Nice school run today!

The weather was much more cooperative for our ride to the nursery this morning - bright and sunny, but a little cold.

Thankfully uneventful ride, but still a few things worth mentioning.

Maybe it's the improving weather, but I noticed lots more families cycling to school today. I spotted most of them, strangely, right on our corner! Mostly one parent cycling along with a youngster - on the sidewalk! Very annoying, particularly considering the congestion on our sidewalks. I really wanted to say something to them, but the usual bad behaviour of the drivers along that road made me bite my tongue. It's fine in theory to suggest that children of 7 or 8 be required to ride in the street and obey the law, but how can you know that a child will react with the same reflexes and judgment as an adult? Difficult one.

There was also one parent with a kid on a tag-along bike in tow riding in the street, and another one on his own bike on the sidewalk. This seems the worst solution of all because the parent's attention is divided between the road and the kid on the pavement - and the pavement rider will have to resort to some dangerous tricks to keep up.

Then, after we crossed over the roundabout, there was the usual congestion at the top (or bottom?) end of Loudoun Road next to South Hampstead station. A cyclist behind us was riding quite responsibly, taking his rightful space in the road, but incurring the wrath of a black Mercedes, who then proceeded to roar ahead of both of us and intentionally block our way. He roared off again as we cyclists turned up Boundary Road. During the moment we were stuck behind the Merc, Gem looked back at me and said "Too many cars!" I shared this with the other cyclist as we all waited to cross the Finchley Road. He was a friendly Aussie on a beautiful black Thorn XTC.

Finally, on my way home, I came across a welcome sight in Regents Park. Two community support officers were stopping cyclists who were riding across the footbridge into the park. Cyclists who do this make me angrier than I can say: they endanger pedestrians and sour the general public on all cyclists. One miscreant was having a citation written for him as I went by! That'll learn him!