German journo helping make London's roads safer

by Nick Ford

The Crown in Islington is eerily quiet when Olaf Storbeck arrives on his fold-up bicycle.

This watering hole is one of the German writer’s favourites since he arrived in London a couple of years ago.

Storbeck, 37, has been a keen cyclist since his childhood.

He grew up in a small town outside Gelsenkirchen in North-West Germany.

After he finished school, Storbeck left home to study economics at the University of Cologne, and after completing his degree, decided to take a further degree at the School of Journalism, also in Cologne.

It was here that he specialised in economics and political journalism, paving the way for his current career at the German financial daily, Handelsblatt.

He is now in his 11th year at the paper, reporting on the Internet economy and daily business, alongside his current weekly section on economic trends.

However, it was his love and passion for cycling that led him to set up his website: www.cycling-intelligence.com.

He soon recalls his early memories of cycling in Germany: “Cycling is a big part of my life. I learned at a young age and used to cycle as a kid to school and while I was a student in Cologne.”

As soon as Storbeck and his partner found out they were coming to London to work in October 2009, they knew there would be little use for their car: “One of the first things we did was sell our car in Germany.

“We thought, we won’t need a car here, it’s a nightmare to drive in London. We both bought two Brompton’s [folding bicycles] with the money.”

Storbeck believes that cycling definitely has its advantages: “It’s cheaper, quicker and it’s healthier”.

He has been a serious cyclist since 2004 when he wanted to get fitter, and started his site in February 2010, having noticed a few issues while cycling in the city: “Occasionally there were some things I would get annoyed about. For instance, there are some nasty one way streets that could be opened for cyclists very easily.”

One of the journalist’s earliest postings was about a dangerous spot for cyclists by Old Street, where to avoid the roundabout – a hot-spot for accidents – you are required to cycle the wrong way down a one way street for about 50 metres.

Cycling Network

Through his website, Storbeck has discovered the strong cycling community that exists in London and has come to realise how many other people share his passion for cycling: “There is quite a community of cycling bloggers in London, and it’s really nice and interesting to be a part of this.”

The recent death of Central Saint Martins (CSM) student, Min Joo “Deep” Lee, at King’s Cross has been the focus of many cycling blogs in the city – including Storbeck’s – illustrating just how well the community can come together at tragic times.

“This whole Ghost Bike thing [memorials in places where cyclists have lost their lives] is completely amazing. I didn’t know the guy [James Thomas] who did the work on the most recent bike before. He read about them on my blog and left a comment saying he wanted to do this particular Ghost Bike. It’s really amazing because it had no formal structure and now it’s getting some awareness. There was a blog I read today by a guy in Oxford and he referred to Lee’s ghost bike.”

The conversation moves onto the roundabout at Elephant & Castle which Storbeck has cycled around once - he refers to it simply as “a nightmare”. 

Believing that many changes to the roads in London do not cater for cyclists, he comments: “I think they are going to redesign it (Elephant & Castle roundabout) but there won’t be any improvement from the cyclists’ perspective.”

The way the capital’s roads are managed is also something Storbeck struggles to understand: “One of the biggest problems in London, when it comes to street design and cycling and making it a more cycling friendly city, is the completely insane division of labour between Transport for London (TfL) and the councils. TfL is administering part of the road network and the council the other.”

Cycling safely in London can be achieved however, says Storbeck, but people do need to be aware of the other vehicles around them and learn the roads. Being an experienced cyclist, he already knows the routes to avoid.

“I really make sure I avoid those big roads and I rarely cycle on TfL roads at all”, he says before adding, “I have a Sat Nav and when I go somewhere new I figure out the route and which is the best way to go beforehand, but it is almost impossible to avoid the junction where Deep Lee died.”

Alternative Solutions

Continuing on the theme of King’s Cross, Storbeck believes there are alternatives that would make the area safer for cyclists: “At King’s Cross, when you cycle around there, you can really see that nobody ever put much thought into how traffic should be directed.

“My advice would be to offer an alternative to this junction where Lee died. The junction will never be safe because there is too much traffic and too much construction going on nearby, but at the moment there are not any safer alternatives. You could go down the street between St Pancras and King’s Cross but this is completely clogged with cabs and it’s also a complete nightmare.”

One of the roads leading up to CSM is York Way but the road is very busy due to the development going on at King’s Cross. Storbeck highlighted this in an earlier blog entry and made some suggestions that could be implemented.

“A story that should be investigated is about whether the developers of King’s Cross and the construction companies there insist on cyclist awareness training for their drivers. They could do it; there are companies that do offer this to their drivers.”

A contact Storbeck made through his site claims to have contacted the developers but was told they have so many contractors and sub-contractors, it would be hard to implement.

Storbeck sees a simple solution to this. “They could just write it [cycling awareness course] down in the contract and that’s it.”

Some people choose not to wear helmets when cycling as they fear wearing one will make them feel safer and thus, take more risks.

Storbeck, who has always worn a helmet, can understand why some opt out: “I’m not really sure what is the best answer but in the end, I ask myself, if I have an accident am I better off with a helmet or without one?

“On the other hand, I’ve done these statistics on fatal accidents in London on the blog, and I think that since 2006 there have been around 80 people killed in London while cycling, and a very small minority were or would have been saved by a helmet.”  

Storbeck has never been involved in a serious accident, but has come close, since coming to London: “It’s really hard to tell what is a close call.  One occasion when I was trying to make a right turn, I was in the middle of the road and the car that was behind me didn’t realise what I was doing. Only in hindsight did I realise that this car almost hit me.

“But cycling in London looks a lot more dangerous than it really is. If you don’t cycle you get the impression it’s a suicide mission but most drivers are doing a good job most of the time.”

However, with accidents reported almost on a daily basis in London, it is easy to see how inexperienced cyclists quit their bikes or never start cycling. One thing is for sure – Storbeck will be staying on his bike.

Please go to Right to Ride for more information on the campaign.