onionbagblog

There was an extra edginess to cycling around London on Friday. Five deaths in nine days focuses the mind. Nervous smiles could be seen at various junctions, a reassuring message to say: yeah, we can still do this.

We’ve been here before of course. Comparing the 7/7 attacks with what has been an incredibly sad week for London cyclists is trivial. It demotes the utter personal devastation of the death of a loved one, plus the two themes have absolutely no cause and effect correlation.

But those first few ventures back down into the underground post 7/7 saw similar nervous smiles. It’s not an expression of happiness, but perhaps an inner response in search of communal safety and assurance.

Any personal connection with a fellow human who feels the same way as you, helps to regain your confidence. A strong assertion on how it is possible to exist in London on a bicycle is the exact message that needs to be made right now.

I loathe the term ‘the cycling community.’ Please don’t label me by my choice of transport, let alone try and connect me with the many hundreds of thousands of London commuters who also happen to choose the same mode of travel.

Is there a ‘London Underground community?’

But the cycling community - perceived or otherwise - does need a response. The best reaction is to carry on doing what for most London cyclists is a safe and enjoyable way to get around town.

Visibility is important, both in the personal and the strong presence of cyclists continuing to use the roads. London may not feel like a wonderful place in which to cycle at the moment, but there have been so many tangible improvements since only a decade ago.

To cycle ten years ago was to be a weirdo. You were outcast as the loser that couldn’t afford a car. Now that the lifestyle [URGH] of cycling has taken hold of the capital, the… Critical Mass of riders has gone mainstream.

Once this happens, then hopefully safety follows.

It’s never as simple as that, but the political reaction to the five deaths shows that the volume of cyclists can’t be ignored. Finding a practical solution to keep London cyclists safe is the type of political problems that politicians hate. You can’t legislate for the personal actions of others.

The debates have been well played out this week - the segregation of cyclists, better awareness for both riders and other transport users, plus a return to the plain silly suggestion of taxing cyclists.

I note (and so does my diary for May 2015) that my MP still doesn’t get cycling. Strange, given that over half of the constituents which the red light jumping Kate Hoey serves don’t own a car.

Three of the deaths have taken place on Cycle Superhighways. I hope that this doesn’t lead to an association of failure for the policy. Bow roundabout is hellish; CS2 is probably the worst ‘planning’ for cycling implementation that you will see in all of London.

I actually feel relatively safe cycling along CS7 from Stockwell towards the City. Cycling on what is simply a strip of blue paint may be an illusional notion of safety, but it does send out a visible message to other road users to stay out of our space.

A complete segregation has to be the aim, but I doubt if the economic power is there, even if the political will is. You have to grab every handout that is given to you, and then keep on demanding for more.

The extra edginess and nervous smiles of Friday sat strangely with what was a beautiful day in which to ride a bicycle around London.

Everyday is a beautiful day to ride a bicycle around London, but crisp skies, dry conditions and a glorious sunrise over the river meant that this was the kind of morning best spent above ground rather than underground.

I crossed the Old Father at Westminster, a rare diversion from my usual Vauxhall route. Cabbies, buses and the early pack of tourists all joined me in the Transpontine crossing.

Westminster can sometimes be a little lively on the bridge, much as in the House. Friday was calm with a steady pace from all transport users. This probably had absolutely nothing to do with the deaths - never underestimate how uplifting a blue backdrop can be for the morning commute.

I continued along Whitehall, and then a rare diversion around St James’s as I headed for Hyde Park Corner. No such luck here in hoping that the wonderful weather would take the toil out of the transport woe.

Down Piccadilly and a mini-pelaton started to form. Soho was as cycle friendly as ever. Any cyclist that attempts to take on Soho will come a cropper. It is a glorious madness of many people using many different forms of transport. Pedestrians rule here - a rarity, but something that you need to respect if you want to stay upright.

And then finally the working day was done and I headed back south over Vauxhall Bridge. The mini-etching into the left hand side of the bridge masquerading as a cycle lane is more of a boundary for the gutter than a safe cycling solution.

And then you are fed into the free-for-all that is Vauxhall Cross. Assertion is always required here, with a little added aggression to claim the space for cyclists.

It shouldn’t be like this. I ride for many reasons, one of which is to have a reflective period in which to empty my mind. This is not possible at Vauxhall and Elephant etc. You are forced to take on the horrid character of the Urban Cycle Warrior, Us Vs Them, which always leads to… well, not a pleasant way in which to share the road space.

And so there ends what has been a horrid, horrid week for London cyclists. I tried to finish with some optimism. It’s too easy to be cynical about the halfway house solution of the Superhighways.

They aren’t perfect but they a physical start to add more political pressure. As we have sadly seen this week, they can also kill when the planning appears to accommodate other road users as a priority.

Likewise there’s no point in having a folk devils and moral panic about cyclists. Much of the mainstream media coverage this week would put any reasoned person off cycling for good.

This is the exact opposite message that should come out of mid-November 2013 in London. Cycling has been brutal this week. But if you want to change this then the best response is not to be defeatist, but to help to complete the cycling revolution that is now becoming ever closer.

Stay safe, friends.