I am moving to London in about 6months, a little while away I know, but am starting doing a bit of research on what the road rule and parking situation is like over there.
In Melbourne Australia, we are allowed to park on footpaths in the city and pretty much anywhere which is fantastic. In Brisbane Australia, however, just two states away, it is illegal and you can get ticketed for parking in any place other than a designated motorcycle park. Obviously this sux!
Was wondering if anyone can tell me:
Do london bikers get ticketed for parking on the footpaths?
Are you allowed to lane split/filter without getting into trouble with the law? (i.e. zoom up the white lines on freeways or even suburban roads)
What is the general attitude from car drivers towards bikers in London? Do they look out for you and are they happy for you to lane-split or will that incite road-rage?
Are there any good tracks to start learning to race on or go for track days close to London?
What is a good club/website to join to start doing country or day rides with fellow bikers?
Any advice or info would be great!! Cheers everyone, and looking forward to being a London biker really soon
Hiya & welcome to LB :DDo london bikers get ticketed for parking on the footpaths? - yes - stay off the pavement!Are you allowed to lane split/filter without getting into trouble with the law? - filtering is fine, but if you cross the line, then legally you are overtaking and so it should be at a time / in a place where it would be safe to overtake, regardless of speed (I’m 99% sure that’s right - happy to stand corrected!)What is the general attitude from car drivers towards bikers in London? Do they look out for you and are they happy for you to lane-split or will that incite road-rage? My experience is that cagers are generally ok about bikes - they don’t want a boot in their door! However, as for looking out - no - you gotta look out for you and them - especially when filtering! They will often pull out in front of you without looking so you gotta be on your guard.I’ll let somebody else answer the trackdays / club thing - not my scene :DI’ve got a condensed version of the Highway Code (only contains the bits you need for your test over here, so not the full monty) but can email it to you if you want - just om me and I’ll send it on.
If by crossing the line (broken) you’re placed in the path of oncoming traffic and should have an accident then this could be considered dangerous driving… If it’s a solid line, you should never cross it… Keep left of traffic islands… and the penalty for going in the green box cyclist box (Passing the Advanced Stop Line) at junctions is 3 demerits (points) + £60.
I’d agree with Stevie Ramone. As trackdays and racing are my thing, I’ll answer your other bits.In my opinion, good tracks near (approx 0.5-1.5 hours ride depending on where you start) London for learning trackcraft are Brands Hatch (Indy or GP circuit, although Indy is shorter and more available) and Mallory (with or without the chicane). Brands is in a place called West Kingsdown, near Swanley in Kent, south-east of London and looks like this (the Indy circuit is just the kidney shaped bit):The map doesnt show undulations. Paddock hill has a steep gradient downwards towards Druids. There is also some off-camber change through Surtees, McLaren and Clark. Let me know if you want more info on the GP circuit.Trackday prices at Brands Indy range from around £155-165 during the week for a day from the two larger trackday companies (you can search on their sites for more dates, these are examples and the weekend prices are about £20 on top):http://www.nolimitstrackdays.com/acatalog/brandsindy220609.htmlhttp://www.focusedevents.com/event_info.asp?ID=995Evening trackdays (3 20 minute sessions normally) are around £79http://www.focusedevents.com/event_info.asp?ID=996http://www.nolimitstrackdays.com/acatalog/brandsindy220609eve.htmlYou need to choose your level when booking (my interpretation: novice - no or very little track experience, intermediate - some solid track experience or very experienced but havent been to that track before or who are on a fast track but on a low-powered than average bike, advanced - for the very experienced that are confident on a first time out basis)In fact, we will be having our own LB trackday on Wednesday which was £149 and a number of our members are trackday oriented, of varying levels of skill and very different kinds of bikes ridden. So you might say that we are a good website to belong to for trackday support and mutual encouragement.Mallory is based in Kirkby Mallory, near Leicester and looks like this:The chicane Im on about is Edwina’s. Some people like it, some people say it ruins the Esses. Mallory is cheaper than Brands due to popularity, management and location. Prices are about £110 for a weekday and £130 for a weekend day. http://www.nolimitstrackdays.com/acatalog/malloryparkevents.htmlhttp://www.focusedevents.com/event_info.asp?ID=949I dont think they do evenings in the way that Brands do, but they run general racer testing on wednesday afternoons (but you must have a current competitor license to attend): http://www.mallorypark.co.uk/CompetitorsInformation/tabid/110/Default.aspxTo obtain a racing license, you need to pass a few tests and join a race club. There are also age restrictions, generally and by racing class. A good source of information is here: http://www.doctordanger.com/motorbikeroad/motorroadstart3.htmlI belong to a club called Bemsee. It is the oldest racing club and an idea of the classes available at this club is here: http://www.bemsee.net/info-centre/cat_view/67-dates-classes-membershipLet me know if you need anything else
The chicane Im on about is Edwina’s. Some people like it, some people say it ruins the Esses. Mallory is cheaper than Brands due to popularity, management and location. Prices are about £110 for a weekday and £130 for a weekend day.