As I’m sure I have mentioned countless times, I ride a bike – practically everywhere. In relation to other big cities in the UK, let alone the more rural areas, London’s public transport system is pretty damn good (until you start to think with a global perspective – then it is pretty shyte).
Despite having a never-empty Oyster card chip built into my Paywave card and therefore always on my person, I would still choose to ride across greater London than get on a bus, then a tube, then walk a bit to another bus stop and so on – all the while, putting up with the odd personalities, the rouge sneezes and the loud-speaker mobile phones blaring out RnB from the back of the bus like a marching flag of the users bland identity.
I’ve always felt this way since moving to London lots of years ago and despite the occasional period of broken bikes or broken limbs, I’ve been very loyal to two wheels the entire time, even through the winters.
I also know that I’ve mentioned where in London I live! The East -by far the very worst funded public transport system in the entire city. Criminally underfunded, poorly policed and constantly broken which means an awful lot of other residents have turned to their own means of travel, it is wonderful to see so many people on bikes!
I used to live at the foot of Bricklane for years until it got a bit too pricey and my housemate and I decided to opt for new surroundings and pastures new, subsequently moving to Hackney further North.
These locations have meant that at least once a week but usually every day, I would cycle up or down Bricklane to get to or from home or work. Cycling up Bricklane is fine, it is a one lane, one direction road with so many people around cars and bikes alike can only really crawl up it.
For exactly the same reasons, cycling down it isn’t quite so OK, there is one lane of traffic coming straight at you and whilst it isn’t dangerous in the slightest due to speed and so few vehicles, it is illegal.
Yesterday was the first day in a long time I didn’t take my bike to work, I had to be at Oxford Circus for some ungodly hour and it was raining and my legs were still aching from the ride the night before. I left it at home and caught the bus.
It wasn’t until I was leaving work and walking up Bricklane in the evening when it was dry and my legs had loosened up again that I found myself longing for my bike, wishing I’d put up with the rain so that I didn’t need to put up with this tediously slow walk to a bus stop I knew would be packed.
It was with that thought that I saw two community police officers busting every single cyclist coming down Bricklane. Every one of them was getting an on-the-spot fine and a queue was starting to form as one risked his own safety and the cyclists, pouncing out in front of the riders, forcing them to stop whilst the other struggled to write out the paperwork.
I wondered if they’d played Rock-Paper-Scissors as to see who would get the crap admin job.
I was angry to see that the queue of reprimanded cyclists was a diverse bunch. Weirdly, despite being one myself, I could understand if the cops were pulling over the more reckless cohort of riders, it is hard to describe without offending, but the boys and girls that look like they really ride a lot (for a career or otherwise) – I will completely resist using the words Fixed or SingleSpeed in the description.
But no, the queue contained all sorts of people, older gentlemen on Bromptons adorned in reflective bands, beautiful girls on their Pashleys and old Raleigh Shoppers, commuters with their helmets and rows upon rows of flashing lights and, of course, the odd one or two race/road/track bikes.
Seeing that made me think what an utter waste of time that is. Why not, instead of sending two poor and unsuspecting do-good rookies down to shoot a bucket of fish with a shotgun, don’t the local authority (Tower Hamlets) do a little bit of market research and realise just how much cycle-traffic comes down Bricklane?
Considering the alternatives, that road is infinitely safer to go the wrong way down than the right way of any other parallel street nearby. You’d think the council would think that, potentially, instead of fighting fire with fire, they might actually be able to help and build a counter flow cycle lane?
Surely it wouldn’t be that hard? The pavement and the lane are the same height already and, in most parts, the paths are of a generous width… that way they wouldn’t need to send cops down there to teach a handful of the daily riders a lesson that they will surely forget the moment they pay the £80 (?!?!) fine!
Riding a bike is, by far, the most rewarding and liberating mode of transportation in London; it is sociable, healthy and actually remarkably safe unless you’re an idiot. With all the transport campaigns and eco-awareness about cycling, I’d like to think that TfL, Boris and the local authorities would be willing to do what they can to ensure more people take to their steel-horses each morning.
For the evening, at least, I was glad I wasn’t on my bike. A fine is the equivalent to eighty bus rides, no matter how unenjoyable or delayed.
