This is Jay Foreman’s insightful exploration of why cycling isn’t as common in London as it is in other cities. He’s diving into the challenges, infrastructure issues, and cultural attitudes that shape London’s cycling scene. Let’s learn about what’s holding cycling back in London and how it compares to biking culture in the U.S.!
Original Video: https://youtu.be/gohSeOYheXg?si=DD6d4GFBCCf7BB9w
Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kevindidit4
Grab a mug! https://jjlareacts.creator-spring.com/listing/the-official-jjla-reacts-mug
Support the channel! patreon.com/jjlareacts
https://www.instagram.com/jeanjaray/
#JayForeman #CyclingInLondon #AmericanReacts
28 Comments
Update since you asked: since this was made London has abolished cycling entirely – it is now illegal to cycle in London – being caught with a bike in public is an offence punishable by 20 years in prison. All the bike lanes have been sold off and been turned into massive drive through McDonalds.
8:46
A point about this.
Jay says “cars were banned from streets”
They weren’t banned technically.
I follow a great YouTuber called NotJustBikes who’s a Canadian who wanted to raise his kids in the opposite of a car dependent place so he moved with his family to Amsterdam.
Dutch streets in urban areas are designed in a way that treats cars as intruders on a place designed for people, and not the other way around.
Also since the 1990s, Dutch urban planning has defined three different types of carriageway for cars and never the three shall mix.
Because what you then get if you try and serve multiple functions with a through way are things like stroads. Stroads are common all over the US and Canada and it’s when streets (which are destinations) are designed like roads (which are thoroughfare) and built to highway standards (which incentivise high speed of traffic because they lack traffic calming infrastructure to narrow lanes or make drivers slow down). The result is a hybrid carriageway designing to fulfill multiple functions of being a destination and a high speed connection between two places, and it creates an environment that is wholly pedestrian unfriendly and hostile to anyone not in a car.
You live in California, good example of a stroad is Route 82 between San Francisco and San Jose. The length of it past downtown Redwood City is a stroad. Most LA streets are stroads. This kind of road, and I’m not joking, is virtually non existent outside of North America.
The main problem with the first separated cycle lanes were that the cyclist would have to be ready to give way at any sort of side junction, cars could drive across the lane before reaching the stop, or give way, line. That made it both easier and/or safer to just use the road. Added to that was in some places, they were used to park cars.
10:59
God I hate her.
This quote just flies right in the face of what you find in the rest of Europe, where you find good public transport, good cycling infrastructure, good trains, trams and buses as alternatives to driving, and people from all walks of life use them.
Thatcher’s delusions that your societal worth and value can be determined by how many expensive assets like a fancy car you own, have made this country a very selfish place, especially in regard to our politicians. Most of whom are Thatcherites as we call them.
Cycling in London is very hazardous I don't live there any more but had a bunch of fairly serious accidents and 3 stolen bikes (in a period of about 6 years). My crashes include: A bus going to overtake me, then suddenly changing its mind to stop at the bus stop, swerving back and crushing me between the bus and bus stop (I was fine, bike was destroyed). Another I was going down a hill about 30mph – car pulled out in front of me, I swerved to go behind it as there was no way to stop in time – driver saw me, panicked – braked and stopped in the middle of the road – I went straight into the driver door and over the car. (minor injuries – bike ruined). Another whilst riding in a narrow bicycle lane (on side of road) traffic queued on the road. Passenger randomly throws door open as I am coming past – I crash into door. (bike survived! Yay!). Another whilst riding a cycle lane on the pavement (not on road) A random speeding car mounted the kerb and sent me flying (broken bike – broken arm). A numerous amount of smaller bumps.. junctions – roundabouts people pulling out in front, dog owners with retractable leads letting their dogs run across your path, tourists just walking out into the road and other cyclists who think the road rules don't apply to them and cause chaos behind them. I may be just unlucky, but I'd imagine most London cyclists have their stories. I ride fast but am a very defensive rider, never had a crash in a car.
Hore Belisia if you ever wondered why Jay foreman was swearing a space helmet, well it wasn't a a helmet It was a Belisia beacon a yellow globe on a pole denoting a zebra crossing put forward by Hore Belisia as yo would have found out if you had continued reading.
Maybe Hore-Balisha sounds a bit like Bauble- isha. Bauble being the round christmas decoration.
I was in Los Angeles, my first time in USA, and I asked a passer-by where I could catch a bus into the city centre. She laughed and walked on, as did the next 3 people. One person asked me what a bus was. I gave up and got a private hire coach to San Diego instead.
Cycling is literally everywhere in London. How old is this video?
Hammersmith bus station is in the centre of that square "round" about LOL
12:24 you need to look up GOLDIE LOOKIN CHAIN! legends
NEW CAR!!! 😀
More than outdated. There are an ungodly amount of cyclists in London in 2024.
We have the World Naked Bike Ride every year around June, so there's that! I spend a lot of time in Valencia, Spain and they have managed to add cycle lanes by reducing the pavement/side walk and to be fair they have the weather for cycling.
I would love to see you react to India/Bangladesh – the World's worst border as well as The mystery of the squarest country, which I think are two map men videos you haven't done yet. ❤
Btw, no reactors have reacted to the India/Bangladesh map men video yet, you could be the first!
The best thing about riding a bike? Naked Bike Rides!
You need to react to "Not Just Bikes" it's a channel about infrastructure in The Netherlands and North America!
The major advancement is that cyclists ignore red traffic lights, they go the wrong way down one way streets and they ride on the pavement.
Leslie's mum wrote that short bio… probably.
ARMADILLO !!! Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle.
It is only a 1 hour flight from the U.K. to Amsterdam.
We have several Bike Lanes that run for a few yards and then disappear primarily as a means of traffic control rather than any intended benefit to cycling
I remember seeing Evan Edingers videos on cycling in London, and it both made me want to try it with some friends but also not trust myself to survive 😅
Please also react to Road Guy Rob's video "Let's FIX the HIGH SCHOOL… with 152 ROUNDABOUTS!", an American take, exception really, on traffic safety in one particular city. And for how little roundabouts America has, this one city has the most roundabouts in the entire world.
I cycle in London every day. I love it. If I had to get the tube everywhere I think I would just give up on living in the city
Hyde Park Corner isn't a roundabout but a traffic circle, you'd think Jay of all people would know the difference..
I still own a set of five Air Horns that play "La Cucuracha" – Sadly the law says I can only fit them to old cars. Luckily both my cars are old, one is VERY old. I DON'T WANT A NEW CAR!!
Belisha was a beacon of hope…