Nincompoopolis by Douglas Murphy

Author:Douglas Murphy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nincompoopolis: The Follies of Boris Johnson
ISBN: 9781910924594
Publisher: Watkins Media
Published: 2017-08-02T04:00:00+00:00

FOLLY

“A horse is a safer bet than the trains”

Transport in Johnson’s London

A familiar sight in London, albeit one that I never myself had the chance to savour, was to see Johnson, fully suited, bedecked in a helmet of a colour marginally more fluorescent than his own hair, trundling his way between City Hall and his townhouse in Islington on a humdrum old street bike. As one of London’s most famous citizens, and a cyclist, it was inevitable that Johnson would be one of the most high-profile cyclists in the city, the sight of his rumpled shirt and tie flapping around in the wind helping him portray himself as not quite a toff, or at least a toff not prone to extravagances. A particularly popular pastime for Londoners throughout his time as Mayor was to yell obscenities at him as he wobbled past, which by all accounts he would take in typically good humour.

But even as a regular cyclist himself, Johnson never really found the time to make an effort on cycling. When the lists are compiled, facetious as they are, a typical feature of cities considered to be particularly “liveable” is the thriving condition of their cycling culture. Copenhagen is often seen as the world’s cycling capital, with nearly half its commuter journeys made by bike, taking advantage of favourable traffic rules and an extensive infrastructure, not to mention a reputation for stylishness. Indeed, the sight of thousands upon thousands of healthy and happy-looking people gliding swiftly through the classic European bourgeois streetscapes of Copenhagen or Amsterdam feels a civilisation away from the increasingly smoky grubbiness of London’s streets.

London does have its cycling culture, one that is growing, but it can be a fraught and difficult one. Cyclists and drivers often seem to be engaged in a low-intensity war, with videos periodically surfacing, taken from the helmet-mounted cameras of cyclists, showing irate drivers physically attacking their wheeled counterparts. Motorists often accuse the cyclists of disregarding road rules and safety (or not paying road taxes) while cyclists cite a total disregard for their right to use the road safely.

The bike scene in London can often seem rather hardcore, taking some of its cues from courier culture — fixed-wheel bikes, high speeds, and risky road behaviour, with recent years seeing this disseminating into a significant aspect of white middle-class hipster culture. There is a curious situation whereby many Londoners seem comfortable spending large sums on a fashionably advanced bike, but then treat the preposterously high rate of bike theft as just another kind of inclement weather London is prone to.

But the main factor that makes London cycling seem unattractive is its lack of safety. The regularity with which news comes in of yet another cyclist killed under the wheels of a lorry is truly shocking, and yet people seem almost completely resigned to it. Over the last generation an average of almost twenty people a year have been killed in bike accidents, with far larger numbers of accidents resulting in injury. Street

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