Good heading:
Riding a motorcycle in London, UK is not for the feint of heart.
After riding in London now on my bike for months I was ready to hit Central London yesterday and go for it!
I've heard that riding a motorcycle in Central London was (one of) the most dangerous places to ride, so I thought, well, might as well give 'er a go.
So, off on the A40 I rode towards Central, with traffic building quite nicely on my side (Westbound) and even much more traffic coming out (Eastbound), time was around 3pm, so I was starting to see the start of rush hour. What a perfect time to pick to ride in Central London eh?!
Well, you might not think doing a 40 mile round trip can be an adventure, but I assure you, in London, it is!
First, as you enter Central London, you enter the dreaded "Congestion Zone", which means you pay £8-£10 for the privilage of driving there.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congest ... fault.aspx but no worries, (Exemptions: Two wheeled motorbikes (and sidecars), mopeds and bicycles) Yay!! No money from my pocket.
But sadly, £8-10 quid isn't enough to keep the grid lock traffic from happening! It's a mad house of vehicles, street signs, traffic lights, and DO NOT DO X everywhere! ahhh! There are just so many signs/lights that you are bombarded with information. Oh, and let's not forget about the traffic cameras everywhere (like every few blocks).
Luckily, motorcycle are ALLOWED to lane split where you can fit! And trust me, you learn to do it pretty fast. This is the dangerous part x2, as you really have to be on your ball riding in this messed up traffic environment and want to lane spit with the other scooters, motorcycles, bicycles and occasional horse. I feel sorry for motorcycle/bike couriers who have to do this on a daily basis.
Some things I learned: I can tell you a 750cc bike is a big bike for lane splitting, but I did see the rare larger cc bike do it. Scooter = lane splitter extraordinarie. I did not see a cruiser do it and in fact feel bad for cruiser riders as they would have to wait in traffic even more. With traffic so tight you learn the width (and length!) of your motorcycle to a few inches each side! (Watch out for those mirrors and trucks and front/rear bumpers). Some areas are too tight to fit (while you are lane splitting) so you have to wait in between cars/trucks/buses. Thankfully, drivers use their turn signals to change lanes and don't open doors on a splitter!
Lane splitting in Central London is definately a learned talent. A talent London riders definately pick up better than anyone else. I never thought I'd have to learn the width of my motorcycle so precise or it's length to get around.
Fun and interesting, definately added to my skills as a rider. Lane splitting for riders in London is as much a part of riding as merging onto a highway is for us. I can see why riding in London can be dangerous, the odds of messing up is high, but with traffic so thick if you don't lane split you don't go anywhere fast.
But I sure do miss the open roads of North America, and I think London riders would agree if they ever get the chance to ride like we do back home.
Photo: This is an actual photo of the one of the sections of the A40 I was on. Fun eh?
One last bit of information, I actually lane split beside a police car too! LOL, never thought I'd do that!
Mike
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Your story and pics really make me want to visit but I've been spending too much money lately to be able to do it. Keep the pics coming Mike!
