Two wheels good

I've bought a bike - it's very exciting: I reckon, once I stop getting lost, it will cut my time to work by ten minutes and do some valuable exercise. I'm very pleased.

Even more exciting is this little toy, which plots the places where accidents happen - most of the way along my route I discover, though there are worse routes. I am now definitely avoiding the Kings Road. I love this kind of thing and I love the people who took the data (which the government published last week). I need to work out how to plot geodata, save for the risk I may spend much of my time doing it.

Three further observations on cycling:

• There's a lot of kit to buy. I've been delayed in really getting going for the lack of reflective clothing, but I now have a shiny jacket that will stop me getting killed on the way home
• Tube pricing is still going to be a problem: if only cycle in on 3 days a week (i.e. because I am going out in the evening), it will be economical to retain my annual travelcard. Surely this is bad pricing in a transport system that encourages bike use.
• And why is there no good cycle map online. TfL Directs you to order them so they can send you a pamphlet.