Do London's New Cycleways Actually Protect Cyclists?
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- čas přidán 22. 06. 2024
- Do London cycleways actually protect cyclists?
MASSIVE thank you to Cowboy Bikes for sending me their Cowboy Cruiser Ebike for this video! geni.us/EvanBike
I've really loved cycling with him around town this past month, and the section of the vid where I talk about all the stuff I like about the bike actually went on for like 3 minutes, but I had to cut it for pacing, so you'll probably hear me talk about HOW it rides and/or the amazing, built-in anti-theft GPS in my next cycling video :)
They sent me the following lil blurb for those of you interested in getting one for yourself:
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Thank you so much for watching! Hope you enjoyed it! It's currently 4AM as I'm typing this. Bit late. I know. But I think you could tell why. Lotta work went into this one. I'll try to sort more cams/better audio for the next one, but yeah. Thanks x
Also big big thanks to my friends for joining me on this fun day :)
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dodie: / doddleoddle
Luke: / luke
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If you're new to my channel and videos, hi! I'm Evan Edinger, and I make weekly "comedy" videos every Sunday evening. As an American living in London I love noticing the funny differences between the cultures and one of my most popular video series is my British VS American one. I'm also known for making terrible puns so sorry in advance. Hope to see you around, and I'll see you next Sunday! :)
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If I'm not mistaken, the naked bike ride is to draw attention to the vulnerability of cyclists on the road.
No it's not! They just like displaying their willies.
theres been uni study showing that wearing hi-vis clothes and a helmet dehumanises u in the eyes of motor vehicle drivers leading to them less space on the road and less careful/ collide with cyclists a lot more often
@@walidrazaq3395 The methodology of that study was garbage though.
@@walidrazaq3395 That's the opposite of my experience ... generally speaking.
I don't "know" why, but I do feel as though I'm left more space when wearing hi-vis, maybe it's loss of "I didn't see them" excuse (there are several potential reasons).
Exactly! And they also have them all over the world, it's not just a weird UK thing (in cities that are a lot more dangerous for cyclists too!)
Don't forget that Amsterdam, Copenhagen and any other "great cycling city" didn't start out that way. They've worked to get to this point for decades. But the benefit of that is that other cities can learn from all their experience. Just look at Paris, where they've upgraded their bike infrastructure massively in a relatively short amount of time and they've certainly surpassed London by now, but it's great to see that at least parts of the city is now fairly accessible to cyclists.
They don't have Kensington and Chelsea.
And the bloody Froggie cyclists are hell bent on mowing down pedestrians. The cars stop! The cyclists is don't.
Yes but Netherlands largely got to a good spot within a decade. Fortunately for them they were starting from a base of lower car usage so it was easier, but with political will it doesn't take decades it takes maybe one decade at most. Problem is there is no political will.
@@janebaker966 I'm guessing close to 100% of ped deaths are due to drivers.
@@MsPeabody1231yes they have ( VIIe and VIIIe arrondissements)
As a Dutchie, I have to say there's more to the Netherlands than just Amsterdam, and there are -cycle superhighways- bike paths everywhere!
Yes and it's tragic that the Dutch have spent decades developing the safest and best designs and yet the UK seems so incapable of just copying them. Primarily as I see it because inevitably good quality cycle tracks need space and often requires a reduction in space for motor vehicles. Motor vehicles win 99% of the time so we end with rubbish solutions designed by someone that's never seen a bycycle squeezed into what little space is left.
Problem with the UK is it's half arsed and massively expensive. All cycle lanes should be a different permanent colour and not the rubbish that fades like now.
Is it true that you are only allowed to overtake Dutch people on the left?
And you have little stair ramps for ur bikes to go down- that gave me a lot of joy
@@DarrenMansell In general: yes. Or at least, it's expected that you overtake on the left, just like you would in a car.
Cut to next year when Evan has had 4 more mini obsessions since the Cowboy bike and is actually now taking part in the naked bike ride and talking about benefits you were unaware of.
As a dutch person seeing the excitement over a simple cycle path with the little bicycle traffic lights is something else
But for the English they going to our 70ties change.
Hey come on, it's big for us 😂
The thing is, you kind of experienced the best case scenario of cycling on a road like Kensington High Street, given you were all on e-bikes. If you can keep above a speed of about 12mph that really gives you a lot more latitude to stand your ground and make drivers give you space. If you go much slower though, a lot of drivers will just get immediately frustrated and push past regardless of how you are positioned. This is why segregated infrastructure is absolutely necessary, because not everyone is able to pretend to be a car.
Yeah, especially when you're forced to break unexpectedly. it's a lot easier to get back up to speed on an ebike. If you're on a manual bike and you are forced to break the few extra seconds it takes to accelerate again means cars will just assume you've become a permanent road ornament and act like you never intent to move again. So breaking back into traffic becomes a constant battle. its very unfun. If you can keep with the flow you can avoid a lot of that. But being separated from cars is just infinity better
E-bikes assist up to 25kph (15.5mph), which yeah is a reasonable speed for flowing with traffic. E-scooters only do 20kph (12.8mph), which doesn't sound so different but feels much less safe when the gap ahead opens up.
Very true so glad to have an ebike when I moved back to a big city
Just a note for future cycling, as a pedestrian: please stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings and at red lights during the crossing cycle. Im always careful when crossing the road, but a lot of people are young and dont pay attention and rely on the lights, and a bike can cause some damage!
Also because then you're actually obeying the law instead of breaking it.
@@YngsdalHighers yeah that too, but not everyone has read the highway code recently and those laws are very poorly enforced
It's a pity that there are some badly behaved cyclist that fail to stop at red lights and designated pedestrian crossings that give cyclists a bad name. Almost every day I go into London I've seen several cyclists that seem to think that these basic road use laws don't apply to them. As someone who has mobility issues I cross where there are traffic lights whenever possible but even when I have the green light to cross I still have to watch out for selfish cyclists riding through the intersection straight at me.
i never trust zebra crossing because cars often don't stop. I'll only set foot on one after i see the traffic starting to break
Not just young people and/or people not paying attention - blind and visually impaired people! It's incredibly dangerous. Blind and VI people deserve to be able to travel independently and not be endangered by others' selfishness.
As a Dutchie, I cannot emphasize Dan's point enough: If other traffic is being an ***hole, your helmet will not save you.
Also, the cycle paths are looking good. I've got plans to go to London next year with friends, I'll look into using them. Thanks!
As somebody who cycles down that same road in Kensington & Chelsea regularly... the lack of a cycle lane means that I am actually more of a hindrance for cars, because to ride safely you have to be at the centre of a lane and not let cars/buses pass you in places where there is not a lot of width to the road... e.g. if there is a car stopped on the side of that road, I have to occupy the middle of the second lane already around ~50m before the parked car. I have to behave assertively and cars are more slowed down than they would be otherwise... lose lose imo
This is absolutely my experience too! I used to live in Chelsea and I would take Boris bikes often. To cycle through there safely you basically just have to hog the center of the lane intended for cars and try to ignore all the angry drivers who get stuck behind you. It's a situation that neither party wants or benefits from.
This is one reason why I have an ebike that can go 20mph. All the ebikes in this video can only do 15mph at the most which is really going to annoy the drivers.
@@dtz1000 That's illegal.
K&C are such cowards for removing that trial cycle lane. I cycle that way all the time and I've never seen a better used cycle lane while it was there.
I don't feel unsafe most of the time. You have to adhere to the 3 Cs... Confidence, Caution, Courtesy
16:26 I know you might not be familiar with the laws in the UK yet but it's actually illegal to not smash off the wing mirror and kick the body panels on that Citroën c4 Picasso in such a situation
witth video proof of this behavior i would actually call the police on that car.
I missed that part of the highway code; my humblest apologies
I had a mini heart attack for watching that scene.
@@evan You could probably use footage of the incident to report the motorist for dangerous driving.
@@BarnardoPlaysI’ll leave that to Jeremy Vine
One thing which helped me with feeling safer when cycling in London was having a wing mirror attached to my handlebars to see what's going on behind me. Since I also drive (not in London if I can avoid it!) there's a kind of muscle memory in regularly checking the mirror, and that means I can more easily gauge when it's safe to signal that I'm turning or changing lanes.
Also, as a kid I learned Cycling Proficiency and if it's available to adults too then I can absolutely recommend it. Truly essential skill set from what I recall. Learning to ride one-handed so the other hand can be signalling wasn't easy, as I recall, but I genuinely think it's not safe to cycle on roads if you're unable to signal what you're doing to other road users
A mirror on the handlebar or the helmet.
@@Torsin2000 interesting, this is the first I've heard of a mirror on the helmet. Instinctively that feels like I'd find it more distracting than on the handlebars, but can't know for sure unless I get a chance to try it. How do you find it?
@@purple-cho searching anything, like amazon or a bike store, for 'mirror bike helmet'.
@@Torsin2000handlebar !!!
Good name change. Cycle Superhighway is just pointless hyperbole. Stop asking the marketing department for suggestions.
Shouldn't it be a 'Gigahighway' now anyway?
Naming things is literally what a hypothetical marketing department would be for. It would be incredibly absurd to pay for and host a marketing department, and then not ask it to name things.
We have here the Fahrradautobahn, and everybody thinks wtf.
@Barnaclebeard somewhat my point. Marketing is rapidly becoming the dirtiest word in my vocabulary as it becomes more strongly associated with 'deceit' and 'black-hole consumer of resources'.
It's probably a copy of the ones we have in Denmark. We've had the cross-region lanes for years and they work fine. If they don't work out elsewhere that's probably because a copy isn't necessarily a good idea.
The most annoying part of it is that Kensington High Street was relatively recently completely rebuilt with custom street furniture and larger sidewalks. But they didn't add cycle lanes even though the road is definitely wide enough.
The part where youre cycling in the tunnel with music overlayed feels like Perks of a wallflower 😂
Fully agree with Heather on the driving in London part. Lived here my whole life, been driving since I was 22, people always make fun of me for not driving more but if you have seen the absolute lunatics who drive in London, you wouldn't want to drive here either.
Especially with public transport choices, there are so many options for avoiding having to drive for the most part.
And the fact that it's very slow and frustrating most of the time. I have no idea why there are still so many people doing it.
the stairs at 04:29 have a channel beside the railing to allow a bike to be rolled up / down!
I was going to say the same thing! I could clearly see the bike gutter. But I suppose if you're not used to them and don't often see them used you wouldn't recognize what theybare for
There is a lift also just on the side. You can see it at 04:38 on the right
ahh! I looked for ages on the RIGHT side, but I guess British drive-on-the-left mentality means they'll always be on your left. Good call
@@evan The channel IS on the RIGHT - if you are coming from below. :) They should add one in each side. Most people are right handed.
Lol thought y'all were just being masochists
Has the guy who put his hazards on to brake check you and swerve into you intentionally been reported to the police?
Nope. You mean the one that did it to Heather on the motorway bit??
@@evan yeah, that’s the one. There’s a case for reckless endangerment and they could (and should) get a fine and points on their license for that.
@@rgxwrestlingmedia They could've just been having issues on the road and been inexperienced. Heck we were inexperienced cycling for one! The hazard lights tells me it was probably unintentional
@@evannot convinced. It's not normal to stop on what looks to be a circular. If you get confused, you pull off and turn around.
Don't believe there was any malicious intent, just poor awareness of others and poor driving skill. "Reckless" is over the top
I actually love cycling in London on the roads with cars and for most part find it quite safe, if you respect the rules of the road.
For me the most dangerous elements are other bike users overtaking on left, and pedestrians walking/standing in dedicated cycle lanes. The worst case of pedestrians in cycle lanes has been tourists on Westminster bridge, where ironically it is safer to cycle in road than on cycle lane.
Don’t forget mopeds!! I’d say 80% of cars behave properly, but only 10% of mopeds do
The most dangerous elements on the roads to all road users and pedestrians are motorists. It's not even close.
The worst thing about Kensington High Street (the scary stretch in the video) is that it USED to have a protected cycle lane, and so many people complained about it that they took it out!! Over in Chiswick the war to build CS9 lasted for YEARS and is stil very contraversial, because it required removing a bus lane to install, meaning that bus traffic now crawls along with all the other cars. It's very difficult to balance vehicle and cycle traffic in a city so limited with space, but if I had it my way I'd basically ban as much motor traffic as possible from Central London and make cycling the norm.
From what I've seen in London it really depends on the particular route. The new cycleways are pretty good, but they aren't everywhere yet so you can still end up with journeys where you're dumped onto horrible terrifying roads.
Each year the cycleway network expands and more of the journeys in the city become possible to safely and comfortably cycle, so within the relatively near future it would be fairly uncontroversial to call London 'cycle-friendly'.
Yeah, I can't believe that the newest one is only cycleway 9. So in a city of 9 million people, there are just 9 proper cycle routes. You've gotta start somewhere, I guess.
@@joepieklHow safe it is to cycle in London depends on the borough and part of the borough. TFL has put in quiet ways which are streets where vehicular traffic is slower. These are safe to cycle on and actually safer than some of the initial CS routes.
Exactly! If you pick out a good route to do for fun with a bunch of friends, you'll probably be fine. But if you are commuting and have no choice where A and B are, I think you're very likely to struggle.
@@joepiekl Actually they aren't numbered by order of being made. There were meant to be 12 of them numbered like a clock originally, but most weren't built. So there aren't actually even 9 of these high quality tracks, although there are more ones in general of varying quality.
There are also lots of quiet connected low traffic routes which are filtered to motor traffic, such as C10, C14 that aren't compteltey segregated but are quiet and pleasant. High Street Kensington is the worst of London
There's a lot of roadcraft that you have to learn to be safe. I'd implore anyone not confident on the roads to find a training course. In almost every clip there are things your group could have done to be safer, especially when you're forced to cycle in traffic with drivers who are deliberately trying to make your life difficult. We need more people cycling so that more infrastructure is built, so please do get out there, but do it safely.
Indeed, one doesn't realise how much one has learned over years of cycling so everything isn't scary/a surprise. This is a great reminder of what 'normal British cycling' feels like to most people who don't do it all the time.
I love your documantary-style videos. I had stopped watching your videos for a while until I was recommended one of your videos on housing and was very impressed. Keep it up.
Glad you like them!
You could have avoided the whole of the Hammersmith Roundabout by staying on the new Cycle way on the north side (so by going the opposite way that cars are turning around). The problem is that to reach the start of the cycleway, you need to get off your bike just before the roundabout and use the pedestrian crossing to get to it, as it’s on the right side of the road.
This is a great example of what we are dealing with: patchy, unintuitive infrastructure. We have understood long ago that making a road/street intuitive (where people naturally understand where they should be to go to where they want and who has priority) is what makes it safe for drivers (or rather for vehicles bodywork, as it is relatively safe for drivers regardless). The same obviously applies to bikes, but somehow it’s not taken into account, especially when it’s the most critical: i.e. when cycle ways start or end.
They are about to do the same mistake with the other intersection between Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea on a west/east route. The new cycleway planned around Shepherd’s Bush green and the Holland Park roundabout (which obviously will abruptly start/stop at the border with K&C), will have an "entrance" from the right most lane of Holland Park avenue, requiring Cyclists to go through two lanes of traffic, and then abruptly turn right onto a pavement/traffic island....
F*** K&C, when they are proven solutions to reduce collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles and you deliberately choose to ignore them for political reason, you should be held liable.
Cycling on the cycleways is fun and easy. But cycling on streets with cars needs practice, confidence, and skills (especially if you do not have a driving license). You can get these skills by watching CZcams videos or paying for classes on how to cycle in traffic. In fact, going out with a cycling instructor on the streets of London would make a good video.
I enjoy that the auto captioning showed "cycle paths" as "psychopaths" 😂
Really? I so want that to be true 🙂
The rest of London: Cycle paths
Kensington and Chelsea: Psychopaths
YT is referring to the average cyclists in the UK lol
In fairness, that's where the psychopaths drive.
Really enjoyed watching this video, so recognizable as a Dutch cyclist in London! I work as a bike tour guide, so I'm regularly herding groups of Dutch tourists along these bike lanes. If you ever want to join on a bike tour or chat to a group of Dutchies who regularly cycle around London: you're more than welcome to join us sometime!
Here's a useful tip: Leave an arms width gap between the bike and pavement curb. It means that cars are less likely to try and 'squeeze' past you.
You seem to take the bike, so I'll ask
Isn't it better to just ride on the road? I mean, the roads are now capped at 20mph in most places and these rental bikes to reach that speed and are capped to it. If a car wants to go past, I'll let them take the risk of invading the incoming way.
I say this as a car driver and just once bike driver
@@metaphysicalfuck Most drivers disregard 20mph on main roads.
@@miz4535 Oh I know full well, I drive with the limiter on to avoid getting pics taken.
But driving in the middle puts them at risk moreso than you, doesn't it?
Asking ignorantly, as I may start cycling to work
@@metaphysicalfuck It definitely is worth taking the lane when they can't overtake safely, yeah. But I disagree it is better to cycle on the road vs safe cycle paths, especially main roads. There are increasing number of roads inside LTNs which have lower motor traffic making them pretty safe too, despite a lack of a cycle path.
The quality of production of your vids are very high at the best of times, but you knocked this one out of the park, it really looked amazing on my 65" TV!
Thank you!
Lime bikes are the worst thing for people who don't cycle normally. The speed boost can kick in at times when you need to stop.
They’re 30kg. So braking is NOT quick and is scary. That and like you said, the motor kicks in SO suddenly even on turns which is not pleasant.
Heather wants to ebike more just “not on a lime bike”
Exactly. I’d love more people to start cycling, but I don’t think Lime bikes are the way forwards. For one, they’re heavy for a significant proportion of people. A heavy bike is harder to control and manoeuvre, making you more unsafe. Like you say, the motor. This also means that people on Lime bikes often (not everyone, but a lot of lime users) do not stop at zebra crossings, not just putting pedestrians at risk, but also giving more reason for bike lane schemes to be rejected.
It can be hard to find decent bikes for less than a few hundred pounds, so I get this is a barrier to entry, but I really think the ideal scenario is where people have their own bike, that fits them, is a weight they can manage and that they are used to riding.
I was in London in May and I was so terrified watching cyclists because they had to share with your double decker buses and scooters and motorcycles along with cars while squeezing between all of them!!! I'm from Los Angeles and our treatment of cyclists is no better so I have mad respect for you and your friends documenting how much work needs to be done to keep cyclists safe! Love your vids about London keep it up!
To put some numbers on it, in 2022 there were 7 cyclists killed in London. In 2010-2014, it averaged 13 per year. Proportionate to their numbers, the biggest danger comes from heavy goods vehicles and buses.
When I look up statistics for Los Angeles, I can find them for Los Angeles County in 2022, when 26 cyclists were killed.
In overall terms, there were a total of 102 people killed on the roads of London in 2022 as against 312 in Lost Angeles. One of the big differences is simply that many more people in London use public transport.
Of course there are a lot more that are seriously injured, but it's more difficult to make comparisons, especially between countries, due to how such things are defined and reported. Fatal accidents are more binary.
nb. The Netherlands is much lauded, but in 2022 there was a huge 40% increase in cycling fatalities with an increase to 291. For the first time ever, deaths per million km cycled was higher in the Netherlands than the UK, although it's important to note that the demographics are different. Many older people cycle in the Netherlands, and over half of all cycling deaths in the country were people of the age of 65. It seems that older people riding eBikes is a major driver in this increase (and, of course, the Dutch almost universally refuse to wear cycling helmets).
When I visited london a few months ago my dutch ass thought it was a great idea to grab one of those bikes to get back to the hotel at 2am- and it was. Looking at traffic during the day tho, I can't say I felt comfortable or confident enough to try
Funnily enough, as a Dutch person i feel relatively comfortable cycling in many other cities. I have cycled in london before, and didn't mind it. I have also cycled a lot in Glasgow, which was nicer than i expected
Evan, I want you to know something I learned when I lived in Holland. On the first set of steps in the video that took you down to the riverside cycleway, the groove beside the steps is designed for you to put your bike wheels in (with hands on brakes). So you can use the groove as a ramp for your bike while you go down the steps next to the groove. Looking out for this feature will make your cycling easier.
Dutchman here, those cycleways look like our fietspaden. The concrete curb that seperates driveway is simple and effective; a motorist will feel when he or she crosses it. I would not cycle in Kensington, too dangerous. The only thing you have pay attention here in the Netherlands are E-bikes, fat bikes and mopeds on the cycleway.
High curbs do protect cyclists from cars/other vehicles, but they are one of the worst enemies for bicycles. In case of a head-on or other dangerous situation, you have nowhere to "run".
Fat ebikes rule. I have one and it's great. Much better than the overpriced rubbish they are pushing in their affiliate link.
This was thoroughly entertaining but also very insightful to me, even as a Londoner who regularly likes to cycle and advocates for it. I've loved cycling since I was a child. I cycled to secondary school as a teenager, albeit in a small town, nothing like London, but I gained the confidence to cycle very early on, so it's very easy for me to forget the stress/anxiety that most people have about cycling among traffic and on roads. I thought I knew this fact very well, but it hits harder actually seeing the terror that your group went through cycling down Kensington High Street and how true the phrase "build it and they will come" is when applied to segregated cycle lanes. My borough of Brent is also pretty notorious for lacking decent cycling infrastructure that even though I live in London, I find myself constantly surprised how good the rest of the city can be. I hope this continues to develop positively in years to come!
BTW your helmet needs to be your forehead, it should be tilted way further down so the top is in your peripheral vision
Abso! I think the issue is I have an abnormally large noggin and I honestly think I need to size up, but they're sold out now :(((((
Hi Folks,
I think Dan was very brave.
To realise you feel unsafe and stop is quite difficult, well done.
Good you all kept you clothes on 😁😁
I think there maybe safer routes than you choose around Kensington.
You-tube 'London cycle routes' did 'The best way to cycle to Richmond Park from Kensington'
All his routes use either protected cycle lanes or quiet side roads.
Great video
"I think there maybe safer routes than you choose around Kensington." No there aren't, at least not ones that require massive detours. The route you mentioned is south of the river so that would involve crossing two bridges and travelling several km further since you follow the river which bends. The Thames path from Putney to Hammersmith bridge is also very cobbly and not comfortable to ride on at all.
would've been braver of him to wear a helmet
Evan, I recommend route planners like cycle travel to avoid nasty roads (though I know Hight St. Kensington is difficult to avoid if you're going that way). I live in Greenwich and cycle daily, have done for over 15 years. It has improved so much in that time. C4 is my daily route and it is incredible. Enjoy exploring London by bike and keep safe🙂
Yeah I knew there were longer safer ways to go but I wanted the “true” mixed experience of cycling in the city, terror and all.
Greenwich is proper nice cycling tho :)
@@evan Yes, absolutely it’s good you showed a real world experience and helped shame RBK&C
14:50 just go straight over. There's a bike lane ahead and you're in a pack of cyclists ahead of the cars, you're not competing for lane space as the lights turn.
Definitely the cycle ways are better but I feel as though some better experience for how to ride confidently on roads would help a lot make the rougher parts smoother. Ultimately until the UK's road infrastructure is totally overhauled cyclists will need to be able to confidently and safely share roads with motorists - and in any circumstance, a cyclist is never obligated to use the bike lane instead of the rest of the carriageway - don't be bullied to the margins when it makes you less safe.
It was only green for left turns, the traffic _from_ the left has a green too, so you can't just cut across.
@@speedstyle. ah, I didn't see that the lights were regulating a left only in the camera cuts. My mistake.
Great job on the video and kudos for hanging in there and getting it posted on Sunday. (here in TX at least) Sweet dreams.
GOD THIS VIDEO IS A MASTERPIECE
GETTING EMOTIONAL
If everyone using the roads was considerate and kept eachother safe and followed the rules (including cyclists btw), i would consider using a bike for my 3 mile drive to work. But there's no way I'd cycle, even driving in a big city is terrifying.
Too many cyclists forget that pedestrians have a right to cross the road safely too.
To be fair I’ve had more good encounters with cyclists than bad in recent years, but there’s always some doubt for me
We could probably find you a route that kept you much safer than the one one drive. And get you there about twice as fast in the rush hour. See LCC cyclebuddy scheme.
One issue I saw with most of the route you rode on is that there were very few destinations on the route. It was mostly just a bunch of homes, which is fine if what you wanted to do is go visit a friend, but what if you wanted to go buy some groceries, clothes or a box of screws? There were very few shops along the way, especially for the first 2/3 of the route. Cycle routes that go on side streets are good for getting to the other side of the city, but there also needs to be good routes that bring you directly to destinations.
LOVE THIS ❤️ ❤❤
10 pm Central time on Sunday in Canada, SO worth the wait - thank you 😊
I love your positivity. I’m here like… I think Evan missed his Sunday deadline. Your like ITS STILL SUNDAY SOMEWHERE!!
We’re going to have a few days in London next month, having watched this maybe we’ll rent some bikes and hop on a cycle way! Thanks for showing that it can be good.
Person who's accustomed to cycling through American hellscapes:
"Kensington and Chelsea look fine, actually."
Lol
It's the car speeds and the close passing that are off-putting. I guess it gets better with repeated exposure though the physical risk remains.
@@delftfietser The car speeds looked pretty tame compared to even my part of the U.S., where people from the worse parts of the U.S. complain about the "low" speeds. I agree that some of the passing maneuvers in the video were sketchy, though.
At 16:15 you're actually supposed to ride onto the pavement, then cross over at the pedestrian crossing and rejoin a bidirectional bike lane on the north side of Hammersmith station rather than go around the roundabout. It's a terribly confusing junction though so can see how you went that way. And if you want to go towards Fulham rather than Chiswick, well then you are screwed.
For Fulham (or Hammersmith Bridge) you can cycle round on the pavement, there are shared path signs. There's no real cycle lane going south of course but it lets you avoid the gyratory
Really interesting video, and I appreciate the effort you put into making this.
I was disappointed to see your friends merrily cycling through zebra crossings when a pedestrian is using it (instance of this @6.45 in video). In UK law, pedestrians have priority at zebra crossings, and even cyclists must stop to allow them to finish crossing.
It's so important, especially in busy cities, for all road users to understand the priorities and laws etc., because it then makes more pleasant ways of travelling such as cycling and walking much safer and more appealing.
Even more blatant and aggro in Paree.
we always stopped! The light was turning orange :)
@6.45 is a full width pelican crossing and the pedestrians are crossing to the island next to it.
It's a free country blah blah blah, but "fairweather cyclists" are a massive danger to themselves and others. It takes a while to learn how to cycle in London...
One was a amber traffic crossing, the other was cycle zebra crossing it literally had the blue lane going through it
6:43 For future note, if there's a pedestrian on a zebra crossing, you should stop and let them finish crossing.
For cycling in general, it's a good idea to learn about car theory test. As the laws around cars also apply to bikes, so you'll know how to navigate things like a roundabout.
What zebra crossing? The one at 6:45 is a traffic light controlled junction.
@@ado543 Go to exactly 6:42. I believe Evan has cut out the part where a few of them cycled through a zebra crossing.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the sudden audio change, meaning he used CZcams editing tool to cut out the section. When I watched it, that part of the video was still there.
This London experience is completely alien to me. I live in Lelystad, Netherland and even in this country we stand out with an insane number of bicycle bridges, so we hardly have any traffic lights to deal with, being in a car or on a bike. Tunnels (we have those too) are much to be preferred though.
I have huge issues with bikes like the cowboy. They are terrible for maintenance. Full of proprietary parts, so good luck if the company gets into trouble in any way. Integrating things like that looks nice... but is terrible for maintenance or even the environment.
Well it's the same with Apple computers; there's a trade-off with the pros and cons that are up to the rider to decide whether or not they're worth it. You'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer-looking e-bike on the road, but at a cost to faith in the longevity of the brand.
@@evanIt's horses for courses. A belt drive is stronger and lower maintenance than a chain, your belt will last probably 10x longer than my chain, but when it does break it's a bit of a job to replace, unlike a chain which is not too difficult to replace, probably 10x easier than a belt. Most bike owners could probably do it themselves if they put their mind to it.
If you know you will always take your bike to a shop for any maintenance, then a belt is a really great option, if you like doing that sort of thing yourself, then you'd probably prefer a chain. Different strokes for different folks.
@@davidbray5982 In London the Cowboy will get stolen before anything has a chance to break.
It’s illegal for cyclists not to give way to pedestrians waiting to cross the road on a designated crossing. At about 6.42 you all completely ignored the waiting/crossing pedestrian. Having experienced this as a pedestrian with my son all down birdcage walk yesterday I wish more London cyclists would behave properly and safely.
They go through a couple of zebras and then a signalled crossing. Not sure where you see an issue here. On the zebra there was one person crossing from the other side many metres from the cyclists and no others waiting. Had the pedestrian been directly in the path of the cyclists then it would be a different story. At the signalled crossing there were some waiting however the light for cycling was not red so they have done nothing illegal.
Highway Code 195 states that cyclists can ride across the part of the zebra crossing on the carriageway as long as they give way to pedestrians crossing OR waiting to cross. Look at 6.44 in the video. A pedestrian is actually crossing and they all cycle across seemingly oblivious. Legally, if they hit her it would be their fault, as the onus is on cyclists like cars to approach with caution, look across, and travel at a speed expecting to stop (that’s how I drive and cycle over zebra crossings). Of course most pedestrians don’t suddenly run out into bikes but eg children suddenly run and it would be their fault legally.Just trying to keep people safe. As I said, saw this loads in London yesterday but the better cyclists looked out and stopped and waved us across.
Cycling safely is not a one way street - pardon the pun!
This is such a great video! Thinking about cycling during my trip this fall now! Only on the cycleways though.
So, nobody is going to stop for the pedestrian on the zebra crossing @6:45?
*** Update ***
Evan has removed the three seconds of video I referred too, and there is a sudden jump cut, so please bear that in mind when commenting.
Yeah I noticed that as well.
Most commuting cyclists know to stop or go around children or old people.
I do have to say female fair weather cyclists don't stop and can be very rude about it when you tell them to stop so they don't run over your small child who is in the middle of the road.
Bikes arnt cars, people can navigate around each other. This doesnt mean cyclists have a free license to be dcks
Yeah - spotted that as I watched the video and was a little shocked by it.....
People get confused about who is supposed to stop for who. It needs making clearer with bigger lights and signage. If you're new to the infrastructure it can be confusing.
@@Argomundo Bikes should still try to stop for people or get around people.
But I think in that case, maybe there's enough time for them to quickly get through the crossing before the pedestrian reach there
I absolutely loved this video. I am a cycling advocate because being car free helped me afford a house and I am so much healthier 🏡
i now see why you wanted to take your time with this video evan! really brilliant content and incredible production value, I'm glad you took the time over it :) also lovely to see dodie and luke more chilled out on youtube again
*Evan, if you do a follow up video I'd be interested in cycling after dark.*
Now in June, It's light until 11:00 as I recall from a few years ago.
I'm returning in November when as I recall it's getting dark at 3:30.
Curious your thoughts and whether you are riding at night?
It's not light to 11pm in London. The longest day it was light until 10pm.
blessed be thou when evan uploads
One thing we have in Victoria, British Columbia that accounts for an issue I noticed in the video is green painted section for bikes just before the crosswalk part of an intersection. These areas are reserved for bikes (no, not all drivers recognize this all the time, but I feel they do 'almost always'). In the video, when stopped at a light, I couldn't hep but notice a car nuzzle up beside the riders. I can't remember that happening to me here. Drivers wait behind you at the light and only pass once we're doing, not jockey beside you for pole position while waiting at a red.
We have those in Britain as well. Entering one in anything other than a bicycle (after the light has turned red) counts as passing the light. Not every driver seems to know this (and at least 90% of scooter based delivery riders).
@@paulqueripel3493 I don't really mind the mopeds, they have similar issues with filtering, similar benefits from visibility, and will accelerate away anyway. The cars creeping in is much worse - and it's actually what they're meant to do if they can't stop sooner, which I think helps to normalize it.
Agree on the enjoy travel again part. When I started cycling to work about a year ago, using a Santander bike subscription, I felt like the city opened up to me. No longer put off going somewhere because of a hot/crowded tube or bus, just now grab a bike and go.
Cool. Nice to see Dan from Wrestletalk on here 🎉
I didn't know he was aloud out, do Luke and Oli know?
as a Dutch person it hurt me to see you guys struggling to get the bikes down the stairs in the beginning, while the stairs has that cutout on the side where you're able to put the wheels of the bike in. it makes traversing stairs so much smoother.
and the mentioning a helmet is a must when cycling feels kinda weird.
but then i remember that outside The Netherlands and a few other European cities, cycling is indeed dangerous. so yes, in most places a helmet is advisably (at least for now)
ahahah Can't believe I almost met you! I was at the naked bike ride... and it's a peaceful protest to lobby for more cycle safety by the way :)
A great video. Big fan of your channel Evan. WOuld love to see another cycle video as a group
Until drivers receive stiff penalties for dangerous driving, nothing will change.
Love this! Super interesting to see an 'outside pespective' on how London is for casual cycling.
I do think there's a opportunity to do a video comparing commuting options for a few different commutes (maybe a few different persona's? Like someone who lives in Camden, someone who lives in East London, someone commuting from the home counties eg. Maids, etc.?). I think the unevenly distributed/inconsistent cycling infrastructure becomes a lot more of a blocker when looking at commuting where the journey has to be every day during rush hour and where there's a lot less choice in the route someone would have to take every single day.
Ah! The gang back together! Loved this. Thank you for this video.
Really sweet video! Filled my with joy seeing you all happily peddling away in the tunnel
Cycle in London? Sorry, I'm in the "I wouldn't even drive in London" crew. Roll on teleporters.
When I moved there I saw the traffic on the drive in to London and immediately decided to leave my bike in my mates bike shed and use the tube etc from then on.
I do both and cycling is usually less stressful than driving!
More people cycle in London than drive, if I recall. Most people are in the, "I wouldn't drive in London" crew.
@@jonpeterson5657 Damn right. And less stressful than bus/tube/trains as well!
Yes please, more cycle videos, would like to see more of outer London from a bike.
Loved this ❤ I was so scared for you guys in Kensington 🙈 but the Cycle paths looked great xxxx
Amazing, eye-opening video that will hopefully bring more awareness to an issue that many people can connect to. I think those partitioned cycle ways look great! Keep having fun with your biking adventures!
dodie and luke in the same video in the year of out lord 2024. this is a very big day for a certain type of teen in 2015
I LOVE this topic!!
Something I've always wanted to do is cycle the old abandoned railway lines that have been turned into scenic routes.
Great video Evan!!
I had conflicted feelings watching this. I'm a London cyclist and can completely sympathise with the difficulties of cycling through Kensington, but as a group you demonstrated what I, and I assume a lot of other road users find frustrating about cyclists. You're giving it a go which is great, but it seems like you don't understand how to ride safely and with respect to other people. At times you're all over the cycle lanes, you're stopping at completely random points, randomly mounting the pavements and show and inability to follow road markings. Most boroughs in London offer cycle safety courses for inexperienced cyclists, or there are resources online for how to ride safely in London - these are things that should be done before trying to navigate London by bike. Great to see people out on bikes, hopefully the Kensington experience didn't disuade you all!
I thought I was the only thinking this - It seemed like a few of them hadn't ridden a bike in a while, let alone ride on London roads, when they attempted to do this trip. Particularly when it came to sections where they shared the road with vehicles, they seemed to be uneasy by the mere presence of cars beside them. London does have these fantastic Cycleways, but majority of London roads and Streets don't have a separate cycle lane, so you need to be able to confidently navigate them
But a bad cyclist is not as dangerous as a bad driver and there was a lot of examples of bad driving. Driving in the cycle lanes parked in the cycle lane. even if some of the lanes were no wider than the handlebars
Most of these things are mildly annoying to other road users, not life threatening. Unlike the types of driving on display that they were on the receiving end of.
But at like 15:36 didnt you also go through a red light? I agree Drivers can be bad but sometimes cyclists dont follow same rules
no I stopped there as it was a red light. The next clip is quite after. There was like 2.5 hours of footage
@@evan Did your sponsored bike come with a groundbreaking instantaneous braking system? Your wheel is on the line as it cuts with no indication of you stopping.
@@YngsdalHighers that's how it kinda looks to me
Sometimes?
I found this very nostalgic. I cycled most of that route every week day for 15 years. I think you missed the main cycle route through Hyde park and the no cycle route studio walk down the back of Kensington palace and past the elephant pub that brings you out by the design museum. You definitely missed the contra flow cycle path missing out Hammersmith roundabout.
Same where I live, Auckland NZ, with good sections of infrastructure but lots of gaps too. I'm lucky in that can ride 20km to work, 18km on separated paths but that's still quite rare. My best accessory is a specs mounted mirror that enables you to 'Take a Look' behind any time. It has literally saved my life several times
I love this video so much. Thank you, Evan!
:)
You should (to remain alive!) look behind and hand signal when moving out across out of traffic (eg to get in right hand lane or avoid obstacles). Look at the Highway Code. If you can’t cycle straight ahead, look behind and hand signal then probably stay off the roads. Just trying to keep people safe.
That doesn't appear to be an issue in the video, so your point is?
@@NotThatOneThisOne Look at 16.26. I think Heather (?) veers around that stupid car with its hazards on when it stops in front of her path. In fairness, she does stop and look back but makes no hand signal as she sets off again and seems to wobble in front of a car behind while the car in front tries to cuts her up. That driver is clearly being dangerous but it can help to give clear hand signals to let other drivers know what you are going to do and what is going on. This means being able to look over your shoulder, then hand signal and change lanes/turn without wobbling. I can see earlier in the video she does look over her shoulder to keep an eye on traffic but no hand signal while changing lanes isn't great - like driving without indicating but all the other vehicles can easily kill you. Just trying to keep people watching safe.
Thanks for this vid from a Dutch cyclist. Many years ago I was a researcher in the English countryside and I cycled everything/everywhere. That was really scary at many a time, because there are just 'roads' and cars not expecting a bike. And you would end up on a big road everywhere in no time, really weird. But it still was good fun and really helpful in getting to know the area.
Terrific video. Great production quality. Close to tv journalism quality. If you have more ideas like this one, please take your time and make those future ideas as good as this.
I LOVE that you’re getting into Urbanism, Evan! (or at least making videos that have an urbanist slant)
Maybe you could show the network of bike paths and future expansion of the path throughout London.
Check out "London Cycle Routes" for these sorts of videos.
I used to commute pretty much exactly this route every day. As you correctly pointed out, Chiswick, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park are excellent to cycle through, world class I'd say. There were a few bits I was thinking "they don't know there's a better route there", like for Hammersmith "squareabout", actually it's pretty easy when you know what to do, but you're absolutely right about Kensington and Chelsea, between Hyde Park and Hammersmith you must go through Kensington High Street and there is no good route.
I used an electric bike too. This came with some advantages I think. Since the motor was helping me, I didn't need to be in such a low down sporty racing position. Being more upright gave me better visibility, and made indicating easier. Also, being a comuter on an ebike meant I was wearing normal clothes. Unfortunately I think this did make a difference, I belive I was treated better becaude I didn't look like a cyclist or a tourist.
Also, I want to be a curtious road user. If cars are going faster than me, and I can let them pass, of course I will, but unfortunately I found that the traffic is so bad in Kensington and Chelsea, and the cars are so overbig, that me sticking to the left encouraged unsafe overtaking. It was better to take the whole left hand lane, like I was just a small car. I don't want to have to use the road like this, it's impolite and inefficient, but it beats being smushed into the curb by a 4x4 Land Rover going 10mph.
all of you cycling through the tunnel was so magical i’m obsessed
Great video! I spend a lot of time working out how to avoid the horrible bits that you ran into and document it on my channel, do check it out if you need some route tips.
You're absolutely right about Kensington high street - it's probably the worst example of somewhere it's difficult to safely work around in the whole city. It's very much the local council's fault there.
I think I’ve seen one of your vids!
@@evanI’m pleased! 🎉 I hope it was useful
Another great vid and yes drivers are ***** to cyclists, but when making a video about this, make sure you do nothing bad yourself and don't be a **** to pedestrians. Especially one in which you quote the highway code. There are just as many examples of bad cyclist behaviour as driver behaviour in this vid.
For example, you have to stop at a zebra crossing (6:40) if a pedestrian is crossing. I know some pedestrian crossings are mixed use, but not all and some ask you to dismount (though that may have changed since its been a while since I was in central London). They are not for convenient ways to skip a junction and you should stay on them and not start using them but then cut across the junction halfway (9:40). Usually a dead give away you are using them when you shouldn't be.
The old lady is quite right in telling you off at 15:19. If you have to use the pavement, dismount. Having a bad day is not an excuse for not at least dismounting. Don't pass the bad day on by worrying an old lady. Remember you went on the pavement because you were scared of getting hurt. I know there was no chance of it happening here, but a cyclist hitting a pedestrian also hurts.
We all have to get around. So if you are a driver, cyclist or pedestrian look out for each other, and think am I really in such a rush that I can' be patient for a couple of secs.
Old lady should be worried about the urban motorway which is far more likely to cause her injury than someone pootling on a pavement...
@@miz4535 no excuse. they were breaking the law and she was right to say something. she is a pavement user and had every right to call that imbecile out
the naked bike ride doesn't just happen in London, it's other places as well..back in March of 2020, on the eve of lock down, I was attending a function in Melbourne...all of a sudden, a large group of naked cyclist past our venue...we all popped out for a geek and a giggle, and then they were gone...3 years later, I was attending another function in the city when low and behold there they were again..and they really pick the wrong time to do it (or could it be the right time) it is bordering on cold weather, though the sun is out, sort of...it's so cold that they have no problem with their willies being on show, rather, because it's so cold that things shrink..chuckle...
It takes a mentality shift and lots of government/council investment, but it absolutely pays off. We always had a cycling culture here in Belgium, but the infrastructure has vastly improved in many places (still quite a way to go). Combined with our appalling traffic, it's really made people see cycling as a viable commuting option. We now sometimes get stuck in bike traffic jams haha 😅 (also, companies pay you like 27 cents per km if you come to work by bike).
Jumping into a new interest sounds more ADHD than neurotic to me, but I might be biased 😅
As a Dutchie, this was really interesting and fun to watch! I don't think I could ever cycle in the UK though, the driving on the left is something my brain will just NOT accept 😂
After a while you can switch sides in your brain, but there's some interesting times in between for sure. I moved to the UK from Finland five years ago, and it only took a few months until cycling on the left started feeling more natural. But then I used to get these moments when I was suddenly worried I was on the wrong side of the road _because_ it felt right, when I had gotten used to the left side feeling wrong 😂
Funnily enough there's no issues switching back to the right side when I visit Finland or other parts of Europe now, I just adapt right away.
I’m surprised that access for bycicles was an issue because cities in Europe are usually very walkable. But I’m also not surprised because its London and they do what they want
Being walkable and bikeable are different things. Pretty much everywhere in London is walkable, but places like Kensington are dangerous to cycle.
Evan this video is STELLAR my GOODNESS another amazing documentary style film that I can rewatch so MUCH!! so nice to see heather, dan, dodie and luke of course too
Great video! yes more cycling vids please, I like to come on the adventure!
In Australia we have a law about giving cyclists 1m space and cyclists have to respect the road rules.
It’s supposed to be 1.5m here.
@Batters56 thanks for the correction mate 😊
@@annieinwonderland For clarity, “here” being the UK!
Why do rich people have to be such selfish jerks?
To get rich.
They think bikes slow them down.
The thing that actually slows you down is variable speed limits on a road and people not driving to the max speed when the road is quiet.
A lot of poor people are too.
Being selfless doesn't pay
@@janebaker966 yes. THe difference is, Rich people wh oare assholes have the power to enforce their asshollness. It's not a trait endemic t othe rich, just one that's way more obvious when you can affect more people.
Biking is awesome! I'm happy that you have found an ebike that you're enjoying.
Awesome video! I've never wanted to cycle in London because of the infrastructure not being suited for it. This is a really positive video to showcase where it works well! There's still more work to do but would be great to see more cycle paths where road space permits.