Tribal Biking

A reality of transportation in London is that everywhere is about a 10 min walk to the tube, the tube ride itself, and about a 10 minute walk on the other end. A monthly tube pass is £99 for zones 1 and 2, which is most of town. A monthly bus pass is £40. Granted for longer distances, the tube is better, but for simply getting around the center of town, the quickest way is on a bicycle. It has limitations caused by weather, and I can tell you that it is no fun biking in the rain, but for most purposes, the bicycle is ideal.

When I first got to London, I was fortunate that a coworker was selling his bicycle, and I bought it straightaway. I've really enjoyed having it, and it has worked really well for my daily commute from Angel to Soho. It can be a lot of fun pedeling around town on the weekends, but during the week, it is all business.

There are more bicycles on the road than cars and buses. This leads to what I like to call, "Tribal Biking". This is where bicycles tend to band together like a group of raptors, and through their combined efforts, they try to rule the road.


There are two types of buses here in London. There are the classic double-deckers, and the 33-meter long bendy buses. jWith bicycles swarming around these buses, it looks much like a shark with the little pilot fish swarming alongside it. It is quite an experience biking alongside these buses, especially when they are moving side by side. At times, I have pedaled down the trench between them, and it can be a bit scary.

There's even rush hour with bikes, where the bike paths can become congested with too many bikes. London Transportation is working to improve the paths, and at certain times of the day, particularly in the morning, there is one spot where the path gets too crowded.

Still, biking is both a fun way to get around, and for short trips, it is the fastest. I've walked to work, and it takes about 45 minutes. I've taken the bus, and that takes about 30 minutes, yet on my bike, I can get there in about 15-20 minutes.