The Pavement or.. The Hospital

It's not that I don’t respect the rules of the road, I just respect my life more. I'm a cyclist in London. I live in Central London I cycle every day. It's my form of transport. I am very, very rarely on the tube - if I travel out of town it's generally by bus to the train station and then by train. But what type of cyclist am I? Am I the lycra clad, shiny helmet cam, wet suit, one gear type of cyclist? Nooo

Am I a kerb hopping, traffic light jumping, menace to society? Well it's more complicated than that. And in any case the lycra, lights, and hi-vis gear of the former category do not preclude you from being a member of the latter.

An artist friend of mine who also travels almost exclusively by bike and is based in the South London area is always nagging me. She doesn't think I'm safety first. But that my friends is where she is very wrong....

Today was a case in point About 4pm I sped out of my flat to a bank in the City - just over London Bridge approaching Moorgate. This particular branch of the bank in question closes at 430pm - a very British phenom. So I had to make haste. Anyway as I tore up Borough High Street I was confronted by a traffic jam blocking my ascension. At one point I moseyed on to a pavement and came back off it after about 3 secs when it became possible to slip back into traffic at a point I could make progress. But there was also a subconscious element in this move that wasn't entirely selfish and about 20 yards later the reason for this almost knee jerk reaction made it self plain. As I was riding along one of the several double decker buses on the route, jostling like African Elephants at the waterhole, suddenly turned on to the pavement at a point where lorries load and unload almost knocking me off my trusty two wheeler. I looked at the bus driver and he looked at me as I passed. He knew what time it was. Soon after I was on London Bridge and as I approached the city end, a people carrier abruptly pulled into the recently painted cycle lane. This time I was a little way behind when said motorist made the manoeuvre. I drew up alongside him and gently tapped his window, rather than lowering the window he lowered his face in chagrin.

Pedestrians, motorcylists, cabs, buses and cars all jump in a our lanes when they chose. Motorists completely swallow up the space between the road and the street at will. Yet I've been yelled at by motorists, bullied by bus drivers and challenged with violence by cabbies all for my safety first based interpretation of the rules of the road. After today as after everyday I maintain my statement. Better the pavement than the hospital.