Yeah, but Hazel what have cyclists ever done for us…? 🙂

It’ll be interesting to read your thunks on cycling in the Netherlands. Although in some ways it can be viewed as “cycle heaven”, in other ways I prefer cycling in a less cycle-focused nation. Why? Perhaps it’s because I’m used to cycling in English speaking nations & it’s nice to be viewed as a wee bit different from other people; it’s not because I like being cut up by motorists who have minimal cycle awareness, or because I like poorly designed infrastructure (crap cycle lanes etc). I like being part of the mainstream traffic, not being segregated off the main throughfares – bikes are vehicles, not toys to be kept from public view. Part of the problem in NZ is the lack of coherence between public transport & cycle facilities here – & there is little incentive for people to cycle as NZ is such a car-focused nation. People view the space between places in driving time, not in distance. Motoring is still too cheap here, car drivers are too young (the minimum age for drivers should be 18) & it concerns me that third party insurance isn’t mandatory here. I’d just like cycling to be accepted as a normal way to travel, not to be a topic of ridicule or to be portrayed in a negative way in the press, as it tends to be in NZ or in the UK or USA. Remember though, when you’re in cycle heaven, that ot was a fellow Scot who invented the bike, & the pneumatic tyre, & steam engines, &….

Cheers Hazel. For some reason I had 80 million in my head, but that’s Germany. Actually, if I was being accurate about my visit, I would have just talked about reflections on cycling in ENGLAND, given that I never made it this time to Scotland or N.Ireland (I did see Wales from a distance!)…

I’m Scottish & lived mainly in Northern Scotland before moving to Aotearoa. The Scottish Highlands, despite the geography, actually have a slightly higher % of cycle commuters than other regions in Scotland.

When living in Orkney I enjoyed taking my bike by ferry to visit other islands, although it bugged me that I had to pay to take my bike on the interisland ferries in Orkney, whereas bikes are carried free on the interisland ferries in Shetland, & on the ferries from mainland Scotland to Orkney & Shetland, & on Cal Mac ferries to the Western Isles.

Trains in the UK have varied policies on the carriage of bikes – depends on the train company. Some you pay for, & some are free (e.g. Scotrail). Generally space is limited (& tandems or tricycles can only be transported in trains which have guard vans), & there are some peak periods when you can’t take your bike on some trains, but I’ve travelled extensively with my bike through the UK using trains, as I’ve never owned a car. I’ve travelled less extensively in NZ, partly because I’m very wary of taking my bike on buses as it’s difficult to guarantee that there will be space for one’s velocipede, & I’m not good at the techie side of cycling!

In general I’ve found motorists in the UK have been more courteous towards cyclists than in NZ. In neither country is cycling seen as a normal means of transportation – I’m generally about the only person who cycles to social events I go to in the evenings here, & I regularly get asked stupid questions by people like “When are you going to grow up & get a car?” On the whole more people in the UK have admired me for sticking to my guns & continuing to cycle everywhere, particularly because I’m a female, than is the case here, in a supposedly cycle friendly city.

The best angle of cycling in the UK is the lack of helmet law – I hate the things, not just because they were initially designed by the Yanks as a fashion accessory (!) but mainly because they’re uncomfortable & they give people the perception that cycling is a dangerous activity. It’s not! I have managed to obtain a helmet exemption here, so if you spot me on my bike I’m legitimately cycling lidless, but of course the general public doesn’t know that, & periodically people here (mainly males) will yell at me “Where’s your [expletive] helmet?” Re safety it’s much more important to be visible – I’m constantly amazed at the number of people here (& in the UK) who cycle without lights at night.

As a female in Scotland one of the things I enjoyed was the banter which would get slung in my direction by workmen while I cycled along. Most of this wasn’t sexist in nature, but was just friendly conversation – females on bikes being fewer in number, as here. Thinking up quick responses was a good challenge! On 2 occasions in Scotland when I was sitting at a junction in the pouring rain motorists drew up beside me, rolled down the window, & shook my hand. The laughter which that generated kept my forward momentum going!