I admit that I have done it in some non-busy places around about 2013. It is scary at first, but to be honest it's better than when I was riding in Canada. Dr

I admit that I have done it in some non-busy places around about 2013. It is scary at first, but to be honest it's better than when I was riding in Canada. Drivers are pretty patient in the UK. I rode a fair amount in the countryside when I was there and I was really surprised at how careful drivers are when overtaking (and how patient they seemed to be). City driving is fairly low speed, though, which gives a cyclist an advantage because they have better acceleration. That allows them to get out of trouble most of the time. Having said that, I don't want to take away from your point that a lot of people will always feel too uncomfortable to ride in city traffic and I don't blame them. It's just that I often hear people complain about the safety of cycling in London and it's actually a pretty safe city to ride in (though it can definitely get better). The previous mayor was notorious for spending money on improving cycling in London and I think the stats bear that out. I left the UK in 2015, so I don't know what the current mayor is doing.