London Cyclist Winter 2023

WINTER 2023

BECOME A CYCLE BUDDY

JUNCTIONS MAPPING TOOL INTERVIEW: MAURICE BURTON MAYORAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN LONDON’S BEST HILL CLIMBS BIKE LIGHTS ROUND-UP

MAGAZINE OF

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WINTER 2023

contents

News | Features | London | Travel | Ride Guide FEATURE > 14

RIDE 51

RIDE GUIDE RIDES

UNEXPECTED

LONDON L

ONDON IS consistently ranked as the third most visited city in the world — but how many Londoners take time out to 'visit' their home town? This 19-mile circular ride treads both familiar and lesser-known ground: from the medieval City and the heart of the UK’s financial might, to Tudor London, the home of government and the seat of the modern monarchy.

You'll pass the sights that draw millions from across the globe, plus many other oddities that make London such a fascinating city. Take a day off to do this ride, it's not about distance or speed; take a lock with you and stop and ferret about a bit, there’s something unexpected at every turn. It's also very possible that you’ll be distracted by a museum, pub, restaurant or magnificent building and run out of time...

The route follows mostly protected cycleways, quiet roads and parkland paths, but a couple of busy junctions need care (these have signalled pedestrian crossings if preferred).

Tourist treats and hidden gems abound as Charlie Codrington takes us on a Thameside loop FACTFILE DISTANCE: 30km (19 miles) ASCENT: 133m SUITABLE FOR: all bikes START POINTS: Blackfriars station NOTE: This route visits places where cycling is not permitted and you may have to dismount and push your bike, so please follow the signage.

FREE MAP We have partnered with mapping specialist Komoot to bring you free downloadable route maps.

Simply scan the QR code here to access the relevant page on your smartphone or tablet.

UNEXPECTED LONDON

BLACKFRIARS STN

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CANARY WHARF 8km

GREENWICH 14km

ROTHERHITHE 19km

5 WESTMINSTER 26km

LIGHTS 57

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

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BIKES 58

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BIKES

HOT TECH

NEW E-BIKES

YAMAHA EASY BOOSTER ■ £2,999 ■ yamaha-motor.eu

Review: Richard Peace

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Not that this is a light e-bike at 35kg. But with a beefy Yamaha PWS2 mid-drive motor and a sizeable 630Wh battery, plus 80mm-travel front suspension and those chunky tyres, it was never going to be. Rear suspension would have been nice and made the ride even plusher, but that would have added even

INTERVIEW > 28

We speak to pioneering racer, former national champ and shop owner Maurice Burton

more heft.We found the Booster Easy right on the limit of what was easy to handle over steps, on and off trains, and in and out of buildings.

It was great for town riding though, with that tyre/suspension combo really aiding comfort; only over the biggest of potholes at speed did you feel a bit of a jolt through the saddle. The handling also feels very reassuring at speed — smooth and stable, with plenty of grip from the gravel-inspired treads. The extra weight helps here too, keeping the bike ‘planted’, even while cornering quickly on uneven road surfaces.

We also rode the bike off-road on reasonably benign, but very wet surfaces. Here again the tyres came into their own, maintaining

CYCLE BUDDIES, 22

Nobody can continue to shrug their shoulders at another cyclist fatality TOM FYANS, OPINION, PAGE 9

FEATURE > 33

Laying the groundwork for next May’s critical mayoral campaign FEATURE > 46

Is this new mopedinspired design as fun, and comfy, as it looks?

LECTRIC BIKE purists might regard Yamaha’s Booster Easy — with its striking ‘spaceframe’, moped-like styling and 4in fat tyres — as simply a marketing ploy. However, while not as light or as powerful as many other e-bikes, we found the design had definite riding advantages.

Spaceframes (resembling a lattice or truss) have been used on bikes before, notably by Moulton, so there are sound engineering principles behind it. Low stepthrough cycles rely on a single frame member and, because of the forces involved, often use an overly thick aluminium alloy tube; Yamaha opts instead for an inherently stronger, lighter design.

How a new online tool is helping us identify the city’s most dangerous junctions

Westminster Wheels: a team doing big things for bikes and jobs in their community

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Data is vital for our mission to make cycling as diverse as the city we live in JONATHAN KLAFF, OPINION, PAGE 11 LONDON CYCLIST Winter 2023 3

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CONTENTS | Winter 2023

Cover image: Andy Donohoe Location: South Woodford, November 2023

EDITORIAL

The wars won’t work

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HEY SAY THAT a week is a long time in politics.

And, as this edition heads to the presses, we’re enduring a national déjà vu moment as one hugely divisive minister exits stage left, only for the ‘ghost of governments past’ to re-enter the fray. None of the musical chairs has, sadly, been accompanied by any real shift in policy direction though, certainly not relating to the environment, climate, or cycling-related issues. Which is why we now find ourselves mired in variants of the playbook’s oldest gambit: culture wars.

So as well as the usual targets, we now hear about a ‘war on motorists’, a ‘war on working people’, even a ‘war on wokery’.

But heres’s the most salient thing about such exercises in misdirection — across the board they don’t work. Whether it’s members of conservation charity, the National Trust, overwhelmingly rejecting noisy ‘anti-woke’ warriors for its council, again. Or, closer to home, Londoners voting for pro-active travel councillors in record numbers at the last local elections. People are wising up to this hackneyed ploy.

But that’s the background against which we prepare for next year’s key mayoral vote. As you’ll read about inside — alongside news on a new junctions mapping tool, Cycle Buddies and more — we’ll be working even harder to ensure more people get to experience the joy and multiple benefits of cycling.

Happy holidays!

John Kitchiner Editor

LCC MEMBERS’ LEGAL HELPLINE Osbornes Law is the official legal partner of LCC, providing members with exclusive access to a legal helpline. If you’re involved in a collision or have a cycling-related legal issue, phone the cycling team at Osbornes for advice on 020 7681 8672.

LONDON CYCLIST Unit 206, The Record Hall, 16-16A Baldwin’s Gardens, London EC1N 7RJ n 020 7234 9310 n lcc.org.uk

EDITORIAL Editor: John Kitchiner (london.cyclist@lcc.org.uk) Design: Anita Razak Contributors: Simon Munk, Tom Bogdanowicz, Jakub Mamczak, Melanie Etherton, Toby Zeidler, Tom Fyans, Carlton Reid, Richard Peace

ADVERTISING Allie Gill (allie.gill@lcc.org.uk)

SOCIAL MEDIA TWITTER: @london_cycling FACEBOOK: @LondonCyclingCampaign INSTAGRAM: @london_cycling_campaign Editorial, copyright, membership LCC is not aligned with any political party.

All views expressed in London Cyclist are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor, nor do they necessarily reflect LCC policy. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editor. Editorial content is independent of advertising. All LCC membership offers and discounts are presented entirely at the discretion of the provider.

London Cyclist is published by LCC. CAMPAIGNS: lcc.org.uk/campaigns MEMBERSHIP: lcc.org.uk/membership TO DONATE: lcc.org.uk/donate LCC is a charitable limited company, reg no 1766411; charity no 1115789

London Cyclist is printed by Buxton Press on FSC carbon-balanced paper from responsible sources.

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Winter 2023

NEW ONLINE TOOL HELPS MAP LONDON’S DANGEROUS JUNCTIONS Find out where collisions are most common in your area campaigning work to bring pressure onto council leaders, TfL and the Mayor to fix as many of the most dangerous junctions as possible. The map can be filtered by borough, and for pedestrian or cycling collisions. And we encourage you to use it in your area to push for change.

Photo: Calvin Cheung

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HE LAUNCH OF the new mapping tool for our Dangerous Junctions campaign (see page 14) went so successfully that the host server crashed repeatedly in the first week — with nearly 10,000 unique users on rollout day itself and thousands daily for the following week.

This was thanks, in part, to a media launch for the most dangerous junction ‘cluster’ in Tooting on 7 November. Hours before the King’s Speech was read in Parliament, Tom Edwards from the BBC, Ross Lydall from the Evening Standard, and other media were out filming our Wandsworth group coordinator, the volunteer who coded the mapping, LCC staff and the chair of London Living Streets. As a result, the story was top of the lunchtime BBC London News, featured on Eddie Nestor’s Radio London show, and also covered in the Daily Mail and Time Out among others.

We’re now working with local groups across London to ensure the mapping is used for our

More related good news Works have finally begun on the next phase of changes at the Holborn junction system along High Holborn, from the tube to the junction with Proctor Street and up on to Drake Street. ‘Cycle gate’ lights and tracks aim to make the spot where Shatha Ali was killed in 2022 much safer.

We’re also waiting on more consultations in King’s Cross (although the first junction consulted on was far too weak). And while there’s no good news yet for the ‘Shoreditch Triangle’, work constructing cycle tracks and removing the roundabout at the nearby, previously notorious Old Street junction is finally finished.

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NEWS

PRODUCT NEWS: EDITOR’S PICK ORTLIEB TEAMS UP WITH RIDER RESILIENCE FOR LIMITED EDITION BAG It’s fair to say that the story behind this new Velocity Design Rider Resilience bag is very different. It’s the product of Rider Resilience (RR) founder Nils Amelinckx’s incurable cancer diagnosis combined with a longstanding connection with a brand, and a shared passion for adventure, riding bikes and a desire to ‘pay it forward’. Nils set up RR to inspire others to turn to the humble bicycle during times of hardship and we urge you to read about his journey on the website (riderresilience.org).

With its hard-hitting graphic by Stormstatic, the bag’s artwork visualises the concept of a dawn raid analeptic, a drug that restores a person’s strength, yet one that’s solely derived by bottling the endorphin-charged euphoric feeling of having ridden to the top of a mountain in time for sunrise; the blood bag is a nod to the camaraderie of the bicycle community known for helping each other out.

Profits from all bags bought via the website will go into the RR fund, while Ortlieb’s UK distributor, Lyon Equipment, is donating a percentage of profits too.

MONTH

JOIN US FOR THE SECOND LCC WOMEN’S FREEDOM RIDE

in

NUMBERS

24% The DfT’s Cycling Index shows a rise in UK cycling numbers of 23.7% compared to previous year

2.6% Motor traffic levels fell by this % between June 2019 and June 2022 according to the same report

BUILDING A CYCLING CULTURE IN SOUTH WESTMINSTER Starting on the 18 November, Belgravia and Pimlico Family Cycle Saturdays will take place on the third Saturday of every month at Eccleston Yards in Victoria. There will be an instructor-led family ride, ‘Cycle Skills for Cycle Buddies’, plus a Dr Bike session at the same time.

So we’re not only seeking participants to help build momentum, but also a pool of volunteers to support the instructors as marshals on the family rides. The cycle skills sessions are open to anyone in London who has signed up as a Cycle Buddy (see page 22) and would like to refresh their road cycling skills with a qualified instructor.

These are run at a maximum ratio of 3:1 and are National Standard Level 2 and/or 3.

For information and to volunteer, please contact mike.mcsherry@lcc.org.uk, or sign up on the website (lcc.org.uk/events).

The LCC Women’s Freedom Ride is back! After this spring’s successful event, which saw around 1,000 women and their allies cycling around central London calling on the Mayor for women’s ‘freedom to ride’, we’re running it again on Sunday 3 March 2024.

LCC’s new Women’s Network is calling for the Mayor to commit to making cycle trip numbers by women and men equal by 2030 — currently less than a third are by women — and this protest ride will highlight the need for action to make cycling safe for women all across the city. It should also be a lot of fun: expect costumes, face paint, flags and music, and feeder rides from every corner of London. Sign up via our events webpage today.

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OPINION

Safety matters The status quo cannot continue, says Tom Fyans. We need urgent action to make our streets safer for all

H

OW SAFE is cycling in London? Three weeks into the new job and the professional became personal when my teenage daughter, who hasn’t cycled much since her balance bike days, said she wanted to start cycling to her new job at 7am.

Looking at the figures, it is important to say that cycling, walking and wheeling are relatively safe activities in London. Cyclist fatality rates have fallen in the past two decades from around 20 a year to ten or fewer, despite a significant increase in cycling.

Yet sometimes the reality, and often the perceived danger, can feel very different. And as we respond resolutely to the grim reality that at least six people have already been killed while cycling in London in 2023, such statistics will be irrelevant to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, and my thoughts are with them as I write this.

And while we all share the same space on London’s roads, the dangers we face can be different. I was appalled to learn recently that women are three times more likely to experience a ‘near miss’ purely because they are likely to be going more slowly.

So what more can be done? We

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know from nearly 50 years of campaigning across the city that junctions are where the majority of serious collisions with cyclists happen. Which is why our latest report on dangerous junctions is so timely and important, as we move politicians and stakeholders to accelerate safety improvements at London’s most dangerous road locations (read more about our new mapping tool on page 14).

Campaigning continues Looking at safety city wide, we have campaigned effectively for measures that have undoubtedly saved many lives, and we are proud of our role in securing a mayoral commitment to eliminate all serious and fatal collisions by 2041.

But that still means nearly two more decades of lives potentially lost and families torn apart. It’s simply not good enough — and we can’t and won’t accept it.

The Mayor, TfL and every borough council must do far more, far faster, to curb road danger.

“Nobody can continue to shrug their shoulders at another cyclist fatality”

Tom Fyans Chief Executive of the London Cycling Campaign

Nobody can continue to shrug their shoulders at another fatality in Hackney, or on Battersea Bridge, or anywhere as part of the ‘cost’ of keeping a city moving. Not when other cities such as Oslo are successfully eliminating such collisions by taking urgent and decisive action.

I was reminded recently of the words of Peter Walker, who writing in The Guardian in 2016 urged drivers to think of cyclists and “remember that these are human beings, unprotected flesh and bone seeking to get to work, to see their friends, to return to their loved ones”.

Every time we cycle, we are making a positive, life-affirming decision to make our city a healthier, safer place for everybody.

More space for cycling makes it safer for everyone. At LCC we will redouble our campaigning efforts and won’t rest until the Mayor’s ‘vision zero’ for London is brought forward and becomes our reality much faster. We all deserve to make it home, every time.

As for my daughter, after some anecdotal and general ‘dad advice’, she’s going on a bikeabililty training course and signing up to our Cycle Buddies scheme.

Sometimes it’s worth taking your work home with you.

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OPINION

Data crunch time Publicly-available datasets can now be used to help us improve our campaigning, explains Jonathan Klaff

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OR WHAT seems like a lifetime, everyone has been talking about ‘Big Data’ and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make use of it. We’re led to believe that data analysis will help us understand how our world works. However, in the world of campaigning, we often see data ignored for emotional arguments. “Who would want to ride a bike?” sometimes seems to carry more weight than “63% of people said they’d prefer to ride bikes to work than drive”. So how can we focus on data to help us make better decisions?

I first came across the issue of feeling versus reality in the campaign for Cycle Superhighway 11. Often fraught with tense discussion, one of the main opposers of the scheme kept making comments that just didn’t seem right. These included declaring the A41 was “the main artery into London”.

Luckily it didn’t take long to analyse publicly-available datasets to show this clearly wasn’t true — and it allowed us to counter every time she said it. In the end, it was data, or rather substandard modelling of it, that brought the scheme to a halt through a judicial review.

Public datasets covering a wide variety of issues are now available.

Over the last few years, we have

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seen these develop through the addition of graphical tools, allowing us to create compelling arguments for schemes and policy without resorting to dry statistics. Tools like Crashmap, CycleStreets, LCC’s new dangerous junctions tool, and the Office for National Statistics’ census analysis tool are incredibly useful for showing to councillors and officers to explain why we are asking for particular changes.

Data as a decision-maker Although useful as an evidence base, data is vital to help direct our next areas to focus on. Elsewhere in this magazine, the campaigns team looks at mapping dangerous junctions and, rightly, we are focusing on the places we need to change. But at the same time, we need to be mindful of the work of Abraham Wald; for those unfamiliar, Wald used data on bullet holes to change the way military aircraft were designed. Instead of focusing on the areas of high hole occurrence, he proposed extra

“Data is vital for our mission to make cycling as diverse as the city we live in”

Jonathan Klaff is an LCC trustee and longtime cycle campaigner in Barnet

armour was placed where there were fewer holes — these were the planes that were not returning.

A great example of this approach was provided to me by the team at See.Sense, whose lights can detect sudden changes in speed or direction. In one example, I saw a heatmap indicating a high concentration of sharp braking along a flat, high visibility road.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that there were poorly set up roadworks, forcing cyclists into dangerous positions. Through this use of data, the mistake could be corrected and lives saved.

Data is also vital for our mission to make cycling as diverse as the city we live in. Learning which groups ride and campaign is vital for us to chart our progress — we need to baseline cycling rates among different communities and use that to find where we can focus our efforts at city and borough level.

As with any aspect of LCC’s work, to make the best use of data, we need the help of our borough groups and wider membership. We need surveys sent and completed, people with skills to analyse and display, campaigners to show the politicians. Without this help, we cannot achieve as much as we would like — and we’d like to change the city we live in.

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OPINION

Riding highs While cars do have a couple of advantages, Carlton Reid argues they’re far outweighed by the benefits of cycling

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EPLYING TO my tweet about booming UK car sales, Ray Massey, the Daily Mail’s motoring editor, asked: “Why do cars remain ever more popular, despite the vociferous campaigns and policy agendas against them?”

I countered that this popularity was no secret and that cars have always had obvious attractions. For a start, humans are hard-wired to avoid exertion — when the only physical input required for motion on a foraging or hunting trip (today that would be shopping, then) is the slight depression of a car accelerator pedal, it’s anthropologically and biologically sound to choose the exercise-free option.

Fossil fuel-powered motoring isn’t good for people’s waistlines, children’s lungs, or the planet, but it’s definitely comfortable, especially when you’re sat going nowhere in traffic jams. Cars are cocoons. For many, they also signal social status even when crawling along at an average speed of 8mph. “[Who’d have thought that people prefer] the comfort, convenience and sanctuary of personal motorised and enclosed mobility over all the other alternatives — including the limitations of the bicycle?” added Massey further down the thread.

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It’s true, compared to driving, cycling has many physical drawbacks. It involves effort: you sweat, not just in hilly, hot or humid cities (the e-bike is one solution). Cycle in the rain and, even when you’re dressed for it, you may get wet.

You sit on a lump of leather: “My bum hurts” is a greater disincentive to pushbiking than many cycle campaigners choose to consider.

There’s no roof on a bike, no airconditioning, no airbags. Carrying passengers is possible on specialist machines, but is out of the question for most bikes. And nor can you comfortably make love on a bike (though one 80s romcom did show it was potentially feasible).

Reasons to be cheerful There are also hard-to-shift sociopsychological reasons why many people won’t ever take to urban cycling, including the very unDutch belief that riding a bike instead of driving is an affront to self-identity. For many tabloids (and current prime ministers),

“It’s probably the dopamine hit you get when cycling that’s been the clincher”

Carlton Reid is a book author and leading transport journalist

people in cars are normal; people on bicycles are abnormal.

For nearly 40 years, I’ve been writing about the practical benefits of cycling (faster through town, keeps you fit, saves the planet, yadda, yadda, yadda), but it’s probably the dopamine hit you get when cycling that’s always been the clincher. Cycling is joyful. Yes, even in the rain.

On a recent Spokesmen podcast, I chatted with Bounds Green resident Carla Francome, a returnee to cycling. After a few minutes complaining about misogynist social media trolls, we spent most of the rest of the show discussing such joys. “I do love [cycling],” said Carla, “I find it such fun. You feel free of everything within a minute or two, and even a short commute always feels like an adventure.”

She now rides with the Islington Cycling Club every other week, and is clearly hooked. “I did a 90km ride and it was really hard. Two weeks later I did the same ride and I felt like a different person. I felt great.”

No doubt part of this increased positivity was due to Carla’s increased physical fitness, but much of it must have also been due to that dopamine hit. Many activities, such as lido dips, provide a similar buzz, but it’s pretty tricky swimming to work. And driving? That’s a drag.

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CAMPAIGN

DANGER J

LCC’s new Dangerous Junctions map reveals the priority spots to fix fast in London. Daniel Hills and Jakub Mamczak report

UNCTIONS ARE where most of the worst collisions involving cyclists happen. So LCC has long called for safer junctions in London and held protests at the worst — like Bank, Old Street and Bow (all three improved due to our campaigning). But in 2021 LCC formally launched a specific ‘Dangerous Junctions’ campaign, with protests and a 5,000+ signature petition, following the deaths of Dr Martha Krawiec and Shatha Ali at Holborn.

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Since its inception, the campaign has grown to include multiple strands of work. We launched our dangerous junctions report last year, identifying how transport authorities could improve delivery on junctions, after a summit that brought together top engineers, modellers and designers from across the UK. We also created mini-campaigns around the Holborn, King’s Cross and Shoreditch Triangle junction systems, aimed at building both public

Holborn horror: this ‘double’ junction is top of our fix list

and business support for improvements in the areas around these notorious streets. And we now track serious and fatal collisions that come into the public eye involving people cycling, to ensure these don’t get forgotten, and the pressure for change is maintained.

Image: Tom Bogdanowicz

MAPPED New map app The campaign launched with a map of the 20 most dangerous junctions in inner London.

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The most dangerous junctions for cyclists 2023 1 Upper Tooting Road 2 Lambeth Road / Kennington Road 3 Wandsworth Road / North Street 4 Mitcham Road / Leighton Street 5 Finsbury Park / Blackstock Road 6 Holborn (Station) 7 Holborn (Theobalds Road) 8 Queen’s Circus 9 Shoreditch Triangle 10 Knightsbridge

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PLUS: n Angerstein Roundabout (Worst cycling junction in Greenwich, rank 1) n High Street Southall (Worst junction for pedestrians, rank 1) n Monument (Worst junction for pedestrians, rank 4)

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Search danger metrics for all London’s junctions using the Dangerous Junctions tool at: lcc.org.uk/junctions But that map was created by us manually, counting cycling and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries across multiple boroughs, and simply totalling the highest numbers. We weren’t happy this represented a good enough methodology — nor did it cover all of London.

So for a year we’ve been working in secret with volunteer Daniel Hills to develop an interactive map that analyses emergency services ‘Stats19’ and open street map data.

Firstly, it clusters together junctions that would be better treated as one, then assigns collisions to the nearest cluster, before applying a ranking algorithm to determine the most dangerous junctions.

The result, amazingly, is a map that not only means we can now rank the worst junctions for cycling across all of London, but it can also be used to rank the worst junctions for pedestrians.

It can even show the worst junctions for any borough or combination of boroughs.

The algorithm Daniel has developed not only spots junction clusters, but has significantly improved the ranking process. It downweights older collisions (as traffic patterns change over time, and some junctions get fixed), and weights fatalities more heavily than serious injuries,

Where are the hotspots in your area? Use our online map tool to find out

USING THE APP There are two maps in the junction tool. The left one shows numbered ‘top’ junctions based on the filters selected. When a junction is clicked on, individual collisions are shown on a zoomed-in map on the right side. n Click on a junction to find out more about it, including its rank (based on current filters) and the ‘danger metric’ (the junction’s final ‘score’). The number of fatal, serious and slight casualties are included, as well as commentary where LCC has campaigned or won change in the past. n Clicking on individual collisions in the right-hand map shows the number of fatal, serious and slight injuries (there can be multiple at a collision, but for ‘scoring’ we use the worst one). There is a link to view the Stats19 emergency services report too. n Filters — at the top you can select to see pedestrian or cycling casualties, the number of junctions to show and filter by borough. To use the borough filter, click in the box and either start typing or select boroughs from the pulldown, then click the ‘x’ next to ‘ALL’. Once you’ve chosen your filters click ‘recalculate junctions’. n There’s a table under the map listing the worst junctions, plus info on the app and methodology.

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CAMPAIGN

and again more than slight injuries (using government ‘value of prevention’ figures). Each junction on the map can be clicked to see the cluster of collisions counted, but also its final danger metric ‘score’ and other key metrics.

What’s next?

The complexity of collision data and London’s streets means several caveats inevitably apply to this new map — and give us a path for what we’re aiming to improve next year (on top of applying a new year’s Stats19 data). Junctions are clustered to junctions by distance, and this means close-together junctions can be turned into one cluster. This does throw up occasionally odd results, but overall it makes more sense than ignoring physically close junctions in a system that together add up to something very dangerous. It also means the current map cannot spot large one-way systems or ‘gyratories’ as one cluster — hence there being two Holborn junctions in our top 10 most dangerous for cycling.

We’ve also realised that the government’s ‘value’, when applied to spot danger, appears to mean rare fatal collisions carry too much weight in ranking junctions compared to ‘serious’ collisions (that still, in reality, mean life-changing injuries and an elongated stay in hospital). Junctions where there has been a fatality, without a pattern of further collisions, can outrank junctions with clusters of serious and slight injuries. We’ll look to improve that aspect next year.

Most frustrating but complex to fix is that the number of people cycling (or walking) through a junction isn’t something we can include at present (due to the lack of available data on such flows at that granular level). So some of the most dangerous junctions on our map pop up because of the sheer volume of people cycling through them.

A high number of collisions on a corridor with a large amount of people cycling is still an issue we should act on, but we cannot yet discern the difference between that scenario and one where there’s a similarly high level of

Danger zones: the end goal of our campaign is to make roads safer

collisions but hardly anyone cycling there — which is even more concerning. Similarly, the map can’t spot junctions so hostile and/or dangerous that people avoid them altogether, so collision numbers are low.

There’s a methodology section on the map that delves into this detail, but suffice to say we’ve done a lot of work to make this map as good as it can be and there will be more work for the next version.

The map will be updated yearly in October, shortly after the previous year’s Stats19 data is released. We use the past five years’ data as this strikes a good balance with enough available data points and having junction rankings fall after improvements have been made. Though it may still take a few years for an improved junction to be removed, we include commentary on the map when this has happened. This means the aim is for this map to become an annual launch as data updates, junctions that have been fixed disappear, but other junctions move up the rankings.

What is the map for?

Of course, the aim of this map isn’t for it to be a grisly tech toy — we want campaigners, officers, and politicians to use this map as a tool to ensure local and London-wide changes to those places where collisions are happening, just as LCC will.

Every junction on the map should be looked LONDON CYCLIST Winter 2023 17

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CAMPAIGN

at for potential safety improvements for those cycling and walking. Effectively every borough now has a working shortlist of where we know there have been the biggest clusters of collisions in the last few years.

At the launch of the map in November, we joined Wandsworth Cycling Campaign at the most dangerous junction in London for cycling, in Tooting (see right), while other LCC local groups met up to highlight the most dangerous junction in their boroughs.

To find out what the most dangerous junction is in your borough, go to lcc.org.uk/junctions and follow the map key. Here we highlight a few of the most dangerous junctions in London for cycling, two of the worst for pedestrians, and one that ranks as its borough’s worst. Plus we summarise how they can be improved.

UPPER TOOTING ROAD/ CYCLE SUPERHIGHWAY 7 Cycling collisions rank: 1 Collisions: fatal 0 / serious 11 / slight 18 Borough: Wandsworth.

This cluster of junctions along Cycle Superhighway 7 on Upper Tooting Road is the most dangerous in London despite there being no fatalities here, just 29 serious and slight collisions (even ‘slight’ injuries are ones requiring emergency services treatment) in five years.

Solution: More protected tracks and LTNs. The many collisions in this area are due to the huge numbers of people cycling, using a fairly low-quality cycleway at this point. While patchy rows of wands were put in during Covid and some junctions have raised entries, the side streets see huge numbers of drivers turning in and out to ratrun.

What’s needed are improvements to the protected cycle track sections and protection along all of CS7, as well as LTNs on both sides of the A24. This would mean fewer cars turning in and out of side streets, and fewer potentional collisions. n View it on Google maps: tinyurl.com/yc6mshva.

HOLBORN

Cycling collisions rank: 2 Collisions: fatal 1 / serious 2 / slight 5 Borough: Lambeth.

The second most dangerous junction in London, just outside the Imperial War Museum, has seen minor improvements in recent years, but still remains a horror.

A man was killed cycling here last year.

Solution: There is plenty of space at this junction, so it could potentially get a Circulating Cycle Stage junction. As found in Waltham Forest and in Manchester under the ‘CYCLOPS’ moniker, these DfT-sanctioned schemes give an ‘all green’ signal for people walking and cycling around the edge of the junction in every direction ­— and have proven to be not only very safe, but to work for all modes passing through the junction, including buses. Oddly, while Waltham Forest continues to roll them out successfully (they’ve done eight now, with another three on the way), no other London borough has delivered one yet. n View it on Google maps: tinyurl.com/38pdpdc6.

Cycling collisions rank: 6 & 7 Collisions (across both junctions): fatal 2 / serious 2 / slight 8 Borough: Camden.

These are the two Holborn gyratory locations where Dr Martha Krawiec and Shatha Ali died in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Both fatalities led to protests by LCC and, soon thereafter, improvements. Within weeks of LCC’s protest in 2021 temporary changes were made to Southampton Row where Dr Krawiec died, and permanent improvements followed. There are now works underway near Holborn station where Shatha Ali was killed too.

Solution: The long-term solution is to dismantle the one-way system. Camden Council has a plan, but it’s been on hold for years due to lack of funding. Meanwhile, upgrades made with TfL support since the fatalities may have saved lives already. n View it on Google maps: tinyurl.com/ mwzsjnpt.

Images: LCC staff

LAMBETH ROAD/KENNINGTON ROAD

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HIGH STREET SOUTHALL

ANGERSTEIN ROUNDABOUT Worst cycling junction in borough (Greenwich), rank: 1 Collisions: fatal 1 / slight 2 This roundabout on the approach to Blackwall Tunnel has been previously identified by LCC as one of the most dangerous in London. While minor fixes have been made, a lot more needs to be done. The Woolwich Road corridor near the junction has a few other dangerous junctions too.

Solution: We think the solution here is to signalise the junction and add cycle tracks along Woolwich Road. With proper junction treatments along Woolwich Road this would not only address the most dangerous junction in Greenwich, but three others as well. n If you want to see what the most dangerous junction is in your borough, look at the interactive map linked on the website — lcc.org.uk/campaigns/dangerous-junctions.

Worst junction for pedestrians, rank: 1 Collisions: fatal 2 / slight 2 Borough: Ealing.

As with the ‘top’ junction for cycling, this isn’t an immediately infamous central London location. While in many ways it looks like hundreds of ‘standard’ high street junctions, this pedestrian hotspot has key similarities to the Tooting junction ranked worst for cycling.

Poor sightlines approaching this junction in Southall, for both pedestrians and drivers, combine with high pedestrian footfall and relatively narrow pavements, then add on the side road being a massive ratrun for fatal outcomes.

Solution: Create a ‘continuous footway’ across the junction to reinforce pedestrian priority, but, most importantly, close off the ratrun. A few well-placed LTN filters would stop drivers cutting the lights at South Road and likely save lives. Shame then that Ealing ripped out its LTNs and shows little enthusiasm for reinstating them. n View it on Google maps: tinyurl.com/44yy2hvm.

MONUMENT

n View it on Google maps: tinyurl.com/mrwfbfdy.

Images: LCC staff

Worst junction for pedestrians, rank: 4 Collisions: fatal 1 / serious 4 / slight 7 Borough: City of London It’s hard to believe such a major, central junction still has no pedestrian signals on multiple arms! While bus gates nearby have reduced motor traffic in this area, more definitely needs to be done.

Solution: Pedestrian signals and simpler crossings, (more) bus gates and north-south cycling. There should be pedestrian signals on all arms of this junction. There is also an opportunity for straight-across pedestrian crossings. Traffic in this area needs to be further reduced, particularly outside current bus gate hours. And if traffic can’t be reduced, protected cycle tracks are needed.

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LONDON

CYCLE BUDDIES As LCC’s Cycle Buddies service gets a new online matching platform, Melanie Etherton finds out how some pairs clicked

Photo: Melanie Etherton

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CC’s Cycle Buddies project is growing with the launch of our new digital matching platform. Having a Cycle Buddy builds confidence: whether that’s a new route to the shops, a first cycle to work, or getting back on a bike after many years.

With the new online platform, someone seeking help signs up, sets out their goals, and then can search hundreds of ‘helper’ profiles across London and choose to message someone they’d like to help them.

And that’s people like you, London Cyclist readers — you know the local back routes, the shortcuts, the roads to avoid.

And if you’re a commuter you probably have a well-honed ride to your workplace.

Volunteering to be a Cycle Buddy lets you share that knowledge and experience to make someone else’s journey a bit easier.

We hope this new online platform will make it much easier for people to find a Cycle Buddy near them, and help many more Londoners find their confidence on wheels. For more info and to sign up, go to lcc.org.uk/cyclebuddies.

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Tom Karlo & Cara Fletcher Ages: 47 and 27 Boroughs: Westminster and Islington Why did you want a Cycle Buddy?

Cara: I figured I’d quite like to cycle to work. But I’d never cycled in London before and didn’t have any friends who did either. I was just Googling online to see what sort of information there was and came across Cycle Buddies.

Tom: I’ve had really good experiences helping family and friends start to ride. I find once folks start they tend to keep cycling, so I thought I’d try and help others too.

What have you learnt from your Cycle Buddy?

Cara: I reached out to a few people on the website, and Tom’s answer was immediately helpful. We only ever talked online and it was all about routing; Tom pointed me to the Transport for London cycle map and helped me find a convenient route from my house to my office. One Sunday morning I tried the route by myself and now I cycle it every day!

Tom: I didn’t want Cara to make my mistakes. When I first moved here from the States, I used Google Maps and it tends to put you on the busiest road in the bus lane.

But it’s harder when you don’t know someone’s exact riding skill, and you have to take that into account. You just have to ramp things up slowly.

Cara: The Santander hire bikes are right next to my house, it’s just too convenient. Now I’m that person in my friendship group like Tom was for me. People come to me with questions about cycling and I can say, ‘it’s okay, I was scared too, you can do it’.

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Nick Butler & Mina Barber Ages: 75 and 59 Borough: Havering Why did you want a Cycle Buddy?

Mina: As a child in India, I had a near miss with a lorry and was never allowed to ride a bike again. Years later in Tower Hamlets, I would sit on the bus to work and watch all the people cycling and wish it was me. This year I finally had the time to fulfil my ambition to ride a bike — but I didn’t have anyone with time to cycle with me.

Nick: I moved to Upminster in 2016 and was pretty scared of cycling due to the

intensity of traffic. In Havering, where do you cycle to? I like to go slow, I like to natter, and I’ve spent years finding quiet routes — now I want to share them.

What have you learnt from your Cycle Buddy?

Mina: Nick is such a kind person, so patient. We’ve done weeks of rides.

When I’m with Nick, I feel more confident and I really enjoy spending those moments with him. Yesterday we got the train and cycled 13 miles around the Olympic Park. Nick takes me places I would never have gone on my own.

Nick: It brings me an awareness of other people’s perceptions and the individual challenges people face. Mina’s so determined. And even if you’re riding slowly, when you’re used to walking then cycling is very fast!

Mina: I’m definitely getting stronger too. I’m a Hindu and we do daily prayers at our household mandir.

Before I started cycling my knees weren’t bending, so I had to sit on a dining chair. Now I can fold my legs and sit for meditation properly. I just want to cycle all the time. If someone says ‘Mina, let’s go’, I’ll go!

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Karishma Shah & Jess Kyriacou Ages: 34 and 34 Borough: Croydon Why did you want a Cycle Buddy?

Karishma: I started riding in the park with a friend during lockdown, but that friendship broke down. I have a visual impairment and I’m a guide dog owner: I thought without that friend, I don’t know how to cycle any more!

I can see a bit in front of me and my fatbike tyres mean I don’t worry about the surface, so I’m happy to ride with someone, but I didn’t want to ride on my own. So I Googled ‘cycle buddies in Croydon’ and found Jess.

Jess: I co-run a small group doing local

rides with Croydon Cycling Campaign, and I was interested in why people might not feel confident coming to a group ride.

What have you learnt from your Cycle Buddy?

Karishma: It’s been so much more than I expected. We’ve gone to some amazing places. I’ve met Jess and her group, which I would never have done on my own. And all of them have been so incredibly inclusive. I don’t know how to hype this enough. When you’re disabled you sometimes believe that people are not going to accept you. When I had the first online conversation with Jess I was

nervous that once I told her I’m visually impaired she might not want anything to do with me. But at each step she’s just been more and more amazing. Doing this has inspired me and given me hope that actually the world is a nice place.

The only downside is when I go cycling I have to leave my beautiful guide dog, Hermes, at home. I feel really guilty and have to give him lots of extra biscuits.

Jess: It’s been really lovely being part of Karishma’s experiences — cycling is so much more than just the bike. And the more people that want to ride, the stronger our cause to improve Croydon’s infrastructure.

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Mohamed Ali & Tony McKenzie Ages: 26 and 58 Borough: Hackney

individuals. Cycle Buddies means I can give my full attention to one person.

Why did you want a Cycle Buddy?

Mohamed: I’m used to cycling in Norway. It’s different. In Norway you cycle on the right, and here it’s on the left. In Norway my school and college were easily accessible on paths with no cars, but here I was very anxious about cycling on roads.

Tony: I volunteer with the London Cycling Campaign group in Hackney as both a ride leader and a marshal.

But when you’re running a big ride, you don’t really get to engage with

What have you learnt from your Cycle Buddy?

Mohamed: I was really shy when I met him in person, so I didn’t say hardly anything. Tony is very patient though.

He keeps it light-hearted so it doesn’t feel like it’s a chore or an appointment, or anything like that. It’s just a regular cycling trip with your buddy, but at the same time he teaches you a lot.

The conversation started flowing, and now I’m comfortable on the roads thanks to Tony, so I can ride to visit

family in south London. I realised that I have a right to ride on the road as much as everyone else. As a cyclist I’m not a nuisance or a hindrance to other road users.

Tony: Mo is a lot younger and faster than me, so I was adapting to what he wanted and needed — a mix of some quiet routes, but also long straight roads where he can stretch out and go faster and still be safe. As a Cycle Buddy, being flexible is just as important as trying to share what you know. I think Cycle Buddies is brilliant.

It gives our whole campaign a more holistic approach.

Thank you to CarryMe Bikes in Hackney, who kindly loaned us a cargobike to help with these video and photoshoots. To sign up as a helper buddy, visit lcc.org.uk/cyclebuddies 26

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INTERVIEW

MAURICE BURTON Tom Bogdanowicz speaks with the pioneering racer and multiple British champion at his shop, De Ver Cycles in Streatham You were born and educated in South London. How did you get involved in cycling? And what was your first bike?

Things changed after you went to the Herne Hill velodrome for the first time with your school?

We were in the grandstand and there was a coach named Bill Dodds. And he

Your first big victory was the British Junior Sprint Championship in 1973, but then there was an unpleasant reaction, booing, when you won the national Amateur Scratch Championship in 1974...

That’s correct. What can I say, I won the race fair and square. As you know, I was booed and that. But that’s neither here nor there as far as I’m concerned. It didn’t worry me that much, you know? In fact, it brought a smile to my face because I kind of felt I liked to see people get upset sometimes.

It was a sad echo of the legendary African-American rider, Major Taylor, and the race issues that he’d faced nearly 100 years earlier. Were you aware of his story?

I knew he’d been a world champion, but I didn’t know the full story. But he managed to overcome it. Much like Jack Johnson, the boxer, at the same time; he had to go and fight in Australia as he couldn’t do it in America.

Taylor and Johnson, more than 100 years ago, you know. But they did it, they got through.

To what extent do you think being non-white was an obstacle in the cycling world of the 70s? You were clearly talented and you rode for Britain at the Commonwealth Games, but not the Olympics in 1976...

Photos: Tom Bogdanowicz

My father was dead against me ever riding a bicycle. I think partly because he felt the roads at the time were so dangerous. I used to have to build up the courage to ask him every now and again if I could have a bike, and each time it was always a ‘no’. So, in the end, being as I am, I took matters into my own hands. From the coach we used to go swimming with the school, I saw this bike in someone’s front garden. Later on that evening, I knocked on their door... and the long and the short of it is that I worked out some sort of deal and got that bike from a garden for myself. That was in 1968, when I was 12 years old. I put new forks in it and fixed it up. When my dad saw the bike, he said: “Whose is that?” So I replied: “Oh, I’ve just borrowed it, dad, it’s not mine.”

In the end I think he realised he wasn’t gonna stop this boy. I used to just ride around with people, but because there was no internet or anything like that, there wasn’t any information on how to go forward. Even at that stage though, there was hardly anyone who could get the better of me on a bike.

said, “from here you can go to the Olympic Games”, and I thought this is what I’d been looking for, this was the place I needed to be. So the next week we went down there and were on the bikes riding around the track, having a little race at the end of the day. I’ll tell you the truth, I didn’t win the race — I was second, but I only just lost it. And the reason I lost it was because I went flat out for the whole lap (400m) and it was a bit too early, so by the time I got to the line I was dying a little bit and somebody just passed me. That was the first time and the last time.

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Initially I wasn’t on the on the (Olympic) squad, never mind the team. Bearing in mind too that I’d won, by that time, three British titles, one of which was in the team pursuit with a new British track record. And it was a little bit… well I think even the press started to notice that there was riders on that squad that I don’t think had even won a race. Yet there was me, and I wasn’t on the squad. So eventually they did bring me in.

I thought to myself I need to try my very best here, because if I don’t then I might look back and say ‘what if’? So I gave it my best shot, but it wasn’t to be. Once I realised that it wasn’t gonna happen, I realised that I was wasting my time riding in races in England. So immediately they announced the final selection, I just left this country and went to Belgium.

You then rode against legends like Eddy Merckx and Patrick Sercu — what kind of challenge was that?

With Merckx, it was his last year when I turned pro, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. There was one particular race, the Ghent Six Day, and I was riding with Paul Medhurst when we came up against Merckx and Sercu. And we ended up winning the race by half a lap in front of Merckx!

Then later that night, me and Merckx were left in the same sort of elimination, this was an individual one. He came alongside of me and he quietly said — and by this point all the people in the crowd are shouting “Eddy, Eddy” — he’s come alongside of me and said “you let me win this one”. And I said “okay, no problem.” I did let him win, and a lot of people have asked me why I did that. And I have to say that I knew it even at the time, I knew that it would be something that I could tell my grandchildren, because you know,

The famous yellow and black team colours: still adorn De Ver Cycles in Streatham

this was a man who, when I was a young boy, I’d seen him on the television and he was the greatest of all time — and still is. It’s the greatest honour that you could have for that man to ask you to (let him) win the race.

You spent 18 months making a living as a cycle courier too, what was that like?

What happened was that I didn’t do anything for about two years, but I was used to living a certain type of lifestyle.

And when you haven’t got any income coming in, even though I did earn a few bob from riding the Six Days, after two years the money was running out. So, yeah, I did become a courier and it was a little bit embarrassing on one occasion.

That was when I was out in London about to do a drop-off, and this man suddenly jumped out of a taxi. He said to me: “What the hell? What are you doing here?” This man was a Dutch rider called ‘Gerrie’ Knetemann, a former world champion, and when he asked me what I was doing I couldn’t tell him I was delivering a letter, so I told him I was just out riding around town.

You went on to take over De Ver Cycles in Streatham, previously owned by racing colleague Peter Verleysdonk...

Peter persuaded me to take the business

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from him. I knew that it was a tough business to be in, but at the same time I needed to do something. So I got into it and it went from there. And we’re still ticking along nicely today.

You now have shop, a cycle team and you run cycle training camps in Lanzarote — do you attract a more diverse sort of clientele than the mainstream?

Yeah, absolutely. Some places charge double what I charge (for training camps) but I don’t want to be exclusive. I don’t want to exclude certain people; I like the mix I’ve had on my camps. I’ve had one guy who has big businesses and owns a yacht, another rider was a heating engineer. I like to feel that I treat the person who’s just bought a bike for £1,000 the same as I

Glory days: Maurice at home on the velodrome boards early in his career

would the person who’s bought one for £10,000, you know. Because respect is respect.

Finally where do you go from here? Any other plans?

I’ve got three children, as you know. One of them is my son, Jermaine (former British cycling team member), who is still finding his way in life. He’s married, with children, and living up in Scotland.

Another is living in one of my flats upstairs here and at university studying sound engineering. And then there’s my daughter, the youngest, and she’s very academic: a degree at Imperial College, then she did a Masters at Cambridge, and now she’s doing her PhD there too. And when she’s finished all of that, she’s said to me that she will take over the business eventually. Which I’m, yeah, I’m pleased about.

I’ve never really been an academic, but what fascinates me is psychology. And I’d like to try and do a degree in psychology. That’s what I would like to do. But to do that I need some more time, because right now it’s still taken up very much with running this bike business.

We ended up winning that Ghent Six Day race by half a lap in front of Eddy Merckx!

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LONDON L VES CYCLING

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T’S BEEN A wild and weird few years of lobbying for active travel in London. In March 2020 when Covid first hit, I was infrastructure campaigner at LCC and assumed I’d be furloughed immediately; no-one thought there’d be any construction in the offing. Instead, we saw decades worth of cycle-related schemes delivered at an accelerated pace in the space of six months.

Photos: Andy Donohoe

The race for a new Mayor starts now. Simon Munk teases LCC’s 2024 mayoral election campaign and sets out the inevitable culture war context it arrives in

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Looking back on those deeply strange days, the scale of change was dizzying. For many of us, cycling has been a lifelong, ingrained habit — fuelled by cols, coffee and Lycra in some cases, for others sturdy waterproofs and a simple desire to use the most efficient and sensible form of transport. For others still, cycling represents a ‘green wave’ of health and environmental benefits. But for nearly every cyclist riding around London in 2019, there would be the shared experience of regularly having to navigate horrific roads, dangerous junctions and miles without any provision or consideration for cycling at all — or, at best, a faded, narrow ‘advisory’ lane of dashed white lines.

We had achieved huge leaps at LCC though — particularly via 2012’s Love London Go Dutch campaign which saw then Mayor Boris Johnson deliver three major ‘mini-Holland’ town centre schemes in Enfield, Kingston and Waltham Forest, as well as major junction upgrades such as Elephant & Castle. And, most importantly,

Johnson had seen the properly protected north-south and eastwest Cycle Superhighways along the Embankment and across Blackfriars come to fruition.

The current mayor, Sadiq Khan, rapidly built on his predecessor’s legacy, again in no small part thanks to LCC and borough group campaigning. But all the successes had still only delivered less than a handful of longer routes, most of which failed to link up. Then Covid hit and the pace really accelerated.

London loves cycling In between lockdowns, the reality was that suddenly huge swathes of London knitted itself together for cycling. One could ride from Brixton to Walthamstow, Stratford to Paddington, without really encountering much in the way of motor traffic or hairy intersections. Perhaps unsurprisingly with hindsight, it wasn’t just the ‘network’ of safe cycle routes that expanded, but the numbers and variety of people cycling.

From the MAMILs and the road warriors, to the sturdy and steady-

paced, and the helmetcammers, we could finally say London had ‘gone Dutch’. Women in heels or hijabs, or both, folks in everyday clothes, thousaunds of gig economy riders, young people, old people, parents, kids, cargobikes, the whole caboodle. Many routes ran out of capacity rapidly and have remained so since (and, yes, even in the inclement weather). It turns out London loves cycling!

Cycling finally also expanded from the centre and inner London to the suburbs. Sure, you might not see a traffic jam of cyclists quite yet in Barnet or Bromley. But you can in Waltham Forest. And Hounslow.

Cycleway 9 carries up to 4,000 bike journeys daily in Chiswick. People cycling outnumber people in cars now in an increasing portion of London at peak times of the day. Of course, again, with the benefit of hindsight we should have spotted the bikelash coming.

Bikelash bonanza As Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and cycle tracks spread beyond the previously bold boroughs such

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as Hackney, Waltham Forest and the City (which built loads on top of what was already there during the pandemic), a rumble began. It was not an unexpected noise for some of us. When Walthamstow got its first ‘modern’ LTN in 2014, protestors marched a coffin up the middle of a quaint shopping street found in the middle of the ‘village’, predicting the death of the local retailers there. Similar protests went on to grip other parts of town, and then beyond. Of course, Orford Road in Walthamstow is now utterly rammed, footfall through the roof — a wild LTN independent shopping success. Change is hard, and change where folks are politely asked to drive less and cycle and walk more, is really hard for some.

The bikelash, however, didn’t just confine itself to local spats for local people. What started as idiots vandalising a few bollards in Ealing spread rapidly. Cycling and community schemes were caught up in a culture war where supposed ‘libertarians’ on the far right of politics fulminated against the ULEZ expansion, LTNs and Covid

vaccines alike, as impinging on their freedom. Of course, if it had only been Piers Corbyn, Right Said Fred and the Heritage Party that had attacked these schemes, things wouldn’t be so weird now.

Parliament and pushbikes Concerns over the cost of ‘net zero’ overlapping with the cost of living crisis; the sheer scale of changes happening societally; the Covid crisis impacting ways of travel — all have combined to cause jitters on active travel and decarbonisation schemes on both sides of mainstream politics. The Conservative mayoral candidate in 2021, Shaun Bailey, threatened to rip out the Embankment cycle tracks, and the party’s 2024 candidate, Susan Hall, has gone much further.

She has said that if she is voted in “there will be no pay-per-mile in London” and would “scrap ULEZ expansion on day one”. She has also stated “LTNs are disastrous — they should be removed”, that she would axe main road 20mph limits in London, and believes cycle lanes are “causing massive congestion”.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, and his government followed this with a scathing sweep of attacks on active travel schemes themselves — pledging to cut bus lane operating hours, cut “blanket” use of 20mph zones (as in Wales), and stop LTN rollout that has not “secured local consent” (whatever that means).

Most worrying of all is the threat to stop all ANPR camera enforcement (LTNs, bus gates, bus lanes, high streets, etc.) accessing the DVLA register of car licence plates.

Sunak’s transport minister, Mark Harper, said at the same time of ‘15-minute cities’ (which is a planning concept for having life amenities like public transport stops, doctors, shops and schools within a 15-minute walk of residents in a neighbourhood): “What is sinister, and what we shouldn’t tolerate, is the idea that local councils can decide how often you go to the shops, and that they ration who uses the road and when.” Of course, this is not factually true.

But this isn’t just about Conservative politicians. Faced with a narrow and utterly predictable by-election defeat in Uxbridge, Labour leader Keir Starmer appeared to blame the loss on Sadiq and ULEZ expansion.

Starmer asked Sadiq to “reflect” on the Uxbridge loss and ULEZ, adding: “We are doing something very wrong if policies put forward by the Labour party end up on each and every Tory leaflet.” And ‘Uxbridge fever’ still appears to be gripping some in the party — with clean air zones apparently removed from national transport pledges following the result.

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With some newspapers running a non-stop attack line on LTNs, cycle tracks, cycling and any restriction on driving, it’s clear that what should be a simple transport choice is now a key battleground for a ‘culture war’ being brewed, with several mainstream political parties struggling to articulate how they’ll deliver healthier streets and communities, cleaner air and emission-free transport, while simultaneously not ramping up a ‘war on motorists’.

Where does this leave cycling, LCC and the mayoral campaign?

The way forward We’re fed up of cycling being weaponised by politicians. Indeed, the simple reality operating in London is that our capital loves cycling. It needn’t be controversial to say that or do something about it. Loads of people already cycle in the city and many more say they would if safe cycle routes were more widespread and better connected.

We’re way beyond the stage

of having to rely on in-depth studies, data and infrastructure experts telling us how good cycle tracks are, how vital LTNs are for community, children, road danger and crime, how valuable it is to get more people cycling in our capital.

We’re at the point where this stuff is more about simple common sense than white lab coats. We can do one of two things — and the outcomes are obvious.

London faces some simple choices going forward. We can continue to expand cycling into outer London, fix the gaps in the network, invest and see the benefits come rolling back to our city in the form of cleaner air, healthier lungs, freedom for kids, lower climate emissions, increased high street trade and happy communities. Or we can accept an (outer) London forever mired in cars, congestion, particulate pollution, collisions and community severance.

Our view is every mayoral candidate needs to get behind the former, and turn away from the

latter. And we’ll say that loud and clear from now until, well, until all of London is amazing for cycling — but May 2024 for starters.

We’re still working up exactly what to say to all of you and to the mayoral candidates and what to ask for. But our initial working ideas of what we want the Mayor to commit to include things like spending at least as much as currently on active travel, fixing the fatal and serious collisions faster so everyone can cycle safely, and rolling that cycle network out everywhere. Watch this space for more soon, because we cannot afford, any of us, to have a Mayor that’s set to backpedal on cycling.

But perhaps more, we don’t want to talk just about supporting cycling because it’s important, because it technically is a good thing to do in London. And we don’t want to just talk about keeping people safe and making cycling feel safer, although those are vitally important. We also want this time round to show our mayoral candidates that the cycling ‘go Dutch’ utopia envisioned a decade ago is already here. That London loves cycling.

We want our next Mayor to be out on a bike with us. We want to show our mayoral candidates the London we see every day — people on bikes with smiles on their faces, whether it’s going out after work on a dockless e-bike, getting to school in a bikebus, or just folks riding for the sheer joy of it. It’s time the Mayor recognised not just how important cycling is, but how legion London’s cycling now is. We’re many communities worth listening to and we are getting a lot louder.

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“Osbornes Law took on my case after I was hit by van on my cycle to work. I learnt about them as a member of the London Cycling Campaign. I would recommend Osbornes Law to anyone who is unsure how to proceed following a traumatic cycling accident.”

Felicia D

Proud to be the legal partner of the LCC and their members We operate a free telephone advice line for LCC members who have been involved in a cycling crash or collision.

Our lawyers will advise you of your legal rights, the legal process and whether a legal claim can be brought.

Telephone: 020 3944 1334 | Email: cycling@osborneslaw.com

Osbornes Law is a trading style of Osbornes Solicitors LLP. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

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LONDON

Inspired by the Urban Hill Climb event and want to try a few more ‘cheeky’ city ascents? Toby Zeidler picks six of the best

Swain’s Lane n Borough: Camden n Maximum gradient: 20% n LCC toughness rating: 9 n Strava segment: strava.com/ segments/15946729 North London is a hotbed for stunning urban climbs, with none being more iconic than Swain’s Lane, the location of the now legendary annual Urban Hill Climb, organised by LCC. Swain’s Lane is a leafy, quiet road that carves the world-famous Highgate Cemetery in two, providing a tunnel of tree-covered ascent thanks to its high stone walls.

Covering 900m at an average gradient of 8%, this is not the steepest climb you’ll find in

London. It is, however, a very challenging slope to pace correctly — this provides thrilling racing at UHC, which takes place on the last Saturday in September every year.

The lower section of the climb up to the cemetery entrances is on a steady and manageable slope, with clear sight-line up toward the gates. Once there you’re greeted by that tunnel-like section up to the summit. For a fast time, this is where you kick hard and try to carry your speed — far easier said than done! Just as you pass the steepest section, you’ll finally have sight of the top, and here the road flattens off slightly giving you one last chance to empty the tank before the line.

The Urban Hill Climb is a fantastic opportunity to experience

this climb with no motor traffic to deal with. You’ll also have hundreds of spectators cheering you on like a Tour de France pro rider! It’s open to all and has categories to suit every type of cyclist; riders are encouraged to bring their kids, their pets, their best fancy dress and their friends for this unique event.

But Swain’s Lane is worth a visit at any time of the year. Yes, it’s an out-of-the-saddle effort, but the rewards are unquestionable. From the finish you can drop directly into Highgate village where there’s plenty to see and do. And from here you can also weave your way to Hampstead Heath. Or if you’re hungry for more altitude, Muswell Hill and Alexandra Palace are close by via some steep backstreets.

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Valleyfield Road n Borough: Lambeth n Maximum gradient: 11% n LCC toughness rating: 6 n Strava segment: strava.com/ segments/3472652

Alexandra Palace Way n Borough: Haringey n Maximum gradient: 12% n LCC toughness rating: 7 n Strava segment: strava.com/segments/1175997 If you’ve made it to the foot of this climb, you’ll have the choice of this or Muswell Hill. If you’re seeking a masochistic thrill, choose the latter option. But if it is a sweeping, steep kicker with one of the best views in London that you’d favour, then this is your choice.

One of the key things that makes this climb hard is that unless you’re blessed with incredible luck, you’ll be beginning at a standing start. A slower start is the first mental battle, but the second is that you can see the summit through the trees before your tyres come close to the toughest section.

The sweeping turns up to the famous venue begin with a sharp kick upwards, before backing off

and into a wonderful slingshot effect up towards the main hall where you will be greeted by panoramic views from Essex across to central London.

This is not a busy street, unless you’ve picked a time when your favourite pop star has arrived to headline. Or the darts is on. There is, however, a bus route that passes through so you’ll have to hope your flow is not disrupted by a trundling single-decker.

Photos: John Kitchiner, Mark Barren

Nestled in the midst of a quiet residential neighbourhood is this small taste of a twisting mountain pass. At a steady and consistently testing gradient of around 7-8%, Valleyfield Road winds smoothly around four corners that can satisfyingly slingshot you further up the narrow street towards stunning views over south-west London and Surrey.

This is an ideal hill for repetitions of harder efforts — the best way to get fitter for climbing — but the entrance at the foot of the climb is a right angle, and a narrow one, so be sure to take care if attempting to carry any speed into the foot of the climb.

With parked cars on both sides of the street, there’s little space for taking faster lines through corners, or space for vehicles to overtake.

Again, be vigilant when attempting harder efforts along this stretch, though do be sure to add it to your tick list.

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LONDON

Canonbie Road n Borough: Southwark n Maximum gradient: 14% n LCC toughness rating: 8 n Strava segment: strava.com/ segments/645952

College Road n Borough: Southwark n Maximum gradient: 8% n LCC toughness rating: 5 n Strava segment: strava.com/ segments/651024 South-east London is a haven for road cyclists, with dozens of fantastic community clubs based locally. On the doorstep of Herne Hill Velodrome, you’ll find this steady and wonderfully quiet road winding up to Crystal Palace Park; home to Tuesday night criterium racing through the summer months. It’s also an old training favourite of Simon Warren, author of the brilliant 100 Climbs series.

College Road, as the name suggests, passes along the full

length of Dulwich College and its grounds. As you reach the end of the playing fields, you’ll find a toll booth with a neat path around it for cyclists. Thanks to this barrier, it’s a pretty safe yet challenging climb, taking you toward the lanes of Kent.

Overall it’s steady, with a small kicker toward the summit, though regular speed bumps along the way require finesse if pushing hard.

Two sweeping corners add a nice target to maintain your effort but don’t interrupt your flow.

As you reach the top you emerge at a mini roundabout in a protected lane, meaning that despite the busy road you’re greeted with, you’ll be able to continue relatively safely no matter how puffed out you might be feeling.

This may not be a long climb, but it is guaranteed to sting. Short and brutally sharp, with minimal opportunities to carry speed into the foot of the climb, this is one to attack from the get-go.

You’ll find no respite at the corner; this is the steepest section and offers no slingshot effect. You’re then greeted by an unrelenting gradient right up to the summit that never dips below double figures.

Once at the top, drink in the vistas across south-east London and all the way out to Kent. Behind you you’ll be able to see right across central London to Hampstead Heath and Muswell Hill.

The summit of this street is gone before you’ve had a chance to catch your breath, with barely a handful of houses on level ground. For the harder challenge, approach from Forest Hill Road.

makes for a perfect warm-up to your next record-breaking attempt up to Alexandra Palace just around the corner.

Thanks to the grid-like layout, Uplands Road and its neighbours

are ideal for hill repeats. You’ll find consistently tough slopes and can easily work your way up and down the set of five without having to do any U-turns. Be aware, though, that this is a narrow, two-way residential street which also hosts a bus route. Be watchful when taking on the climb, even though you’ll almost always be lucky as throughtraffic is not possible. But if a vehicle does decide to drive down while you’re heading up, passing distance will be very snug.

Photos: Stephen McKay, Paul Belkin

Uplands Road n Borough: Haringey n Maximum gradient: 13% n LCC toughness rating: 5 n Strava segment: strava.com/ segments/1607606 Uplands Road is a dead straight, terrace-lined street that forms part of a five-street grid of near identical slopes, interconnected at the top and bottom. It’s a surprisingly steep and testing ramp which

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ULTIMATE BIKING BREAKS Winter is when most people start their holiday planning, so here’s a magnificent seven cycle getaways to consider

RIDE THE RUGGED HIGHLANDS WITH REDSPOKES Embrace the rugged grandeur of the Scottish Highlands with Redspokes and relish the thrill of cycling through one of the world’s most magnificent landscapes. Whether you’re an adventurous solo traveller or prefer the companionship of a group, we offer the perfect cycling break for you.

You can either join our enthusiastic local guides who will lead you on unforgettable group explorations, experiencing Scotland’s stunning landscapes and gaining knowledge about its rich history and culture. Or, for independent spirits, our self-guided tours provide the freedom to set your own pace — cycle through pristine glens, conquer winding mountain passes, and discover hidden lochs, all while we manage the logistics and ensure a seamless journey.

Redspokes understands the importance of top-notch equipment too, and you can enjoy the trip on our quality bicycles and e-bikes if you don’t want to bring your own bike. n redspokes.co.uk

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TRAVEL ADVERTORIAL TRAVEL

THE LUXURY CYCLING AND FAMILY BREAK

TACKLE THE CAMINO PRIMITIVO Known as the original ‘camino’ (pilgrimage trail), the Camino Primitivo takes you on the quietest and most authentic route to Santiago, through the gorgeous landscapes of ‘green’ Spain. This is moderate to challenging cycling for sure, with several exciting ascents up a variety of cols, but you’ll definitely be rewarded for your efforts. You pedal through a very traditional region, with few tourists, so expect to experience rural life like a local — you can even learn how to pour cider like a true Asturian in one of our many sidrerias.

S-Cape Travel offers hand-picked accommodation, daily luggage transport, pilgrim’s passport, 24/7 support and an expert roadbook and app, all for under £775pp for 11 days with B&B (self-guided). High quality bike rental, including e-bikes, is available too. Just pick the date and we’ll do the rest! n s-capetravel.eu

UNCOVER HIDDEN GEMS IN ANDALUCIA

Andalucia is one of Spain’s best-kept secrets in terms of cycling: roads are smooth and quiet, with winter temperatures usually hovering around 20-degrees. The region offers undulating coastal roads, challenging mountain climbs and stunning vistas.

The award-winning Cycle Retreats visit again on 24 February 2024 for a week of fully-guided and supported riding. Staying on the outskirts of historic Ronda, you will cycle the breathtaking area and return to home-cooked food, local wines, and great company all included. Cycle Retreats’ holidays are run like catered ski chalets for cyclists and have a family feel where everyone is welcome, and our motto is ‘cycling done your way’. Get in touch by email or phone, or visit the website to find out more about this stunning getaway. n cycleretreats.com

Hoposa Villaconcha Family & Sport is, without doubt, the best sport hotel in Puerto Pollensa and one of the best in Mallorca. This is an aparthotel with specific services for cycling, athletics, swimming and triathlon, as well as excellent facilities designed for family holidays on the island.

Families can enjoy the four outdoor swimming pools, an extensive entertainments programme, and the best activities for children. Sports enthusiasts have access to a semiOlympic outdoor swimming pool (heated to 28-degrees), a large gym, spa, cycle workshop and secure storage, plus adapted menus for those that want to eat healthier. You can even add personal training and massage to the mix.

The 119 rooms of our aparthotel have been designed so that both families and fitness fans will feel at home during their stay. Spacious, bright, comfortable apartments and studios, all less than 200m from a beautiful beach. n hoposa.es LONDON CYCLIST Winter 2023 43

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TRAVEL ADVERTORIAL

A LAKE DISTRICT LIKE NO OTHER

CRUISING CROATIAN COAST AND MOUNTAINS In terms of European cycling destinations, Croatia and the Balkans is still relatively unknown, so why not come and explore it with us? We offer a range of different trips to suit all abilities, both guided or self guided. Be part of a small group or an independent cyclist, either way you’ll get to choose from cycling on the stunning mainland coast, picturesque Dalmatian islands, or hills and mountains in BosniaHerzegovina or Montenegro. We even offer wine tours by bike. Experience the best routes in this historic location, whether it’s by road bike, touring bike or e-bike. n epiccroatia.com

EASY MOUNTAIN BIKING IN PORTUGAL An unforgettable road trip along Portugal’s world-famous Atlantic coastline to the most westerly tip of the country at Sagres in the Algarve. This holiday is the perfect introduction to mountain biking, as you’ll pedal along dirt roads, gravel tracks and tarmac lanes with no, or little, traffic. The Costa Vicentina trail is a spectacular mix of dramatic cliffs and rolling dunes, and is renowned for offering an authentic experience of Portugal. In Alentejo and western Algarve, non-touristy fishing villages abound, full of local tavernas serving delicious regional dishes. Plus, as an extra bonus, all three of our chosen hotels have swimming pools.

Adventure experts S-Cape Travel offer hand-picked accommodation, daily luggage transport, 24/7 support and an expert roadbook and app, all for under £595pp for 7 days’ B&B (self-guided). High quality mountain bike and e-bike rental is available too. Time to start checking your calendar for suitable dates! n s-capetravel.eu

Redspokes’ Patagonian Lake District cycling adventure offers an immersive experience in one of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes. This magnificent region, shaped by both European and indigenous influences, stretches 300km from north to south, traversing the dramatic Andean mountain range that straddles Chile and Argentina.

The ever-changing scenery is a masterpiece sculpted by millions of years of volcanic activity; smouldering peaks grace the skyline, alongside snowclad peaks and towering granite summits.

The lower Andean slopes are cloaked in ancient rainforests and lush vegetation, while deep valleys reveal icy fjords, emerald lakes and cascading waterfalls, all set in a stunning natural backdrop — it’s a land of beauty and contrasts. What better way to soak it all in than from the saddle of a bicycle? n redspokes.co.uk

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Could you be a Cycle Buddy?

As a Cycle Buddy you’ll help people start cycling and build confidence - whether they’re returning after a break, starting for the first time, or just need some help planning a route.

You don’t need to be an expert and it’s quick and easy to set up a profile on the website.

So if you can help other people start cycling, please sign up to be a Cycle Buddy today: lcc.org.uk/cycle-buddies

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WHEELS TURNING IN WESTMINSTER One organisation is changing lives, communities and the way people view cycling in central London, as Graham Parry explains

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NLIGHTENED MINDS in Westminster City Council had been thinking of ways to provide more services to cyclists in the borough, while creating jobs for residents who needed them most.

Then Covid hit, and there was never a more opportune time for this to come to fruition: rapidly rising unemployment, especially for young people; a big spike in the number of people wanting and needing to cycle for wellness and work; a shortage in new bikes, parts and mechanics to keep cyclists moving. Westminster was already working with Cycle 46

Confident and Groundwork London and decided to bring all the groups together to initiate something magic that would create jobs and training, and bring unwanted bikes back into use.

Within a few months, the three partners had found and fitted out a shop on Church Street, a vibrant and diverse community and street market, and recruited its first cohort of young aspirant bike mechanics — none of which could have happened without the generous support of the council.

Doors opened in 2020 and it’s been an absolute honour to be part of Church Street’s awesome and welcoming community.

Changing lives The heart of any successful new venture is an amazing team and we were fortunate to find one. Barnaby joined Westminster Wheels (WW) as the project lead and was quickly followed by Tomasz to run the shop and workshop; between them they had countless years of experience in some of London’s best loved and admired bike shops.

Barnaby said: “Westminster Wheels is the most rewarding and most challenging job I’ve ever had. It’s been amazing to see our trainees move from young people that have struggled to meet deadlines, young people who have had trouble with time-keeping and

COMMUNITY

keeping up with new demands, to then see them mature into people that relish their roles and responsibility and feel the buzz of being part of a team.”

Refurbishing bikes

ride it I feel like I am the best person in the world and people around me look at me smiling.” And from a young people in care group: “I am 100% sure your bike donations makes them fitter, healthier and brings some joy into their life. Big thank you to Westminster Wheels.”

Generous donations of bikes and even scooters have been gifted to local primary schools, a women’s refuge, unaccompanied asylum seekers, kids in care, community groups, and the list is growing.

Busy future ahead Today, in addition to secondhand bike sales, we are here to service your bikes and have a rapidlyexpanding loyal customer base in an underserved area of London.

In partnership with Chiltern Railways, we’ve just launched free bike checks for commuters travelling through Marylebone too.

For us it is as much about the rider as the bike. We’re doing our

bit to encourage more people onto bikes, this month we started collaborating with Joyriders, lending bikes to novice female cyclists who are then guided in their first cycle rides in London.

Enticing women from backgrounds that may not have embraced women cycling, giving them keys to their city.

We also have some exciting plans in the pipeline — extra specialist training for our participants, collaborations with bike companies, bike classes, volunteering, and even a Church Street bike festival.

VISIT US Need a new (used) ride? Your bike needs some love? Want to recycle your old inner tubes or donate old bike parts?

Then pop along to Westminster Wheels at 41-45 Church St, London NW8 8ES. Or for more details head over to the website: westminsterwheels.co.uk.

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Photos: Groundwork London

More recently we’ve been joined

by Ilyes and Kiro, two of the brightest stars from our training programme. They are two of more than 50 previously unemployed people who we’ve been able to offer work to. This is possible because of the generous donations from Westminster businesses, such as Grosvenor Estates, Bentall Green Oak and Westminster Community Homes. So far three-quarters of those who finish their six months with us have moved into work, most within London’s cycle industry.

One of our early graduates, Chris, said: “I went from having no idea of what I wanted to do with my life, to finding a career I could gladly do for the rest of my life. It’s nice to have a skillset that is valued, and one that gives me value.”

Since opening, our team has given a new lease of life to 2000+ bikes that were destined for waste.

And later this year we will be donating our 400th bike to groups and individuals in Westminster.

Seven-year-old Sofia said: “My bike is so much fun, because it is a girl’s bike and very fast. When I

ADVERTISING FEATURE

SUFFER A COLLISION? GET EXPERT ADVICE

O

SBORNES LAW recently helped a cyclist who was involved in a collision with a London taxi. The cyclist had been riding his bike in a protected cycle lane when the taxi driver drove out of a junction into the cyclist’s path, without giving way. The cyclist had no time to avoid the crash and was thrown from his bike as a result.

The cyclist suffered fractures to his hand and wrist requiring surgery, fractures to his spine and psychological injury. To build up a full picture of his prognosis, Osbornes arranged for the cyclist to be examined by independent medical experts.

Andrew Middlehurst, the lawyer at Osbornes who advised the cyclist, commented: “Instructing medical experts was crucial in this case. The doctors confirmed that the injuries our client sustained had caused

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If the worst should happen and you have an accident, be sure to get the best legal advice permanent damage and would impact his work opportunities in the future. This diagnosis of course affected the value of the claim and our approach when negotiating the settlement.”

A six-figure settlement was reached with the insurers of the London taxi driver.

The cyclist said: “Because of the advice from Osbornes my financial award took into account the further medical treatment I would need, the increased cost of gym membership and public transport costs — all the things I had not thought about. Osbornes really took

the time to find out how my injuries would affect my routine.

“In my case, before the crash I loved DIY, for example, but I’m now no longer able to do anything like this and have to pay for anything I need. This was also considered during negotiations.”

WHAT TO DO AT THE SCENE OF A COLLISION 01 Get out of danger 02 Ring 999 03 Exchange details with other party 04 Take pictures 05 Find witnesses; get their details 06 Check for local CCTV 07 Get legal advice

Contact Osbornes Law via osborneslaw.com or call 020 3944 1334

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Ride Guide | RIDES | ADVICE | BIKES | PRODUC TS | CULTURE |

RIDES

ADVICE

BIKES

REVIEWS

LONDON LOOP 51

FOLDING BIKES 54

YAMAHA E-BIKE 58

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FREE GIFT FOR YOU AND A FRIEND

Introduce a friend to LCC membership; they’ll support our work campaigning for safer cycling in London and you’ll both receive your choices of CatEye lights, an ABUS lock or Lezyne pump.

NEW-MEMBER BENEFITS • Third-party insurance cover • Discounted cycle insurance • Free cycling legal advice • Discounts with 100+ bike shops and top cycling retailers • Subscription to London Cyclist magazine • Free gift for you and a friend HOW TO CLAIM Visit lcc.org.uk/membership or use the QR code opposite:

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RIDES

UNEXPECTED

LONDON L

ONDON IS consistently ranked as the third most visited city in the world — but how many Londoners take time out to 'visit' their home town? This 19-mile circular ride treads both familiar and lesser-known ground: from the medieval City and the heart of the UK’s financial might, to Tudor London, the home of government and the seat of the modern monarchy.

You'll pass the sights that draw millions from across the globe, plus many other oddities that make London such a fascinating city. Take a day off to do this ride, it's not about distance or speed; take a lock with you and stop and ferret about a bit, there’s something unexpected at every turn. It's also very possible that you’ll be distracted by a museum, pub, restaurant or magnificent building and run out of time...

The route follows mostly protected cycleways, quiet roads and parkland paths, but a couple of busy junctions need care (these have signalled pedestrian crossings if preferred).

Tourist treats and hidden gems abound as Charlie Codrington takes us on a Thameside loop FACTFILE DISTANCE: 30km (19 miles) ASCENT: 133m SUITABLE FOR: all bikes START POINTS: Blackfriars station NOTE: This route visits places where cycling is not permitted and you may have to dismount and push your bike, so please follow the signage.

FREE MAP We have partnered with mapping specialist Komoot to bring you free downloadable route maps.

Simply scan the QR code here to access the relevant page on your smartphone or tablet.

UNEXPECTED LONDON

BLACKFRIARS STN

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CANARY WHARF 8km

GREENWICH 14km

ROTHERHITHE 19km

WESTMINSTER 26km

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Ride Guide UNEXPECTED LONDON S/F: BLACKFRIARS The first stage starting at Blackfriars station explores the medieval City, and you’re immediately winding through alleys up Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s Cathedral, commissioned after the Great Fire in 1666 and completed in 1710.

Join Watling Street to Bank, check out the hanging signs on Lombardy Street, before diving back into the alleys and courts to Leadenhall Market. Before leaving the City, stop and have a look at the Monument, that single Doric column, designed by Hawksmoor, and topped with a gilded copper cauldron, commemorating the Great Fire.

Follow the cycleway past the Tower of London to Mansell Street, where you turn sharp right; there is a cycle lane but the marking is ambiguous. It’s worth using the pedestrian crossing at the busy East Smithfield/Tower Bridge Approach junction. The next stages of the ride wind through the old docklands. There’s a great view of Tower Bridge from St Katherine’s lock, after which you join the cobbled Wapping High Street. Look out for small dark alleys leading to steps to the river’s foreshore; our favourite is Pelican Stairs next to the Prospect of Whitby pub. Pirates were hung here, hence the gibbet dangling from the pub's exterior.

GREENWICH [3] The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is best seen from Island Gardens, before you enter the foot tunnel.

There is so much to see in Greenwich: the Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory, the market, the Painted Hall. One hidden gem is the King William Courtyard: follow the western colonnade towards the road and on the left is a cobbled courtyard with a memorial to Nelson in the pediment.

If you can drag yourself away, join the brand new protected cycle path along Creek Road/Evelyn Street to Surrey Docks. Or, alternatively, follow the river to cross Deptford Creek on the cycle/ pedestrian footbridge (built thanks to decades of campaigning by Greenwich Cyclists), then take backstreets to meet the C4 cycleway.

In their heyday Surrey Docks is where timber was offloaded from Scandinavia (hence the street names); only Greenland Dock and South Dock survive today.

ROTHERHITHE [4] The small Brunel Museum offers a fascinating insight into the difficulties engineers of the early Industrial

Revolution had to overcome. And nearby the tiny Mayflower pub, decked in flowers is, yes, where the Pilgrim Fathers left for America in 1620.

Continue weaving through the old wharves, and make a short detour through the Shad Thames warehouses to Potters Fields for a proper view of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Keep to NCN4, as it winds past Borough Market, around Southwark Cathedral and into the Tudor Stews.

The medieval City fathers were generally a fairly prudish lot, banning entertainment and revelry within the City walls, thus Southwark became the city’s playground, filling with taverns, brothels and theatres, colloquially known as the Stews.

WESTMINSTER [5] Soon you'll pass Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as you cross Westminister Bridge on the protected cycle route. Head across Westminister Square and ride up to Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Monument.

From Trafalgar Square you can drop down to the Embankment and follow the east-west cycleway back to Blackfriars. Or take the Strand, which is now almost traffic-free, with the new pedestrianised Aldwych well worth a visit. It’s probably the first time in history that both St Mary le Strand and St Clements Danes churches can be seen without being run over! If you have time, take a wander into the courtyard of Somerset House too.

Finally, ride down Fleet Street seeking out the massive former headquarters of national newspapers, along with the more modest pub entrances and shop fronts. And if you do this ride on a weekday, you can also cut through the Temple Gardens and Courts back to the station.

Photos: Charlie Codrington

CANARY WHARF [2] Stay on the C3/C13 cycleway until you get to Premier Place, then follow the bike route into the back door of Canary Wharf. There are points here where you have to walk, but it's worth the effort to visit the heart of this development: familiar

yet foreign, with walkways littered with modern sculpture and restaurant chains. Cross South Dock on the pedestrian footbridge and make your way down the Isle of Dogs to Island Gardens.

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RIDES

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S F

4

2

CUT-OUT AND KEEP

UNEXPECTED LONDON

Simply scan the QR code here to access the relevant ride guide and map on a smartphone or tablet.

Map: © Komoot

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FREE MAP

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ADVICE

MY FIRST...

FOLDING BIKE

Folding bikes, or simply ‘folders’, have become a staple of city cycling since they were popularised in the 1970s, though much earlier military models originated in the 1890s. Portability is their defining characteristic, making transport and storage far easier than traditional bikes, and facilitating ‘mixed mode’ commuting. The Vello Alfine used as our illustration here starts from £1,190.

1. FRAME Though carbon folders exist (and we’ve tested a few in these pages), the majority of frames and forks are made from either steel or aluminium. Not only do they need to withstand the rigours of daily use, including many thousands of ‘folds’ across their lifetime, they need to be as strong as a standard cycle to carry riders of all sizes and their luggage. That final point is key as folding bikes tend to come in just one size, with an adjustability range to suit people from roughly 150195cm (just under 5ft to just over 6ft). And being regularly lifted on trains, trams or buses and likely subject to more knocks and scrapes, a durable finish and simple, robust mechanisms are key.

2. THE FOLD How the bike folds depends on the manufacturer, with many favouring some kind of hinge that brings one half of the bike round to sit next to the other half.

Vello, instead, uses a pivot near the bottom bracket to rotate the rear end upside down, with the lower section of the fork then folding back and securing things

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together with a magnetic clamp. The seatpost and handlebars can also be pushed down to create an even more compact folded size. It takes no more than a few seconds once mastered, which is crucial when you’ll be doing it in busy public places.

3. PORTABILITY Final folded size can vary enormously between manufacturers, but ideally you want something that’s no bigger than a medium to large-sized suitcase. The Vello Alfine packs down to a 79cm length, 57cm height and 29cm width (see 2b). Weight is also a factor in carry comfort and

Long, strong, silver: The extended seatpost allows one bike to fit a wide size of riders. Plus it doubles as a handle for suitcase-style wheeling when folded.

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6 Wot no chain?

A belt-drive doesn’t need lubing like a chain, which also means no grease stains on trousers!

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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6b luckily the Vello bikes are among the lightest folders available at just 12.9kg.

Finally that long seatpost isn’t just to accommodate multiple sizes of rider, it also doubles as a handle so you can wheel the bike easily around station platforms or workspaces.

5. ROBUST TYRES Tyres don’t come much better suited to urban adventure than the Schwalbe Marathons on the Vello. A thick rubber strip beneath the tread defends against punctures and the tread pattern itself is ideal yearround, especially in the wet.

4. WHEEL SIZE Folders obviously use smaller wheels than standard cycles to make things as compact as possible when folded, but not all folders are equal.

Some favour 16in wheels, while others (like Vello) prefer a larger 20in wheel for better all-round feel and performance closer to a typical hybrid.

6. DRIVETRAIN Deraillleur or hub gears?

Both have their pros and cons, but the advantage of hub gears like the Alfine is that they require virtually no maintenance as everything is enclosed from the elements.

And in a further nod to that hassle-free ethos, the Vello eschews a standard chain in favour of a long-lasting, grease-free Gates belt-drive.

7. DISC BRAKES As we’ve mentioned many times, there really is no

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substitute for the power and predictability of disc brakes and they should be top of any new bike wishlist.

8. ADJUSTABLE BARS Like the extended seatpost, a handlebar with quick-release adjustment is a must on bikes that have to fit riders of all sizes. The Vello bar has one other trick up its sleeve too; release the red clamps and the bar ends fold down to reduce the folded size to the max. Just don’t forget to tighten again before riding!

9. ACCESSORIES Mudguards, lights, chainguard, pannier racks — most manufacturers offer in-house solutions or add-on packages so you can pick and choose. A front rack and bag can be the best way to carry your gear on a folder, so do check for mounting options.

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NEW CYCLE LIGHTS There’s no more important piece of kit for safe winter and night-time cycling than a decent set of lights — so make sure you can see and be seen

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YCLE LIGHTS have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and there’s now myriad options for all budgets and all types of rider, whether you’re a diehard all-weather commuter, a part-time racer, or a weekend adventurer.

Here’s our round-up of nine of the best rechargeable lights to consider for the coming winter months — and the years ahead.

#1 TOPEAK POWERLUX USB COMBO

This versatile pairing is perfect for commutes — the front light emits up to 100 lumens, illuminating the road ahead, while the rear offers 25 lumens with multiple mode options.

Both lights are USB rechargeable and attach via simple mounting straps. n extrauk.co.uk; £39.99

#2 KNOG BLINDER PRO 900 This powerful, high-performing light comes with six pre-programmed modes, a 900-lumen max output and class-leading run times (2hr on max). It’s also USB rechargeable, 100% waterproof and has multiple mounting options (including a GoPro-style bar/helmet option). n freewheel.co.uk; £79.99

#3 RAVEMEN PR1400

An advanced light with a design that’s similar to a car’s headlight, with

friendly anti-glare low beam and farreaching high beam. It also comes with a run-time display, wired remote control, and can be used as a power bank to charge your phone. Run times of 1.5hr at 1400 lumens, or 8.5hr on 300 lumens. n ravemen.com; £109.99

#4 ACID FRONT PRO 80

Stylish and packing the power, the Pro 80 keeps you safe in all conditions. It’s splashproof, easy to recharge using a micro-USB cable, and the asymmetrical design allows it to be positioned centrally (in front of your stem) to maintain a sleek cockpit. Mounting is a cinch with the Slide-Lock system — no tools needed. n cube.eu; £69.95

#5 SP DYNAMO HUB

Winter commuting becomes a lot less of a faff with an SP Dynamo hub: you’ll never forget your headlight, or to charge it again! Various models to suit different wheel axles and brake types.

Available from IBDs, or as complete wheels from halowheels.com. SP also offers an LED headlamp for use with any of its dynamo hubs. n ison-distribution.com; from £100

#6 SEESENSE ICON3 SET

Made in the UK, this is SeeSense’s brightest, smartest lightset yet. Stay visible with 575 lumens front and 350 lumens rear, and 270-degree visibility.

Also features patented reactive technology, crash and theft alerts, and ‘Get Me Home Mode’ for peace of mind. All with a 15hr run-time. n seesense.cc; £179.99

#7 EXPOSURE STRADA MK12 SB AKTIV Updated for 2024, the Strada AKTiv automatically dims when it detects oncoming vehicle lights: no fumbling for buttons and vehicle drivers (and fellow cyclists) aren’t dazzled. A roadspecific lens enables riders to identify a hazard way up the road and track it all the way to the wheel, while the ‘daybright’ pulse pattern helps cut through distractions on busy streets.

Run-times of 2hr on 1700 lumens and 36hr on low. Made in the UK. n exposure-use.com; £375

#8 KNOG BLINDER REAR

Using ‘Chip on Board’ technology, the Blinder Rear takes rear light performance to a new level while adding a fun twist with a variety of LED designs. Choose from a grid, skull, cross or square pattern, and pair that with eight mode settings and a 100-lumen max output. 2.5hr run-time on max, or 60hr using eco flash. n freewheel.co.uk; £39.99

#9 ACID OUTDOOR HPA 850 This powerful LED light emits 850 lumens on high setting (2hr run-time), but offers four further modes, including flashing, for the perfect level of illumination on busy town or quieter country roads. The lithium-ion battery is replaceable and it’s simple to charge via USB; there’s a four-stage battery indicator. Fitting is quick and tool-free using the Slide-Lock system, and you get a helmet mount too. n cube.eu ; £79.95

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BIKES

HOT TECH

NEW E-BIKES Is this mopedinspired design as fun, and comfy, as it looks?

YAMAHA EASY BOOSTER n £2,999 n yamaha-motor.eu

Review: Richard Peace

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URISTS MIGHT regard Yamaha’s Booster Easy — with its striking ‘spaceframe’, moped-like styling and 4in fat tyres — as simply a marketing ploy. However, the proof’s in the riding, and we found the design offered definite riding advantages. And, yes, despite those unusual looks, it’s totally street legal with a 25km/h pedal assist limit.

Spaceframes (resembling a lattice or truss) have been used on bikes before, notably by Moulton, so there are sound engineering principles behind it. Low stepthrough cycles rely on a single frame member and, because of the forces involved, often use an overly thick aluminium alloy tube; Yamaha

opts instead for an inherently stronger, lighter design.

Not that this is a light e-bike at 35kg. But with a beefy Yamaha PWS2 mid-drive motor and a sizeable 630Wh battery, plus 80mm-travel front suspension and those chunky tyres, it was never going to be. Rear suspension would have been nice

and made the ride even plusher, but that would have added even more heft.We found the Booster Easy right on the limit of what was easy to handle over steps, on and off trains, and in and out of buildings.

It was great for town riding though, with that tyre/suspension combo really aiding comfort; only over the biggest of potholes at speed did you feel a bit of a jolt through the saddle. The handling also feels very reassuring at speed — smooth and stable, with plenty of grip from the gravel-inspired treads. The extra weight helps here too, keeping the bike ‘planted’, even while cornering quickly on uneven road surfaces.

We also rode the bike off-road on reasonably benign, but very wet

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REVIEWS

surfaces. Here again the tyres came into their own, maintaining traction over wet earth, grass and cobbles, and it felt more than at home on poorly-maintained towpaths and railpaths. A muddy stripe on the back of our jacket was the only complaint, thanks to a slightly too short mudguard.

It’s very simple to use, featuring ‘stepless’ Enviolo hub gearing, and an automatic power mode which did an impressive job of selecting our optimum assist level. As you would expect from Yamaha — which makes motors for the likes of Giant and Haibike — torque-sensing power delivery is super smooth. It’s only third most powerful of the brand’s motors, however, and on occasion

did feel like it could have benefited from more ‘oomph’ once gradients hit around 15%. The gearing was always low enough to still make it to the top, albeit at a slower pace.

Yamaha claims to have produced the first pedelec back in the 1990s and it’s nice to see them now making a mark in modern e-bikes.

They describe the Booster Easy as ‘functional and fun’ and — if you don’t mind the weight and the slightly modest hillclimbing ability — that’s a pretty fair summary. Of course many people will be drawn to it simply because of its unique looks which, combined with its undoubtedly high build quality, certainly lends it the potential to become a modern classic.

FACTFILE nU nique spaceframe design, with easy to operate gearing and power levels. n P owerful, high quality hardwired lighting system. nO ne size fits all frame with adjustable seat height. n B espoke Yamaha carrying racks and baskets are optional extras, but add significantly to the price.

VERDICT + A stylish town and trail e-bike that is really is one of a kind. + Fat tyres aren’t just for show, they make for a more comfortable and safer ride.

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SECURITY TRACKERS We’ll always advise using two good locks when leaving a bike unattended, but the latest tracking devices add a little more peace of mind

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#1 KNOG SCOUT

The Scout is a neat, sleek cycle alarm system which fits behind a bottle cage.

It’s USB rechargeable and comes with security bolts to stop any tooled-up thief from removing it. The 84dB alarm acts as a deterrent, while the tracker (using iPhone’s ‘Find My’ tech) helps you locate a stolen or misplaced bike. Once locked up, you can arm and disarm the device from the app, and it doesn’t take much to set it off; shake the bike and it will sound within three seconds, which is great for quick response time, but could mean the alarm going off when you don’t want it to. The ‘Find My’ app did alert us when the device was disarmed while we were two floors above it. n freewheel.co.uk; £49.99

REVIEWS: Toby Zeidler

#2 ALTERLOCK

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mount had a minimalist, 3D-printed feel and it’s water resistant too. We opted for black, but there’s three other colours available. Security bolts are not supplied as standard, though can be added to an order for an additional cost. There’s also holders for different trackers, including Tile, Chipolo and Galaxy SmartTags. n bik3d.com; from £5.50

#4 APPLE AIRTAG

often spotted on expensive road bikes.

It also requires a subscription to use it at all; we didn’t find the app or website very intuitive either. Once installed and working, there are three options of sensitivity for the alarm: set to ‘high’ and it’s triggered by lightly shaking. The locking process is quick and easy, and the app shows the device’s battery life. n alterlock.net; £119.99

#3 BIK3D AIRTAG HOLDERS

The Bik3d holders come in a variety of guises to be fitted either beneath a saddle or under a bottlecage, some with incorporated light fittings, plus there’s a very clever bike bell option. All securely hold the Bluetooth tracker in place. Our

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These small, discreet trackers have become widely used to locate items like keys and wallets, but they’re good for bicycles too. Just hold it close to an iPhone and it’s automatically detected.

‘Bike’ is a pre-set option for the device and you can be on the go within a minute, provided you have a holder on your bike. The AirTag is significantly smaller than alarm-based units, but does not have a practical way of alerting you if your bike is being stolen.

Activating ‘lost mode’ will notify you when the location becomes available and allows you to leave contact information for an (iPhone using) person who may have found it. n apple.com; £35

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The AlterLock is a bottlecage-mounted alarm and tracker that uses Bluetooth and Sigfox technology to track your bike. If a suspected theft is taking place, the loud 95dB alarm will sound and an app will alert you. This device is considerably larger than others on the market and considerably more expensive, with its tapered design most

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ICONIC BIKES

2005 ONWARDS

Surly Pugsley Emerging from the mountain bike boom of the 1980s, John Kitchiner charts the development of one of cycling’s quirkiest sub-genres

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appropriate size for prototype tyres. By 2005 Surly entered the emerging niche with its Pugsley, the first commercially available bike of its type, and it still survives in the brand’s line-up as a ‘legacy’ frameset, only now with clearance for 4.8in tyres compared to the 3.8in Endomorph originals; it’s been superseded by the Ice Cream Truck, with more modern geometry and clearance for full 26in x 5in tyres on 100mm rims. Interestingly, such contemporary rubber comes with a recommended operating pressure of between 5-15psi too, which is a whole tractor-load of traction.

Like most fatbikes, the front triangle of the Pugsley’s frame is similar to a normal hardtail mtb, it’s the rear chainstays and seatstays that are reshaped and pushed outwards to accommodate those tyres; the front fork likewise requires expanded spacing. This means that you can potentially be limited in chainring choice, though for its slow-going, touring intentions a smaller ring is likely the best choice anyway.

While the fatbike buzz has largely subsided in the UK, you can still spot them on the trails from the Downs to the Lakes, and even, very occasionally, in London (see page 25).

Illustration: David Sparshott

F EVERYTHING HAS gone to plan, not long after this magazine drops onto your doormat Italian ultra-cyclist Omar Di Felice will be roughly halfway towards achieving a remarkable first: a 2,000km coast to coast crossing of Antarctica. Starting at Hercules Inlet to the west, he plans to cross the continent, via the South Pole, and arrrive at the Leverett Glacier some 60 days later. It’s a daunting and untried journey across a barren, featureless icefield; to date only three people have managed to cycle from his launch point to the pole itself (1,250km). That such a two-wheeled endeavour is being contemplated at all is due to the ongoing development of one key piece of kit — the ‘fatbike’.

Fatbikes are essentially beefed-up, (usually) rigid mountain bikes, with oversized tyres ranging from 3.8in to 5in in width.

The idea being that these massive treads can be run at low pressures to allow cycling on difficult terrain such as snow or sand. So it’s no surprise that some of the earliest handmade models came from builders in Alaska and New Mexico during the 1980s and 1990s. These pioneers were often welding two, sometimes three, standard rims together to achieve the 62

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Is there any better way to holiday than on a bicycle

INCLUDE D IN ON ALL H THE PRICE OLIDAYS Return tr avel

from UK port to yo ur holida on for yo y u and yo ur bicycle Full Board ! on all Bik e & Boat holidays Half boa . rd on all Bike and Hotel ho li days.

All entry fees to a ttraction visited b s y the gro up. destinati

2024 Programme Bike & Hotel fixed centre holidays

Bike & Boat holidays

FRANCE, Brittany & Normandy June 2024, Portsmouth departure

A moving on holiday with a difference, each day your floating hotel room goes with you so no packing up each day and no luggage to carry these holidays are in Holland.

Cycle through Brittany to the famous Mont St Michel in Normandy crossing back into Brittany to explore this beautiful area.

FRANCE, Alsace wine route May 2024, Newhaven departure Cycling through the vineyards along the wine route, through picturesque Flower bedecked villages, with a peep into Germany.

FRANCE, The Dordogne Valley September 2024, Portsmouth departure Explore this beautiful area with breath-taking views looking down onto Rocamdour.

Green heart of Holland Tulips Cheese & Pottery April 2024, Harwich departure See the magnificent floats of the annual Flower parade, cycle through flower fields, taste the cheese. Visit Delft pottery.

Exploring Friesland & Terschelling island (New Tour) July 2024, Harwich departure.

The northern Frisian region reveals the hidden Holland, a tranquil and peaceful place, here, water and land intermingle in a uniquely Dutch way, the unique mudflats of the Wadden sea are on the UNESCO world treasures list.

UK, Autumn in the South Downs national park September 2024

Explore the castles, towns, villages and windmills of South Holland August 2024, Newcastle departure

Hampshire is the perfect blend of city, coast & country, explore the rolling hills, ancient woodland, water meadows and the

Overnight in Dordrecht the oldest city with a beautiful historic centre Huesden a fortified village, visit 17th century castles.

And the quirky witch’s museum and weighbridge in Oudweter.

bustling market towns of the South Downs National Park.

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