y o u b i k e l o n d o n; Jenny Jones from City Hall

What with The Wave COP15 / Climate Change demonstration in London tomorrow, and after a scary anonymous climate change denial organisation turned up in the comments section of my post about cycling to The Wave (who are these people, how on earth did they find me, and do they really believe that environmentalists killed millions of African babies with DDT and refuse to admit it?), today's y o u b i k e l o n d o n interviewee seems entirely appropriate!


London cyclists come in all shapes and sizes and from a fascinating variety of backgrounds, contrary, perhaps, to the general public perception of us all being lycra-clad road warriors.  Jenny Jones is a former archeologist and one of two Green Party members of the London Assembly.  She's been a member of the Assembly since it's inception in 2000 and was the Deputy Mayor of London under the previous administration.  She is currently a road safety ambassador and green transport advisor for the Assembly.  When we spoke she was about to go into a tattoo parlour to have a critically endangered species permanently marked on her skin (the hope being that the species all last longer than the tattoos do) for a project called Ext Inked.  That's pretty rock'n'roll by my standards, and she is, of course, also a keen everyday and ordinary cyclist who can often be found wheeling her way to work at London's City Hall...


Name?
Jenny Jones

Age?

I'll be 60 in December

Where do you live?

In South East London on the Camberwell / Peckham border.

What do your ride?

A standard, very ordinary hybrid - it's solid without being too heavy.

How often do you ride?

It varies; sometimes every day of the week, and sometime not at all, depending on where work takes me during the day.  I like to know that there is secure cycle parking where I can lock my bike safely.  I've had too many stolen over the years.  City Hall has great facilities.

Helmet or no helmet?

No helmet.  It's just too much of a fiddle.

What's your primary reason for cycling?

It's quick and it helps maintain fitness levels.

Least favourite aspect of cycling?

Other traffic, although last time I was knocked off my bike it was by another cyclist jumping a red light - I ended up with cuts on my face and a black eye.  I was not amused.

Most favourite aspect of cycling?

The freedom!  I know, it sounds like a cliché, but that's exactly what I feel when I am on my bike.

What advice would you give to an aspiring cyclist thinking of cycling in London for the first time?

Get advice - talk to the London Cycling Campaign or a local cycling group and get yourself a cycling buddy for your first trips out.