My cycling commute is definitely busier than pre-covid this winter – it used to be so quiet I’d get to the point where I recognise half the regulars each day (hello passive aggressive recumbent cycling man). There’s more people out on hire e-bikes (though perhaps this week is a bit biased with train strikes) and parents cycling to school with their kids in the LTNs I pass on my way to work. That’s people who wouldn’t cycle before, now out enjoying some nice British weather all year round.
Still lots to work on, of course, but there is safety in numbers and more people aware of how dangerous close passes are and how amazing LTNs are if you’re not behind the wheel, so I’m hoping things will keep improving.
2 comments
To put this in perspective, it’s about 13x the number of trips made by black cab
Though cabbies will still moan about “entitled cyclists”
> A total of 24 per cent of Londoners reported having cycled in the last year
That’s a massive number too (and also up, [going by this press release where it was 21%](https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2021/october/the-people-cycling-in-london-are-more-diverse-than-ever) in 2019). The overall number of trips is maybe still relatively small at 4.5%, but lots of people do go out on bikes.
My cycling commute is definitely busier than pre-covid this winter – it used to be so quiet I’d get to the point where I recognise half the regulars each day (hello passive aggressive recumbent cycling man). There’s more people out on hire e-bikes (though perhaps this week is a bit biased with train strikes) and parents cycling to school with their kids in the LTNs I pass on my way to work. That’s people who wouldn’t cycle before, now out enjoying some nice British weather all year round.
Still lots to work on, of course, but there is safety in numbers and more people aware of how dangerous close passes are and how amazing LTNs are if you’re not behind the wheel, so I’m hoping things will keep improving.