I am planning of getting a bike to get to work. Can you share your usual and/or shocking or the worst experiences you had in a bike especially around London. Is it safe?
2007-02-17 09:23:33 · 8 answers · asked by Angelo S 1 in Sports ➔ Cycling
Beware of moving objects
2007-02-17 09:30:41 · answer #1 · answered by marcos 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not in London, but the US. The most common problem I seem to have is drivers making a right hand turn and cutting me off. (I suppose in the UK, the problem would be drivers making left hand turns since we drive on opposite sides of the road.) The other problem is inattentive drivers. I was hit by a car once by a lady who didn't have her child in a car seat and apparently was distracted and she hit me. Spent a week in the hospital.
If you do decide to bike commute, make sure you wear brightly colored clothes for added visibility, always wear a helmet, use hand signals for turning, stop at red lights and stop signs. Basically anything a car should do, a bike should also. Get a good light system in case you need to work late and get caught out after dark. Carry a couple spare tubes & a patch kit for flat tires repairs. Try to take a less traveled route into work to avoid the rush hour traffic if possible. Most of all, have fun!
2007-02-17 20:37:35 · answer #2 · answered by crazydave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You wear a cloak of invisibility when you ride a bike, no-one in a car can see you. Wear a helmet; get lots of lights and a hi-viz gilet. Carry a whistle round your neck - like a football referee - people will hear that and respond much more quickly than if you are shouting - as no-one can hear you above the noise of the traffic in London anyway - but a whistle is piercing and allows the adrenaline to be released if someone threatens you. BikeLondon has made people more aware of cyclists - but only those who obey the rules of the road - others risk being flattened - like cycle couriers; who take their lives in their hands on a daily basis. Adopt the mantra: No-one can see you; and you will be OK. Expect a few near misses, don't ride like you are in a race; and you should be able to avoid most if not nearly all that London has to throw at you. P.S I rode from Albermarle Avenue to Leicester Square almost everyday - and lived without being hit or killed. It is possible - good for you; save that Congestion Charge - use it to buy a second home in the Country!
2007-02-18 10:22:54 · answer #3 · answered by i_love_it_4_real 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to commute to work to a neighboring town in college where I tended bar until the wee hours of the morning.
Being young and stupid, I never thought of a light for my bike. I used to ride down a bike trail, with boulders where the road crossed, so that cars couldn't drive down the path.
well, you can figure out that I hit the boulder, but luckily at the last minute I swerved and hit it only with my leg. I was so badly bruised that I couldn't walk comfortably for 1.5 weeks.
lesson learned- buy a light for the bike if youre planning on riding after dark.
2007-02-17 19:13:06 · answer #4 · answered by borracho111 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah wear a helmet. They are designed to break so your skull doesn't.
Also, here where I live traffic stays on the right so in your case just reverse the lanes and understand this story:
never assume you can ride down the other side of the road just because a car is not coming. My friend almost got killed doing just that. It was night and he was riding down the left side of the road against the flow of traffic but there was no oncoming traffic, just a car coming from behind. But it was two cars one passing the other in the left lane and he almost got nailed.
wear really good reflectors at night/dusk. be seen and stay alive.
2007-02-17 17:36:29 · answer #5 · answered by David P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about london, but I'll tell you this. I was practicing my commute to work and as I went down this hill I lost control of my front end. I crashed the bike. As I got up and dusted myself off I noticed that I wasn't scratched or bleeding at all. I was going pretty fast too. I took off my helmet and saw that it was literally cracked in half. My head took all of the impact of my crash. No doubt if I hadn't been wearing it I would have died or been a drooling vegetable. WEar your helmet.
2007-02-17 17:29:44 · answer #6 · answered by alwaysmoose 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I am not in london, but once when I was riding a bike I got the front tire caught in the groove in the side walk and crashed, so watch where you are going. =) and stay healthy. Watch for cars and people.
2007-02-17 17:27:59 · answer #7 · answered by whattheheck 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cycling is definately safe, unless you do it in your basement. all the time when im riding, i get people who yell, swerve, and throw crap at me just because i look good on a bike and im fast. thats probably the worst thing youll have to deal with. ive never really had a problem with flats but i always carry an extra tube, just in case.
2007-02-17 22:38:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋