Cycling on south London roads

Cyclists are road-users too.

When I first started to commute to work by bike a few months ago, I was very wary of busy roads, roundabouts and one-way systems. I would keep to the back roads and the shared-use pathways. I won't cycle on pedestrian-only footpaths nor would I run red lights or cycle the wrong way down one way streets. So I would get caught between being some kind of not-quite-vehicle and some kind of not-quite-pedestrian.

After a couple of months, I started to become a bit more confident of my strength and my cycling technique. That's when I came across John Franklin's book "Cyclecraft" that teaches about cycling as a full road user rather than cowering in a gutter or footpath.

I'm now much more confident about cycling on the roads and I'm happy to travel all around south London by bike. I navigate round most one-way systems and roundabouts but not yet Lewisham roundabout or Elephant & Castle. They're both still too hairy for me!

Occasionally, a driver will get fed up with me taking over 'their' lane, but most people just get on with driving and don't get ratty with me. Bus drivers are very tolerant of cyclists and often seem to make sure that I've got the time and space to get past - so I don't try to hold them up or knock down their passengers.

All in all, I feel much safer cycling on the main roads than trying to share pathways with pedestrians or navigating round the back streets. I get home quicker too.