Bike news from the UK

[PamNY]

First, bike security.

Second, two-way cycling on one way streets.

Pam

[tulip]

Not sure about the hanging bikes...I'd rather have a folder inside my (presumably) tiny flat.

Not so sure about the two way bikes on one-way streets, either. Drivers won't be looking the wrong way when pulling out, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more bike-car accidents.

[malkin]

I have an incorrigible and admittedly irrational case of Londonphilia.

I'm thinking that the streets they've targeted for wrong way cycling are ones where the car traffic hardly can ever move at best, so it's not exactly like driving into fast traffic.

[ClockworkOrange]

Having grown up in central London, my thoughts on this would be for pedestrians dashing across the road and only looking one way with disastrous results. Even on cycle tracks, people forget about us cyclists coming along.

So far as hanging my bike outside, no way, some little cretin would probably find a way to damage it, especially in London.

Not sure if it happens so much elsewhere but invariably when you walk around central London, more often than not you will come across a bike that has been locked up with it's wheels kicked in!

Clock

[PamNY]

I agree two-way biking would likely be a problem for pedestrians. I almost got mowed down by a wrong-way biker a few days ago.

As far as vandalism, yes, wheels get kicked in here, too. I'm sure there's a way to damage a hanging bike, and someone would figure it out. Strong winds would be a problem, I would think.

Pam

[ms pepperpot]

I think the wrong-way on 2 way streets is only very limited, but there are already quite a few one-way streets with a contra-flow cycle lane. it's useful in places where otherwise you'd have to cycle round a long and complicated one-way route particulary if it takes you off busy roads onto smaller ones.

More serious though is the current pilot scheme of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes. Until now only buses, taxis and bikes have been allowed in bus lanes during hours of operation. This meant that there'd often be nice open lanes for bikes to cycle along in relative safety, particularly on large busy roads during rush hour.

There's quite a lot of controversy on whether allowing motorbikes in is good because it will ease congestion and improve their safety or bad because it will increase risk to cyclists because motorcyclists will be allowed to weave in and out of more lanes. The London Cycle Campaign is very against the plan.