Bonjour.

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I take
back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Jon

"Jon is Away!" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I take
back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Jon

Good grief! Paris has changed then. When the Unfit Family were cycling round
Parisian rush hour 2003, the drivers were exemplary in their courtesy
towards us. Mind you, we did have a map, so we knew where we were heading
:-)

Cheers, helen s

"Jon is Away!" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I take
back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Jon

Good grief! Paris has changed then. When the Unfit Family were cycling round
Parisian rush hour 2003, the drivers were exemplary in their courtesy
towards us. Mind you, we did have a map, so we knew where we were heading
:-)

Cheers, helen s

Jon is Away! said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I take
back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Jon

Hoorah, get that job Jon and a pad with a place for me ready for PBP in 2007

Jon is Away! said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I take
back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Jon

Hoorah, get that job Jon and a pad with a place for me ready for PBP in 2007

Jon is Away! a écrit :

Quoted message said:

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

Personnally I was in Paris for a few years doing 8km per day and I
didn't find it that bad. There are plenty of nice ways, and cycling is
rising. And, as everywhere else, being confident and integrated in the
general traffic is the most secure option.

Oh, and to present myself (first post here): I'm French, I'm currently
living in Florence, Italy, I'm going to live in London from March and I
hope to commute by cycle there.

Jon is Away! a écrit :

Quoted message said:

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

Personnally I was in Paris for a few years doing 8km per day and I
didn't find it that bad. There are plenty of nice ways, and cycling is
rising. And, as everywhere else, being confident and integrated in the
general traffic is the most secure option.

Oh, and to present myself (first post here): I'm French, I'm currently
living in Florence, Italy, I'm going to live in London from March and I
hope to commute by cycle there.

Eric B said:

Jon is Away! a écrit :

Quoted message said:

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

Personnally I was in Paris for a few years doing 8km per day and I
didn't find it that bad. There are plenty of nice ways, and cycling is
rising. And, as everywhere else, being confident and integrated in the
general traffic is the most secure option.

Oh, and to present myself (first post here): I'm French, I'm currently
living in Florence, Italy, I'm going to live in London from March and I
hope to commute by cycle there.

When you arrive and start commuting, could you post and let us know how
commuting in London compares to Paris and Florence? I cycle commuted in
London for about 5 years, and it (nearly) always seemed like a very good
place to cycle commute. Heavy but slow motor traffic.
--
Chris

Tax reform means "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the
tree." -- Russell Long

Eric B said:

Jon is Away! a écrit :

Quoted message said:

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including my
brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out into
8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no idea where
you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was frequently forced to
adopt pedestrian mode.

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

Personnally I was in Paris for a few years doing 8km per day and I
didn't find it that bad. There are plenty of nice ways, and cycling is
rising. And, as everywhere else, being confident and integrated in the
general traffic is the most secure option.

Oh, and to present myself (first post here): I'm French, I'm currently
living in Florence, Italy, I'm going to live in London from March and I
hope to commute by cycle there.

When you arrive and start commuting, could you post and let us know how
commuting in London compares to Paris and Florence? I cycle commuted in
London for about 5 years, and it (nearly) always seemed like a very good
place to cycle commute. Heavy but slow motor traffic.
--
Chris

Tax reform means "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the
tree." -- Russell Long

Jon is Away! said:

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Can't directly help with a job, but if you want to live in rural France
for a few months I can ask some friends. This is very, very rural, so
jobs may be scarce, but could you do as a tutor in english at a school
perhaps?

Rural France is a delightful place to ride a bike, if excessively steep
in parts (for a Fen dweller anyway).

Mike

Jon is Away! said:

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Can't directly help with a job, but if you want to live in rural France
for a few months I can ask some friends. This is very, very rural, so
jobs may be scarce, but could you do as a tutor in english at a school
perhaps?

Rural France is a delightful place to ride a bike, if excessively steep
in parts (for a Fen dweller anyway).

Mike

Eric B said:

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

And the Terrorphérique ;-)

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Eric B said:

Perhaps you should try to avoid Place de l'Etoile for a while :-)

And the Terrorphérique ;-)

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Chris Slade a écrit :

Quoted message said:

When you arrive and start commuting, could you post and let us know how
commuting in London compares to Paris and Florence? I cycle commuted in
London for about 5 years, and it (nearly) always seemed like a very good
place to cycle commute. Heavy but slow motor traffic.

OK, I'll try to remember!

I've already asked in the newsgroup fr.misc.transport.velo how cycling
in London would be, I've had very positive replys (they also helped me
overcome my fear of driving on the left when I'm not yet used to).

Chris Slade a écrit :

Quoted message said:

When you arrive and start commuting, could you post and let us know how
commuting in London compares to Paris and Florence? I cycle commuted in
London for about 5 years, and it (nearly) always seemed like a very good
place to cycle commute. Heavy but slow motor traffic.

OK, I'll try to remember!

I've already asked in the newsgroup fr.misc.transport.velo how cycling
in London would be, I've had very positive replys (they also helped me
overcome my fear of driving on the left when I'm not yet used to).

wafflycat said:

Good grief! Paris has changed then. When the Unfit Family were cycling round
Parisian rush hour 2003, the drivers were exemplary in their courtesy

And err, perhaps you can remind us exactly what your extensive experience of
cycling around Paris is?
Just the once? or is it more?

Our experience of riding across the French capital is that it is pretty much a
free-for-all.

John B

wafflycat said:

Good grief! Paris has changed then. When the Unfit Family were cycling round
Parisian rush hour 2003, the drivers were exemplary in their courtesy

And err, perhaps you can remind us exactly what your extensive experience of
cycling around Paris is?
Just the once? or is it more?

Our experience of riding across the French capital is that it is pretty much a
free-for-all.

John B

Jon is Away! said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I
take back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including
my brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out
into 8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no
idea where you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was
frequently forced to adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Well, as I've mentioned here before, I did 3 years commuting in Paris in the
late 1970's. No probs really. I was riding a Solex ;-) :-)
--
Cheerful Pedalling
John Mallard

Jon is Away! said:

Well. I made it to Paris and I've ridden the length of the city. I
take back everything I ever said about drivers in Britain...

Actually they're not that bad. But nothing I've ever done (Including
my brief foray into MTBing) can compare to the terror of riding out
into 8+ unmarked cobbled lanes of traffic on a roundabout with no
idea where you should be and cars passing on all sides. I was
frequently forced to adopt pedestrian mode.

Ah well. Now I just need a job and somewhere to live.

Well, as I've mentioned here before, I did 3 years commuting in Paris in the
late 1970's. No probs really. I was riding a Solex ;-) :-)
--
Cheerful Pedalling
John Mallard