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A few years back, I took a London-based job after a spell of working elsewhere. On my way into the office it dawned on me that something had changed about the city:
Bicycles!
Suddenly, they were all over the place – in noticeably greater numbers than before. The ‘bike boxes’ (or advanced stop lines) at traffic lights are often brim-full of cyclists, shiny and raring-to-go, like netted fish in a well-stocked river.
What explains this surge? It’s not as if a congested city like London is the most cycle-friendly place in the world. On the other hand, the congestion is what makes cycling a quicker option. Furthermore, the provision of cycle lanes, bike boxes and public hire schemes hasn’t just improved safety and convenience, it’s also shifted social norms – signalling that London’s roads are not exclusive to the internal combustion engine.
Perhaps, the ultimate driver (if that’s the right word) is economic. It’s now so expensive to live and work in London and other global cities that savings have to found somewhere; for many people that means swapping cars, bus passes and gym memberships for a bike. So, if you don’t like cyclists, then blame city landlords.
And, yes, there has been a backlash against the urban cyclist. In any walk of life, and any mode of transport, a given percentage of our fellow human beings behave badly and/or idiotically. Cycling is not immune.
We’ve all got our stories. Mine include the MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra) who ran a red light almost hitting me at a pedestrian crossing. When I pointed this out, he responded with some travel advice of his own. Another near miss was with a younger cyclist who came whizzing round a corner, only to complain that I was in the “middle of the road”. I was, but that’s an inevitable part of crossing one.
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