“But why aren’t cyclists in the cycle lane?”: London rider stunned by this “awesome infrastructure” closed at one end… and blocked by a van at the other + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"But why aren't cyclists in the cycle lane?": London rider stunned by this "awesome infrastructure" closed at one end... and blocked by a van at the other
POV: you go for a bike ride in a UK city…
Awesome infrastructure
by u/lastaccountgotlocked in londoncycling
Yes, non-Londoners are allowed to get the tiny violin out for the riders in the capital with their network of quality cycling infrastructure. But yes, it’s also a classic of the ‘why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane genre’.
‘Cycle lane ahead closed’ sign, what looks like the end of a sub-10m section of bike lane heading straight into shared-use pedestrian area and, to top it off, van parked blocking the other end.
The caged wasteland under the building next to it adds ambience too. One local was keen to point out things do appear to be moving in the right direction, even if slower than people would like, with the closed section ahead “opening up a lot from what it was, even if it’s still not fully open”. The whole cycle lane closure situation appears to be due to construction on nearby flats, so hopefully things will improve again further soon.
Of course that’s all somewhat less relevant if someone sticks their van at the other end of the cycle lane…
This fed up with the rain yet?
It feels like consecutive rainy day 463 here in the UK so I don’t blame you if you’ve gone a bit delusional and have started seeing your commutes as a water sport this week. With that said, I don’t think there’s any amount of weather-related apathy that could get me to do this.
The fitness tech boom continues: Garmin reports record revenue for 2025
Jonathan Milan sprints to stage four win at UAE Tour
Milan makes it look easy 🤩🔥
The breakaway almost stays away at the UAE Tour before Jonathan Milan does his thing in the sprint 💨 pic.twitter.com/crQYGGfUF1
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 19, 2026
Pain for the breakaway who made it so close on stage four, but once it was reeled back in there was only ever likely to be one winner. It’s already Jonathan Milan’s third win of the season, but eagle-eyed viewers might have spotted a second Milan back in third, Matteo Milan, Jonathan’s brother. The meat in the Milan sandwich was Brit Ethan Vernon. No change on GC.
The ultimate bike industry boom and bust disaster story? Private equity firm that invested huge sums in Raleigh’s parent company has lost over £1 billion
Former GB Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies bellyflops into a cycling debate (again)
Here’s a blast from the live blog past, radio presenter Cristo Foufas and former GB Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies indulging in some anti-cycling bingo on Twitter. It’s like it’s 2023 all over again.
Foufas wrote 329 words recalling how he’d apparently had a near-collision with a cyclist cutting across his lane from a cycle lane without warning.
“But more importantly, how much longer do we all need to put up with this?” he asked. “How much longer do drivers have to put up with constant roadworks and congestion for cycle infra which isn’t even used by so many? Put up with redesigned gridlock-creating junctions to keep cyclists ‘safe’ when many don’t even seem to care about basic road rules?
Last night at 10.15pm I was driving Northbound on Kennington Oval
Out of nowhere, a cyclist going southbound on the 2-way cycle lane, left their lane at speed, and cut across me to join the southbound traffic lane
He was *SO* close to getting hit by my car. Had I not slammed…
— Cristo (@cristo_radio) February 17, 2026
“Put up with the ones darting through red lights, speeding on and off pavements or through crossings leaving pedestrians having to fear for their lives?”
It’s the sort of fare you’ll periodically find in certain newspapers’ opinion sections, or on slow mornings on the radio when segments need filled. 1980 Olympics silver medallist Davies got involved too calling it an “interesting read” and suggesting cyclists should have a registration plate and be legally required to abide by all the same rules as drivers.
“Interesting read. And I’m a cyclist. But I’m often in London these days doing 20mph on empty roads being overtaken by cyclists late at night as I travel home,” she wrote.
“At busy times they often don’t stick to the cycle lanes as faster riders want to overtake (above 20mph again), they go through red lights & do not abide by road laws. It’s mayhem & dangerous. Why not have a registration plate for cyclists too & apply the same laws as drivers, we share the same roads after all? A bike should not offer immunity.”
Anyway, the zinger came when someone replied keen to talk about the dangers of speeding further…
What’s that about sticking speed limits? https://t.co/R7VhCBCbg4
— Bikery (@Bikery1966) February 18, 2026
It’s not the first time we’ve got to wheel out the Sharron Davies bellyflops headline…
> Former GB Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies belly-flops into 15-minute cities debate
The 60-year-old cyclist in training to ride every stage of the Tour de France after a hip replacement and leukaemia diagnosis
Get a gravel bike, they said...
"That’s the way it is in cycling. Things like that happen": Maxim Van Gils not blaming Jan Christen for controversial sprint crash which broke his pelvis, tells fans there's "no need to be mad"
Reacting to the online storm that erupted following his crash at Clásica Jaén earlier this week, Maxim Van Gils has told fans there’s “no need to be mad” and it was all just a racing incident.
Van Gils’ attitude is pretty admirable considering many were calling for serious sanctions against the other rider involved, Jan Christen, the Belgian instead simply stating “things like that happen”.
“Christen then came from the right and maybe a bit closer than he needed. But that’s the way it is in cycling. Things like that happen,” he told Domestique.
Christen apologised in a message on social media but Van Gills told the UAE Team Emirates rider he “was okay with” what happened.
“There’s no need to be mad with Christen either,” Van Gills said.
Was lack of air-con to blame for Remco Evenepoel's surprise UAE Tour implosion?
While Remco Evenepoel did not talk to the press after yesterday’s disappointment on Jebel Mobrah, the Belgian was happy to address the performance ahead of today’s stage. He told Belgian broadcaster Sporza his legs “didn’t feel very fresh all day” and questioned if the dominant time trial effort of the day before had left him tired, but also a bit overconfident going into the final climb.
“I raced a bit too aggressively at the bottom, and a few kilometres later, I paid for it,” he said.
The Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe leader wasn’t too quick to make excuses, but he couldn’t leave the mic without mentioning his bad night’s sleep.
“The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working. It was very hot, but that’s resolved now. I’ve been able to sleep better and recover more effectively,” he said. “We don’t need to panic. I’ve already raced a lot and this is a process towards Catalonia and the Ardennes. I don’t think I can say anything specific. Just stay calm and carry on. It’ll be okay.”
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I believe "hi-vis" isn't actually worth that much - certainly not compared to eg. the value of "reflectives" as soon as it gets darker. But even those are still just PPE though - this is the lowest rung (least effective) on the hierarchy of health and safety hazard controls. And "visual aids for drivers" do nothing if drivers don't do their part, no matter how much is worn...
Not the best timing, but not the major issue he's trying to turn it into either. Fitness amongst young people is a problem when it comes to armed forces recruitment, as many are having trouble with the requirements needed to pass the tests because of their inactive lifestyles. This investment will help deal with the problem.
Seemed pretty visible to me - and she was sporting light-coloured hair, bag, footwear and bright trousers. What if she'd been approaching a motorist "out of the sun", or passing a field of oilseed rape or stand of autumnal trees later in the year? If you think that's flippant, note that "sun" and "tree leaves" have been advanced as defense / mitigation in court despite cyclists following guidance ('should'). Frankly she's already done the best preaching possible: been a "normal person" riding a bike.
@60somethingcyclist Looks like you've stepped straight into silly comment mode without looking at all at the actual facts of the case. It has nothing to do with shared paths, the cyclist was on a public road on the vehicle carriageway, the pedestrian was standing on a traffic island waiting to cross. Evidence from independent witnesses shows that the pedestrian stepped out into the path of the cyclist without warning when he was around two metres from her. Much has been made of the fact that he was possibly riding at 5mph more than the motor vehicle speed limit for the road but he could have been riding at 10 mph and he still would have had no chance of avoiding her. The pedestrian was solely responsible for the incident and no amount of "mutual consideration and respect" would have changed that. Suggest reading the articles and evidence in future before commenting with such nonsense.
@yodhrin I should know, I was one.
@60somethingcyclist hmm... that's a good lesson, but perhaps not one to draw from this case where someone stepped out in front of and close to an oncoming cyclist. There may be other lessons from this case - eg. how do we best train people to expect cyclists, understand that cyclists can move unexpectedly quickly, and educate cyclists that speed awareness matters for them also (even if not explicitly in law). And perhaps what places it's appropriate for cyclists to train / exercise in (and provision of such places if there's sufficient demand but they're lacking)? But it's hard to extrapolate that from even a handful of incidents, never mind one.
Good to see the Secretary of State practicing what she preaches, especially adhering to DfT advice on wearing a helmet. Usual keyboard clowns having a dig. One valid point though, the Highway Code advice on cycle wear clearly states "Daylight & Poor Light: You should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing (such as neon yellow, orange, or pink) to help other road users see you" Some form of hi-viz would have been a good example.
“I agree near schools and places like that but all these road [sic] elsewhere are ridiculous,” Leon began. “You had cars in the 80s that had no power steering, ABS, all manual cars, and 30 mile an hour limit. “Now you have cars with every gadget under the sun, stops on a dime, and they wanna drop it to 20mph." I feel that this is part of the problem... modern cars are, if anything, too refined. They accelerate more quickly, are more comfortable at speed, have aircon, airbags, power steering and decent radios - all of which make the driving experience more relaxing and requiring a little less input/attention from the driver (who doesn't really realise how fast they are going, or how quickly they got there) The "stopping on a dime" argument is particularly worrying, as all this means is the the driver's false sense of safety, so they can tend to push things further. As for the "cars weren't designed to do 20 mph" angle, design aims and capabilities are not mutually exclusive...in fact, I'd say that modern cars are better, in this respect, due to engine refinements.(and how many older cars are there, nowadays, in this leading age that we live in?)
I think this case is a lesson for us all, cyclists and pedestrians to be careful and mindful of others when we're out and about, especially on shared paths. Both groups have as much right as the other to be there. Mutual consideration and respect will help a lot.
I’d say that colour was more like fuchsia (and coming soon to a Rapha Pro Team jacket near you).
13 thoughts on ““But why aren’t cyclists in the cycle lane?”: London rider stunned by this “awesome infrastructure” closed at one end… and blocked by a van at the other + more on the live blog”
If the cycle lane is only closed at one end, presumably cyclists can simply carry/walk their bike past the closure and hop on to the lane.
Unless the closure is via solid barriers all the way down the lane…
Van blocking the cycle lane – not great, but for context, here’s how much space there is to get around it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GMsM8WW5j8TVwrfk7
And when you get past the small section of cycle lane that’s closed for building work, it looks like this: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RuqfXfNT8y5AMGys7
(only Streetviewed it, maybe it’s worse IRL)
With reference to the notoriously cyclist-hating Cristo’s (nice chap, he blocked me on Twitter after several arguments for being homophobic: apparently if you call a homosexual a bigot over an issue that has no relation to sexuality whatsoever (the argument was about women wearing burkas, IIRC) then you are de facto homophobic) whine, he’s obviously completely misunderstood the road layout around the Oval. The cycle lane runs down southwards from Vauxhall but it ends outside Archbishop Tenison’s school, at which point cyclists have a choice of turning right into the adjacent council estate to follow a quietway route (very pleasant but a long way round) or riding across the road to join the southbound carriageway. There is a toucan crossing to assist them in doing this but many (including me) don’t press the button if there is room to get across safely – why hold traffic up unnecessarily? That is doubtless what this maniac cyclist was doing, legitimately selecting one of the two alternatives at the end of the cycle lane. As for “if I hadn’t slammed the brakes on”, it’s amazing how many cyclists would have been killed by all these wonderful drivers but weren’t because of their exceptional skills…
Classy response from Van Gils, especially considering the severe injuries he received. It would be smug of me to mention that his take on the incident is pretty similar to the one I posted on here at the time, so I won’t do that…
Respect
Congratulations on Garmin’s 2025 excellent financial results! An operating income close to 19%, a 17% dividend increase and new $500 million share repurchase program in February 2026, Garmin love milking their cash-cow customers.
On the side note, only companies reporting on their poor performances mention Trump’s tariffs in their press releases.
Yes they do milk their customers and I am a little tired of their rip off prices. Currently looking at Polar again after many years, but I’m not sure they are fully in the game nowadays.
“We estimate the gross impact from tariffs on our 2025 results prior to any mitigations will be approximately $100 million of increased cost” – Garmin CEO Clifton Pemble, 2025
Sharron Davies is a prime example of the old adage, “you don’t have to be intelligent to be talented at sport”. To be fair to her it is usually the male of the species that displays these attributes.
I don’t think that’s entirely fair, much as it pains one to be fair to someone of Davies’ opinions. You could definitely say she’s a prime example of the fact that you don’t have to be nice to be talented at sport, but she has achieved a lot beyond her athletic success and argues her case(s) cogently. If every person with unpleasant opinions was a flag-shagging Stella-swigging roundabout painter it would be a lot easier to laugh them off, it’s the ones who have some intelligence that are the most dangerous.
You may know more about he than me. From my perspective she’s followed the rout of many sports people, retired from sport, into sports media related work then “light” entertainment, followed by a social media presence, where they sound off on whatever they think will get them clicks. I don’t see any of that as being a major contibutor to the welfare of society and as such I can’t see where she has achieved a lot outside the sporting arena.
The “he” was a typo, not a reference to her attitude on trans rights!
Am I the only one who when I read an anti-cycling comment that includes the words “…and I’m a cyclist” thinks “oh no you’re not”?