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Which of these four bikes will get stolen first?

By on 04/04/2012 in Safe cycling in London

Bike A – Spotted Outside Tate Modern Bike B – Spotted Outside Marylebone Station Bike C – Spotted in Kilburn Bike D – Spotted in Kilburn Rank in order which of these bikes you think will be stolen first and why! See also: London Cyclist bike lock guide

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Safe cycling TV advertising – Good or bad idea?

By on 05/03/2012 in Safe cycling in London

We all remember the advert. A child is being filmed by his friend on a camera phone playing around. As he crosses the street he doesn’t look left and a car runs him over. The advert still sends shivers up my spine. Some will claim the advert is a good and dramatic way to get [...]

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Want to cycle safely? Stop focusing on high vis!

By on 16/02/2012 in Safe cycling in London

You want to wear high visibility clothing? That’s fine, by all means, it’s a good idea and I hope you continue doing so. My argument here isn’t against high vis clothing. My argument is: Don’t just rely on high vis clothing. There is something that far surpasses the power of high vis. Road positioning. At [...]

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Cyclist killed in London was experienced courier

By on 07/02/2012 in Safe cycling in London

It has emerged over the past 24 hours that the first cyclist to be killed in London this year was an experienced courier. This is a poignant reminder that even if you follow safety advice and have experience there are still many dangers out there. It also brings home once more the importance of campaigns [...]

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Mary Bowers

The Times adds its voice to the call for safer roads for cyclists

By on 02/02/2012 in Safe cycling in London

Three months ago Times Reporter Mary Bowers was hit by a lorry as she made her way to her office. She remains in critical condition in hospital. Today, her colleagues have launched a campaign to call for safer measures to be put in place to protect cyclists. The campaign has a front page position in [...]

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Is it safe to cycle in London?

By on 30/12/2011 in Safe cycling in London

Hey – my name is Anna, writing to you from Denmark, I have a rookie question you might be able to answer. I don’t know anything about the bike culture in London or the facilities on the roads and would like to ride in zone one. Do you think it’s too dangerous when you’re first [...]

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A chance to remember the cyclists killed in London this year

By on 20/12/2011 in Safe cycling in London

This table lists the cyclists killed in London in 2011: Gary Mason (48, male) Sandy Lane South Daniel Cox (28, male) Dalston Junction Tom Barrett (44, male) A40 David Poblet (20, male) Tanner Street Paula Jurek (20, female) Camden Road Gavin Taylor (40, male) Mildmay Grove North Naoko (34, female) Queen Caroline Street Thomas Stone [...]

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What to do when you encounter behaviour like this on the road

By on 29/11/2011 in Safe cycling in London

A few seconds into the above video we hear: “Get in the f***** cycle lane you t***” Charming. The video by Cycle Gaz paints a fairly bleak image of cycling in London. Fortunately, this isn’t representative of all cycle journeys in London. But how should you respond in situations such as this? Being sworn at [...]

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Ever been doored? It is actually illegal

By on 15/11/2011 in Safe cycling in London

I was once witness to a car dooring. My friend was pedalling past stationary traffic less than a metre ahead of me, when suddenly a passenger opened their door, knocking my friend off his bike. Miraculously he didn’t have a single scratch. His back wheel was completely buckled. It turns out that the passenger had [...]

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Saturday ride visiting ten most dangerous junctions comes in the wake of Boris Johnson’s negative comments towards cyclists

By on 11/11/2011 in Safe cycling in London

"It grieves me to sometimes, to see the way that [Transport for London] is blamed.” was Boris Johnson’s response when pushed by Jenny Jones about cyclist safety. In his response, the Mayor then continues by denouncing suggestions for safer measures in dangerous junctions. He states “But sometimes… I don’t think that interventions are really, that [...]

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Bicycle storage conundrums

By on 12/07/2011 in Safe cycling in London

“Excuse me, you can’t leave your bike there” a woman climbing into her Toyota Prius stated.  A strange request I thought to myself, as bike racks tend to be a public space and there was three of them standing empty. “Oh sorry, I’ll only be 3 minutes”. I looked down on at the sorry remains [...]

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Have you got your bike tagged?

By on 10/06/2011 in Safe cycling in London

There’s an on-going drive by the police to get London’s bikes tagged. Doing so helps them recover the owner when one is stolen. There’s also excellent initiatives such as Bike Revolution where you can buy tags yourself and add your bike to the database. I was wondering.. How many of you out there have your [...]

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