By Summer 2011 two new Cycle Superhighways will be crossing through London. I wanted to see how they were coming along so I posed the question on Twitter..

• @suspectpackage cs8, painted the road blue a bit, wouldn’t call it progress though, just back from Holland http://yfrog.com/h87rnvrsj
• @ianbar33 CS8 getting on but surface not good between Vaux Bridge and Chelsea Bridge as I now have the blue over my frame and top!! Not happy
• @angus_fx there’s been blue paint on Battersea High St for a couple of months now. Don’t know if that counts as "progress" )
• @rokav enjoyed a cycle along a largely-complete section of CS8 on Grosvenor Road on Sunday

Armed with the knowledge there would at least be a few strips of blue paint to checkout (so exciting!) I went along with my camera to investigate.

“Oh no, we’ve run out of blue paint. Where’s the nearest B&Q?”

The above picture shows the previously dilapidated green cycle route. The new blue route is now located on the road. Not really an improvement. If anything a beginner cyclist, which is exactly who we need to encourage, would probably feel much safer on the previous route. Hopefully, if the planners have any sense, which we know they rarely do when it comes to cycling provision, they will build a barrier to keep cars out of the cycle lane.

This picture above is far more encouraging. A nice big wide blue lane that has plenty of room for cyclists to overtake. Full points for this part of Cycle Superhighway 8 go to TfL!

Unfortunately, the final picture was less encouraging. When I was asked what I thought about the motorbikes in the bus lanes trial I would of given a more favourable answer if motorbikes hadn’t translated the trial as permission to ride in all cycle lanes too.

I recognise it’s a little harsh to critique Cycle Superhighway 8 even before it’s finished so I’ll be revisiting when it is officially finished.

Note: Nicole is meant to be posting on Tuesday but she’s very busy at the moment with work so you are stuck with me!

See also:

• Is there anything super about the cycle superhighways?
• Two very different visions of the cycle superhighways
• Cycle superhighways latest let-down

Stuck behind a huge bus blocking the full lane I leaned over to the left to see if there was any way past it. No way, jose. I leaned to the right to see if there was room to manoeuvre to the right. Not unless I could suddenly decrease my mass to that of a piece of paper. I huffed at my error. I was cycling down Oxford Street.

After spending 5 minutes stuck between two huge buses I made a promise to myself: Never cycle down Oxford Street again.

Not only is it one of the busiest streets in London it is also one of the narrowest with pedestrians and buses coming at you from all directions. It’s the last place in the world I would describe as friendly for cycling. (apart from the Bolivian death road).

What roads do you hate with a passion and avoid cycling down?

Other comment Fridays:

• What would you do at this junction?
• Cycle Superhighways… have you tried them?
• What do you wear to cycle into work?

Image via Dennoir Flickr

The hugely successful-even-if-plagued-by-more-problems-than-Windows-ME Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme is set for expansion east, in time for the 2012 Olympics. The lucky Londoners in Bethnal Green, Bow, Canary Wharf, Mile End and Poplar will be next to see docking stations popping up. The expanded Boris Bike scheme will eventually cover 40 miles of the capital with 2,000 extra bikes added to the fleet.

2. Completion of two more Cycle Superhighways

Cycle Superhighway 2 and Cycle Superhighway 8 are due to be completed by the summer of 2011. Whilst the first two routes have been deemed to be everything but super from users, hopes are high than some lessons will have been learnt. The two new routes will go from Bow to Aldgate and Wandsworth to Westminster.

3. A couple more cyclists

As we’re supposed to be hitting a 400% increase in cycling compared to 2000 by 2025 there should technically be a load more cyclists on the road. Rising fuel and public transport prices as well as constant tube strikes should hopefully force more people onto bikes! Scrapping the congestion charge zone increase and a drop in the available budget for cycling will no doubt act against the expansion.

4. Advances in law for cyclists

With continuing support for “Sharing the road” and a decreasing budget for building dedicated cycling infrastructure we have to place our hope that well supported initiatives such as turn left at red and allowing cyclists to go down one way streets will come to our rescue. However, road rules are notoriously slow to change.

5. Changes in the makeup of cyclists

Although cycling has traditionally been a male dominated activity, hopefully things will start to balance out. TfL will be focusing some of their Barclays Cycle Hire promotional efforts particularly on women to try to bridge the divide. Especially after they discovered only 1 in 4 users are female. We should also see a continuation of the trend of bikes been seen as utility vehicles. People are increasingly realising they often don’t need 27 gears and prefer something a little cheaper and that requires less maintenance.

What’s your 2011 predictions?

See also:

• Say hello to Nicole – our new writer!
• Cyclist hit by a car. Here’s what happened..
• London Bike Shop App
• Helmet cameras

During yesterdays tube strike the media inevitably turned their attention to cycling as a way of getting to work. This provided some great publicity for cycling and the BBC even invited me in to talk about it. To get there I cycled through the mayhem of rush hour. I thought it was pretty mad out there – buses, cars and people all tangled up in a huge mess trying to get home. Traffic signs were being ignored, cars were waiting in no stopping zones and cyclists were jumping red lights in droves.

This is also one of the first things the BBC reporter asked me about. As I sad down in one of those rooms with a green background, pulled the microphone under my shirt and decided between the background of Big Ben or London. I opted for London in the end. “Cyclists are quite famous for jumping red lights aren’t they?” My well rehearsed defence: “Actually, only a small minority of cyclists jump red lights, they are usually the ones you notice”. I was hoping they would ask me about how to cycle safely as new cycling commuters often don’t know the tricks of the trade. But no such luck.

I asked on Twitter yesterday what London Cyclist’s thought of the tube strike and if they spotted any new cyclists:

sweek0 @londoncyclist it was bloody busy. More cyclists than I’ve ever/seen more cars too. Many were clearly inexperienced and rode close to curb

sukeyyy @londoncyclist More (smug) cyclists for sure! And I saw one guy in a suit sprinting to get the last Boris bike in the rack.

phototropy @londoncyclist Lots more cyclists! I ended up escorting a lawyer on a Borisbike, simply because he didn’t have a clue how to get to work.

nicobobinus @londoncyclist probably double the usual number coming in through Holloway and Camden Town. Seemed to be more red lights jumped than usual!

mculmer @londoncyclist yes, lots of new cyclists on hire bikes to close to pavement. Too many cars jostling for that extra inch & lots of motorbikes using bike lanes more than usual

OxfordSpring @londoncyclist More folk on mountain bikes, wide sweeping turns and a distinct lack of proper rain kit.

suspectpackage @londoncyclist closest i’ve come to blows with another cyclist this morning but looked like he was a regular

petermeanwell @thefinalform @londoncyclist mainly mega traffic but a few more wobblers, and lots more people trying to jump lights – but didn’t know how!

chthonicionic @londoncyclist Lots of cyclists + nice bikes/lycra but with no experience of riding in heavy traffic – undertaking lorries + on pavement

meincken @londoncyclist a few near misses which scared even me, and lack of respect for other road users! Tube strike can’t end quick enough!

tobycastle @londoncyclist Even at 7am definitely more bikes. Some rusty & definitely more wobbly. Also many more rucksack runners panting along.

my1minuterant @londoncyclist Seemed a few more people up for a race (Lycra Warriors), maybe not woked it all out of their system.

commentisfree @londoncyclist loads more nOObies. "Experienced" commuters can be just as much as a pain in the a$$ though, so I kept quiet…

And so as another tube strike comes to and end hopefully we will have some more cyclists join us on London road’s. Be nice to them guys!

Read more:

• 7 mistakes new cyclists make
• The Skyride in pictures
• Waterproof cycling jackets
• Bike lights guide

I try to open the door but realise they have to buzz me in. Security problems I’m later informed. The police advise to install cameras but that advice is ignored by the owners. Why should normal customers who don’t want to be filmed suffer they explain to me. After a quick tour of the shop and workshop I sit down with Penny, one of the owners, in the zen-like garden located at the back. I try to think if I’ve ever sat in the back garden of a bike shop before. There is a really relaxed feel about the place. This is somewhere you can just walk in and have an informal chat.

MiCycle feels like a million miles from the normal bike shops which I’ve often found unwelcoming and a little patronising. I’m not the only one to think this and as Penny goes on to explain that was one of the first aims of the shop and the reason it came about. A lot of bike shops have a bad reputation to not provide a good service. Of course in recent years that is beginning to change.

Matthew, who opened the shop with Penny, joins us and offers a cup of coffee. They are quick to tell me that the bike shop isn’t exactly a cafe as such and someone shouldn’t expect a range of sandwiches. But you can certainly have a drink and a nice cappuccino.

Then they begin to surprise me with all the extra services the bike shop offers. Now, I’m sure in recounting these I’ll miss a couple but let me try anyway:

• A bike wash – come in and use their bike washing tools for free. After all giving your bike a good wash is one of the best ways to avoid expensive maintenance work.
• Maintenance classes – learn how to look after your own bike. It can give you incredible independence and it’s great to know how that machine you use every day works. The classes are usually small in size and work in a very relaxed atmosphere.
• Swap a bike – kids grow out of bikes so fast. The shop offers kids to swap their bikes for a bigger model. I love this idea.
• Borrow tools – you can go in and tinker with your bike using their tools. This is great as bike tools can be very expensive.
• Pick up a broken bike – using their trailer bike MiCycle are able to pickup your broken bike and take it to the shop for repairs. They will even return it to you if you wish.
• Home storage design – Penny is an expert in home storage solutions for bicycles and she can consult with you if you want to find a better way to store your bike at home
• Wifi and Coffee – in the garden designed by Joe Swift!

Some shops, such as MiCycle, have realised they are not selling bikes, they are selling cycling. It is this complete package that will keep people coming back and building a good relationship with their shop. I like this new attitude and with the sheer range of services on offer, MiCycle are really taking it to the next level.

I really hope to see more bike shops such as MiCycle in London. The nice owners have even offered London Cyclist readers 10% off their bike service. Just quote the name of the site. So, if you feel like your bike could do with some love and care then take it over to see what they can do for you.

One tip though: Just don’t ask Matthew if he sells electric bikes.

Web: http://www.micycle.org.uk/ Address: 47 Barnsbury Street London N1 1TP

See also:

• London Cycle Cafes
• Bicycle storage in a cosy London home
• Why I love my local bike shop
• Make your bike less attractive to thieves. Get it tagged

Today I’m releasing a second eBook to subscribers called “Guide to Cycling in London”. Most of the content from it is applicable to cycling in any city. It is a 37 page eBook filled with great cycling advice catered for everyday cyclists.

Here is quick overview of what you get:

• How to find the perfect cycling route through London
• 3 must-try London Cycle Routes including an impressive 25 mile Grand Tour of the Grand Union and a quirky 5 mile gentle ride around the unusual sights of central London.
• How to undertake and enjoy your first long distance bike ride
• The three tricks you won’t learn at cycle training
• How to never have your bike stolen
• How to meet fellow cyclists and go on group rides
• Turning your cycle commute into a workout
• London’s coolest bike shops and cafes
• Guide to buying a second hand bike
• All the best gear that makes a difference
• Storing a bike in a “cosy” London flat
• How you can make London a better place for cycling

Plus more but I don’t want to list everything and would prefer you just download it and have a look through for yourself!

Of course if you are a subscriber you also get another free eBook that guides you through the basics of Bicycle Maintenance. I’ve lost count of downloads of that guide but it is well in the region of 5,000 to 6,000 downloads. I’m very pleased it has done so well and is helping so many people look after their bikes. I hope this guide will be equally well received.

To get these two free amazing guides all you have to do is join the 1,211 cyclists who receive the London Cyclist newsletter. You’ll get plenty of great cycling tips and a weekly roundup of the posts on London Cyclist. Also you can unsubscribe whenever you want in just 2 clicks by following the links at the bottom of the email.

If you enjoy the guides then all I ask in return is I would really appreciate you spreading the messages to others by pointing them to this blog post using your blog, Twitter, Stumble Upon, Facebook or good old e-mail. Thank you very much for helping!

Note: I’m expecting high demand for the eBook so I apologise if the download crashes / becomes unavailable. Currently I’m hosting the file on Dropbox and will move it around if that becomes an issue.

I’m not one for preparation but this time I stocked up on the advice. From previous blog posts such in the Guardian Bike Blog and forums such as LFGSS. I took with me lots of food, drink, batteries, spare inner tubes and a bright bike light. I also invested in a bottle cage to be able to refuel without stopping. I had the route plotted in my iPhone and turned down the brightness and the 3G off so that it would last throughout the 10 hour ride.

Although, I did manage to undo much of the preparation by going out for drinks the night before. Oh well..

Arriving at London Fields around 9 for the start of the Dunwich Dynamo I picked up the turn by turn directions and looked for my ride buddy.

We quickly got going and settled into a fast pace. The atmosphere was great and it was incredible to see so many cyclists together, red lights flicking and groups forming. We wanted to quickly get out of London to start enjoying the country lanes. Soon after Epping Forest our wish was granted and we were enjoying the ride. There is something quite magical about riding at night in a big group.

The first stop was at Moreton. Here quite a few people were already on the beers and it was a good chance to catch up with some fellow riders. As it was still early in the night lots of pubs were still open so there was plenty of great places to stop. We didn’t stick around long as we were keen to get going.

Again we rode at a high speed doing lots of overtaking looking for a group of riders going at a similar speed. So far it was the over enthusiasm for the ride that was causing this huge boost in energy and I was sure there would be a serious drop in speed later on.

The quiet country lanes were the perfect condition for cycling and I was glad of my Ixon IQ bike light shining the way ahead. If you are looking for a good light for the ride that isn’t too expensive then I can highly recommend it. In a couple of the quaint villages some of the people that lived there had come out to cheer everyone along. This was good fun and it was good to see people supporting the ride.

At one point we came across someone that had taken a bad fall. He looked rather worse for wear but as there was a lot of people already stopped to help we kept going. It reminded me of the dangers and to stay focused.

The next stop was at the Village Hall. Here I managed to catch up with the guys from Going Going Bike and also SuspectPackage who was easy to spot donning the Hello Joe t-shirt. Various sandwiches were being sold and also it was a good place to fill up the water bottles as from here on there would be far less pubs and petrol stations open.

At around 90-100 miles in we took a short break to grab some food. Daylight was on the way and as we sat eating some sandwiches various people cycled past and turned back around. We realised we had missed a turn. Most of the way the directions were very easy to follow.

The last 20 miles were tough. Tiredness was setting in and time seemed to be standing still as did the mileage count. I left my riding buddy to do some solo cycling. Eventually I came across the sign for Dunwich. There was a big relief and the last 5 or so miles were a bit of daze. After just over 9 hours of cycling I arrived at Dunwich, wheeled my bike onto the beach and sat down to take in the ride.

About 15 minutes later I was joined by the other guys I was riding the Dunwich Dynamo with and we set about getting some breakfast. We joined up with Silka from TfL who had also finished the ride and recounted our experiences. I wanted to catch up with various people such as Karl and Sparkes but was feeling that bit too tired.

It was great to sit on the beach and think about the whole thing. Easily my favourite experience was about 25-50 miles in, riding at high speeds and enjoying the dark setting. The Dunwich Dynamo is a great ride that I would highly recommend.

See also:

• 10 London Cycling Events you can’t miss
• Hackney Bicycle Film Society
• London Cycling Cafes
• Definitive guide to bike lights

Cast your mind back to the first day you started cycling in the city. Don’t worry this isn’t a therapy class where I now start to ask you “how did it make you feel?”. I’d charge for that kind of service and you’d probably want to demand your money back. If you started cycling 50 years ago or even just 3 months ago I’m sure you’ve learnt a lot. Whether that be through observing (Read: stalking) other cyclists, bugging your impatient local bike shop or reading incredible cycling blogs (such as London Cyclist). Or perhaps it was through making errors. The day your bike was stolen or the day you bumped into that parked BMW and made off before anyone realised (perhaps that’s just me? Let’s move on..)

Once your romance with cycling has begun you’ll want to learn more about it. That’s because you know the more you discover the more enjoyment you can get out of it. Whether that be going on your first big 70 mile ride, turning your commute into a workout or learning the speed benefits of being clipped into the pedals. You either still have a lot to discover or you’re well on your way to becoming a competitor in my cycle blogging niche!

To help you get the most out of your cycling, next Tuesday (in 7 days), I’ll be releasing a downloadable 30 page guide to cycling in London. The guide will have a ton of information for the early days of cycling, such as how to buy a bike and also more advanced discussion around things like pedal straps and tricks you won’t learn at a cycle training class. It is a culmination of everything I’ve learnt since wobbling around on a heavy mountain bike together with answers to a lot of the questions I commonly receive.

How much will it cost? I’m releasing it for free as a big thank you to everyone who joined the newsletter and helped London Cyclist reach 1000 subscribers. The only condition is you have to be subscribed to the newsletter. If you haven’t joined already then you can quickly join by entering your name and email below:

During the next 7 days building up to the big launch I’ll be releasing little snippets of content from the guide. I’m pretty excited about bringing this guide together as it’s something as a cyclist I wish someone had given me. I know that it will solve a lot of frustrations people have as well as giveaway some of the secrets you only learn after you’ve been cycling for a while.

I’m also open to suggestions for any more topics to include in the guide. If you think of something you’d like to see included then leave a comment below..

Image via sunnyUK on Flickr

Boris Johnson was on top form as he arrived by bike looking tired and tieless. He told us that along his 35 minute journey from Islington to Clapham Common it was him versus a boy racer and he only narrowly won thanks to the superhighways. An entertaining story although a quick check on the map confirms the majority of the route is not covered by a superhighway.

Speeches were given and many laughs were received from the gathered members of the press. Boris went on to explain that the blue of the superhighways was meant to represent freedom and be an international sign of how serious London is about cycling. He finished his speech by stressing the importance of London competing against other cities in order to receive investment. By growing cycling he hopes to prove that London has what it takes.

We were also given some figures about the superhighways. The money will fund 5,000 new parking spaces for bikes, over 17,000 hours of cycle training and 3,000 hours of cycle maintenance classes. Boris also told us that any rumours that the cycle superhighways would be less than 1.5 metres in length at certain points were not true.

Everyone seemed rather wooed by the speeches and was happy to walk away thinking how good us cyclists have it. This is highly arguable but you can’t help but agree that the visible nature of the superhighways is a positive thing.

When the opportunity came along to grab some questions with Boris I knew he was not really going to answer anything. However, it was worth trying anyway. I wanted to find out about his vision for the cycle superhighways compared to the reality. What I really wanted to know is how someone can look at the superhighways and think to themselves “yes, this truly is a superhighway, this will be great for new cyclists”. Boris simply said that of course his initial vision would not be possible due to the big range of stakeholders. However, he would like to see the blue tarmac all throughout London.

I also asked about the reductions in cycle lanes along certain points. He told me that of course there would be some problems at the start. What about the policing of the cycle superhighways? A lot of people on Twitter wanted to know what would be done to keep vehicles out of the lanes. He quoted the TfL research that suggests the visual nature of the lanes will be enough to help drivers recognise the sheer volume of cyclists passing through and thus they will stay out of the lane.

Our interview was cut short by a cyclist riding on the pavement. Boris approached him and shouted “why did we build the superhighways if you’re not going to use them?” I’m sure we could give him a number of reasons.

There are many questions still to ask – the congestion zone extension scrap, how fast the cycle hire scheme will be rolled out to wider London, prohibition of trucks at peak times and why London doesn’t have more bike boulevards.

They will have to wait for another time. However, there was one final question I wanted to ask. I managed to grab Kulveen Ranger, the Mayors Transport Advisor, who is pro-cycling. I asked him if he’d heard of the idea before of privatising car parking in-order to capture the true cost of parking. It was an interesting idea I’ve not heard before suggested to me by Paul Battley. It caught Kulveen unaware and he wasn’t able to answer. This is definitely an idea worth exploring more and I’ll see if I can chase him up on it.

Whilst I didn’t get to ask Boris all the questions I wanted, especially “who does your hair?”, it was an interesting launch and its good to see the first stage of one of the big cycling projects finally delivered. Now on to the Cycle Hire Scheme.

Thanks to my fellow cycling blogger Rob Ainsley for the picture. Also make sure you read his take on the launch.

See also:

• Cycle hire application for your iPhone
• Are people for or against the cycle hire scheme?
• Is there anything super about the cycle superhighways?
• Two visions for the cycle superhighways

My test ride with TfL would finally put to rest which of the two visions would become a daily reality for 1000s of London Cyclists. Would it truly be continuous lanes that provide a safe and direct route into the capital. Or would it be more of a marketing gimmick, a glorified cycle lane that is a missed opportunity for real progress.

The first two of the cycle superhighways are on track for their completion date of the 19th of July. After this we will see an incremental increase in cycle lanes with two more superhighways being added every year. These two cycle superhighway routes are pilot routes and while a lot of criticism has been coming in it’s important to note that up until the 19th of July they are still not officially finished. In fact the final thing we will see is the signage being added and the last road markings going in on busy junctions.

Smurf lanes

The main criticism of the cycle superhighways is also the most obvious: “It’s just a lick of blue paint”. This is justified as large parts of the first two routes already existed as the more traditional green cycle lanes. However, TfL were keen to stress that a lot has gone into it that we don’t see. For example, the road surface has been re-done in many areas that were suffering from potholes. There’s also been a lot of behind the scenes engineering work, planning and testing. The blue paint has been running through light box tests where they run a tyre over it many times to test it doesn’t fade. A couple of previous revisions of the paint used have been scrapped as they were found to fade far too easily.

There are three types of road surface in use for the superhighways. The surface you will see near the junctions is high-friction to prevent accidents. I raised the reports that have been coming in of slippery road surfaces. TfL told me that they’ve run extensive tests and not found the paint used to be slippery.

Talking to Nigel Hardy I was also very keen to raise the point of “why the blue?” and “why call it a superhighway?”

Branding was the short answer. Perhaps fears of a “marketing gimmick” were coming true. The hope with the branding is to make drivers aware that high volumes of cyclists will be travelling along this route. It also makes it easier for cyclists to follow the route and know where it is leading them.

Why not segregate?

Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rio De Janeiro, Barcelona. All places I’ve seen segregated cycling infrastructure work well. It’s one of the main things cyclists request to feel safer. A small barrier between drivers and cyclists would surely make this more of a cycle “super” highway.

Segregation however, is not something that is being considered for the cycle superhighways. TfL said the routes are simply not being used frequently enough to warrant separation of traffic. It is only during peak hours that you will see many cyclists in the lanes. TfL claim that segregating the lanes would create many problems for loading vehicles. They also claim that cyclists don’t want to be treated differently to other vehicles.

TfL are more keen to address the problem of motorists in cycle lanes through police enforcement, branding and working with companies to ensure their drivers are not blocking the lanes during peak hours. The experience of cyclists will tell if this approach will have the desired effect.

Direct and continuous cycle superhighways

Cyclists have also been raising concern about how continuous the cycle lanes are. Around 80% of the route is covered by the blue lanes. The other 20% involves blue boxes with CS markings in them and crossings at junctions. The break in the continuity is meant to inform cyclists that they need to pay extra attention. It is used when a continues blue lane was deemed inappropriate.

A super experience

Riding the superhighway side-by-side with Nigel Hardy, which is barely possible along much of the route as the lanes are often just 1.5 metres wide, I wondered what he thought beginner cyclists would think of the experience.

As we stood at the final junction of our tour with Nigel pointing in various directions and explaining to me what cyclists need to do to pass this complicated junction I thought it was the right time to ask the question.

His response is perhaps the ultimate conclusion to the cycle superhighways. Without training he wouldn’t expect them to feel very happy riding along this busy A-road even with the superhighways in place.

A cycle superhighway should surely be designed to give beginners that confidence they need to tackle London’s roads. It should be a pleasure to ride along without any fear. This was my experience of the equivalent of superhighways in other countries and unfortunately it was not the same in London.

In the end the superhighways are a compromise. On one side you have organisations such as the LCC and bicycle activists calling for more to be done. On the other you have motorists. TfL and the Mayor have to try to decide how the two sides can work together. There has been a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to complete the first two routes. Whilst it remains hard to discover the “super” in the cycle superhighways they are a positive step forward in the vision to make London a cyclist friendly city.

See also:

• Two visions for the cycle superhighways
• What cyclists think of the cycle superhighways
• Barclays Cycle Hire
• What the 12 cycle superhighways will mean for London Cyclists