The price of crude oil has now reached more than $100 a barrel. One would expect to see an increase in the number of cyclists, but cycling in Barnet remains very much a fringe activity.

In fact, car traffic in Barnet seems to be getting worse and is certain eventually to become intolerable.

In 2009 I visited friends in Germany, in Frechen, a small town west of Cologne. They live on a fairly busy main road. I couldn’t help noticing that during rush-hour times there were more bikes than cars. My friends told me that when the price of crude oil went up to more than $100 in 2008, the population started cycling and they continued doing so even when the price of petrol decreased again.

Why should Barnet be so different from Frechen in this respect? Here are a few possible explanations.

Are there social stigmas in British society regarding cycling? (I mean cycling as a daily means of transport as opposed to Sunday cycling as a sport). Barnet motorists can be somewhat aggressive towards cyclists.

One might assume that the London Borough of Barnet has an unofficial policy of actively discouraging cycling — a policy of installing left- hand-only lanes at junctions. Also, it has flatly refused to create spaces for cyclists at traffic lights, where cyclists can easily be seen by motorists, as is common in other boroughs. Furthermore, in the past Barnet has spent a tenth of what Enfield and Haringey have on cycling.

We have also a head of transport and environment who is on record as saying that he has no intention of installing a cycling officer and that “all cyclists need a bath”.

Admittedly, Frechen is, on average flatter than Barnet, although it is hilly in places. Or would most Barnet drivers simply not dare get on a bike as they are simply too scared of other motorists?

Phil Fletcher
co-ordinator, Barnet and Enfield Friends of the Earth