Cycling is fantastic and Bike Week is the time to join in (see this week's
Website of the Week page). Oh yes, I talk the 'On yer bike' talk, but do I ride the ride? It's confession time again. That's not me in the photo on the left. I sing the praises of cycling, but I don’t actually cycle myself. I used to, in fact I spent around 80% of my childhood on a bike, but cycle in London? I politely decline. [Left, ©iStockphoto.com/Andrzej Burak].
Luckily, others aren't so lily-livered. The number of cyclists in London is booming (up 83 per cent since 2000, with 480,000 journeys a day) but we still trail hopelessly behind most European cities in coaxing people out of cars and onto bikes.
Paris is about to sprint ahead with the new
Vélib' bike service. Starting on 15 July, there will be 10,000 cycles on the streets at 1,000 stations, increasing to over 20,000 by the end of the year. The mayor wants to encourage locals – and tourists – to get around by bike. With cycles dotted around the city, riders will be able to mix transport methods throughout the day. The first
half-hour is free, then it's just €1 for an extra half hour, rising for additional time; or simply pay €29 (£20) a year, €5 a week or €1 a day.
I wonder if Ken is considering a similar scheme for London. Before you harrumph about higher taxes, you should know that Paris expects to profit from the scheme, with projected returns of €34 million over 10 years.
Closer to home, my husband cycles to work (and the shops) and even did a charity bike ride for Wateraid, the 50km White Horse Challenge. So why do my feet remain firmly on the ground?
Excuses, excuses:
a) I'm terrified. A friend of mine fell off her bicycle in France and despite her helmet, she was in a coma for weeks. Luckily she’s recovering, but accidents are a valid concern. In 2006, 2,420 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in Britain. Are cycling paths designed by psychopaths? How else to explain the fits and starts of lanes that end abruptly, leaving you to merge into dense traffic. I am just too jittery to share a lane with a gigantic London bus, not to mention supersized Chelsea tractors, complete with bull bars, which in the urban environment are essentially 'cyclist bars' and 'pedestrian bars'.
That said, the number and quality of cycle lanes are improving and the Department for Transport claims that mile per mile, cycling today is actually safer than walking. I would feel more secure with cycle lanes that are completely separate from the traffic so cyclists can’t get pinched in, especially on left-hand turns.
b) Speaking of getting pinched, my husband has ‘lost’ at least three bikes since I met him. There’s nothing more frustrating that doing your bit and getting victimised, as many of you probably know – a bike is stolen every 71 seconds. You can now register your bicycle with
Immobilise, a
registration service supported by all the UK Police forces, many of which are making cycle theft a higher priority crime. The British Transport Police are cracking down on cycle theft at rail stations, with surgeries for cyclists taking place throughout June and July. Check out the London Cycling Campaign for more info on bike security and insurance. 
c) I wear dresses and skirts and want to maintain a modicum of dignity. It's the
London Cycling Campaign again to the rescue. They suggest wearing shorts or cycling shorts under a skirt, so mine is not an insurmountable problem – though I think an old-fashioned lady's bike with a low bar will be more graceful to mount and dismount than a racer. Oh and I'd need a chain guard, so skirts won't catch in the chain. I've just found a perfect specimen, the quintessentially English Princess Sovereign bike (right) from
Pashley (hand-built in Stratford-upon-Avon for extra eco cred).
d) I don't commute. With a home office and a two-block school run, I don't really have that many opportunities to cycle. Ahh, here I may just wriggle off the green guilt hook. We deliberately live near good public transport links and don't own a car, so I walk, Tube or bus it. Still, cycling is more eco-friendly than public transport, and a cycle certainly means more pleasure and independence. Not to mention that panniers (and the Princess's lovely wicker basket) could solve my shopping trolley dilemma.
I might just consider it. I could certainly use the exercise. I'll start by using my husband's bike (and helmet!) on quieter routes along back roads during these long summer evenings and see how confident I feel.
I certainly wouldn't feel confident cycling Lady Godiva-style, but on June 8th and 9th, around 1,500 UK cyclists and skaters in five cities did just that. The
World Naked Bike Ride UK is part of a worldwide naked protest against oil dependency. I celebrate their aim of drawing attention to safer streets for cyclists, but perhaps I'll stick to emailing my MP and the London Mayor's office just at the moment.
