets have more accidents than cyclists who don't. This is because, the study says, drivers of cars and other vehicles tend to take it "slightly easy" when they see a cyclist wearing a helmet as opposed to when a cyclist is unprotected. A model Catch-22 situation innit?