This is complete rubbish, and surely goes against the entire ethos of ‘londoncyclist.co.uk’! Why are you broadcasting this guy’s commercially-motivated attempt to put people off cycling (the regular kind) around London?

Non-electric bikes are 100% viable as transport as well as recreation, as every cyclist knows.

All cyclists should be aware of this and keep a checklist on them just in-case.

I was cycling in a straight line along a cycle path, a car cut left in front of me onto a side road, I did not have sufficient time to stop, I swerved to the left but hit this car. I gave the driver my details. I went to A&E with minor injuries, my bike is damaged, and it was a shock to say the least.

The driver is now chasing me for cash for repairs, what do I do?

Thank you in advance.

I think that sometimes as cyclists we can be a little too passive with motorists, other cyclists, and pedestrians. We look at them and they look at us – but our presence doesn’t really register (probably because they are really looking for cars and lorries and not cyclists). In these situations I try to do something like ring the bell, wave, point, or shout, I often find myself pointing at cars and saying things like ‘Don’t move’ while wagging my finger; or ‘Come on mate – your turn’ while beckoning them forward. With pedestrians a cheery ‘coming through’ should wake them up and keep everybody safe.

I was riding from Strand through the south east corner of Trafalgar Square and into Northumberland Avenue. I was travelling at no more than 10 miles an hour. A group of pedestrians were waiting to cross the top of Northumberland Avenue at the lights which was red for them and green for road traffic. I watched the group carefully as I approached them and made eye contact with one pedestrian, who promptly stepped out right in front of me. I put on the brakes and due to the freshly laid tarmac being wet, fell as if I was on ice.

I lay there and the pedestrian looked shocked and then decided to flee. I laid there and not one person offered to help. A construction worker then called from Trafalgar Square and ran over asking if I was OK and helped me up.

The result was no lasting damage to my being, but my belief in the kindness of others was knocked.

Let me spell it out. If you’re constantly cycling in a manner that constantly results in near misses, then it must be obvious that you need to slow down; right down, walking pace if neccessary, and be prepared to stop, in exactly the same way that motorists are expected to do in built up areas.

As an example, next time you pass that stationary bus, you need to engage brain, anticipate children appearing suddenly across your path and SLOW to walking pace as you pass. But if you watch cyclists riding by, the number that ride defensively, in the way that they are supposed to, is close to zero.

So why is this? I suspect that many cyclists have an almost pathological desire to get ahead, whether that be by jumping a red light, squeezing up the inside of lorries, riding past parked cars at a speed that could kill them if someone opens a door without looking, or hurtling down hills at a speed which leaves them no time to avoid a collision if something unexpected crosses their path.

As a trucker, I’ve driven over two million miles, as a motorist, probably half a million, as a cyclist, well over 100,000, and done a fair bit as a pedestrian too. And in all that time, I’ve never had any sort of accident. Am I just lucky? Perhaps. But my tip, whether you’re a driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian, is to concentrate, anticipate potential hazards and watch your speed.

The most upset I get with red-light jumpers is when they’re nowhere in sight, incidentally. It’s when a pedestrian with every right to use a pedestrian crossing is watching me with concern rather than step out, since they’re justifiably sceptical that the approaching cyclist [me] will stop for them Not that there’s any use getting sad or angry, but it can be a little hard to shrug off being condemned for someone else’s actions.