Londoners of all ages are being challenged by the Mayor to get pedalling through a series of London 'cycle challenges', where workplaces and schools can compete based on the number of miles clocked up and the number of people they get cycling.

New figures released today show a bicycle boom is underway with an estimated 545,000 daily bicycle journeys now made in London, up nine per cent in the year since the Mayor was elected. Speaking at the launch, the Mayor said he was determined to reach beyond dedicated commuter cyclists and encourage more Londoners to join in.

A record £111m investment in cycling is being made this year, which includes funding for new Cycle Hire and Cycle Highways schemes and safety training across London.

The Mayor also unveiled a major new marketing campaign 'Catch up with the bicycle', which shows the freedom of cycling and how, as in other European countries, cycling can be a stylish and desirable way to travel. 

The Mayor said:

Cycling is on the up in London, but there is still much to do if we want to really revolutionise the way that Londoners get about.

'That's why we are making record investments in cycling, developing the cycle highways and cycle hire schemes, and are unveiling a summer schedule stuffed full of biking events, competitions, and campaigns designed to boost cycling across London's boroughs.

'Through this, Londoners of all ages and abilities can take part and experience the joys of travelling in one of the most handy, healthy, and environmentally friendly ways possible, and we can achieve our aim of making London a city where two wheeled, pedal-powered transportation is the norm, and not the exception.

With London's cycle revolution gaining pace and thousands of potential cyclists set to join you on the streets of the capital; I am writing to draw your attention to plans that the Mayor, in his capacity as Chairman of Transport for London, has drawn up to ensure the continued safety of you and your fellow cyclists.

Download the draft Cycle Safety Action Plan (927KB)

I hope you will be able to spare some time to read through what TFL believe is a further important step in their plan to make taking to two wheels in the capital as safe as possible.

The new plan highlights the need for action in London by:

• Promoting the cycling safety message to all road users.
• Delivering new, safe cycle routes and facilities - such as the new Cycle Superhighways routes and the central London Cycle Hire scheme with its 6,000 bikes.
• Providing confidence boosting training for cyclists, and other road users - £3 million has been invested in cycle training this year.
• Encouraging HGV operators in London to take cycling safety seriously - including engaging with 7,000 London companies and encouraging them to join TfL's Freight Operators Recognition Scheme.
• Working with over 300 freight companies which operate construction vehicles - they will be encouraged to install side-bars or other safety devices on HGVs which are currently exempt.
• Calling for improved HGV safety - by reviewing the current exemption for some construction vehicles to have side-bars and requiring cycle safety awareness as a mandatory part of HGV drivers 'Certificate of Professional Competence' (CPC) periodic training requirement.
• Championing the need to allow trials of innovative safety measures - such as Trixi mirrors in London to examine their potential benefits for cycling safety.
• Creating a Cycle Safety Working Group of key road user and cycling organisations.
• Arranging 'Exchanging Places' HGV/Cycle events similar to those we organised to mark the launch of this plan - with more to follow in November and coming months - giving London's cyclists the opportunity to learn about riding safely near HGVs.
• Using the latest research into collisions involving cyclists - to ensure the efforts of TfL and other partners are focused where they will make greatest difference.

Be alert

• be aware of everything going on around you
• watch out for pedestrians stepping off the kerb
• watch out for vehicles pulling into the kerb or turning left
• look up and around, rather than just in front of your bike
• practice looking behind without wobbling or swerving
• watch out for vehicles coming out of side streets - they may not see you

Watch your position on the road

• ride further out, away from the kerb. You'll be more obvious and easier to avoid
• allow at least a full door width's space between you and parked cars - and watch for open doors
• if the road is too narrow for a vehicle to pass you then it may be safest to ride in middle of the road

Wait ahead at lights

• wait in front of other vehicles when you're at traffic lights
• make sure you are well in front of large vehicles such as HGVs and are not waiting on the left - make eye contact so they know you are there. If you can't get to the front safely, wait behind the vehicle

Be seen and be safe

• a bright jacket or rucksack can make you easier to see
• by law, after dark you must have white lights at the front and red lights at back of your bicycle
• put reflective strips on your rucksack, panniers, jacket or wrist bands for better visibility at night
• it is not the law to wear a helmet but many Londoners choose to - if you wear a helmet, make sure it fits - tighten the straps so that you can't push the helmet up your forehead, side to side or up at the back
• try Safe Turn for your indications

Make eye contact

• make eye contact with drivers to ensure they know you're there - it will make them give you the space on the road that you deserve

Ride confidently

• know where you should be on the road and stick to your guns
• in heavy traffic go at the same speed as other vehicles
• look out for drivers trying to move onto the road you're on
• be assertive, not aggressive

Health

The positive consequences of biking as a healthy mode of transportation, or as a purely recreational activity, span across many aspects of our lives. They can be expressed in terms of the health of the environment (and resulting health of all living things), as well as the health of individuals who are more physically active. A transportation system that is conducive to bicycling can reap many benefits in terms of reduced traffic congestion and improved quality of life.

Economy

Economic rewards both to the individual and to society are also realized through reduced health care costs and reduced dependency on auto ownership (and the resulting insurance and maintenance costs). There are also other economic benefits of bicycling that are more difficult to measure, such as the increased economic vitality of communities that have emphasized bicycle mobility. Finally, bike-able communities create a more equitable society that provides transportation choice for all citizens.

Want your bike to go faster? Ride easier? Shift smoother? Improvements in these areas are often relatively easy to accomplish with just a few simple steps. Try out these simple tune-up tasks below, which don't require any special knowledge or tools, and see immediate improvements in your riding.

1. Clean and lubricate your chain

The chain and sprockets on your bike play a key part in the transfer of power in your legs to your wheels, making them go round and round. When they collect dirt and grit and get gummy, not only does it slow you down, but they also wear out faster. Keeping your chain clean and lubricated is one of the best ways to keep your bike working well. This is not a daily or weekly task by any means. Plan on doing this every thousand miles or so; more often if you ride in dusty or dirty conditions.

Tip: Use a lightweight oil specially designed for bikes. Stay away from motor oil as it is too heavy and will quickly attract dirt and crud. Want a big greasy chain ring mark on your leg? Using too much oil or the wrong kind is a guaranteed way to get one. Light lubrication is the key, and wipe off excess at the end.

2. Lubricate the moving parts of your brakes and derailleurs.

Your bike has quite a few moving metal parts that are vulnerable to dirt and moisture. To keep your bike happy and functioning well, these parts should be lubricated regularly.

Pivot points on the brakes and derailleurs are good examples of the types of places you should target because they are vulnerable to attracting dirt and grit due to their placement on your bike. You can spot many of these places just by watching your bike in action and seeing where metal parts move against and around each other.

For instance, think about your brakes. On most road bikes, they are mounted on a bolt on the frame above your wheel. When you squeeze the lever, the brake pivots around this bolt as it contracts. It's these places where you want to apply a couple drops of oil.

3. Inspect your brake pads.

A quick check of your brake pads will often reveal potential problems that are easy to fix. You want to check:

• Are your brake pads properly aligned?Brake pads are the little rubber things that clamp down on your rims to slow you when you squeeze the brake levers. Make sure they are hitting the rims evenly, and aren't either rubbing the tire or missing your rim partially or completely.
• Are the brake pads toed-in?The bike brake pads should also be "toed-in," which means the leading edge of the pads should touch the bike rim first when you lightly apply the brakes. The pads squish a little, and when you squeeze down hard, you should get full contact to the rim. This helps prevent squeaking
• Check for junk embedded in the brake padsInspect the surface of the brake pads where they meet the rims, and using a pointy sharp instrument like a knife, pick out any bits of sand or metal that may have become embedded in the pad. Removing this grit prevents the pads from wearing and scratching your rims and helps them provide more even and consistent stopping power.

4. Check the pressure on your tires.

One of the simplest things you can do is the one that can have the greatest effect, and that surprisingly, people most often overlook.

Paying attention to keeping the proper level of air pressure in your tires accomplishes many things:

• Makes pedaling easier
• Protects your rims from damage
• Prolongs the life of your tires
• Makes it much less likely that you'll get flats.

Checking for proper air pressue in your tires before every ride is quick and easy to do.

I have been commuting on London roads for almost 18 months now on a 25km round trip, so I have quite a lot of experience of cycling on busy roads.  It is undeniable that commuting in the autumn and winter months when there is less light, poses more threats.  I have always cycled with a powerful front and rear light, and also use a luminous yellow ‘Hump’ backpack cover with incorporated lights to make myself as visible as possible.

It was when I was cycling back from work one dark evening and I needed to turn off the main road, that I had the idea for an indicator that could be worn on the wrist, that would improve my visibility as I raised my hand to indicate a turn.  The problem was, when raising my arm to indicate a turn, I was raising my arm away from my well illuminated body and thrusting it into the darkness.  Not only were motorists unlikely to see it if they weren’t paying particular attention, I was risking having my arm knocked off by any overtaking motorcyclists!

The Safe Turn Indicator solves these problems.  Its rapid bright flashes will ensure that other road users are aware that you are planning to turn ahead, and since it is fully automatic, all you have to do is indicate as normal....problem solved!

When cycling in the dark or at dusk, you must have a white front lamp, a red rear lamp and a red reflector. Wear something reflective and fit spoke reflectors. If you have dynamo lighting, remember the lights go out when you stop. When other vehicles are using their lights, use yours too.

If you want to turn right, it is more difficult and dangerous to move to the middle of the road when it is dark. With the Safe Turn Indicator it is far easier to be noticed when crossing traffic.

1 Camden to the British Library and beyond
This is from my friend Eliane Glaser: "Starting in Royal College Road or College Place, you can cycle through Somerstown, which is almost entirely barred to cars, or if they are allowed, for some reason they avoid it. You may need a map the first time since the sign-posting is hit and miss, but you pop out just by the British Library, which is your gateway to central London. There's a special traffic light for you, which is a symbol of a bike. (There's one of these at the end of Wellington Street on the way to Waterloo bridge too. They are funky.)

2 Camden to the west
Take Gloucester Crescent and you will hit the Outer Circle of Regent's Park, which is the only bit you can cycle without getting harassed by a parkie. This is like a hub of the western entry point to central London.

3 The Greenway
Jack Thurston, who does a bike show on Resonance FM, recommends the Greenway, which runs along the northern outfall sewer pipe, from Victoria Park out to Beckton Alp and Barking Creek. The whole sewage network is a cyclist's playground: "There's a map of all the sewage outflow pipes. When they had the great stinks in London, they built these sewage pipes. Because shit has to flow downhill, they make terrific cycle routes. Some of them already have thoroughfares along them, like the one from Notting Hill to Marble Arch."

4 Oxford Street
Matt Seaton, the writer of G2's weekly cycling column, says: "Take any route at all to avoid this. You either get stuck in a canyon of double-decker buses or you run over a tourist." If you're going north to south, he says, stick to Wigmore Street for as long as you can, dropping down Orchard Street at Portman Square, feeding you into North Audley Street, which will in turn lead you round Grosvenor Square and pop you out in Park Lane by the cute Animals at War memorial ("They had no choice") and into Hyde Park.

5 Hyde Park
The park's broadwalk is a good way to avoid the fiendishly fast Park Lane, though Seaton says that at weekends the soap boxers get in the way. I suggested he set up a soap box to warn of the dangers of getting in the way of a cyclist on a cycle path.

6 South to east
On any journey to Tower bridge or farther east, from the south-west or south, you are actually better off dropping south and crossing Old Kent Road closer to Peckham, rather than tootling around all the monster roundabouts of Elephant and the Bricklayers. Even if you're coming from Clapham or Stockwell, get to the Walworth Road however you like, take Albany Road and duck straight over the A2, behind Tesco's, take a right up to Bermondsey, past that underwear bar with the blacked-out windows (the Fort), right again into Tower Bridge Road and there you are. Incredibly direct and quiet.

7 Woolwich ferry
Thurston reminds us: Woolwich ferry is free. And Greenwich foot tunnel is nice.

8 Southwark bridge
Easily the quietest and safest, given the choice between that, Waterloo and Blackfriars

9 The South Bank
Black Prince Road pops you out on the South Bank if you want to get away from the high-speed Kennington arterial roads. Watch out for dozy tourists.

10 Dulwich
If you want to do interval training, Dulwich Village into College Road into Fountain Road (this is really all one long road) is traffic-free in parts, goes through some pretty bits of park and, crucially, only has one traffic light after Dulwich Village, so you can have 10 minutes' unbroken uphill cycling.

... and five places where you'll need a strong lock:

1. Outside the White Cube, Hoxton Square

2. Liverpool Road, Islington, outside Sainsbury's

3. Kellett Road in Brixton

4. Brewer Street in Soho

5. Paddington station (in the bike-parking area)

Cycling is often perceived as a dangerous activity; part of the problem is that cycling on roads is often a less than pleasant activity because you can feel the potential for serious accidents. However, it is a shame because the risks of cycling are often exaggerated and there are of course many benefits

Some Basic Cycling Statistics

• The number of cyclists killed on British roads in 2007 was 136.
• The total number of people killed in road traffic accidents was  3,172 people.
• The number of people who died of heart disease in the UK was 70,000

Risk Decreases the More People Cycle.

Cities with a higher density (%) of people cycling have lower mortality rates. For example, in 1994, London had 19 fatal cycling accidents. In 2007, the number of cycle journeys had increased 91%, yet, fatalities fell to 16. This is a small sample, but, it suggests that as more people cycle, motorists adjust their behaviour to compensate for the increase in number of cyclists.

• In countries like the Netherlands, where cycling takes more than 30% of all journey, fatalities are a much smaller %.
• The UK sees less than half the cycling fatalities per 100,000 people than in Germany. However, Germans make five times as many journeys by bike as Britons.li>

Cycling vs Other Forms of Transport

I have seen various different data on the risk of cycling. But, this seems a comprehensive study about the relative dangers of different types of transport. Cycling is more dangerous than driving a car or going by bus. But, it is less dangerous than pedestrians.

Health Benefits of Cycling

Although cycling incurs a certain risk, it is definitely worth mentioning the advantage of cycling in improving fitness. Cycling helps to improve aerobic fitness and reduce obesity. This makes a significant contribution to reduce heart disease and other obesity related diseases. The number of deaths from heart disease in the UK is a staggering 70,000 a year. This easily dwarves the fatalities of cycling (126). Whilst a cycling accident makes a newsworthy story, a heart attack doesn’t. But, it is important to weigh up the benefits as well as the cost. Yet, in deciding whether to cycle or drive, most people tend to focus on the dangers.

Get Outdoors

The more you can do to make the fossil fuelers see you out on the road, the better. Safe Turn increase your visibility with turn signals secured on your wrist via a wristband or it clips to your glove. When your raise your hand to turn, the tilt switch detects the change in position and the light begins to blink. Kinda see this becoming big with the club kids, no?

Offsprung

Riding a bike in Boston is a very life-affirming activity: when I’m finished with each ride, I feel the warm, pleasant feeling of cheating Death. My usual death-defying activity is attempting a left-hand turn. I signal well before the turn, and the car behind me accelerates and passes me on the left, occupying the space where I’d planned to turn into. The action is finished with some vigorous fist-shaking.

Safe Turn has an awesome gadget that will help identify cyclists’ turning intentions. Sensors on the device will trigger the LEDs to blink whenever your arm is raised.

With a good seven years of bike commuting I’ve noticed a lot of cyclists who don’t signal, and most drivers don’t recognize the signals that they’re seeing, so the Safe Turn requires a little driver ed.

Also, it’ll go off accidentally whenever I’m flipping people off.

$20AUD (Australian Dingoes), which translates to about 18 Greenbacks.

Gainsville Times

If you’re a bicyclist, here’s a really cool new gadget for you. It’s called the “Safe Turn.” It’s a bright light that attaches with a strap to your left wrist. When you move your arm to signal either a left or right turn, the light automatically senses the movement and begins blinking to notify nearby cars. The light has a computer chip built into it that senses your arm movement and knows when you’re signaling. The chip is also programmed to ignore other “non-signaling” arm movements.

Product-Reviews

Whilst out cycling, safety should be at the front of our minds, we all know that we should wear a helmet and that our bicycles should have lights on to show those around us that we are there especially if we are on the road, but as a driver one thing I notice is that you can never quite tell if a cyclist is going to turn.

The Safe Turn can help people to be even more aware where cyclists are going on their journey. It measures 40mm (1.6”) and weighs 19g (0.67 oz), is works in a similar way to an indicator on a car or motorbike and has the same orange light. It has an internal tilt switch which detects the change in angle rather than motion. It will automatically switch on when your arm is raised in the normal hand signal maneuver and will stay flashing till you put your arm back on the handlebar

Gadget Palace

Basically, Safe Turn is a wrist mounted indicator light that automatically flickers to life whenever a cyclist raises his/her arm to signal a turn. In order to prevent the device from lighting during normal actions, like reaching for a water bottle or scratching the nose or ass, the device incorporates a “delayed start” feature that only allows the light to turn on if the user’s arm has been in position for more than 200 milliseconds.

If you are one of the few cyclists out there that is courteous enough to use hand signals on the road, the Safe Turn may be a useful device—although it looks as though the guy in the picture may have waited a little too long. Available for $18.

Gizmag

Environmental and health factors have been a catalyst for increased numbers of cyclists in metropolitan cities with bike sales exceeding that of cars in places like Australia in recent times. With more recreational and commuter cyclists sharing the roads with automobiles it follows that rider safety - and technology that enhances it - is more important than ever. The Safe Turn Indicator is a small, portable, automatic bicycle light indicator for your glove or wrist that alerts drivers and other cyclist that you are about to turn.

The compact (40 mm/1.6 in) and lightweight (19g/0.67oz) Safe Turn consists of three LEDs that flash in a similar fashion to a vehicle/motorbike indicator and emit the same orange light. Using an internal tilt switch to detect the change in angle rather than motion-detection, the product differentiates itself from other indicators on the market by virtue of its ability to automatically switch on when an arm is raised to execute a normal hand signal for turning and remain flashing until the arm drops back down.

The convenience of automatic functioning is undeniable but the obvious pitfall is the possibility of the device turning on when you scratch your nose or reach for your drink bottle. To circumvent this problem the inventors have built-in several functions to the Safe Turn's custom chip to avoid unwanted blinking. These include an electronic 'Delayed Start' feature that only allows the device to start blinking when it is in position for more than 200 milliseconds, therefore minimizing the likelihood of blinking due to vibration caused by bumps in the road or momentary changes in hand position.

There's also a mechanical user-adjustment consisting of a self-locking mechanism inside the base of the device that can be changed at 15 degree intervals to accommodate individual riding styles and handlebar types. A “Delayed Off” feature means it doesn’t not automatically switch off when you are in the middle of turning and drop your arm. Instead, it will keep blinking for 1 second to allow all cars to see it. Users can also manually switch the indicator off by pressing the orange top so that it wont blink in any position.

Designed to be visible from a wide range of angles, the LEDs have in-built water-clear lenses to direct the light beams which can be seen from up to 800 metres distance or more. A light-dispersing grid is incorporated into the top cover which also has a high profile so that it is still visible when viewed side-on. The LEDs have a very long life (100,000 hours of continuous lighting) which effectively means that they should never burn out and the two A76 batteries that power the device should provide about 2 years for that average day commuter according to Safe Turn.

To cope with the elements Safe Turn is water-resistant - though not water-proof - with rubber seals protecting the unit from spray but not complete submersion or constant heavy rain.

The Indicator can be used on either hand and attached to the wristband provided with the device or on to a bicycle glove. Retailing for AUD$19.95 (around USD$17 at time of publication), the Safe Turn Indicator is available in Australia, UK, Japan and online. The UK-based (a city of around three-million people that saw 268 serious and seven fatal bicycle accidents - 57% of which were caused by collision with a vehicle - in 2005 alone) creators have a patent pending and are currently looking for an overseas distributor to take the product worldwide.

ProductDose

I was walking on the sidewalk Saturday night when a cyclist zipped past me, not uttering a single word of warning that he was coming up behind me. Unfortunately, there was a couple coming around the corner ahead of him who didn’t see him and he clipped his handlebar on the girl’s purse. Next thing we know the guy goes ass over teakettle across the handlebars and tumbles into a heap on the ground. He hops up, grabs his arm and does an odd pantomime as if his arm is broken in several places. But when the couple and I approach to ask if he’s okay he ignores us. He picks up his bike and limps off for a block before hopping back on and riding away. I’m all for cycling and bike safety but this guy had no one to blame but himself for riding on the sidewalk.

Cyclists can do a lot to make their rides safer for themselves. This Safe Turn Indicator is an Australian invention. It is a small, portable, automatic bicycle light indicator that easily clips to a wristband. When your hand is raised to indicate a turn, the internal tilt switch detects the change in the position and the orange light starts to blink, alerting drivers and other bicyclists that you’re about to make a turn.

Australian Cyclist

The Safe Turn Indicator is both the product name and a fair description of a new Australian invention. It is, according to the manufacturer Safe Turn, a small, portable, automatic bicycle light indicator that clips either to the wristband supplied with the light or to your own glove. Once the indicator is activated - a power-saving feature which is accessed simply by pressing on the reflector - all that's required of the rider is to adjust a tilt-sensing switch built into the unit, then ride and signal in the usual way. As long as the tilt switch has been correctly tuned, the motion of raising the rider's arm is enough to set the unit's three bright LEDs flashing.

And if that's not enough, it actually works. The set-up phase is a tiny bit fiddly and not aided by clear but rather brief instructions, but it isn't rocket science. The Indicator comes with batteries installed. Once out of the packaging it can be placed onto your wrist. I started out with the wrist band supplied with the product but soon found that the fastening strap on the back of my right glove was more convenient and more secure. Adjustment of the flashing mechanism requires turning the unit on, then raising your arm into the turn signalling position to see whether or not this activates the flashing mechanism. If not, lower your arm and rotate the Indicator's reflector one click (about 15 degrees clockwise) and repeat the process until the flasher starts whenever your arm is raised in the turn position. The flasher should self-cancel a few seconds after being returned to the bars.

The technology looks so simple that it begs the question, "why didn't I think of that?" The switch mechanism senses the difference in orientation between hand positions when on the bars and when raised. Two tiny (replaceable) A67 camera-type batteries provide the power to activate the bright LEDs and there is presumably some simple electronics to make them flash in quick bursts. Along with decades of computer miniaturisation, the LEDs are really the heart of such a simple, lightweight and efficient device.

I have been doing evening commutes through Canberra's streets for a couple of weeks now and have come to look very fondly upon my Safe Turn. I am only using one - on my right wrist at the moment. I have always felt vulnerable to a "rear-ender" sitting in the middle of the road waiting to turn right: a single red light (or even multiples) on the rear of the bike can be difficult for drivers to interpret at the best of times - let alone when they're stationary in an unexpected position. Research seems to indicate that diagonal lighting patterns are the most legible for night-time illumination and the combination of good rear lights with a flashing Safe Turn Indicator seems to me to give a cyclist a much better chance of not only being seen, but of her/his intention being read from behind.

The Safe Turn Indicator gets a couple of demerit points from me: I think it needs a more positive fastening system as it can slip from a glove strap or wristband too easily, and it isn't the sturdiest object in the world. But I'm happy to give it full marks for a product long overdue. I felt safer at night and recommend any evening road user to strongly consider this modest investment.