This does not surprise me. When I was over in London last year, we took a walk to a local pub. My daughter and I counted the cyclists we saw on the way there and on the walk back. We counted over 110. Most of them looked like commuters.

They are everywhere. There’s no shortage of cyclists in the center of London mixing it up in Trafalgar Square, thick with taxis and buses. We also came across a string of cyclists in a mid-week time trial on a rainy day out in the country.

My local city, Charlotte, much much smaller and much less traffic, and with very few cyclists comparative to London averages 1-4 deaths a year. The bustling, chaotic and sprawling London which is thick with cyclists has had just 8 fatalities so far this year. That seems mighty low.

I rode in London in the 90’s while living there, commuting to work, but it wasn’t smack bang in the middle of the city, though my wife and I took a few weekend trips into a busy part of town. We were a bit nervous at first but got over it quickly and I don’t remember any close calls, not like here.

Certainly the cycle lanes contribute to safety, but I’m pretty sure the sheer number of cyclists on the road dramatically raises the awareness of drivers, and makes them more cyclist-sensitive. Whereas here, they look but don’t see.

What you see is strongly influenced by what you’re looking for, and around here most drivers are just not expecting a cyclist, aren’t looking for them and consequntly don’t see them.

And when they do see them, reactions vary from: from curiosity, “OMG! WTF is that?” to amazement, “cool, look a cyclist!!” …and to anger, “What the hell is this kid doing with his toy on the roads?!!”

I’m sure there’s many lessons we can learn from London.

London Crowned as Strava’s Most Active Cycling City