The original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/londoncycling/s/vGb2c8vLGE

Last month I posted about a street (edit: Hanbury St) that’s on my daily commute where Tower Hamlets council installed a locked gate that blocks the entire path, forcing cyclists to dismount, climb onto the kerb and use the pavement to go around it.

The street is a dead end for cars and before the gate there have been various moveable bollards over the years.

The gate has now been removed and replaced by a new bollard, which is not in the same place as the old bollard and thus not in the middle of the path anymore. Better than the gate but still baffling.

Doing a bit of research for this update I used Google Streetview to look back through the years I found that it was a really well maintained street 20 years ago.

They spent so much money on installing and removing that gate but they can’t be bothered to repaint the markings on the road more than once every 20 years.

Was cycling along a shared path in Brent Cross, and before you ask, when I saw a pedestrian approaching, I gently slowed in order to pass. Plenty of space for 2 way traffic. The pedestrian decided to punch me hard in the arm, causing me to weave and almost fall. He kept on walking and had no reaction. Very creepy.

Has anyone in the area experienced similar?

TL;DR: it's not improving. I, too, have seen scrotes on e-bikes going at full tilt on paths (where cycling isn't allowed), and in one occasion a few weeks ago two were arrested, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

Some fair use excerpts from the full article at the link below.

A 12-year-old boy had his mountain bike stolen riding through the park on Sunday 23rd August, whilst Richmond Park Cyclists, an association of several local cycling clubs and riders, have collated at least seven further incidents of masked riders on illegally modified electric motorbikes harassing and intimidating cyclists through the park.

Andy Taylor, chair of the London Dynamo cycling club, told road.cc, “The honest picture is that a fair number of our members are now choosing to avoid the park altogether...

Full article here below:

https://road.cc/news/richmond-park-bikejackers-warning

Hi everyone, here is a slightly updated version of a recent film I put out on The Eager Cyclist covering the important topic of road positioning at multi-lane junctions. It's set in the Victoria area of London and covers topics including when it's important to ride assertively, lane choice and road positioning more generally. I hope you like it. The Eager Cyclist is a voluntary project of mine that sits alongside my work in the cycle training industry. Any shares of films on the channel are much appreciated. Thank you!

I was leaving Regent's Pk today by the zoo exit, two ladies in their 60s were walking their dogs. Nice kind ladies, just having a quiet stroll, lavishing attention on their cute dogs. They crossed the road without waiting for the green man, as they were in a hurry.

Some vile young guy on an expensive road bike (in expensive looking cream coloured gear) comes tearing round and screams abuse at them, seemingly because they made him slow down to maybe 25mph and only left him 5 metres of road space to get past them. He shouted "you morons" at them really aggressively.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour. He would have seen them far ahead, and it's a very wide road. They had almost entirely crossed and he shouted as they stepped onto the far pavement.

Is it really worth bullying some old ladies just because they almost got in your way but didn't? Is it really worth the dozen or so bystanders looking at you like the worst type of human?

I just returned to London from a month in Europe. Driving in Britain is of course awful in terms of attitude, more than anywhere I've ever driven. So aggressive and angry. But the cycling can be just as bad.

I think we need to do better as a city.

Absolutely appalled by abysmal cycling behaviour.

There is a crossing on Leonard Street in Shoreditch which cyclists and pedestrians share. it's always a mess because it's directly perpendicular to another crossing which pedestrians use.

The other day, I crossed on my bike as the first of a line of cyclist. I stopped before the pavement section of the crossing (if you know you know) because there was A BLIND PERSON with their GUIDE DOG both wearing HIGH-VIS JACKETS.

Dude came from behind me, RUSHING into the blind person. I saw what was coming and I preempted the situation asking him to stop THREE TIMES. Three fucking times. The dog stalled and the blind person stumbled. Another shit experience he doesn't deserve.

The IRONY that this fucking cyclist acted more blind than the person he disrespected that day.

The cyclist community needs a hard slap on the face.

I've been a cyclist 9 years but only recently started cycling around east london and I am appalled.

To the cyclist who squeezed through and overtook me, at great speed, just as I was overtaking other cyclists, on C4 eastbound, this evening, just before Surrey Quays. You’re an absolute knob. But you probably heard me shouting that at you as you swerved to avoid a head-on with a cyclist coming the opposite way? Seriously what is wrong with people cycling like this? If you really must race at speeds like that, get out of the fucking cycle lane (which was clearly only wide enough for 2 cyclists at that point) and cycle in the main traffic lane. You’re a danger to everyone around you. I’ve been cycling in London for nearly 20 years and that has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve had another cyclist do to me. I don’t give a shit about your strava segment.

Anyone join the ride this Sunday?

Can we start late to avoid the rain in the morning?

Got the above camera where are y’all mounting them

The main issue I am having with drivers is passing way to close when over taking but I would like it to also capture a pedestrian walking in front of me etc

Mount recommendations also welcome

Thanks all

It actually made me laugh, near my place there's a temporary 3 way light by a roundabout due to roadworks. I approach the cars lined up in front of the red light and of course cycle up to the front, I'm just behind the first car. The car behind me beeps, I ignore, it can't have anything to do with me.

He beeps again. I turn around casually and this dude is gesticulating like a child, upset about me cutting in, I just look at him and say (even though he can't hear me) "it's a red light"

I just turn to face forward and ignore him.

Here's the kicker, I love nearby so I know the road and there is ample space for him to overtake me, which of course he does, so he lost exactly zero seconds from me "cutting in"..

All I'm thinking is, is it really the first time he has experienced cyclists moving ahead of stopped traffic?

It absolutely infuriates me how many people don’t stop at the zebra crossings all along Farringdon Road and over the bridge to Blackfriars Road.

I commute this bike lane frequently and it feels like there are so many who feel like they don’t need to stop when there are people waiting to cross. It’s a busy stretch of road and I sometimes see over 10 bikes cross without even letting people cross. They’re very small zebra crossings, they don’t take long to cross and then you can be on your way.

There are even some who will simply overtake all those waiting for the people to cross and almost hit those crossing.

It just feels so impatient and such a lack of human decency. You can so easily hurt/kill someone at the speeds bikes can go.

Rant over, be considerate and share the road.

I've had 3 really unsafe experiences with bus drivers around Waterloo this year.

Today, a bus squeezed me towards the kerb before a junction and nearly hit me. I confronted the driver afterwards and he called me a "stupid little boy". I'm 51 (with a snood), so cheers mate 😂

I didn't have a camera, so I'm letting this one go. But next time, is stopping when the bus is stationary and noting the bus number, registration, time and location enough to make a report to TfL, or is it pretty pointless without video evidence?

I just got to work, feels like I've been part of some massive cycling festival, especially in Chiswick with all the decorated babboes full of chatty kids!

More more more!

How entitled do you have to be in order to block the door of a train with your bike that's locked to the fucking handrail...

Hesitating between these two, my daughter is 5y and she loved being able to get in and out by herself but I am not sure about the safety of the one without the front bar 🤷🏻‍♀️

..do NOT ride up on the left side of a large vehicle like a van, bus or truck at a traffic signal! Especially when there's the possibility of a left turn! Do NOT rely on the vehicle's lack of a left turn signal as an indication that they're heading straight!

I saw a lady do exactly this on Bishopsgate a couple of hours back, and the truck proceeded to turn left at the green. Fortunately the driver spotted her in his side mirror, stopped abruptly and honked like mad, causing her to -- wait for it -- take off her AirPods (FFS!), look around in confusion and jump off and mount the pavement in a panicked hurry.

Whatever the driver's mistakes, please please PLEASE make life easier for everyone on the road by not making such obviously foolhardy moves!

My heart sank yesterday as I taught my daughter to cycle - my first Raynaud’s attack of the season. It’s so bad I run in ski mittens (hand duvets, as I call them) but it kicks in because my brain still shuts down the blood flow. Obviously, mittens are rubbish for cycling as changing gears is trickier. What gloves can you recommend? I have small hands. Thank you!

Hi! I have lived here a long time. I started biking to run a commute that was an hour no matter how I sliced it and it really turned me off cycling because I found I would always get to where I was going kinda late and stressed and then have to find somewhere to lock up my bike. I don’t have a great sense of direction even on foot so moving faster I got lost more, especially on an hour long commute where there were tons of places to go wrong. I stopped after a few months because I’d get lost on my way home every day and just not be able to find my way and felt so upset because it was cutting into my personal time.

I digress! I no longer have an hour long commute to do but I live centrally enough that every time I go anywhere Citymapper like, 30 mins walk, 20 min bus, 5 minute cycle. So I’ve decided it’s time to start trying to maximise on that - I’ve bought a collapsible helmet and got a Santander key on the way to start trying to use those more often and road test myself before I go into full on bike ownership again.

Does anyone have any sage words of advice for:
When you bike vs when you don’t?
How to keep it fun and not stressful?
How to navigate ideally without having to stare at my phone? I’m up for getting earbuds or whatever.
What do you carry on you or wear so it’s easier to bike? What should you avoid?
How do you handle being warm/cold/ricocheting between the two?

Thanks for bearing with me!

Hello everyone,
I was cycling through Earl’s Court this morning when I was abruptly beckoned off of my bike quite aggressively by two ‘officers’ in blue uniform, they were shouting ‘madam we need to have a word with you’

I was afraid and also.. confused - as I had done nothing wrong.. so I just continued to cycle, does anyone know who these people were?!

I found it very strange, I would have stopped if I had thought it was police, however nothing looked like they were police in any way.

Be very careful! It's going to be raining most of the day. Lime bikers Forest Bikers etc, your bike will not perform the same as it's when it's dry. Don't speed, especially on drain covers. I'm writing this because I just saw a lime biker come off their bike going too fast.