‘Why does a Dutch girl, born and raised in Europe’s bicycle heaven, take cycling lessons in London? A question Iain Clark, my instructor fromcycle2job asks me when he picks me up for my lesson.
Well, each time I get on my bike in London I see an image of myself with my face crushed between the wheels of a bendy bus and the pavement. And a fear inside me makes me want to scream ‘I don’t want to die on the streets of London!’ and I put my bike away and just give up.
When I was four years old I got my first real bike, a red one. Cycling on it felt cool, grown-up and amazingly free. Even though my older brother supported me with his hand on my back. One day he let me go and there I went into the big world of Dutch suburbia all by myself. And I kept on cycling ever since.
As a grown up I cycled in many cities but nowhere I have enjoyed cycling so much as in Amsterdam, bike-capital of the world. Just cycle once along the canals and you’ll get hooked yourself! So when I moved from Amsterdam to London three years ago, cycling was the one thing I missed most from home. Because while bikes rule the city in Amsterdam in London cars do.
In Amsterdam there are bike lanes everywhere. And everybody cycles, old and young, immigrants and locals, the Mayor and the garbage man. We use bikes as an accessory or as an extension of ourselves. I have moved houses on my bike, transported Christmas trees, cupboards, drunken friends, you name it. And all this is possible because of the safety on the streets. Of course accidents happen but not that often. Not something you can say of London. In the busy streets of the city there is hardly any space for cyclists. Most bike lanes are a joke. They are so narrow or so short that you can’t really use them. Cyclists’ risk there lives in London everyday and I am just not willing to do that.
But last week I bumped into Iain from cycle2job. An optimistic and dedicated cyclist who convinced me that he could get me on my bike and show me ‘safe routes’ through London. I told him that I would like to cycle from Notting Hill to the city centre. A real challenge regarding safe cycling routes. Paddington, Edgware Road and Marble Arch are just not places you want to be with a bike.
Iain showed me a route through back streets and quiet roads and we managed to get behind the John Lewis in less then 30 minutes. And guess what, I really enjoyed it and never felt unsafe. So as long as Boris Johnson has not finished building all the bike lines we need in the city, count on Iain. He will deal with your cycling fears and phobias.
And you will feel free, just like me!
via Be at Politics :: Cycling anxiety.
