Is it feasible to commute by bike in London?

[coleman]

I know public transportation is quite convenient in London, but I really like commuting by bike, so I'm wondering how bike friendly the city is? Are some parts more bike friendly than others?

[Matt_Owen]

Absolutely. Many thousands of people bike to work daily in London, and there is an extensive cycle lane network. You'll also see the ubiquitous 'Boris Bikes' (Public cycles you can hire by the day) everywhere.

As you mentioned, certain parts are more cycle-friendly than others. In East London I know there's been a lot of new cycle lanes and paths being added and improved for example. I used to bike in from West London to central and found it easier to take a slightly longer route as the the main road in was a bit too busy for my taste, but as long as you are sensible and obey the laws of the road, you'll be absolutely fine. I'd suggest that distance is your only real limiting factor - I think it might become inconvenient if you were cycling to-and-from Zone 4 every day as it would take a while, but I'm sure there's plenty of people who do, so maybe I'm just lazy!

[kaarelnu]

I commuted by bike from Tower Hamlets to Soho for over a year. While cycling during rush hour can be fairly stressful (loads of cyclists, cars and pedestrians to look out for) and you definitely need to be alert throughout the journey I still found it much more pleasant than the rush hour tube. So in short, it is absolutely feasible to commute by bike in London!

The traffic is quite slow in London - cars often drive slower than cyclists, so it won't feel like cycling on a highway. There are also a number of cycle paths and pretty much every traffic light has an area reserved for the cyclists at the very front.

London has two Cycle Superhichways - one from east to west and another from north to south. I used the former on a daily basis and would recommend it.

[Connor_Adams]

Hi Courtney, it is indeed feasible to commute by bike to London. But depending on where you happen to live and work it will change how easy/safe it is. I used to live in Acton (West London) and commuted to Paddington by bicycle, this was a nice commute because I could do most of it by the canal and avoid major roads.
There are a few "cycle superhighways" that go between central London and the suburbs. Using these should be safer because the road will have dedicated space for cyclists. See if one of these passes through somewhere you want to and can afford to live.
Also we have a cycle hire scheme here that you might be interested in looking into the cost and where the bicycle stations are located.

[thetwopct]

London is very bike friendly. The roads are great, and also around London there are bike "super highways" dedicated for cycling, which means coming even very far out of London is easy. Around central London, some streets can be narrow, but if you are a confident rider and control the road and traffic behind you, its easy. Trucks, buses and lorries are the big obstacles on the road, just be careful with them and never undertake/overtake them in case they turn in to you.

There are place to secure bikes everywhere, and if you don't have a bike, there is a TFL Bicycle hire scheme where you can hire a bike and drop it in another location within 30 minutes an unlimited amount of times for £2 per day.

People from London always moan about cycling not being safe in London, its because they compare it to the countryside. If they ever left England, they would know how amazing and easy it is to cycle in London!

[grudelsud]

I've stopped using public transport for my daily commute (4mi each way) 5 years ago and it's been the best thing I've done in my life, and considering the amount of bikes you see around I can say it is feasible and quite popular. This said, I'm afraid the city is not very bike friendly and you normally end your commute with a kick of adrenaline. There are a few dedicated lanes and, once you get familiar with lighter trafficked paths, you might find most of the commute quite pleasant. Still, depending on your start and destination points, you will find a few tricky crossings and busy passages. There are a few cycle highways around town and lots more to come with the new investment plans. Also, when using citymapper, you can select the bike option to see what paths are the safest. All this said, a daily commute is not for the faint hearted and it's heavily depending on overall length and start/end points.

[Howard_Bates]

Aha, one I can answer with ease!

Yes is the short answer - but of course nothing is that simple. I will give you the answer most people tend to agree with...

Cycling is very doable in LDN but only if you are confident. If you are not a confident rider then just start n quieter roads and go from there.

If you aren't confident all is not lost, there are of course some brilliant parks you can go through, but you clearly won't do your entire commute in a park. I'd say on my commute (Clapham to Notting Hill) - 50% of my ride is through parks, the other 50% is a mix of small/side roads and a few larger roads.

As a cyclist you of course get access to bus lanes too so general traffic isn't much of an issue. Just don't make stupid decisions like jumping reds etc. The A4 is the only road I know of that I don't want to be on.

I have lived here for over 4 years and I'd say I've given drivers the finger about 15 times in all, I have had 1 minor incident, where the taxi (go figure) changed lanes without indicating and I was filtering. It clipped my elbow, I didn't even come off my bike.

[Nick_Foote]

It is certainly feasible to commute by bike in London. I myself cycle about 30 minutes to work from Ealing (suburb) to Hammersmith (outer business district of sorts). I know many others cycle much further, from outer suburbs all the way into Central London.
Many roads have cycle lanes, although these are simply painted lanes at the edge of the normal road and often disappear at intersections or if the road becomes too narrow. Because of London's age Central London is often very tight for both cyclists and motorists.
In recent years there have been several high profile cyclist deaths, often due to heavy goods vehicles turning in tight central streets. There have efforts to make the city safer for cyclists through educating both cyclists and motorists, proposals to ban or restrict heavy goods vehicles and several 'cycle super highways' stretching across the city which include some sections being separated by concrete barriers from normal traffic, similar to some other European cities.

All in all, London is certainly not say Amsterdam in terms of cycle friendly but as long as you cycle smart and safe you can certainly get around.
Rush hours are cold and dark during the winter months though!

[Sharon_Moller]

Certainly in inner and central London it is very feasible. In outer London you will need to be very experienced in dealing with fast and agressive motorists. The biggest thing that helps in London is the Congestion Charge that operates weekdays from 7:00 to 19:00. You will notice the difference outside these times because it reduces the amount of "unnecessary" traffic and makes room for bikes and buses.

As a cyclist you can use the bus lanes and cycle superhighways. More information is here . The biggested cycling community is in the borough of Hackney, the cycling fashion stakes are highest at London Fields - only the finest fixie will do well there!!! For road cycling there are a number of clubs: e.g. London Dynamo ride around Richmond Park, Dulwich Paragon (Herne Hilll velodrome/ Crystal Palace) have a big women's group called the Paragonettes, Islington CC ride at Regents Park/ north London.

There are three main points I will make about cycling in London specifically compared to other cities:
1. The air quality in this city can be poor and if you suffer from asthma it may not be a beneficial thing for you. Having said that, the air quality inside the London Underground is worse in terms of dust and the buses sit for a long time idling in traffic during the peaks so there is no better alternative.
2. Bike theft is a real problem, a good quality lock and secure storage at home is absolutely required. Invest in a lightweight bike so you can carry it up stairs because leaving a good quality bike on the street overnight is very risky. If you can afford it buy bike insurance if this will be your main form of transport to and from work.
3. With more cycling there is sometimes occasions of "bike rage" amoung cyclists on popular bike routes. Not enough cyclists use hand signals here but most will use basic bike etiquette - allow the faster riders to pass you, pull out of traffic before stopping, shoulder check before turning or passing a slow rider. There are a LOT of FAST cyclists here compared to other cities and they are intolerant of slower cyclists. Do not bother to argue with them: they won't listen, you are better off just keeping out of their way.

Happy riding!

[naomibm]

Yes absolutely!

I lived in London for 5 years, and for the last 2/3 I commuted by bike every day.

I'd highly recommend looking up your route before you start, and spend the first couple of days trying different routes to see what suits you best.

I went from cycling down a horrible main road most of the way to finding a cycle-only path right beside it, made a HUGE difference!

I used an app called Bike Hub to find some nicer routes, and then CityMapper for getting to and from work the first times whilst I learnt the way.