Support LCC: tell the Mayor ‘face to face’ that he must grant Londoners the freedom to cycle and walk by making our streets safer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/londoncyclingcampaign/

The London Cycling Campaign is focusing some of its efforts in making Blackfriars Bridge safer for cyclists and paedestrians by making it a 20mph zone. They have launched a photo petition, asking cyclists to post a photo of them to support their 20mph petition. 

So show your support by sending your photo to the LCC in a blank email (blackfriars-photo@lcc.org.uk), with your caption in the subject line.

"This is your big chance to tell the Mayor ‘face to face’ that he must grant Londoners the freedom to cycle and walk by making our streets safer

This freedom starts with keeping Blackfriars Bridge 20mph, and means the Mayor taking on the traffic-management bureaucrats who sacrifice our safety to keep more cars moving faster."

 

our velocity gang supports  LCC 20mph

...

Unfortunately another cyclist was killed from a lorry.  The accident happened on 5th April 2011 at the junction of Camden Road and St Pancras Way, London.  The cyclist was treated for her injuries at the bicycle accident scene but died there. The driver was arrested. 

 

See Me Save Me: eliminating HGV's blind spots

371 Members of the European Parliament have signed the declaration to make it mandatory for HGVs to be fitted with sensors, cameras and lane departure warning systems to eliminate blind spots.This means that the European Commission will now bring  proposals responding to the Declaration.

The campaign was launched by the friends and family of Eilidh Cairns, 30, who was killed in a collision with a truck at Notting Hill gate in 2009.

Kate Cairns, Eilidh's sister, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on 'See Me Save Me'.
16/02/11

Positive vibes to road users!

The past few months we have seen some great changes in London city: smooth cycle lanes, the London cycle hire, bike cafes and shops popping up and a stream of famous people promoting cycling. Even my friends and acquaintances  have been convinced to start riding; bicycles have even featured as birthday present surprises and statements of love. All these people have joined the cycling mania - but it has left me feeling a little bit uneasy as i often catch myself worrying about them! Are they going to be fine riding in the thick traffic of central London's narrow streets? Are the crazy taxi drivers going to treat them gently? Are they going to remember to wear their helmet, carry their lock and switch on their lights at night? I know, they are adults and my worry is unreasonable and slightly resembling my parents' paranoid and over the top attitudes to life! But, sometimes i cannot help worrying; because i feel it is not just cycling lanes that we need and docks to hire bikes from to be safe. I feel the whole London culture of drivers Vs cyclists needs to stop to truly accommodate cyclists in the city. Drivers need to learn to give cyclists enough space and treat them respectfully: they are after all  in a much more vulnerable position than drivers. I am not saying cyclists are always "right" - i have seen cyclists doing some very stupid things...but i have not seen aggression by cyclists; whereas with drivers i have seen both stupidity and aggression and this is a very bad combination to have on the streets!

Last Sunday, good old Facebook delivered some of the news i always feared. A friend, hit by a car ended up hospitalized for almost a week: a broken skull, colar bone and shoulder. And all these happened  while riding on a cycle lane - a car tried to overtake and hit her from behind. The good news is that she is recovering well and no further damage seems to have occurred. Thank God!

So, if you are a car driver please be careful out there. Give cyclists space - they are much more vulnerable than you and yes drive slowly! Be patient! 

Sending healing vibes and love to S. 

xx

[stencil by Janet Bike Girl]

bike + shoelace = ground

The difference between riding fixed and free wheel is that with freewheel you can coast and when your shoelace gets wrappped around the inside of the pedal you can back pedal to unwrap it! With fixed gear you can't and i know this by experience!

On Monday night, at around 10:30 pm I had my first comical fall on my fixed bike; my right shoe lace wrapped around the pedal; each turn made the lace tighter and tighter - and only when the pain increased was when i realized what was happening; of course i could not back pedal or coast to stop it wrapping; so there was only one solution - to stop cycling.  Ofcourse simply stopping was not the end of the adventure as my foot was still on the pedal, and a side ways gentle fall was the only option! So there i am on Holloway Road, on the ground with my foot still on the pedal - it took me around 5 minutes to take the shoelace off the shoe to free my foot, and another 3 minutes to unwrap it. A few people passed by, who pretended i was invisible - i guess being Holloway Road that was a good thing - at least i did not get mugged! But, i was slightly disappointed that no one offered help or checked if i was OK. And i felt a little bad asking the youth, if they carried a knife (to use to cut the shoe lace!)  - i mean i did not want to insult them by assuming they were knife carriers!

Anyway, in case you are wondering, i managed not to break my ankle, not  even a scratch. My workmates have enjoyed the story and giggled to it, so all in all a happy ending and a lesson to learn:

Kids, tuck your shoe laces in your shoe before you ride your bikes!