Yellow Triangle

A heart-warming tale from the CTC’s updates, which reports a mother’s story about her son’s management of Asperger’s Syndrome.

“My son Will has Asperger’s Syndrome which for him manifests itself with deep depression and anxiety. Earlier this year at an appointment with his psychotherapist, he asked Will to express himself by colouring-in paper to convey his feelings. He coloured the whole page black and used sharp, thick, heavy lines to represent his anxieties but in the bottom corner of the page was a small yellow triangle. The psychotherapist asked "what does this represent?" and he replied "riding my bike".

Will explained that when he is out riding his bike, everything seems ok and manageable. As a result, we decided that we should ride bikes as a family and we now have at least one long bike ride a week.”

I think that Will is certainly on to something good there. Not only a productive way to help manage Asperger’s Syndrome, I think the yellow triangle feeling can be enjoyed by all bike riders, in the right time and place.

Better Off By Bike

Transport for London recently released the statistic that one in three adult Londoners has access to a bicycle, but only half of those used it at-all last year!

Hang on, people buy bikes starting from the £70 to £99 price range. That means practically everyone can afford a bike. So revise TfL's statistic to read "three in three" people have access to a bike. Pretty much 99% of London can cycle.

Buying a cheap bike is about the same as an evening’s restaurant bill for a few friends eating out in London or the money you could lose on the Tour de France should you choose to bet online. Price is definitely not an excuse; in fact the costs of buying and maintaining a bike are among its strengths.

Credit to Boris for making real-life journeys by bike, when the temptation to be ushered in to a taxpayer’s city-hall car is always an option. However, one thing I don’t like is TfL’s obsession with cycle lanes.

It’s because cycle lanes are measurable, and boy do they love measuring things at TfL! It gives them something to talk about when about FIFTY people descend on meetings to hear themselves chatter about PC-BS and PR.

The fact is, you don’t need a cycle lane to cycle anywhere. If there’s a road, cycles are entitled to use it. So what that bikes sometimes have a slower top speed than other vehicles? – So does a tractor. Deal with it.

Any budget for cycling is good, but in a rush to coat London in yet more signage, giving more things to measure, it results in some cycle lanes not fit for purpose. For example, this one which encourages cyclists to ride in the door zone (the most hazardous part of the road where vehicle doors are opened in to the path of the cycling public). An experienced rider will ignore the lane and ride safely, but would a recent convert?

Technorati tags:
Transport for London, Boris Johnson, Cycle Lanes.

London Bike Ride and Bike Routes

Quick jump:

1) Commuting bike rides
2) Leisure bike rides
3) Bike ride - route maps

Commuting bike rides

What’s the best bike ride in London? Most of us perceive the limitation of bike routes as being restricted by how far we can cycle from our home base in London.

Actually, I am always impressed by hearing other cyclist’s distances. When people tell me they commute a 60 mile bike ride to London, I am amazed; it sounds such a big number, twice a day!

But that’s at one end of the fitness scale. For us more average Joes, there’s an instant decision which can massively expand the choice of bike rides available in London: Take your bike on the train.

Commuting by bike in London during peak-times, really requires a folding-bike when using trains for an integrated journey. Most train operators have restrictions on the number of conventional (non-folding frame) bikes allowed on their trains at certain times. Check here for the relevant train operator’s cycle policy.


Commuting bike rides in London

What is more important to you? Your average cycle speed? High or low interaction with traffic? Scenic cycle routes? The greatest or least distance to cover? All these questions need to be considered to find the best bike ride to work, by those criteria.

Bike routes are a very personal thing: Even if Granny Gloria and Courier Kate are next-door neighbours, their respective bike rides to the same destination are going to be very different if Kate wants to carve through the traffic jams, and Gloria wants to stop and feed the ducks!

It’s worth reviewing the layout of the relevant cycle route network nearby. Because it's amazing what short cuts can be found from bike routes hidden from main roads, presented on bike route maps.


What are the best bike routes from x to y?

These resources will help find the best bike route you're looking for.

London cycle route maps – hard copy

Bike budi, people share their best commuting bike routes.

London cycle routes from cycle-route.com

Sustrans - Shows maps overlaid with national cycle network paths and routes for your bike ride.

TfL Cycle route guide - hard copy.

Camden Cyclists.org - Great online map showing National cycle network and London cycle network bike routes. It also has pre-planned bike trips, e.g.:
Waterloo to Clapham Common,
Edgware to Streatham,
Camden to Bloomsbury,
Wood Green to Southwark,
Highgate to Parliament Square,
Farringdon Road to Leyton,
Walthamstow to London Bridge,
Tottenham to The City,
Tower Bridge to Poplar,
Camden to Victoria Park.

And many other routes (to which you can add), involving;
Bow, Peckham Rye, Aldgate, Crouch Hill, Tufnell Park, Brockley, Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, Whitechapel, Mill Hill East, St James Park.



Leisure bike rides

Where are good places to cycle in London? Making full use of free-time, evenings and weekends to get out and brush-off the stresses of life, I guess we’re looking for a bike ride far removed from the hustle of the London roads. Something of an antidote, a little bit of healthy escapism.

The nicest bike rides seem to head for water, whether it is the connectedness of the river Thames towpath, the tranquillity of city lakes (e.g. Hyde park, Richmond park), or the calmness of still water (Royal docks, canals), it appears to be an attractive destination for London bike rides.

Waterscape.com - London’s canal bike rides. Grand union canal (Watford, Slough, Brentford), and Regents Canal. Easy flat bike rides.


Cycle trip to the O2 (the dome) - a quality stretch of National Cycle Route Number 1, the best bike route ever? After Greenwich, it continues all the way to Dover. See: Sustrans.

Regents Park (NW1) Inner and Outer Circles – are great for near-traffic free cycle training.

Royal Docks – Near city airport, good road surfaces and not to traffic heavy.

North downs, Surrey - Great escape from the city, big hills and stunning views.


Favourite places to cycle in London

TfL canvassed some opinions about people's favourite bike ride. Here are the results:
1 Rivers - Thames Cycle Path /Canals (Regents canal)
2 Richmond Park
3 Hyde Park
4 Epping
5 Regents Park/London Zoo/Primrose Hill
6 Embankment
7 Hampstead Heath/Parliament Hill
8 Lea Valley
9 Greenwich/Blackheath
10 Hampton Court
10 Oxford Street area
10 The City
10 Waterloo
10 Hackney/Dalston/Leytonstone/Old Street
10 Greenwich Park
11 Home
12 Westminster/Victoria
13 Kensington/Chelsea
14 Richmond
15 Trent Park
16 Playstation ramps
17 Work
18 Windsor
19 Battersea Bridge/Park
20 Highgate
21 Alexandra Palace
22 Tate Modern
23 Croydon
24 Eastway (Hackney)
25 Bromley
26 Dulwich Park
27 Victoria Park
28 Walthamstow area
29 Priory Park
30 Southmere Park
31 Compton Fields
32 Gladstone Park
33 Middlesex University
34 Putney Heath
35 Kew Gardens
36 Wimbledon Common
37 Virginia Water
38 Gower Street/Euston
39 Dollis Valley Barnet
40 Trafalgar Square
41 Within CCZ
42 Tower Bridge
43 Herne Hill
44 Isle of Dogs
45 Sydenham Wells Park (Lewisham)
46 Harrow Lodge Park

Source: TfL - Bike Cycling Show Feedback

Technorati tags:

Bike ride
Bike cycling
Bike routes

Bike to Work - Companies

Continuing from the main Bike to Work article, if you have decided you want to take up this tax incentive and save potentially 50% tax-free, then you'll want to know where to look next.

If you work for a large company, the chances are that a bike to work scheme will already be set up, because it has been running (although not very well publicised) since about 2005.

The bike to work scheme can be outsourced, so that the whole thing (the finances, the buying of bikes, etc) is handled by a dedicated company which specialises in running the cycle to work tax incentive scheme.

These companies include; Evans Cycles, Halfords, Club Cycles, Booost, and Cycle scheme.