Take on the devil’s own delivery men – London’s couriers
Earlier last week I was hailed by a neighbour as I was passing the Duke of York on Clerkenwell Road. For anyone who’s never passed it, the Duke of York is the couriers’ pub of choice.
Of the various cycle tribes in London, none are more wilfully offensive than cycle couriers. Case in point is their use of the Duke: while these urban gibbons are happy enough to cluster, whoop and drop litter on the pavement outside, their patronage doesn’t seem to extend to buying a drink there. Instead they shop at the offie a few doors down.
‘Just follow my lead,’ said my neighbour, a courier, when it was time for us to go home. Had I done as he suggested I would have jumped the red light at the busy Farringdon Road junction, and again at St John’s Street, ridden slap bang in the middle of Old Street, using my hands only to give the finger to other road users, and finally turned the wrong way into Columbia Road.
Bending the rules, which I sanction, is one thing: snapping them in half is another. When I quizzed him he justified his behaviour by saying that his take-no-prisoners attitude was a response to aggressive drivers who were in any case planet-wrecking bastards. Anarchic behaviour under the guise of protest is selfish and self-defeating.
It undercuts any reasonable debate or considered protest that London cyclists can make about poor conditions.
Route rating
Miles Four (but felt like ten, Clerkenwell Road to Columbia Road)
Average cycle time 20 minutes
Calories burned 180
Road rules flouted At least five
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12 comments
what a poor article
My lord, i'm used to some negative stereo types when it comes to courier, but this is frankly amazing.
First off, it's been at least two years since anyone was drinking at the duke, thanks in part to camden changing it's drinking laws. I do seem to remember spending nearly 5 pounds for a pint there, which is nothing to an over paid journo but means several miles on a bike for me, so cans are really the only affordable option for a night of drinking, with maybe one purchased pint as a thanks to the duke for not calling the cops on us. Said offie also used to leave cardboard boxes for our empties, and I seem to recall most people using them.
Now! The riding bit.
A. It is not illegal to ride on the right of your lane. This is much safer than on the left in some places (like clerkenwell and old street) because the traffic is more consistant there. The bike lane tends to become the parking lane, the swerving to undertake a right turning car lane, or the "I want to turn left in two miles so I better move over now" lane.
B. Jumping lights has the advantage of not leaving you a sitting duck for left turning lorries, and also giving you a head start on traffic that may not have seen you on their left before.
c. are you really such a law abiding citizen that you won't go the wrong way down a deserted road? If so, you might want to give the policeman in your brain a raise and a gold star.
I may not be as fast as your "neighbor" (please tell me that either you are making him up as an example or if he is real he has spent the last month egging your house everyday for being such a muppet) but I am able to get through traffic with a minimum of accidents 10 hours a day, 4-5 days a week by using the same tactics that he is using.
Why don't you write an article about left turning HGV's or about the injustice of Emma Foa's court case instead of slagging off techniques that actually keep cyclists from getting killed?
This guide is not very useful to be honest. I hit my bollocks hard on the kerb because of it
Try spending 9 hours a day 5 days a week in London traffic trying to get from one side to the other of the city passing through oxford street and piccadilly circus at rush hour. I think you'll find the average "devil's delivery man/woman" knows what he's doing when it comes to risk assessment and traffic reading.
I am confident, Fiona, that should you need to get your work delivered to your publisher, you wouldn't be complaining when it crosses central London in less than 15 minutes even if it does mean jumping the occasional light and doing the odd one way system, its all to keep the "devil" happy!
ps. Pont is right, do not generalise by judging a whole group based on your experiences with one person (i seem to gather he is not even a friend) you seem very ill-informed (the statement that the Duke of York is the pub of choice is an immediate give-away!)
If you are going to bother writing a column criticising someone do your homework properly!!!!!!!
Is there a forum for responsible cycling even knowing to get across central london may involve going entirely down the wrong way one way streets and on the pavement?
Are there any statistcis to back up the "myth" that most badly
behaved cyclists are w*ite middle class & "neuveau" cyclists?
Has anyone noticed UK cities are designed for cars not cyclists
and the "highway code" urgently needs to be reformed to exempt cyclists from rules used for people in protected boxes and often 9ft off the ground?
Does anyone know if Glenda Jackson is sincere on cycling?
RE: 'Take on the devil’s own delivery men'
What utter horsepiss. Fiona, you are a liar and rude to. Couriers have far more experience riding in London than you will ever have, and as such are as a group considerably safer. Anyone who needs to practice 'emergency stops' in parks should probably get off the road. Do not judge a group by the actions of your neighbour. You are also misleading - if not a liar. Going 'the wrong way into Columbia road' - what, the 10 metres or so of an absurd one-way system? and 4 miles from clerkenwell rd to columbia rd - more like 1.5. Stop exagerating your crap cycling achievments.
'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?