Hackney taxi driver Liaqut Ali had not been on a bike for 26 years. But on a sunny day in Lenton, the 65-year-old, of Wollaton, swapped his cab for a cycle to find out what life was really like in the bike lane.
Mr Ali, who has 35 years experience as a taxi driver, was one of 24 hackney drivers - many of which had little to no cycling experience - who were handed bikes by Nottingham-based charity RideWise.
It was part of a new scheme to give professional motorists, including taxi drivers, a first-hand look at the dangers facing cyclists on Nottingham's roads.
The charity said there had been an increase in crashes involving cyclists across the UK, and part of the new programme is to bring that figure down.
Mr Ali said he had a dim view of cyclists before his session on Thursday, May 16, at the Lenton Centre in Willoughby Street.
He said: "I did not have a very good view of cyclists before, but I realise now that we have got to give them space and to give them time.
"I realise now to 'be patient.'
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His views are echoed by the other drivers who took part in the course run by RideWise and funded by Nottingham City Council.
Mohammed Sharif, 47, of Aspley, who has been driving a Hackney cab for 26 years, said: "My view of cyclists before was not very good.
"They used to come on the inside lane and they were looking for confrontation. You put them under the same bracket - 'they are all the same.'
"But I realised we are not educated about cyclists. It is quite dangerous to be a cyclist. I think we abuse the roads more as motorists and after this I will have a different prospective.
"I will be giving cyclists a lot more space in the future."
Mohammed Jamil, 50, of Forest Fields, who has driven a Hackney cab for 32 years, has also changed his opinion after hopping on a bike.
He said: "I had a negative view of cyclists before. I thought they owned the road.
"I thought 'it is only a cycle they don't need that much space.' But after this I have learnt they have no protection.
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"The taxi is our protection. You go into them and that is it. They do need a lot of space and it has made me more aware."
Greg Kaboine from the Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners and Drivers Association said many of the drivers had not been on a bike for years until the event.
He said: "It is better for them to experience the other side. It is about awareness and the safety aspects."
Official police data shows there were 60 incidents on the road between 2015 and 2017 in which a cyclist was seriously or slightly hurt. Nine of those involved serious injuries.
Gina Law, coordinator for RideWise said she hoped it can be also delivered to bus, tram and other taxi drivers over the coming months.
She said: "It is a new course. Being on a bike and being there, you realise what it feels like to be on a busy road and you remember it.
"Everyone has been open minded and it has been very positive.
"There has been an increase in road accidents, around 70 percent of cyclists were involved in a crash on dry roads in the day time."
To find out how to take part in the free course, you can email ginalaw@ridewise.org.uk
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