Had the pleasure of Leytonstone to Morden today through the centre of London, one thing I noticed was that 90% of the cyclists are now wearing helmets and at least half are wearing bright or reflective clothing.
Most noticeable exceptions being Boris bike riders (can understand why even if not very sensible) and some of the folding bike riders.
Also for the most part with only a couple of exceptions, they were all behaving themselves and riding sensibly.
Anyone else notice this?
I listened to LBC for a bit this morning, there’s a Law firm currently lobbying to have HGV’s banned from Central London from 7am-9am & 4pm-6pm, they also say 50% of Londoners are in favour of the ban.
I think he said cyclists were 90% in favour of a ban, which comes as no surprise.
It’s good that you say cyclists are now starting to take some responsibility and wearing some sort of protection, just hope it doesn’t even make them feel even more invincible and lead to more mad manoeuvres
I think that the lorry ban is a great spiffing idea,I hope that they are building lorry parks to be used as holding areas.
I find it interesting that you pick up on helmet wearing as if that’s the reason they are " behaving themselves". It was proven in a study a couple of years ago that drivers tend to give non helmet wearing cyclists more room than those that do wear one. It’s also a fact that the two countries that wear them the most, UK & USA, have more incidents of head injury than countries that don’t. Only 0.8% of cyclists wear helmets in the Netherlands, a country where cycling accounts for over 30% of journeys undertaken. Chris Boardman, yes him again, was just saying this week that the whole issue of helmets is a massive red herring in road safety & that having to wear one would tend to put people off cycling.
It’s one of the first things asked when an accident with cyclists happens, were they wearing a helmet? Why, if they were would you have missed them? When people get stabbed, as they tend to do these days, they never ask, was he wearing a stab vest?
Not saying it makes them invincible but it was noticeable how many were wearing helmets and hi vis clothing, whereas before they were in the minority.
If nothing else it shows that they are reacting to events and trying to improve their chances of survival in an accident and preventing it in the first place. Above all taking some level of responsibility
Bo-Joes little angels.
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.
Hang on, there’s one problem I can see straight away, the outer area of London, i.e. nearest the M25 is occupied by the wealthy people and I am certain that they wouldn’t want all those smelly lorries in close proximity of their multi-million pound properties.
Oh well back to the drawing board, I suppose we will have to try and share the roads as best we can and respect everyone else’s right to be there and I mean everyone.
bring dinosaurs back, we can strap loads to them and send them in, oh but they do ■■■■ i expect so bad idea
waddy640:
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.
There’s loads of RDCs around the M25. The problems arise when the goods in them have to be distributed to shops INSIDE the M25! Are you really a driver? 
I went to stepney in the east end last week and thought not a lot had changed.
Blasted my air horn to get the attention of ■■■■ heads creeping up my inside when I was starting to move and they soon jumped out the way. It’s just a game, very dangerous one to. I know they have work but ffs the lengths these idiots go to is extreme to get in front of traffic that has to over take them again not long after(sometimes only I know).
Mental.
DrivingMissDaisy:
waddy640:
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.There’s loads of RDCs around the M25. The problems arise when the goods in them have to be distributed to shops INSIDE the M25! Are you really a driver?
Simple, Transits and Sprinters.
waddy640:
DrivingMissDaisy:
waddy640:
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.There’s loads of RDCs around the M25. The problems arise when the goods in them have to be distributed to shops INSIDE the M25! Are you really a driver?
Simple, Transits and Sprinters.
Yeah that would work really well with supermarkets etc
I wonder why no ones done it before?..
If you read my original post you would have noted that I was being sarcastic. The public want shops full of goodies to buy but they don’t want the inconvenience of someone having to deliver them to the shops in a big lorry.
Until Boris and co get the message we will continue to be the villains but we will never be vote catchers.
And yes I am a driver having started my career in London in 1972.
waddy640:
DrivingMissDaisy:
waddy640:
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.There’s loads of RDCs around the M25. The problems arise when the goods in them have to be distributed to shops INSIDE the M25! Are you really a driver?
Simple, Transits and Sprinters.
I very much hope this is sarcasm.
If it was practical to distribute goods to shops & businesses on transit vans, then RDCs would have been doing it right from the very start. The cost of running HGV’s is such that you really don’t do it unless necessary.
1 Tesco urban artic in the centre of London could probably service 6 branches, all in one journey with the shops getting their deliveries in full on roll cages & a collection of waste. Try doing the same job with Transit vans & see how much more of a faff and more expensive it is.
rob22888:
waddy640:
DrivingMissDaisy:
waddy640:
Why not build RDC’s round the M25 and then we don’t have to cause the Londoners any problems.There’s loads of RDCs around the M25. The problems arise when the goods in them have to be distributed to shops INSIDE the M25! Are you really a driver?
Simple, Transits and Sprinters.
I very much hope this is sarcasm.
If it was practical to distribute goods to shops & businesses on transit vans, then RDCs would have been doing it right from the very start. The cost of running HGV’s is such that you really don’t do it unless necessary.
1 Tesco urban artic in the centre of London could probably service 6 branches, all in one journey with the shops getting their deliveries in full on roll cages & a collection of waste. Try doing the same job with Transit vans & see how much more of a faff and more expensive it is.
I used to deliver Cadburys chocolate in London when Tesco used to have back door deliveries and they would regularly refuse the delivery, having kept you waiting outside whilst they went to dinner.
My original point was about banning lorries at certain times of the day in London. It is obviously music to the ears of motorists and cyclists but given the size of the place it would probably never be practical.
I don’t see the problem, during those time you’re hardly speeding around the place are you? I would have thought you would be happy to avoid the gridlock, cannot really call it rush hour can you, and deliver at times when trucks can actually move.
Slackbladder:
I don’t see the problem, during those time you’re hardly speeding around the place are you? I would have thought you would be happy to avoid the gridlock, cannot really call it rush hour can you, and deliver at times when trucks can actually move.
Rush hour in London starts around 4 am and ends around 2 am.
I was in Piccadilly the other day delivering to a night club. Had to go from there up Shaftesbury Ave for another drop then on to Islington for a third. Same as usual really, most are ok, but some are just plain stupid!
waddy640:
Slackbladder:
I don’t see the problem, during those time you’re hardly speeding around the place are you? I would have thought you would be happy to avoid the gridlock, cannot really call it rush hour can you, and deliver at times when trucks can actually move.Rush hour in London starts around 4 am and ends around 2 am.
As I said, with that much traffic it’s not rushing anywhere is it. 2 till 4 sounds perfect.