I was sitting in my room at the Imperial Hotel off Russell Square and thought I heard an unusual noise coming from the street. As I peered out the window I saw bikers coming north on Southampton Row. This was not unusual as there are many people biking in central London, even during rush hour. What was unusual about this was that there were bikers by the hundreds. They took the both northbound lanes and eventually swept over and shut the southbound lanes. They turned to go around Russell Square and ride further into Camden, At the turn some bikers stopped all traffic going south. Needless to say the drivers were not happy especially with high petrol prices and a fuel shortage due to a tanker driver strike looming.
Petrol prices in March were one-pound forty per liter and in US dollars that come to $8.50 a gallon. Some petrol stations were closed and they had no gas to offer and the government was activating the British Army to deliver petrol to England’s filling stations. Needless to say tensions are high in Britain right now.
The ride, which also included many skateboarders started under Waterloo Bridge. The event is world-wide in nature and put together by Critical Mass. It was not exactly a legal parade so to speak and no police were present to provide safe passage for the riders. Part of the ride was to focus on people who were killed by hit and run drivers and also to focus on sharing the road. This point may have been lost on the group as they consumed the road and caused gridlock for the gas guzzlers. I think the many drivers watching their fuel gage plummet to the E as they sat on the road thought these people were akin to terrorists. Most London bikers obey the law and ride “with” traffic and not “against” the law. I am just glad that I was five floors up.
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