Problem no 2, which really surprised me, is the disrespect of people to the cycling lanes. For some reason I had thought that people in Europe would be more respectful, they are better than many places but still, cycling lanes are full of cars, obstacles and sometimes people. And since this is not Amsterdam where cyclists are the king of the jungle, the going gets tough sometimes, specially when you have to drive into the road without a helmet. Maybe I should do something like this too:
The other thing I noticed after a while (I even noticed this last night) is that distances seem much longer when you take a bus or drive a car since you have to go around the Old Steine area. Once you decide to cycle or walk, you realise that it takes very little time to get around in central Brighton. Furthest place you would want to go is a 20-25 minute walk, 10 minute bike ride at most. I always took a bus to a friends house since I had thought it was very far, one day they asked me why I didn't just walk back, so I tried to give it a go and it took me 5 minutes to get back. Never looked back after that day.
On a related note, it takes me the same amount of time to get to campus with a bike and a bus. Sometimes the bikes are even faster. I've talked about how slow the buses are before and this does not include the time you wait for them, which I have record high times like 20 minute waits, which is rare but happens. Also include the 8 pounds weekly cost or 2,5 (this is the bus to campus, other buses are more expensive).
Even though using a bike saves a lot expenses, they are not cheap. Specially as you start getting into it, you start needing equipment, like gloves, suitable coats, helmet, other small gear etc.. And most importantly the bike itself. There's a reason why cheap bikes are cheap, I understood that a few days after I bought the bike. It asks for a lot of effort and gives back very little, but still, good workout for me.
So, I have started using my bike for transport, it's still not my main mode of transport but we're getting there, once the weather gets better I will start using it more. It hasn't made its money back yet but it's getting close. I'm very happy that I bought it and are using it so we'll see what happens next. I'll keep you posted.
Here's a parting gift for you:
