The problem with cycling

So it could be any number of things;

maybe i'm referring to the rain, maybe i'm talking about the generally crap driving abilities of London motorists.

But today i'm referring to the general grumpiness of drivers. Taxi drivers hate us, car drivers hate us, bus drivers hate us & lorries seem to think we are the spawn of satan. (I think this is because they have to actively look at the road) The irony I spotted over the last two days was that on Tuesday (heaven forbid) I went through a red light. I stand by my decision to do so as it was my safest option, but a taxi driver pulled up next to me and asked me why I did so, I explained that it was safer to get out of his way because he was very close to me. Today (Wednesday) I stopped at the same lights, and on pulling away when the light went green, the driver of the car behind me, who was very impatient, shouted at me out of her window for taking too long to pull away.

My question to motorists is, which would you prefer?

1. I go when it is safe for me to do so. Breaking the rules, but allowing you and I to progress at leisure.

or

2. I wait and follow the rules, and you patiently wait for me to pick up speed as i'm using my own energy to move forward rather than petrol.

As the great lottery advertising once said.

YOU DECIDE

T.A.C.

Long time no speak

Well, this morning proved to be enough incentive for me to write a post.

My issues today:

1. If you are a parent, I would assume that you wouldn't stand in the road with your small children to cross the road, maybe stand on the pavement and teach them how to cross the road properly. (can you recognise the sarcasm) Also when I tell you to stand on the pavement i'm trying to be helpful (granted in a very busy body way), don't tell me to shut up.

2. If you are the driver of the Range Rover that cut me up this morning, you are a wimp, when I shout at you through your window telling you that you have cut me up, locking your door makes you seem a bit pathetic as i'm a girl. Just don't cut me up and then (in a diddums voice) scary girl won't shout at you.

T.A.C.

TUBE STRIKE

So, to start I am very sorry that I haven't done any blog posts for such a long time, I have been uber busy but there is no excuse.

This Tube Strike has spurred me into action though. I have still been cycling into work everyday and to see the amount of traffic there was on the roads this morning, I thought I should mention it. My usual journey, which on average takes about 40 minutes took 1 hour 15 minutes today. I literally cycled through one giant traffic jam today.

I say to you RMT strike losers, "My company has a pay freeze because of the old recession, so I won't have had a pay increase since Jan 08, stop being so greedy and deal with the fact that you do a job that requires limited training and education. You provide a service which the whole of London is grateful for, but there are people who don't have jobs, but might want yours."

Shake it

Some more footage of my commute into work. I've speeded up the bits I thought were boring but let me know what you think.

Yours

T.A.C.

Awesome substitute to actually cycling this weekend

I'm guessing there would be a lot of punctures, but I could live with that. Imagine how cool I would look.

The rules

So...
...when I am cycling I know that there are people out there who assume I will go through red lights, assume I will mount the kerb and assume that I wwill generally be shit on the roads.
I can understand peoples issues with cyclists, there are a lot out there that give us a bad name, but I would like to point out with this video that there are also pedestrians out there giving other pedestrians a bad name.
If there is a queue of traffic and you are a pedestrian, please don't just cross between the cars, because I may be cycling down the side of all the cars. Usually in a little lane called the cycle lane.
I usually get very annoyed, but this is because I would hate to hurt somenone, so just look please.
Yours
T.A.C.

Officially Gutted!!!

I was very disorganised and so I ran out of space on my memory card this morning, only to miss a motorcyclist get so annoyed being stuck in a traffic jam that he went up onto the pavement and rode along on that for a bit. So let's hope people don't say its just cyclists, its motorcyclists too.

Nice Socks

Its funny how cyclists hate buses and taxis and vice versa, but sometimes we dislike each other. I wouldn't go so far as hate, as i'm pleased so many people do cycle. But get out of the way!!!

Bit of a video mash up

Wow! This footage is pretty incident free. I think i'll see if I can film where I have been as opposed to where I am going. Then I'll be able to see all the car drivers swearing at me.

Some more footage finally

I'll be far more effective in cutting together my footage soon. Sorry for the lack of excitement.

Yours

T.A.C.

A video

With video! Here goes...

This video thing is annoying me now

Sorry for the lack of recent blogging

I promise i'm working on it now.

Twas a bit dark for filming...

Footage looks really bad when its dark out, it looks like the winter footage will just be from the morning.

In a way I was quite pleased that the morons didn't go into hiding as soon as I got my camera.

Well she is hard to spot. But be assured my visibility was a lot better than the cameras. I'll show you once i've brightened it up a bit.

T.A.C.

Helmet Cam

Helmet cam has arrived. I am excited to say the least. Just the task of working out how to attach the little devil without it being as unstable as it is now. I might look silly if I have to wear my snowboarding helmet to cycle everyday.

Yours

T.A.C.

Friday 13th action today...

And there was me, thinking Friday 13th would bring mass morons to the road. I was pleasantly surprised. I still hate Taxi drivers, I think people's impatience is laughable and I can't believe how stupid people can be sometimes, but I will always continue to cycle. I love it.

No more cycling until monday night. So ride safetly.

Yours

T.A.C.

Action Today...

So today... it would appear that the roads were full of morons. I saw many incidents of people not looking, not indicating, not paying attention.

The worst of these incidents, and i feel i should name and shame this taxi driver: license plate 15025, and number plate LG07 ATY .

So I was riding along Holland Park Avenue and there are a set of traffic lights just as you come off the Holland Park Roundabout. I was lucky as I wasn't as far along as the other guy. A taxi coming in the other direction decided without any warning, signal or forethought it would seem, to do a U-turn around said traffic lights and nearly kill the poor cyclist going in the opposite direction. I'm pretty sure the taxi driver scared the shit out of both himself and the poor cyclist, but I don't think it will stop him doing it again.

Other incidents today:

1 car pulling into my lane so quickly and without warning that I actually had to brake sharply, shout and swerve out of the way (when I asked him as I pulled up later if had seen me he hadn't, which he thought was perfectly fine)
3 incidents of being cut up by cars overtaking me with ridiculous acceleration only to pull in right in front of me
2 incidents of mopeds overtaking me in the bus lane when I am clearly indicating that I would like to pull into the lane to the right (note to moped riders, it hurt when you bash my arm as you go past.
& 1 incident of a lovely cyclist informing me that the light attatched to my bag was likely to fall off any minute.

I am looking forward to the day my helmet cam arrives, then I can have proof of these incidents.

Yours

T.A.C.

No action today...

I had to get the tube this morning :(
What a dull view, there was no change in scenery, there was one saving grace...

Action today...

A pretty safe ride in today. Very wet and I got wet last night too. Actually most of my gear was still damp this morning. Gross!!

I was naughty today though. Out of choice I went onto the pavement, not a cardinal sin I am sure you will agree, but for all the times I rant about pedestrians it is not fair for me to then go onto the pavement. So I apologise.

I'm not cycling tonight, I have real friends that eat so i'm meeting them.

Today:

1 massive traffic jam, nearly a mile long from one set of road works shutting one lane for less than 50m. (That's when I went up on the pavement)
1 car overtaking me to then pull in straight after (just wait!!!)
& 1 motorbike changing gear and creating an almighty racket because they didn't make it to 2nd gear and so tried to accelerate in neutral (I just thought that was funny)

Yours

T.A.C.

Action Today...

Boring cycle in.

Maybe I secretly enjoy it when dangerous things happen, it definitely makes the journey more exciting, that is a bad thing. right? There were the usual mundane occurrences. Pedestrians walking out in front of me without looking.

Why do cyclists not indicate? I find myself thinking of the Japanese philosophical question 'If a tree falls in the woods and there is no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound?' if I indicate and nobody is looking, am I indicating anything? I make a point of indicating, mainly for my own safety, but if no-one is looking, my indication will have no affect on the outcome.
Puzzling no?

Anyway. Today:

5 incidents of pedestrians walking out in front of me (good use of vocal chords this morning, it must be a Monday thing, people still being asleep)
1 coach forcing me onto the pavement by overtaking too close
& 2 cars cutting me up on right handed turns at junctions

Yours

T.A.C.

The Chase

Does anyone else find themselves cycling along, and they have a natural speed, but its so much easier to go faster if you have someone to chase after. Why is it that I have no self motivation to make myself go faster?

Its not that I see someone overtake me and I find myself peeved by them overtaking, it is more that they overtake me and I think, "Wait a minute, why am I going so slowly?"

I used to be able to make myself go fast all on my own, but I think I might have become bored of my commute. How do I make it more interesting again?

Action today...

Not much.
A pretty average cycle into work this morning. I did look a bit stupid as I decided to wear my Salopettes to cycle in due to the silly weather. The fact they are white did NOT help. It now looks like i pissed grey water out of my arse all the way here. But I was'nt freezing cold when I got to work.

1 incidence of a coach cutting me up.
1 other cyclist not looking where he was going.
& 1 hilarious car wheel spinning at a complete stand still, as he didn't understand the low rev hi gear rule.

Oh and screaming "Oi!" at a stupid woman that got out of the passenger seat of a car that was not pulled in, did not have it's hazard lights on and gave no indication that anyone was getting out. Lucky I saw her and...

...i'm very glad i scared the shit out of her. Serves her right.

T.A.C.

My aim

You'll see... this blog will (hopefully) open the door into the world of a cyclist in London.

Why I cycle

I feel I should rationalise myself.
So I shall try to explain a little.

Why I cycle...

Is it because I am tight and it works out cheaper than the tube.
I could also say it is to keep fit and stay trim.
I could say it is because I enjoy it.
& I could say it is because I love the beauty of a bicycle, my bicycle, any bicycle.

In actual fact it is all of these and many more. I have always loved cycling. I cycled everywhere when I was younger and it seems the logical solution now. I do love it though. I get cranky if I can't cycle for very long and it wakes me up in the morning, makes me more productive.

The beauty of the bicycle, now that's a bit pretentious but it is kind of true. I took this photograph 6 years ago, because there are many parts of a bicycle that are simply sublime (and now I sound like an idiot). But I love my bike, I have had many stolen and it feels like a wound, like grief rather than just a possession gone.

Anyway, I cycle because I love it. That is basically it, but there seem to be many people in the world than are trying to stop me. Not directly, but if they carry on the way they are, then it will stop me. But thats too grim and not for now.

T.A.C.

Welcome to The Anonymous Cyclist

So...

...you have found yourself here, at the The Anonymous Cyclist Blog, as you don't know who I am or what I am about I may as well explain.

I cycle in London nearly everyday. A commuter, cycling approx 9 miles in and 9 miles out. 'Nothing to boast about.' I hear you say. But I wanted to use this blog to share my views about the roads I cycle on, the cyclists I share the road with and all the motorists that are there too.

Now obviously my views may sometimes be biased and swayed in a certain direction, but it will always be my aim to be honest, and say what I think. Otherwise there is no point in me doing this.

I hope that you enjoy what you read and it brings you some sort of entertainment.

Yours

The Anonymous Cyclist