Historical version 7 of Cycling (view current version)

There are plenty of traffic free or traffic-light cycle routes in London - and knowing the short-cuts can make crossing the metropolis a fun, quick and safe experience.

Personally, I recommend the canal towpaths. They're well maintained and for the price of a stamp you can (and should) obtain a free towpath cycling permit from British Waterways. Cycling along these paths you can get from the outskirts to the centre of town in under an hour (faster than the buses). -- Aegidian

Most people, however, still use the main streets for most of their journeys, and if you are a reasonably skilled and confident cyclist these can be an excellent way of getting from A to B swiftly. The main drawback is when the main roads have been engineered only with motor traffic in mind, eg the big one-way systems like Aldgate and Hammersmith. Fortunately there is now a trend towards returning these systems to two-way working, eg the Shoreditch Triangle.


Why not do something radical and different and have legal lighting on your cycle? All you need is a steady light at the front and a steady or blinking light at the rear. I know this is terminally unfashionable - but you never know, you might start a trend.


Lights are definitely a good idea, though sarcasm may not be the best way to encourage people to fit them. The law says that your main back light has to be steady, not flashing. You can add a flashing light as a secondary feature if you want, but it does tend to give a rather panicky impression, and may make it more difficult for people to judge your distance.


Reporting defective roads/pavements is most easily done centrally via Transport for London's Streetfaults service. Most London boroughs have a Cycling Officer who can give advice on local cycling routes (and may have cycling maps available), training and local events - contact the respective borough.


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This is version 7 (as of 2003-11-08 17:38:58). View current version. List all versions.