Apart from all the other ironies associated with Transport for London’s cycling propaganda, not least is the reality that the kind of scenes regularly portrayed – smiley cyclists in London parks – are actually places where cycling is usually banned or rendered unattractive through circuitous routes or CYCLISTS DISMOUNT sections.
Like here, for example, where all cycling is banned.
The famous London park known as Primrose Hill, where as you can see there simply isn’t space for cycle paths.
Andreas: I’ve recently spotted signs in Primrose Hill, stating that plain clothes officers were patrolling the park and would be handing out fines for any cyclists pedalling through the park.
Perhaps "officers" refers to park keepers, or possibly it means that the Met (which has massively reduced its enforcement of traffic law) will use plain-clothes officers to crack down on cyclists. The Met would never dream of using plain-clothes officers or unmarked police vehicles to crack down on lawless drivers, and if it did you can be certain there would be a media frenzy-froth about the abuse of the civil rights of motorists. Either way it's a reminder of what a cyclophobic society Britain has become.
In any case it’s farcical. Primrose Hill is a glaring example of the pathetic lack of influence which London cycle campaigning has had over the years. There is no reason at all why Primrose Hill should not have dedicated cycle paths running across it, and it’s scandalous that it doesn’t. But has any cycle campaign organisation ever held a single protest over this? If it has I must have missed it.
There’s even a (rather good) song which mentions naughty illegal cycling on Primrose Hill.
