App steers cyclists away from traffic, upward inclines

Red lights?

"Maybe it'll encourage London cyclists to obey traffic lights, but , cynical pedestrians that we are, we doubt it."

Because, of course, you never get a motorist ignoring traffic lights do you?

...oh hang on a moment though, for every cyclist who flies past me while I'm waiting for the lights to turn green, I probably get a dozen or more motorists who do the same. But of course that doesn't make a good anti-cyclist rant, does it?

From a Cynical Cyclist

Maybe they can invent an app for pedestrians that'll stop them stepping out at junctions without looking, and even obey pedestrian signals! Better yet, take the iPhone away from them altogether.

there's maps and there's maps

The TfL paper maps have been reissued with no real changes other than to remove indication of many one-way streets - well, that and plastering Tory/Barclays blue over them and putting some clown's mug on them.

It appears that cyclists have got pissed off with TfL's total lack of cycling nous (don't mention the fucking advert for Rupert known as 'Skyride') and have gone thier own way to produce cycle maps that actually mean something to cyclists and not just ride the Barclays routes on Barclays bikes for the ego boost that Boris gets for doing fuck all except gurning to cameras.

confident cyclist

As a confident cyclist (who treats red lights as give way signs) I can categorically state that jumping red lights increases rather than decreases my safety on the roads. I always give way to pedestrians (no need to annoy anyone).

And I'm not alone in thinking this. TFL's own Cycle Safety Action Plan states that whilst there is a public perception that jumping red lights is dangerous, the stats don't back up that impression.

No doubt this is public perception formed by people who never ride bikes and hence have no idea whatsoever how dangerous it is to start moving at the same time as all the other vehicles who will drive too close behind, overtake too closely, overtake you and then turn left right in front of you (or just turn left without bothering to properly overtake you) or rush to turn right in and run you over when you're heading the other way.

So as a commuting cyclist, all I ask is that you accept that I know what is safe and what isn't - I'm hardly going to risk my life going through lights now am I?

Finds routes that don't go up hills?

Where's the fun in that then?

Improbably geography

"gives priority to downhill routes"

That appears rather clever as I always though the net ascent or descent in a route is dictated solely by the difference in altitude between the start and end points. Whenever I've cycled between two points approximately as the same hight above sea level, I've always been rather of the impression that more downhill has also mean a compensating amount of uphill. As the latter takes rather longer to complete than the former, then the net pain appears to increase.

Personally I've always looked for the routes that involve the least amount of climbing and let the downhill parts sort themselves out. I will now have to search for these legendary downhill all the way routes, especially the circular ones, along with looking for those damned elusive magnetic monopoles.

Another confident cyclist

As another cycle commuter (OK, not all the time these days) I would say that whilst I understand the issues of cyclist passing through/jumping red lights. It's still not something I would do as it just sets a really bad example and tends to lead to "retaliation" or remonstrations from motorists (I have gone through temporary lights at roadworks however, as there is often room to pass safely inside the cones out of the traffic flow).

A bit more tolerance and understanding of each others views from pedestrians, cyclists, motorists (including taxi & bus drivers etc) is whats really required.

Ooh Dear, this isn't going to help with the anti-cyclists...

Okay, so I thought I'd try the route planner out and see how it fared against the TfL journey planner. I asked it to advise a route from my office off Regent St in the West End to my house in South London.

Within 200 yards it had directed me over a pavement and down a pedestrianised street, over a pedestrian crossing, and down a pedestrianised alleyway, and then the wrong way down a one way street to St James' Square, and then down the wrong, one-way exit of said square into traffic on Pall Mall. It didn't improve much from there, taking in other one way streets, main roads and frankly lunatic detours and right hand turns on major roads. Absolutely nuts.

Almost as if it had been programmed by a cycle courier or cursed lycra lunatic that is so loathed by the majority of Londoners.

The much maligned TfL Journey Planner is an absolute winner by comparison.

Hills

Priority to downhill routes? Kind of silly when your destination is higher than your starting point. Different cyclists have different preferences when it comes to climbing. Some prefer one short sharp climb to a long gentle gradient if they've got to climb at all, some prefer it the other way. Some cyclists would rather add several miles to their journey than endure a few hundred yards of climbing, some would always go for the shorted route.

My home is about 120 metres higher than my place of work. There are various routes which vary from about 250m of climbing to 330m. The my preferred route is the one with the most climbing and it's not the shortest. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I love climbing. It's that, even though it's a couple of miles further there is a lot less traffic and very few busy urban junctions. So it's actually quicker to do it the hard way.

As for safety I'm not convinced that staying away from busy urban roads is safer. IME you're just as likely to get clouted by cars on quiet rural roads, and when you do get hit you'll get hit harder. On these roads traffic tends to be faster, but the roads narrower. As a result car drivers who feel that it is compulsory to pass cyclists as soon as they see them are more likely to make a dangerous move. Cars coming up behind at 60mph only to discover oncoming traffic precludes their passing are more likely to clout you up the chuff than they would at half that speed. Car drivers encountering oncoming traffic when passing a cyclist on a blind crest or bend (a daily occurence) will instinctively swerve into the cyclist to avoid hitting the oncoming traffic.