Leaving the Emirates….

It’s quicker than public transport, you don’t have any parking issues and you can have a beer or two. In early November, my journey to Schalke happened to be slightly longer. On 6 November, Schalke was playing Arsenal in the Championsleague. Shortly after I moved to Highbury two years ago, I also became a staunch Arsenal supporter and was completely thrilled by the prospect that “my”  German team was playing “my” English team. Since I  happened to be in between  jobs in early November I decided to cycle from the Emirates in Highbury to the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen to see the match. I was able to talk Miranda, a cycling friend who supportes Arsenal, into joining me. I got to know I got to know her on the famous Friday Night Rides to the Coast (read my blogpost about those rides) and knew that she is  a stronger rider than I am.

A puncture in Rotterdam

We left London on Sunday, November 4^th at noon and cycled to Harwich, where we got on the night ferry to Hoek of Holland. In early November, my journey to Schalke happened to be slightly longer. On 6 November, my German team was playing my English team and I cycled from the Emirates in Highbury to the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen to see the match.

In Hunter-Land

On Monday, we rode to Nijmegen and on Tuesday to Gelsenkirchen, where we arrived at 6pm, well ahead of the kick-off at 8.45pm local time. I was so thrilled by the whole experience that I had difficulties to really focus on the match. My mates of the Schalke UK supporters club gave us a very warm welcome in Gelsenkirchen. The match was a staggering 2:2 draw, after Schalke beat Arsenal in London in the first leg in a hell of a game that I also attended. I stayed in Germany for a week and then took the train back to London, using the Eurostar from Brussels to St. Pancras.

Unfortunately, the high-speed trains from Cologne to Brussels don’t accept bikes. However, I did not have an issue with this because I was using my lovely Moulton TSR 30, which you can easily can cut into two pieces and turn into two pieces of luggage. The whole experience was absolutely lovely – my intention is to repeat the trip prior to Schalke’s last league game of the season against Stuttgart on 11 May. However, if Schalke makes it to the Champions League final in Wembley, I’ll probably take the tube.

Arriving at the Veltins Arena

All in all we did 407 Kilometers (254 miles) (Here is the route in full detail.) Schalke’s club magazine, the “Schalker Kreisel”, did a story about my trip which of course was a big honour for me. Here’s an English translation.

S04 supporter Olaf Storbeck cycled from the river Thames to the Veltins arena Pedalling for the UEFA Champions Leauge Olaf Storbeck is a financial journalist who has been awarded the Friedward Bruckhaus Award for his journalistic work recently. Since November 2012, the Gelsenkirchen-born and London-based writer has been a columnist for Reuters Breakingviews, the commentary and analysis service of Reuters newswire. On the British isles, he deems several items as indispensable: the Schalke mug on his desk and the S04 pennant on his office wall.

(c) FC Schalke 04

Dealing with numbers on a daily basis does not necessarily have to tarnish the ability to focus on the really important things of life. Olaf Storbeck proved this prior to the 2:2 thriller against Arsenal FC in the Champions League on 6 November 2012. Inspired by Schalke’s historic 2:0 triumph in London, the 38-year-old cycled from his place of residence in Highbury, North London, to the Veltins arena.

(c) FC Schalke 04

Together with his cycling friend Miranda Smith, who supports Arsenal on Sunday, he left London on 4 November and headed towards the seaside town of Harwich in Essex. There, they got on the night ferry to Hoek of Holland. After another stop-over in Nijmegen, they made it to their royal blue destination two hours prior to the kick off. “We wanted to arrive earlier in Gelsenkirchen. Annoyingly, however, the route turned out to be 407 kilometers (254 miles), 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) more than planned”, as Olaf points out. Nevertheless, 90 minutes were enough to fill Miranda with enthusiasm for Schalke. “She told me that she was absolutely stunned by the atmosphere in the stadium as well as the excitement of our supporters”, says Olaf. For more than two year, he has been an active member of the Schalke UK supporters club. However, he does not conceal that besides Schalke, he also has a second passion in football. “Since I have been living in London I’m also a supporter of Arsenal. This happened automatically when a friend too me to the stadium for the first time.” During the two Champions League encounters, he was keeping his fingers crossed for Schalke, though. ventually, blood was just thicker than water, as Olaf explains.

(c) FC Schalke 04

For the London Schalker, the unusual journey was a dream come true. “Among all Schalke members, I probably had the shortest journey to the game in the Emirates. For the second leg, it might have the most unconventional journey.” Pedalling to Schalke wasn’t just a vanity thing for him, though. “I would love to encourage other fans to cycle to home games as well. That’s not just more environmentally friendly but quite often quicker and more convenient than the car or public transport as well.” On one occasion even Olaf Storbeck would make an exception, though. If Schalke would be have to travel to London once again this season, he would take the tube to get to see the Champions League final in Wembley.

(Wiggos views on road safety are barmy, however.

Update: On Twitter, the Lord of the Cyclists later said his views on helmet laws were misreported: “Just to confirm I haven’t called for helmets to be made the law as reports suggest. I suggested it may be the way to go to give cyclists more protection legally I involved In an accident.”)

However, yesterday was also a black day for cycling in Britain and for the Olympic games. Only a few hours after Brads triumph,  an “Olympic bus” carrying journalists killed a male cyclist on the junction of Ruckholt Road and East Cross Road.

The crash happened at 7.45pm very close to the Olympic Park in East London. The victim is the 10^th cyclist who died in a traffic accident in London in 2012 (full details about all cycling fatalities  in London since 2006 are available here).

Update: According to the London Fixed Gear and Singlespeed Forum, the killed cyclist was Dan Harris (@gecko84 on Twitter). On his blog, Dan describes himself as “social media strategist, community manager and web editor” and a physicist by training. Rest in Peace, Dan.

This death makes me very sad and very angry at the same time. The fatality is related to the Olympics in several different ways. The most straightforward connection is that he was killed by an official games vehicle. (Here’s an appalling report by an eye-witness of the crash.)

The bigger story is that the games are making cycling much more dangerous in London. Important and safe cycle lanes around the Olympic Park have been closed due to security (= terrorism) concerns for months. Yesterday’s fatality apparently happened 120 meters beyond entrance to a closed segregated cycle-path, as cyclist Donnachadh McCarthy wrote on Facebook.

The most disturbing thing is that the crash was rather predictable. Cyclists are forced to use busy and dangerous urban motorways instead. This has been severely criticised by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) and cycling bloggers like Danny Williams (“Cyclists in the City”) for months. However, the organisers of the games did not budge.

As Danny put it on his blog in March:

“I don’t know the people behind the Olympic organising team. But they really don’t seem to ‘get’ that cycling is a legitimate form of urban mobility. (…)

[I]f you want to cycle to the Olympics, you can expect to take a detour, dismount from your bike, cross the motorway, may be you’ll be able to get back on your bike again after that. (…)

I managed to buy tickets for the Olympics. I’m quite excited. And I’d like to cycle there. But I’m not going to bother cycling. It seems like too much hassle, frankly. I’ll take the tube. Or I might drive instead. Because the Mayor of London is letting people make London a city for driving in. ”

I don’t know the area where the crash happened but according to a number of cyclists, Ruckholt Road and East Cross Road are a nightmare for riders. However, at the same time they seem to be part of the road network that the organisers suggest for cyclists who want to get to the games, as cyclist James Taylor wrote in a comment on my blog last night:

“Since the canal route has been closed to cyclists due to the Olympic games, I now have to divert along Ruckholt Rd through many fast junctions, and sadly where this young man was killed this evening, at East Cross Rd to Victoria Park.

It is not safe for any cyclists to have to ride there, even though it is on the designated diversion route. No thought has gone into this despite Locog claiming to be a ‘ cycle-friendly Olympics. Instead we have a diverted route where one cyclist was killed and many risk their lives.”

Emma Woodcock, another London cyclist, wrote on LCC’s facebook page:

 “I had written and sent video to Newham, and Waltham Forest Council, last year to state how inadequate the cycle lanes were around the edges of the Olympic park in their development, particular Eastway where heavy goods vehicles use New Spitalfields Market and the proposed Bus Terminal would be for coaches for the Olympics.

I was told they were sufficient. Believe me they are non existent. Tonight a man was killed on his cycle minutes ahead of me on this very route. A day when are celebrating cycling in Britain, there has been billions spent on building the Olympics and all they provide for cyclists around the edges (when we are all being encouraged to ‘get on our bikes’ and cycle there) of the fenced off park is a painted white line.

Where the cyclist was hit there isn’t even that, its a very dangerous junction, especially where you have coach drivers from out of town who don’t know roads, or used to looking out for cyclists. I’m just sickened.”

I encourage everyone who knows the ares to share his thoughts in the comment section of this blog.

The big, tragic irony is that the London games are supposed to be the “greenest games” in history. Additionally, they are supposed to “inspire a generation” to do more sports. Kudos to the fantastic cycling parking facilities at the Olympic venues. It’s nice  that the bikes are safe at the games. However, it would be even better if the riders were safe as well.

However, this is only bits and pieces. In general, there is no integrated plan how to make London safe for cyclists. In particular, the Olympics put the life of cyclists on the line. The wilful neglect in terms of traffic planning is just one example. The excessive use of police force against peaceful participants of the critical mass ride on the day of the opening ceremony as another one.

The fatality was an appalling reminder of the dark side of cycling in Britain in general and in London during the Olympics in particular. The traffic planning priorities have to change. Otherwise more cyclists will unnecessarily die on our streets.

Free and secure: Managed cycle Parking at the Olympics: Wimbledon

Cycling campaigners and influential bloggers have rightly lambasted the organisers of the Olympic Games for not caring enough about the needs of people wanting to cycle to the venues. Especially the closure of the canal footpaths in the proximity of the Olympic Park is outrageous. Getting to the Olympic Park by bike really is a demanding endeavour, as Danny William at Cyclists in the City put it:

“If you want to cycle to the Olympics, you can expect to take a detour, dismount from your bike, cross the motorway, maybe you’ll be able to get back on your bike again after that.”

However, there are alternatives, as Mark explains on his “I bike London” blog who also produced a nice guide for cycling to the Olympics.)

Despite all the justified criticism,  I think cycling to the venues still is a good idea, as I found out yesterday. My wife and I had tickets for the first day of tennis at Wimbledon.

Initially, we planned to take the tube, but then found out that there was supposed to be secure, managed and free cycling parking right next to the venue. Hence, we changed our mind and took the Brommis from Highbury, north London, to Wimbledon, south-west London.

A lot of empty spaces at Wimbledon

Due to the road race and the road closures, we had to take a significant detour. From door to door, it was a ride of 14 miles. It took us one hour and about 20 minutes. Despite the long ride, this was as quickly as taking the tube – and we avoided crowded trains and extremely busy tube stations.

Instead, we had a fantastic ride all across the capital. Cycling in the morning through central London on the first morning of the Olympics was a very special experience.

Finding the cycle parking at Wimbledon was easier than at the Olympic Park, where the Evening Standard’s Ross Lydall had a hard time working out where to leave his bike prior to the games.

At Wimbledon, the managed cycling parking is located a two minutes walk from the gate 5 right next to the VIP car park. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t signposted for southbound riders but nevertheless we managed to find it quickly.) The bikes are stored in a large gated area staffed by two blokes who take care that nobody with sinister intentions can access the bikes. For additional security, you can lock them to makeshift bike racks. You really don’t have to worry about theft at all.

It really feels like being in the Netherlands. If the managed cycle parking should become a legacy of the games for London, this would do such a big difference for cyclist in the city.

Unfortunately, yesterday only a fraction of the visitors at Wimbledon went for the bike option. I estimate that maybe five to ten percent of the space was actually used. Given the transport nightmare that is called TfL, this is really a shame. Tomorrow, for example, will be the busiest day on the DLR.

I can only encourage everyone who has a ticket and a bike to cycle to the venues. I’ll watch volleyball at Earl’s Court in a couple of days. Guess how I’ll get there.

Velib’, Métro Courcelles, Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I recently was in Paris for a couple of days. I pootled around in the city using Velibs, the French cousin of the Boris Bike. The French scheme has just celebrated its fifths anniversary.

Since I used both schemes, I thought a subjective comparison might be interesting. (My detailed experiences as a casual user of the Boris bikes are available here.)

All in all, both systems are great but both have their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Overall, however, from the perspective of a casual user I like the Velib scheme more than the Boris bikes.

Let’s compare the different aspects of the schemes one after another.

Terminals

A Boris bike docking station in London (photo credit: Wikipedia)

I found the Velib terminals rather confusing at first sight. They have to different sides, one is apparently for subscribers while the other one is for casual users. It was 1 am when I used the Velib for the first time, and some vin rouge might have been a factor. Be it as it may, initially I was trying to use the side for subscribers and was desperately looking for a credit card slot. I was close to giving up, buy my wife, who had only drunk Perrier, finally managed to figure it out that we have to use the other side of the terminal.

England scores the opening goal: England: 1 , France 0

Visibility of the docking stations

When you’re not familiar with the city, it can be rather hard to find a docking station in Paris. Thanks to the tall blue terminals the docking stations in London are much easier to spot. England scores, once again.

50 shades of grey – Velib terminals are not as visible as the taller and strikingly blue Boris Bike terminals. (my own photo)

England: 2, France: 0

 Getting a bike

I found hiring a Boris bike as a casual user really cumbersome, as I described in a different post in detail. Understanding the Velib procedure isn’t a walk in the park (I had to explain it to French guys once), but it seemed slightly easier to me. Like in London, you have to click through several screen pages and accept lengthy terms and conditions.

However, one thing is much smarter than in London: The system prints a receipt which shows your customer number. It also forces you to set up a four digit PIN number when you buy your access period.

If you want to hire bikes later within your access period, you just type in your customer number and your PIN number into the terminal. In London, you always have to identify yourself to the system inserting your credit card to the terminal.

At a Boris bike docking station (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another difference is that in Paris, you choose the bike you take at the terminal which shows you which bikes are available. You then have to walk to the individual bike, push a button and release it. In London, the terminal prints out a five digit number that you have to type in at the individual bike. However, the key pads are quite rubbish, as I’ve described in another post.

England: 2, France: 1

Density of the network

The network of docking stations is much more dense in Paris. The Velib scheme consists of 23000 bikes, while there are only 8000 Boris bikes in London. Additionally, there are far more docking stations, as Oliver O’Brien’s fantastic maps on the French and the English schemes illustrate. (The network in Paris also stretches further into the suburbs. However, we did not cycle there.)

You really  the difference in a Paris. While full or empty docking station are a constant issue in London, we did not have any issues getting a bike when we wanted it and getting rid of it afterwards.

England: 2, France: 2

The bikes

Both bikes are quite similar. They  come with Shimano three speed hub gears and a Shimano hub dynamo. However, for a number of reasons, I liked the French bikes much more.

The Velibs have a really decent front – and back light while the Boris bikes have just some flashing LEDs. The Velib has a real front basket while the Boris bikes just have a holder for a bag. The basket is really handy because it also accepts smaller items like a travel guide or a water bottle.

The front basket of a Velib. On the left hand side, you can see the built in cable lock. (my own photo)

One of the biggest advantages is that the Velib has an inbuilt cable lock. When you pop into a café, you can lock the bike to the next lamb post. You’re advised not to leave the bike completely unattended but the possibility to lock the bikes is really handy. In London, it would be a violation of the terms of use to leave the bike anywhere but at a docking station.

(This might explain why vandalism and theft of Boris bikes are no big issue in London while it causes real trouble in Paris. From the perspective of the end user, however, the Parisian way of doing it is much more convenient.)

England: 2, France 3

Ridability of the bikes

My gut feeling was that the Velib is a slightly faster bike than the Boris bikes. When I rode it, I suspected that it was lighter than its English cousin. However, the actual weight difference seems to be marginal: The Velib weights 22.5kg, the Boris bike 23kg. Maybe the tyres they use in Paris (Schwalbe) are better, maybe it was a delusion.

Goalless draw, hence: England 2, France 3

Re-docking the bike

For a first time user, this is much more awkward in Paris. The Boris bike docks with the entire front wheel that goes into the docking point. This is very easy and straightforward. The Velib, however, has a hook that is welded onto the main frame and has to be pushed into the docking point in a certain angle.

How the Velib docks. (my own photo)

I did not understand it on the first occasion (again, it is possible that this was partly due to my consumption of red wine), but fortunately a helpful Parisian showed me how to re-dock the bike. England scores.

England: 3, France 3

Pricing

Both schemes have a similar pricing structure. You have to buy an access period that it valid for 24 hours. It costs one Pound (1,27 Euro) in London, compared to 1,70 Euro in Paris. When you hire a bike, you also have to pay time-dependent usage fees. In both cities, the first 30 minutes of each ride a free.

If you keep the bike up to an hour, you pay one Euro in Paris and one Pound in London. It becomes slightly more expensive in London afterwards. Hiring a bike for up to 1.5 hours costs four Pounds in London but only three Euros in Paris. Two hours cost six Pounds and seven Euro.

Compared to what you have to pay using other means of public transport, both schemes are a real bargain, hence both score in this discipline.

Goalless draw, hence: England 4, France 4

Traffic

They have many more segregated cycle paths in Paris than in London. Hence, cycling feels much safer. Additionally, almost many more small one way streets are open for cyclists going in both directions. The road surface is much better than in London where the streets quite often are just a collection of potholes and drivers seem to be more considerate in Paris. (However, I only used the Velib on a weekend. Hence my impression of the traffic might be distorted.)

England: 4, France 5

Summary

All in all, both schemes are really great for tourists. However, from my personal point of view, the Velib beats the Boris bike.

It takes some time to understand how the hiring process works in Paris as well as in London, but it is really worth it. The Velib saved us you a lot of money that we would have spent on Metro tickets and Taxi fares.

Additionally, it is nice because you see more of the city and experience it in a completely different way. Use them!

(Here’s Velib’s official English website, and here’s the Boris bike website.)

Should cyclists welcome this debate?

Traditionally, the cycling community is very wary about openly discussing the safety issue. A lot of cycling campaigners fear that too much focus on the (perceived) dangers of cycling do more harm than good because this might  reinforce a misguided perception that cycling is a dangerous endeavour.

This could turn off potential cyclists and harm our interests. It is generally assumed that the more riders are on the road, the safer cycling gets for everyone – this effect is called “safety in numbers”. Hence Andrew Gilligan, the “Daily Telegraphs” London editor and a cyclist himself, recently raised concerns about “The Times’” campaign.

When I started to collect detailed statistics about killed and severely injured riders in London last year, I had similar qualms.

In the meantime, however,  I’ve become sure that such worries are misguided. Most of the people who haven’t started to cycle yet do this because they consider it unsafe anyway. They look at  the traffic and the road infrastructure of this country and just don’t have the guts get on their bike in such an environment. If you want to turn them into cyclists, you have to increase the actual and the perceived safety first.

Roger Geller, the cycling coordinator of Portland Oregon, has developed a very convincing taxonomy of cyclists that I think can be adopted to London. Roger divides the citizens into four groups: “The Strong and the Fearless”, “The Enthused and the Confident”, “The Interested but Concerned” and “No Way No How”.

“The Strong and the Fearless”

The first group consists of a few diehards : People who cycle not matter what. As Roger puts it:

“They are ‘bicyclists;’ riding is a strong part of their identity and they are generally undeterred by roadway conditions regardless of road conditions. (…) Messengers immediately came to mind. Those “type” of people— generally young, predominantly male, fit — are an important and perhaps dominant subset of those who will ride regardless of conditions.”

According to Rogers estimates, this group equals less than 1 percent of the population.

“The Enthused and the Confident”

These riders can be easily attracted by better cycling infrastructure. In Roger’s terms:

“They are comfortable sharing the roadway with automotive traffic, but they prefer to do so operating on their own facilities. (…) They appreciate bicycle lanes and bicycle boulevards.”

Roger estimates 7% of the population belong to this group.

“The Interested but Concerned”

This is the biggest group: About 60% of the residents who are curious about cycling but scared of at the moment. Hence, they use the bike only very rarely in their local area. Roger describes them like this:

“They like riding a bicycle, remembering back to their youths, or to the ride they took last summer. (…) But, they are afraid to ride. They don’t like the cars speeding down their streets.

They get nervous thinking about what would happen to them on a bicycle when a driver runs a red light, or guns their cars around them, or passes too closely and too fast. (…)

They would ride if they felt safer on the roadways—if cars were slower and less frequent, and if there were more quiet streets with few cars and paths without any cars at all.”

“No Way No How”

Well, the Jeremy Clarkson’s of this world, you know. About a third of the population who cannot fathom to use a bike: People that are “currently not interested in bicycling at all, for reasons of topography, inability, or simply a complete and utter lack of interest”

The four types  of cyclist and London

My hypothesis is that in London, currently only the “strong and fearless” and a small part of the “Enthused and the Confident” cycle frequently. The large surge in cycling in the last ten years probably can be explained by the fact that more “enthuse and confident” riders decided to cycle. However, I would predict that given the current road layout and planning priorities in London, this effect will soon peter out.

According to the latest figures in the “Travel in London 4” report that was published in January, the typical cyclist in London is male.

Across all age groups, there is a striking sex gap: Males are much more prone to cycling as females are. According to the numbers, 64 per cent of cyclists are men. If you look at the numbers of journeys, the difference is even bigger: 72 per cent of cycle journeys are done by men.

Especially striking is the difference in the age group 25 and 44 years: Males outnumber females in a ratio of almost 1 to 3.

Psychological research shows that men are more prone to overconficence than women. I think it’s a sure bet to say that women are just scared off by the conditions on the road.

I’m convinced that without a major transformation of the transport policies in London, cycling is about to stagnate in the future because nobody will be able to convince the “Interested but Concerned” to hop on their bike in today’s London. Probably the stagnation of cycling in London has already begun.

According to the “Travel in London” report, the number of daily cycling journey in London in 2010 has risen by about 40000 to 54000. In relative terms, this is an impressive gain of 6.4 per cent. However, about 25 000 of the new journey were due to the new cycle hire scheme which was a major investment. Without the Boris Bikes, the number of journeys would only have increased by 15000. This would have been the weakest increase for a number of years.

The big spike in cycling in London happened between 2002 and 2005, as this chart confirms. Ever since, cycling seems to have reached a new plateau.

Since 2008, the increases were so tiny that they disappear in the statistics if you round to the first digit after the comma.

In the last three years, the numbers of daily bus journeys increased by 300.000 from 3.4 to 3.7 million journey while the number of daily journeys by bike only increased by less than a third.

Seen from this perspective, London is experiencing a bus revolution rather than a cycling revolution.

This is even more appalling given the fact that using the bus is much slower and more expensive than cycling. Busses in London on average travel at a speed of about 12.5 Kilometers an hour, at the same time bus fares increased massively.

So why don’t more people cycle?

Interestingly, this question isn’t asked by Transport for London (presumably because they would not like to hear the answer).

Let’s turn to Portland’s Roger Geller instead. He asserts:

“Despite all the considerable advances Portland and the region have made in facilitating bicycling, concerns about the safety of bicycling still loom large.

Riding a bicycle should not require bravery. Yet, all too often, that is the perception among cyclists and noncyclists alike. No person should have to be “brave” to ride a bicycle; unfortunately, this is a sentiment commonly expressed to those who regularly ride bicycles by those who do not.

There are many cities in modern, industrialized nations around the world with a high bicycle mode split. They have achieved these high levels of bicycle use through adherence to various cycling-promoting policies and practices.

But, one thing they share in common is they have substantially removed the element of fear associated with bicycling in an urban environment. They have created transportation systems in which bicycling is often the most logical, enjoyable and attainable choice for trips of a certain length for a wide swath—if not the majority—of their populace.

For residents of these cities, concern about personal safety associated with bicycling is rarely a consideration, and certainly not to the levels we experience here. In these “fearless” cities septuagenarians are able to ride alongside seven-year-olds safely, comfortably, and with confidence throughout the breadth of the cities.

Making bicycling a more widespread and mainstream means of transportation in Portland will require substantially addressing concerns about personal safety.”

 Compare this assessment to the statements of Boris Johnson and Transport for London. They are constantly stating that cycling in London is safe and has become safer.

It’s a small wonder that most Londoners remain sceptical with regards to cycling.

Interestingly, figures released by Transport for London in their latest  ”Travel in London” report compellingly show that they have a point. According to data published in Chapter 9 (“Transport and quality of life: Customer satisfaction and perception”), cyclists in London are by far the least satisfied users of roads in the capital.

The authors of the report put it this way:

“Satisfaction levels were similar for users of all road modes except cycling, where satisfaction was significantly below average at 67 out of 100.”

How severe the level of frustation is becomes clear if you compare the statisfaction of cyclists to the statisfaction of Tube users. There is a lot of moaning and complaining going on about the Tube: fares, punctuality, crowding. However, the average cyclist in London is significantly  less happy with the road network than the average Tube passenger is with the Tube. According to the report, the overall satisfaction of Tube users is at 79 out of 100. Even with regard to train crowing, Tube users are more satisfied than cyclists are with London roads (72 out of 100).

Aspects of satisfaction

This frustration of cyclists  is confirmed by other results. For example, the conditions of cycle lanes get the worst marks at all. Amazingly, this aspect even fares below traffic congestion! The satisfaction with the availability of cycle lanes and advanced stop lines is also significantly below average.

Here’s another evidence that London is massively neglecting cyclists:

Proportion of satisfied road users

Taken together, from my perspective these results are pretty devastating.

The report states that

“the Mayor has made it a particular priority to improve the quality of Londoners’ overall daily travel experiences. The substantive outcomes of these policies should be visible, in due course, in the various formal and informal performance measures considered elsewhere in this report”

If this pledge, the fuss about the “cycling revolution”  and the results in the report were taken seriously by London’s policy makers, improvements to the cycle infrastructure would be of utmost priority.  Why do I have a hunch that this is  not  the case?

Thanks to the “Love London, Go Dutch” campaign we talk a lot about making London more like Amsterdam. However, judged by the low satisfaction of cyclists with the road network, it would be nice to make London (for cyclists) at least like London (for cars).

Journey Satisfaction

Asked about our  general satisfaction with their most recent journey, we are happier than the users of public transport and cars. This proves the vast benefits of cycling: It is quicker and cheaper than most other means of transport.

Even the wretched road network and the biased priorities of London’s traffic planner cannot botch this!

Inverted snobbery, “dangerising”, and change at the CTC – Vole O’Speed supports the “Times” campaign.

The Times’ Eight Point Manifesto – David Hembrow (“A view from the cycle path”) is rather critical.

Cycle safety campaigns: do they do more harm than good? - Andrew Gilligan (Daily Telegraph) is critical as well, albeit for different reasons.

Drivers who kill ‘should face prospect of life in prison’ says police expert – The Times

Better driving will make roads safer for cyclists, say motorists – The Times

Traffic flow in a new Parliament Square  and Going Dutch in Parliament Square- Pedestianise London

 Death of Henry Warwick

Monday 20 February announcement (and more!) – Bikes Alive plan the next protest ride at King’s Cross on 20 February

From early adopters to everyday and ordinary… – Mark Ames discusses how cycling becomes normal in Hackney.

My Labour MP tells me it’s my responsibility to keep away from danger when I’m on my bike. How am I supposed to do that when the Mayor is re-designing London roads to make it even harder to stay safe? – Cyclists in the City

The Highway Code does not leave any doubt on who is to blame in such occasions. Paragraph 239 says:

“If you have to stop on the roadside: you MUST ensure you do not hit anyone when you open your door – check for cyclists or other traffic.”

The driver of the car who killed Sam Harding currently is charged with manslaughter.

However, being on the right side of the law gives small consolation if you’re “doored”. Additionally, even if you’re not severely injured, running into a car door is really painful, as I can report from first hand experience.

Unfortunately, a lot of cyclists, however, are not aware of the danger parked cars pose to them and do not leave enough room when they cycle alongside parked cars.

Here in London, the cycle “lane” painted on the streets quite often fosters cycling close to doors because those lanes are just too narrow. I usually try to cycle on the outer marking of the cycle “lane” or even a few inches to the right of it. Additionally, I also try to have a look at the mirrors of the cars – quite often, you can see if a passenger is about to get off.

A cycle path in the door zone (Photo by VinnyR via Wikipedia)

The Youtube video above compellingly explains why you should leave much more room when you cycle alongside parked cars.

If you cycle in the middle of the lane, you’re perfectly positioned in the door zone of the cars.

As John Allen explains in his excellent e-book “Bicyling Streets Smart”:

“Where there are parked cars, the usable width of the street begins about 4 feet out from them – or from a wall, hedge or other obstruction. As you approach a blind junction or driveway, you should be even farther from the edge of the road – imagine a car hood poking out. Don’t ride in the danger zone! Only if you are riding very slowly – less than 8 km per hour – can you safely ride within reach of the car doors; even then you must be attentive to opening doors and your reduced visibility to cross traffic. Keep even farther from angle-parked vehicles, which can back out into your path.

Sure, many people – even some cycling “experts” – will tell you, “Always keep as far to the left as possible,” and, “Look out for opening car doors.” But at speeds above 8 km per hour, you can’t stop in time to avoid a car door. Then your only choices are to hit the door or to swerve out into the street – maybe into the path of a passing car. Avoid this problem by riding outside the reach of car doors.”

Unfortunately, not all car drivers understand this and will honk at you when you leave appropriate room to parked cars.  However, this is a price worth paying, as I can tell you from first hand experience.

A cycle path in the door zone (photo by VinnyR via Wikipedia)

I was doored once while passing a queue of cars lining up in front of a red light in Cologne 15 years ago. I was cycling on the nearside of the cars and the front seat passenger wanted to get off.  I wasn’t knocked of my bike but crashed into the  door at a speed of about 10 miles an hour. It really, really  hurts!

Fortunately, it was the Mercedes rather than my bike or me that was damaged. However, the driver claimed that the door was already open for a long time before I crashed into it. What followed was a long, nasty and unsettling legal struggle that I finally won.

Meeting point is the Foundry in Clerkenwell (corner of Old Street & Great Eastern Street) around 7pm. (Details here on the Moving Target website)

Henry was one of the most experienced cycling couriers of the capital and was featured in this film about cycling couriers in London last year.

The ride on Friday is organised by fellow couriers who want to commemorate a friend and colleague.

However, as this discussion on the Moving Target Form points out, the ride is open for everyone who wants to show his respect for Henry. Please be aware that the organisers stress the ride is not a protest ride (as the Evening Standard has claimed) but a memorial ride.

I’ll be there.

Cyclists may get headstart on cars at busy junctions – The Guardian

The government is watching cyclists die – Cycalogic Blog

Cyclists are law-breakers - Stratagem XXXVIII blog

Lost on the road – The Times

Telegraph journalist rightly criticises Mayor’s cycle super highways but slightly misses the point when he declares cycle safety campaign is about ‘dissing’ Boris Johnson. It’s not. It’s about making the Mayor accountable for safe cycling. – Cyclists in the City

Cycling campaign relaunched on anniversary - Kensington and Chelsea Chronicle

Cyclists: sign up for training, London Councils urges – Press release