Reporter takes cycling safety lessons to tackle fear of the roads

THOUGH once a keen cyclist, happy to whizz around the countryside where I grew up, since moving to London I’ve been too scared to venture out on busier roads.

As a country girl the thought of cycling among lorries, buses and stressed-out London drivers is quite frankly terrifying.

In rural Northern Ireland the most traffic you usually encounter is a herd of cows at milking time, and you rarely encounter a road with white lines down the middle, let alone a busy roundabout.

But determined to conquer my fear of the roads, I dusted off my helmet, borrowed a bike from Queensway Auto Accessories and Spares in Petts Wood and booked myself into one of Bromley Council’s free cycling safety lessons.

The road safety team divides its time between running courses in schools, teaching basic safety and bike handling skills and giving one-to-one adult and family training.

The one-to-one sessions allow training to be tailored around your individual needs, and trainers are happy to help you plan specific routes to help with commutes or regular journeys.

All sessions start off with some off-road practice, so even the most nervous cyclists can get into to the swing of riding and signalling.

Then we moved onto some quiet roads to start dealing with light traffic, overtaking parked cars and negotiating junctions. So far so good.

With thoughts of my primary school cycling proficiency test flooding back, I was feeling pretty confident.

But as we moved onto mini-roundabouts and main roads I started to feel a little bit out of my comfort zone.

The cars started passing me more quickly and I got flustered as one driver got irate when he couldn't overtake me immediately.

After a bit of practice I soon felt a lot more comfortable in the traffic and even plucked up the courage to tackle the busy Crown roundabout in Bromley Common.

At the end of the session I felt a lot more confident, having put myself in situations I know I would not have dared without an instructor.

In fact I think I might be inspired to get my own bike and get out on the roads by myself.

To find out more, visit bromley.gov.uk/cycling

Top tips on staying safe

Cycle training team leader Jo Luff has been training people in the borough for seven years. She said: "Road Safety education has played a significant part in the reduction of child road casualties over the last 4 years, and cycle training forms part of the Council’s comprehensive road safety programme.

"Cycle training equips individuals with the necessary road awareness skills and confidence to make independent journeys by bike, especially as traffic on roads continues to rise.

"Training is free to those who live, work or go to school in the borough, offering value for money whilst teaching practical skills for life."

Here are some of her top tips for keeping safe:

- Ride assertively - place yourself about a metre from the kerb to make sure other road users can see you.

- Clearly signal your intentions to turn or change lane to other road users using your arms.

- Take extra care at junctions and roundabouts. - Never ride through red traffic lights. It can put other road users in danger and annoys drivers, increasing hostility towards cyclists.

- Keep your distance from lorries. Drivers often have reduced visibility because of the height of the cab.

- Cycle lanes are sometimes provided but cyclists do not have to use them. You should always take the road position you feel is safest.