There are *loads* of other cyclists in London! Loads & loads -- it's been steadily & noticeably increasing over the 10 yrs I've been cycling here.

Roads are perhaps a bit busier in some cases but I can't think of *many* situations in which "hop onto pavement and Be Elsewhere" wouldn't work out. Maybe if cycling down one of the bits of the A4 (? big westbound road, anyway) which has railings. (Railings make me irritable anyway.)

But yes, agreed with all of this in re tactics in difficult situations.