Quote:
Originally Posted by flecc
I think most of the difference must be due to population density and lack of North London space, since we did have more space for facilities in many areas, but I'd be surprised if things were quite as gloomy in the outer North London boroughs where there have more space, but I stand to be corrected.
There have been many gains and I still feel they far outweigh the negatives, and I certainly wouldn't want things back as they were.
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What is odd is that cycling is worse in the outer reaches of North London. I do blame driver attitude for this. At least in inner London there is a grudging acceptance that we are here to stay. But if I appear angry it is because I am angry. I am not making a political point, my local council is Tory and they for example, have refused to implement 20 mph zones in our residential area. Why? Because there are no schools in the area. But they are wrong, there are three. Why can't get that right? Anyway I regularly get charged at by drivers going more than 30 or 40 mph down narrow residential roads. No wonder there are so few cyclists around here.
My route into London has been made worse by what I think is excessive traffic lights and bad phasing or at the very least exceptional incompetence in the phasing. If anybody cared it would be sorted out as the phasing wasn't like that 3 months ago. I could give you the example of Whitehall where a right hand turn is now banned - why haven't the lights been changed to reflect this? Instead we all wait while nobody moves, THEN the pedestrian cycle starts before we are all let through on a filter. Why is it that the road planners are never called to account?
Sorry to be negative but I see very little improvement and the only good thing has come about because there are more of us. But there are more of us in spite of the changes rather than because of the changes so the politicians can take no credit for the increase.
By the way I think Labour is committing electoral suicide by implementing the Manchester congestion charge. Let's hope there is proper consultation first.
PS I now realise I have been cycling in to London on and off since 1978 (as a young lad off to Sixth form college).