NTV in London

[De Graaf van Salland]

See how this guy rides through London:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFO5sqTYrVY

I know it always looks different on camera, but I don't think that I would ride like this.
Probably my age. Or the fact that I've got one wife (yes, only one) & two kids at home.

Just a few dangerous moments:
- at 30 seconds: the bus on the left drives away.
- at 40 seconds: the pedestrian running across the road.
- at 44 seconds: the cyclist on the right
- at 1 min, 11 sec: the mondeo moving from right to left
Etcetera.

Please note that he passes a few motorcyclists who choose to stay in lane and wait their turn (wise dicision, I think).

I get frightened, just watching the video. I would never sqeeze my bike into the small gaps, that he manages to do.

Ride safely

Franklin
(Only 45 yrs old !)

[JJ]

OMG !!!!!

JJ
(Only 43 yrs old !)

[Buzzin (^_^)]

Hmm...this seems dangerous? eh...perhaps I should change the way I drive then too?
The bus was in a bus lane, and the pedestrain/cyclist he could have seen well ahead.
And well....the mondeo....from what I could tell....the licenseplate was polish....
(Not saying all polish drivers are bad, not at all, but some tend to 'forget' some of the rules of the road when abroad (for them))
Mind you, I would only drive this way on roads I know...
Squeezing yourself betweens lines of cars is almost a routine when I go to work....

What I don't understand is 1. why bikes aren't allowed in the buslanes (I know there are discussion about this) 2. Why if this driver drives in the bus lane, he switches back to way for the trafficlight infront of a car....why not stay on the bus lane?? If you are braking the law, why not do it properly?

[De Graaf van Salland]

Een beetje tussen twee rijen auto's doorrijden is nog wel te doen. Maar als je 'm er echt met een schoenlepel tussen moet wringen.... (zoals op deze video wordt gedaan).

Verder ben ik 't wel met je eens: als je de wet gaat overtreden moet je het wel goed doen.

Overigens is de maker van deze video vrachtwagenchauffeur van beroep; hij zou dus beter moeten weten.


And now for our english readers: copy and paste above text (as you might have guessed, it's dutch) in: ets.freetranslation.com/

Ride safely !

Franklin

[Jaz66]

Dangerous....?
I am with Buzzin on this one
Saw this and thought it was a good representation of driving a bike in London and possibly any big city...

Have ridden this road several times
(Seven sisters 3:30 secs in = Finsbury park train station, then finsbury park itself) Sure sickpup can verify..

Would suggest camera angle makes the bike seem wider as there are a few gaps they should not get through, but they do.

Bus lanes are a bit hit and miss.
If you run into one and dont get a penalty notice, your pretty
sure not to get one next time, as that borough probably
doesn't prosecute bikes on that stretch but you kinda have to know that, trial and error or word of mouth..
So sometimes you just take a chance, for a few seconds but other times you just stay out, to be safe!

Did note the lack of ettiquette, where one bike overtakes at lights then another pushes in front of them both... (4:06)
real common in town and what happens next...(5:37secs)
Bike A tries to get in front of bike B at the next set of lights..
(Stupid, but would be lying if I said i hadn't been petty like that once in a while, as well.. ..)

If bikers seeing that are a bit gobsmacked by the riding, got to wonder what cars drivers view of it must be... ;D

But have to say that if you didn't drive like this in town you'd make little progress, (might as well get a car and sit in traffic all day) and would get spat out by the other traffic.

Pretty sure journey times in the sticks between car a bike are probably quicker on a bike but not by a great deal, but in town an hours journey by car can be done in about 10-20 minutes on a bike
(Allowing for rush hour type traffic)

All in all, not careful enough?... sometimes...
Normal...certainly