On the commute today

[Frere]

Reasonable commute on the Commuter bike's first comutting ride, very comfortable and enjoyable, apart from a daft moment on the return leg when a speeding fuckhead cyclist nearly rode to the back of another cyclist, with a child in the child seat when traffic stopped at a zebra crossing by the Co-operative (formerly Somer somthing, the now defunct Bristol based chain of supermarket) on Gloucester Road. And, yes, too many RLjumpers both in Cardiff and Bristol. Odd thing was that the fuckhead cyclist was all kitted out in high viz jacket and trouser clips, helmet etc but no road sense, having left his thinking faculties in the gutter somewhere.

Frere

[Titan yer Tummy]

I genuinely try not to moan but I have had a belly-full of Southwark Council. They have been given a huge amount of money to redevelop Burgess Park - Gods knows it needs it. So in order to carry out this project they have decided to close the park completely for 9 months. This is my commute route. I am pretty sure others here use it (Welshness?).

Tonite I have had to try and find a sensible alternative, so instead of going through the Park I carried on down Wells Way and then Southampton Way crossed Peckham Rd and then the back streets parallel with Rye Lane. Absolutely awful route. If I have to do do this for 9 months I shall be thinking about giving up and taking the train.

Quest for a new route starts tonite. Suggestions welcome!!
 
TyT

[Rimnod]

Students are starting to meander back into St Andrews bringing their bad, inconsiderate, dangerous and foolhardy cycling habits with them. 

An example; idiot on a BSO MTB ignores a no entry sign covering a single lane through a mediaeval arch causing a driver to carry out an emergency stop allowing him to survive long enough to ride straight cross a roundabout (2nd exit) without stopping resulting a school bus driver, who had right of way, having to brake hard, you could see his passengers being thrown forward in their seats.  He then swung right across the flow of steady moving nose-to-tail traffic into a car park (known short cut) where he squeezed around the back of a vehicle being reversed into a car parking space.  Rightly the driver was shouting the odds at him as he pedalled off unaffected by the consequence of his negligent and illegal riding.   
In 200 yards of riding numb-nuts managed to alienated at least 3 car driver, one bus driver and me.

[Tim]

The council have been spreading gravel on the roads near Walton-on-the-Hill ^*$£ing idiots

[her_welshness]

I genuinley try not to moan but I have had a belly-full of Southwark Council. They have been given a huge amount of money to redevelop Burgess Park - Gods knows it needs it. So in order to carry out this project they have decided to close the park completely for 9 months. This is my commute route. I am pretty sure others here use it (Welshness?).

Tonite I have had to try and find a sensible alternative, so instead of going through the Park I carried on down Wells Way and then Southapton Way crossed Peckham Rd and then the back streets parallel with Rye Lane. Absolutely awful route. If I have to do do this for 9 months I shall be thinking about giving up and taking the train.

Quest for a new route starts tonite. Suggestions welcome!!

TyT

It used to be my commute home J - but as I work on the Old Brompton Road it does even factor into my commute any more. Am really cross for you that they have shut it. There are a series of NCN routes around there, its worth getting the old TfL maps out and doing some planning of a Sunday?

One of my friends had a nasty accident in Clapham yesterday. He was overtaking a rather slow open-topped tourist bus, and the next thing he can remember is coming to underneath the frigging bus  His bike has been totalled but apart from some injuries he is still with us.

[fuzzy]

Students are starting to meander back into St Andrews bringing their bad, inconsiderate, dangerous and foolhardy cycling habits with them. 

An example; idiot on a BSO MTB ignores a no entry sign covering a single lane through a mediaeval arch causing a driver to carry out an emergency stop allowing him to survive long enough to ride straight cross a roundabout (2nd exit) without stopping resulting a school bus driver, who had right of way, having to brake hard, you could see his passengers being thrown forward in their seats.  He then swung right across the flow of steady moving nose-to-tail traffic into a car park (known short cut) where he squeezed around the back of a vehicle being reversed into a car parking space.  Rightly the driver was shouting the odds at him as he pedalled off unaffected by the consequence of his negligent and illegal riding.   
In 200 yards of riding numb-nuts managed to alienated at least 3 car driver, one bus driver and me.

I know I shouldn't but, sometimes I wish I had the power to cause the visitation  of some hands on road rage on some people

[rower40]

The total distance function on the bike speedo (I would call it an "odometer", but that would suggest that it smells bad) on the Orange Bling changed from 999.9 to 1000.0 while I was riding in today.

Bike was new in June.  The chain is, by now, a bit slack.

[ian]

I genuinely try not to moan but I have had a belly-full of Southwark Council. They have been given a huge amount of money to redevelop Burgess Park - Gods knows it needs it. So in order to carry out this project they have decided to close the park completely for 9 months. This is my commute route. I am pretty sure others here use it (Welshness?).

Tonite I have had to try and find a sensible alternative, so instead of going through the Park I carried on down Wells Way and then Southampton Way crossed Peckham Rd and then the back streets parallel with Rye Lane. Absolutely awful route. If I have to do do this for 9 months I shall be thinking about giving up and taking the train.

Quest for a new route starts tonite. Suggestions welcome!!
 
TyT

Well, it depends where you are planning to end up. You could try route 23, which clips by the eastern side of Burgess Park, along the Surrey Canal path (or you can take the parallel roads) into downtown Peckham. Then straight through the middle of Peckham (actually I avoid the ludicrous new section of pointless bike path at the end of Rye Lane go around by Lidl and the school, the end bit of Rye Lane is like a horrid marmalade made out of deranged pedestrians and buses). Continue on up past Peckham Rye into Nunhead / Brockley.

Alternatively, just follow Walworth Road by the western side of the Park down to Camberwell Green and then up through Denmark Hill. Depending on final destination you can head on through Dulwich or take the swoop down Dog Kennel Hill (if the Gods are with you, the Sainsbury's traffic light will be green).

[Wascally Weasel]

This morning riding through Richmond Park on the way to work I saw some Met police pull someone over for speeding/a dodgy overtaking attempt! The speeding/dodgy overtake was car vs me so it was very welcome.

I was getting near Ham Dip and taking the lane as I was doing 20mph when I heard and saw a car betting quite close and speeding upb (I turn right after the dip to go through the middle of the park and it’s easiest and safest to take the lane from some way back, this should not be a problem as I ride at the legal speed limit at this point.  I have learned to take the lane as people will still overtake here if give them room to do so, irrespective of what speed you are doing). 

So anyway, despite me riding at 20mph, taking the lane and going round a bend, the car behind starting revving up and attempting an overtake – then from behind the car I heard the Woo-Whoop! of a police siren and the driver got pulled over.

I was happy.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

I genuinely try not to moan but I have had a belly-full of Southwark Council. They have been given a huge amount of money to redevelop Burgess Park - Gods knows it needs it. So in order to carry out this project they have decided to close the park completely for 9 months. This is my commute route. I am pretty sure others here use it (Welshness?).

I was at a Southwark cyclists meeting several months ago, where someone from the Burgess Park project presented their plans, and got feedback from SC.
I don't recall any notification of the park being closed for nine months - and if there was I would imagine that SC would have complained loudly.

[spindrift]

Just had a complete knobend cabbie, Castle Meadow, two lanes, I'm in the right hand lane going straight on, traffic lights forty feet ahead are red, he drives up my offside and changes lanes. Inevitably I freewheel up to his open window at the lights:

"Bit close mate"

"Well, you should watch where you're going!"

"I was, you overtook just before the red light"

"What red light?"

He said, as he waited. At the red light.

[her_welshness]

One of my friends had a nasty accident in Clapham yesterday. He was overtaking a rather slow open-topped tourist bus, and the next thing he can remember is coming to underneath the frigging bus  His bike has been totalled but apart from some injuries he is still with us.

My friend who ended up underneath a tourist bus on Clapham Common is looking for any witnesses who saw this on Tuesday morning:

Gah. Why won't anyone tell me what happened to me on Tuesday? I don't know where the bits of my bike are, I don't know how I got in that mess, I don't know a damn thing. All I can find out comes from the local press / twitter which is as much help as a chocolate teapot.

Spoke to the police and they're useless - gave me a number and told me to wait three weeks. Happened just before 8am on Tuesday. I know I ended up under an open topped tourist bus. I want to know how? Did I do something dumb or not? I hate not knowing.

[hellymedic]

One of my friends had a nasty accident in Clapham yesterday. He was overtaking a rather slow open-topped tourist bus, and the next thing he can remember is coming to underneath the frigging bus  His bike has been totalled but apart from some injuries he is still with us.

My friend who ended up underneath a tourist bus on Clapham Common is looking for any witnesses who saw this on Tuesday morning:

Gah. Why won't anyone tell me what happened to me on Tuesday? I don't know where the bits of my bike are, I don't know how I got in that mess, I don't know a damn thing. All I can find out comes from the local press / twitter which is as much help as a chocolate teapot.

Spoke to the police and they're useless - gave me a number and told me to wait three weeks. Happened just before 8am on Tuesday. I know I ended up under an open topped tourist bus. I want to know how? Did I do something dumb or not? I hate not knowing.

This thread in lfgss may be helpful. http://www.lfgss.com/thread70757.html

[Crock of Gold]

One of my friends had a nasty accident in Clapham yesterday. He was overtaking a rather slow open-topped tourist bus, and the next thing he can remember is coming to underneath the frigging bus  His bike has been totalled but apart from some injuries he is still with us.

My friend who ended up underneath a tourist bus on Clapham Common is looking for any witnesses who saw this on Tuesday morning:

Gah. Why won't anyone tell me what happened to me on Tuesday? I don't know where the bits of my bike are, I don't know how I got in that mess, I don't know a damn thing. All I can find out comes from the local press / twitter which is as much help as a chocolate teapot.

Spoke to the police and they're useless - gave me a number and told me to wait three weeks. Happened just before 8am on Tuesday. I know I ended up under an open topped tourist bus. I want to know how? Did I do something dumb or not? I hate not knowing.

This thread in lfgss may be helpful. http://www.lfgss.com/thread70757.html

Shite! Thread here on CycleChat as well. I went past just as you were being stretchered onto the ambulance and people were starting to clean up the helmet, shoes, cut clothes etc. Very sad. Road was closed so I was walking the bike along the common. The air ambulance made me fear for the worst.

http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/90715-cyclist-down-at-clapham-southside/

[CommuteTooFar]

A nice commute today, looking forward to an interesting days work.  At mile 15 I had descend from Coed Y Mwstwr and decided not to enter Coychurch. I make a right turn and climbed a short section of road that I had not ridden before in my previous ten years of commuting. So monotony broken, perhaps I will permit myself some more excitement after another ten years.

[her_welshness]

One of my friends had a nasty accident in Clapham yesterday. He was overtaking a rather slow open-topped tourist bus, and the next thing he can remember is coming to underneath the frigging bus  His bike has been totalled but apart from some injuries he is still with us.

My friend who ended up underneath a tourist bus on Clapham Common is looking for any witnesses who saw this on Tuesday morning:

Gah. Why won't anyone tell me what happened to me on Tuesday? I don't know where the bits of my bike are, I don't know how I got in that mess, I don't know a damn thing. All I can find out comes from the local press / twitter which is as much help as a chocolate teapot.

Spoke to the police and they're useless - gave me a number and told me to wait three weeks. Happened just before 8am on Tuesday. I know I ended up under an open topped tourist bus. I want to know how? Did I do something dumb or not? I hate not knowing.

This thread in lfgss may be helpful. http://www.lfgss.com/thread70757.html

Shite! Thread here on CycleChat as well. I went past just as you were being stretchered onto the ambulance and people were starting to clean up the helmet, shoes, cut clothes etc. Very sad. Road was closed so I was walking the bike along the common. The air ambulance made me fear for the worst.

http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/90715-cyclist-down-at-clapham-southside/

Many thanks to you both - that is extremely useful. I have facebooked him with the links.

[Crock of Gold]

Bit confused now - the incident I passed on Tuesday morning involved a woman cyclist - according to the Wandsworth Guardian anyway...? 

[her_welshness]

I'm must confused now - the incident I passed on Tuesday morning involved a woman cyclist - according to the Wandsworth Guardian anyway...?

Richard is definitely not a she  Thats what a lot of the tweets are saying too.

[hellymedic]

Chinese whispers propagate errors.
Victim has now posted on lfgss and seems to be a married man.
I have made a similar error on the street once...

[RJ]

Strewth h_w - that's a very scary experience your friend had.  Hope he mends fast ...

Not much happened on my commute today, which suits me fine - except that it was my first school run after the summer holidays.  FirstBorn is getting too big to get a pedal ride all the way ... 

[rower40]

I advised a car-driver stopped at traffic lights that both his brake-lights were not working.  (The roof-mounted LED one was still OK though - which is how I knew he was braking.)

Then had a rant ("Which bit of RED do you not understand?") at a cyclist who'd gone through at least 4 sets of red lights.  Nice bike, proper lycra, SPDs, the lot.  Including the "rules don't apply to me" plastic hat.

[pdm]

Silly season, especially for Audis and BMWs Minis.

After months of relatively harmonious commuting, the last few days have seen several episodes of very close passes by twunts in their gas guzzling, global warming, road killing piles of rust-destined bling. 

On a more positive note, the new Alfine hub and Versa shifters on the winter commuter seem to be working out quite well - the slightly shorter cranks and "feel" seems to be leading me to spin more in lower gears. Changing still is not as positive or solid as well tuned Ultegra but with increasing experience, I think I will live with it - just have to ease off a bit on the aggression during gear changes 

All in all, I am happy with it and I am getting to like the hub gear a lot. Range just right, shifting OK and at most 1kph slower (at 25kph average) than the lighter, sportier Ultegra equipped summer commuter - which adds about 5 minutes to the day's commute. I suspect (hope?) efficiency will improve a tad once I do the first oil change and the gears are run in.

[pdm]

Curious occurrence on the commute just 10 minutes from home this evening...
Broad daylight in bright sunshine, not a cloud in the vicinity.
Cue downpour!
Reward: Beautiful full double arc rainbow arched over a view of the metropolis of Sheffield....

[hellymedic]

Curious occurrence on the commute just 10 minutes from home this evening...
Broad daylight in bright sunshine, not a cloud in the vicinity.
Cue downpour!
Reward: Beautiful full double arc rainbow arched over a view of the metropolis of Sheffield....

Nice! I suppose the water just dumps from the sky when the air hits the edge of the Peak District.

[Zipperhead]

I must have had an invisible (to me) sign on my back today saying "please kill me"

On the way to work this morning, going into Wandsworth Bridge roundabout I was in the middle of the middle lane when an Addison Lee people carrier (surprise, surprise) drew level with me on my right and changed lanes right where I was. To my left was 14 tons of large red vehicle. Fortunately I could go a bit faster round there and squeezed through the gap between them.

Then going along Victoria Embankment, no traffic around, I just glanced down to my right and saw the wing of a car about to hit my knee! Fuck. Jinked left quickly and managed not to get my arse smacked by his mirror - there was of course absolutely nothing in the lane to the right of us! So I gave chase up Arundel Street (what a mess) into the Strand and came around him and stopped in front of him in traffic and had a little "discussion". Whether he really meant his apology, or had just had breakfast and couldn't face eating a bicycle I don't know.

Finally, coming home along Old York Road, approaching the lights with Fairfield street I was in the middle of the lane (as there's a bike lane on the right at the lights) and stationery traffic in front. A Range Rover driver decides thats a sensible place to overtake me, and then when she's alongside she just pulled into me, and of course had to stop almost immediately because of the traffic. I came alongside the open drivers window and she hadn't even registered me, because she was holding her fucking iphone to her ear and chatting away on it. When I started the discussion she threw it on the passenger seat, and then as I shouted at her she looked absolutely terrified and tried to sit in the passenger seat.

The next time I have to avoid this level of stupidity on the road then as they are a danger to others (and me!) I'm either going to take the keys or their phone and drop them off at the nearest police station.

Zipperhead's corollary to Darwin's Law: They're now so stupid that they will try and remove you from the gene pool as well.