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@cornelius_blackfoot
if you learn to ride or drive in london, you can do it anywhere. On the bike, you find that everywhere else, you're much more aggressive in getting round traffic and demanding drivers pay attention to you, they ain't used to cyclists riding like that elsewhere so consequently you get the horn a bit more, and some strange looks - well I did when i used to ride up in newcastle when i studied there.
Personally I love the challenge of traffic, finding the right route, the quickest route, leaving the muppets behind who won't do anything but resolutely stick to the safety - or not - of the lefthand side, anyone can ride fast when there's no traffic around, riding fast in traffic is what makes riding in london special. that special exhilaration when you do it, and like anything it becomes second nature, and you only realise how fast or ruthless you are being when you ride with someone who doesn't ride like that, and you have to tone it down for their benefit, be slower, wait for bigger gaps, etc.