Short of picking up a puncture your bike is unlikely to go on strike. With industrial action planned on London’s tube network again this week, many Londoners will be relying on their bikes to escape the ensuing chaos.
A fun game to play during a tube strike is to see how many people are happy to be interviewed for the evening news explaining how they’ve waited hours for a bus to make a journey that wouldn't have taken long to walk, and would have been even quicker by bike.
Most city cyclists can’t help but view these hapless commuters with anything other than bemusement.
Obviously many people are dependant on the rail and bus network to traverse the city, but do you need to be?
TfL has issued figures that show that over half the journeys made in London could be completed in under-10 minutes on a bicycle.
In order for these potential cycling journeys to be realised, the Mayor of London and TfL will need to up their game when it comes to cycling infrastructure.
With cycling almost always quicker than public transport for all but the longest of crosstown journeys, even when the network is running smoothly, the strike could provide the impetus to get commuting by bike.
Add to this that when your commute relies on pedal power, rather than the vagaries of public transport, your ability to get to work is unlikely to be derailed by leaves on the line, chronic overcrowding or rising fares.
If you’re planning to cycle for the first time Google Maps has a handy route planning feature that’ll automatically tend towards using quieter roads if you select cycling as the mode, along with generating a surprisingly accurate ETA for your journey.
Transport for London hosts lots of information on cycling routes and Cycle Superhighways on its website, while it’s also worth checking if any of any of Sustrans’ signposted routes can take you where you want to go.
During previous strikes TfL has organised escorted rides from various locations into the centre of the city. If future strikes are not called off details of these are likely to be published in the days beforehand.
Riding through London on a strike day might be a bit sharp introduction to commuting by bike.
Although a little late for this time, most London boroughs provide free training for riders to help build confidence or refresh rusty skills.