Latest from Boris

[frank9755]

Originally Posted by HarryB

In general I find motorcyclist very selfish in London with more than 90% deliberately moving into the advanced stop lanes and thus making it less safe for us.

Yes, I notice that too.

The worst area of confrontation with motorbikes on my daily journey is Admiralty Arch at the end of The Mall, entering Trafalgar Square. Where the road narrows to go under the arch, there is a cycle lane. Motor bikes always use it - which they're not supposed to but which is not necessarily a problem - but often cars encroach so the lane is too narrow. Then the motorbike gets stuck and just blocks the gap, holding up all the cyclists, who would have been able to get through! It's a frequent cause of arguments in the morning.

[HarryB]

This is a bit Londoncentric but here it
is anyway Cycling In London Continues To Rise | BikeRadar.com

[flecc]

That's good news, the growth seems unstoppable and next year should see it reaching double the starting figure.

Londoncentric maybe, but a good example for the rest of the country's cities.

If Manchester wants to achieve the same and pro-rata levels of expenditure on cycling facilities (£55 millions London current year), they'll have to accept that congestion charge to raise the cash.
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[HarryB]

At last - Flecc and Boris have something in common...

Get a bike helmet to get ahead - or maybe not - Telegraph

...at the risk of opening the great cycle helmet debate, sorry.

[flecc]

Originally Posted by HarryB

At last - Flecc and Boris have something in common...

Oh that's not the only thing by far Hal, I'll always judge fairly, and I'm pleased that he's keeping Ken's increased cycling budget of £55 millions this year.

Just disappointed with the speed with which he's backed away from some of his simplistic pre-election promises. He might at least have gone through the motions of living up to them.

One thing that surprises me, nothing to do with Boris, is the silence from the motoring lobby about that £55 millions. In today's high cost motoring climate I might have expected a fuss from the long suffering motorist.
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[HarryB]

I suppose like me they are confused about how much £55 million is and far it would go. Maybe it doesn't seem so much money and not worth kicking up a fuss about. What would £55 million buy? I would like some of the junctions tidied up. For example I have one 3 lane junction where the left lane filters left (but not at a right angle, more like a slip road). Of course as a cyclist wanting to go straight on you have to wait in line 2 with cars on your left whizzing past you as well as juggling the traffic light grand prix when they turn green. An advanced stop lane went in but it does little to help. One example where a traffic island would help protect you. Manor House has a multi-laned junction which is pretty scary. One time I went through that junction the police were trying to remove a cyclist from under the wheels of a lorry. I assumed he was still alive...

We could put in advanced green lights for cyclists. The phasing of lights is so slow, particularly the pedestrian green man going out, to the traffic lights going green (30 seconds +), that you could get a good many seconds for the cyclist to get away safely off without endangering anybody. I am sure as cyclists we could all come up with many ways to make roads safer for us - lots of them wouldn't cost a great deal. Apparently the councils and TFL employ cyclist consultants (Ken's consultant lived near Croyden then ) we could start by making them do some work.

[flecc]

Originally Posted by HarryB

The phasing of lights is so slow, particularly the pedestrian green man going out, to the traffic lights going green (30 seconds +), that you could get a good many seconds for the cyclist to get away safely off without endangering anybody. I am sure as cyclists we could all come up with many ways to make roads safer for us - lots of them wouldn't cost a great deal.

That's very true, on one set of traffic lights in my area I'm able to take off after the pedestrian phase during the all red period and get through the long pinch point ahead and into the cycle lane beyond before the first cars arrive. That's not for speed, but because it's safer for me and better for the drivers not to be held up by a slower bike through that point, so we all win.
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[simonbarnett]

Too many unchallenged assumptions here, in my view. :

1. congestion charging is not necessarily a good thing as it's been abused into a revenue raiser and distorted by green targets (now abandoned?), which may be commendable but may have the opposite effect on congestion.

2, aren't we meant to have some kinship with motorcyclists as 2 wheelers? There are just as many selfish cyclists and car drivers as motorcyclists, though couriers of all types are in a league of their own.

3. written comments are libel not slander - defammation is only one ground.


4. there's nothing wrong with a London bias on this for the widest experiences.

[flecc]

Originally Posted by simonbarnett

1. congestion charging is not necessarily a good thing as it's been abused into a revenue raiser and distorted by green targets (now abandoned?), which may be commendable but may have the opposite effect on congestion.

Agreed on the way it's been abused, but I'd rather have it for such advantages it's been left with than not have it and go back to the old way.

Originally Posted by simonbarnett

2, aren't we meant to have some kinship with motorcyclists as 2 wheelers? There are just as many selfish cyclists and car drivers as motorcyclists, though couriers of all types are in a league of their own.

No. How many wheels is irrelevant, there's very little in common, even the nature of the vulnerability being very different. I'm a near lifelong motorcyclist as well as cyclist, but an open house on the bus lanes would be a big mistake. Remember, it includes those couriers, and the cycling ones are bad enough as it is. Wide speed differentials should always be avoided.

Originally Posted by simonbarnett

3. written comments are libel not slander - defammation is only one ground.

Of course.

Originally Posted by simonbarnett

4. there's nothing wrong with a London bias on this for the widest experiences.

Agreed, especially as this subject has a related current relevance to Manchester and implied future relevance to all other cities worldwide.
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