frequently asked questions
Are bikes subject
to the congestion charge?
Can I ride in bus lanes
?
Can I park on the pavement
?
Should I ride in the snow
?
Should I overtake cars
on the inside ?
Should I leave my lights
on all the time ?
Should I wear sunglasses
?
Visor - up or down ?
Do I need to wear leathers
on a scooter ?
Do I need insurance
?
Can I get an insurance quote online?
Do I need road tax?
Where can I find my nearest
dealers ?
Isn't riding a bike stressful
?
What's quicker around
town - bike or scooter?
Should I use GPS?
Q. Are bikes
subject to the congestion charge?
A. No. Thankfully mopeds and motorcycles are exempt from
the London Congestion Charge.
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Q. Can I ride in bus lanes?
A. No. You can only ride in a bus lane during the permitted
times displayed on the signs. Many bikers do, but are risking
a ticket from the police if caught.
However - Traffic For London (TFL) is considering allowing
it and are conducting a pilot - see this
article.
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Q. Can I park on the pavement?
A. Hmm, well no it is not permitted to obstruct a pavement
by any means. However, parts of some very wide pavements usually
in back streets are sometimes designated as bike parks and
others are used as unofficial bike parks and seems to be overlooked
by the police and traffic wardens. If this is the case, use
your discretion. where one bike parks, others tend to follow
!
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Q. Should I ride in the snow?
A. No, get the bus, train or work from home. skidding a
car on snow or ice is dangerous but balance is unaffected.
No
matter how experienced you are, riding in snow and or ice
is extremely dangerous on a bike and you do so at your peril.
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Q. Should I overtake cars on the
inside?
A. Again, as with cars, overtaking on the inside or "undertaking"
is not permitted apart from in a few mitigating circumstance.
many bikers, especially young scooter riders do it and it
is, in the editor's opinion a very dangerous thing to do.
Pedestrians step out, cars will turn left across your path
without looking or cars on the other side of the road will
turn right across you, often waived on by the car that's hiding
you. It is always tempting - I try never to do it. riding
down the inside of cars is the same as driving an invisible
bike wearing an invisible jacket.
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Q. Should I leave my lights on all
the time ?
A. Yes, the more visible you are the better and if they're
always on you'll not forget to turn them on at twilight.
having
your lights on costs you nothing apart from maybe a bulb
that will go sooner but this is a small price to pay for
increased
visibility.
But don't leave your lights on high beam just because it's
daylight - it's simply annoying and distracting for other
road users.
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Q. Should I wear sunglasses?
A. Hmm, another tricky one - some say no as it's more to
damage the eye or face in the event of an accident. However,
in the summer it's sometimes necessary due to the sunlight
and it enables you to ride with your visor up which can
be
cooler. You also see many police riders wearing them so they
must know something !
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Q. Visor- up or down ?
A. Always protect your eyes. I can't believe people wearing
open face helmets with no visor and no sunglasses. A fly in
the eye at 40 mph cannot be much different from an air gun
pellet and you could lose your sight. In the rain it's sometimes
a different matter - sometimes it's easier with the visor
up as it gets covered in water but then at any speed rain
in the eyes is also very painful.
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Q. Do I need to wear leathers on
a scooter ?
A. It seems accepted that scooter rides don't and bikers
do. However, falling off a scooter onto tarmac at 50mph
is
no different to falling from a bike at the same speed.
Always wear protective clothing, even in the heat of the
summer.
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Q. Do I need insurance ?
A. Yes, as with a car, you must have at least third party
insurance. This insures you against damage you might do to
other people or other people's property. Most will go for
"Third Party Fire & Theft" which also covers your bike, rather
obviously, against fire and theft.
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Can I get an insurance quote online?
A. Yes - see our insurance page
Q. Do I need road tax?
A. Yes, as with a car, it's a legal requirement to have and
display a valid tax disc. See our road
tax section.
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Q. What's quicker around town -
bike or scooter ?
A. This depends more upon the rider than the bike. a mad
50cc scooter rider may well beat a 900cc Fireblade around
town but the reverse could be equally true. Generally, bikes
are faster and accelerate quicker so tend to leave scooters
behind on any open road. scooters are more nimble through
traffic so tend to catch the bikes up at the lights and
get
through tight traffic that bikes can't. Just remember, it's
not a race, riding safely is far more important than shaving
a minute off your journey.
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Q. How can I find my nearest dealer
?
A. Please see our dealers
section.
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Q. Isn't riding a bike stressful
?
A. This depends on how stressful you make it. If you get
mad at every red light, every car that pulls out in front
of you or any number of other things that don't appear to
go your way, then yes, you will find it stressful. Go with
the flow, it's not a race. Whenever you get stuck or delayed
simply imagine yourself waiting on a freezing cold platform
for a train that might never even turn up.
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Q. Should I use GPS
?
Well there's certainly no NEED to, especially if you know your commute well. But they're now affordable, there are models specifically for bikes now, are very useful and can be great fun. We say 'YES - get one'. See our GPS page.
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