On the commute today

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Clarion, what has happened? I really, really hope against hope that it is not another cyclist killed by a lorry.

[clarion]

No.  There was a fatal shooting last night.

We came across a complete closure of the A3 at Stockwell - taped all the way across, footpaths included.  I just found out that it is following another fatal shooting last night

Trying hard not to sound like the news reports for which the most important factor of a cyclist down is the disruption to traffic, I'm keeping an ear to the traffic reports to see if I need to divert tonight.  I'm awfully glad I passed through early, because that must have been chaos later.

[her_welshness]

No.  There was a fatal shooting last night.

We came across a complete closure of the A3 at Stockwell - taped all the way across, footpaths included.  I just found out that it is following another fatal shooting last night

Trying hard not to sound like the news reports for which the most important factor of a cyclist down is the disruption to traffic, I'm keeping an ear to the traffic reports to see if I need to divert tonight.  I'm awfully glad I passed through early, because that must have been chaos later.

That was the part of my old commute (to Clapham Library) that I hated but then discovered a wonderful NCN route which starts around here Streetmap - Maps and directions for the whole of Great Britain. Am not sure how feasible it is for you Clarion but I used to love this deviation (especially for gawping at all the lovely houses  ).

[clarion]

If it's the route I'm thinking of (North of the A3), it's one that Butterfly introduced me to, and I used this morning from Jeffreys Road all the way up to work.  Sometimes we've used it to get to Battersea, and, on Friday evenings when I've had some time to kill, I've ridden that way to make a leisurely way from E&C to Clapham Junction without going through Vauxhall.

It's a bit frustrating because of the number of turns and give ways, but it has certainly improved in the time I've known it with reroutes and changed priorities.

[her_welshness]

If it's the route I'm thinking of (North of the A3), it's one that Butterfly introduced me to, and I used this morning from Jeffreys Road all the way up to work.  Sometimes we've used it to get to Battersea, and, on Friday evenings when I've had some time to kill, I've ridden that way to make a leisurely way from E&C to Clapham Junction without going through Vauxhall.

It's a bit frustrating because of the number of turns and give ways, but it has certainly improved in the time I've known it with reroutes and changed priorities.

It sounds like the one, I used to use Larkhall rise to get to the library, it has a nice little climb The route is rather twisty-turny but I think its one of those key link routes which is what I love about NCN - plus its well used too 

[clarion]

Yes.  It's a route that works, pretty much (though the Clapham Common end is a bit frayed), and people do use it.  Not for me most of the time, but it may see me again.

Butterfly used to live & work somewhere on that route, btw.

[her_welshness]

Yes.  It's a route that works, pretty much (though the Clapham Common end is a bit frayed), and people do use it.  Not for me most of the time, but it may see me again.

Butterfly used to live & work somewhere on that route, btw.

Really! I call it my Lambeth Libraries route as it linked neatly all four of the libraries that I used to work at 

There is a delightful place called Albert Square just off the A3 and its where the gorgeous Joanna Lumley lives. That was a really nice little cut through to get onto the South Lambeth Road 

[clarion]

A forumite lives just by there.

[Jurek]

A forumite lives just by there.

This forumite was born in Jeffreys Road and has friends with a flat in Albert Square  

[clarion]

With your typical Sarf Lahndan name, how could anyone have thought otherwise?

Actually, I didn't know that; I thought you were born further out.

[TimO]

I had an interesting "event" on the way in this morning, going down the last part of the hill after the traffic lights at the bottom of Cedars Road, a kid on a bicycle cycled out from behind a van.

I came with inches of hitting him directly side on and launching myself into flight.  Somehow, and I still don't know how, hacking the brakes on and skidding, I just about managed to get around him, stay upright, and only lightly knocked his front wheel.

Have they stopped teaching people the basics of how to cross a road?  The number of times I come close to hitting people who walk out from behind something like a van or bus is ridiculous, although this is the first time anyway has actually cycled out from such a location.

I'd generally avoid crossing a road from such a place, but if I had to, I'd very very carefully look around before stepping out.

Another child did exactly the same thing today, although located halfway along Cavendish Road instead.

I'll be glad when half term is over.

[Feline]

I had an interesting "event" on the way in this morning, going down the last part of the hill after the traffic lights at the bottom of Cedars Road, a kid on a bicycle cycled out from behind a van.

I came with inches of hitting him directly side on and launching myself into flight.  Somehow, and I still don't know how, hacking the brakes on and skidding, I just about managed to get around him, stay upright, and only lightly knocked his front wheel.

Have they stopped teaching people the basics of how to cross a road?  The number of times I come close to hitting people who walk out from behind something like a van or bus is ridiculous, although this is the first time anyway has actually cycled out from such a location.

I'd generally avoid crossing a road from such a place, but if I had to, I'd very very carefully look around before stepping out.

Another child did exactly the same thing today, although located halfway along Cavendish Road instead.

I'll be glad when half term is over.

Bring on electric cars, natural selection should sort em all out!

[simonp]

I had a bin man walk out in front of me in Fulbourn this morning. He stood waiting for oncoming traffic.  He waited until I was close then stepped out in front of me and stopped in front of me because the oncoming traffic was *still there*. I was forced to brake hard at which point he had a go at me "You could see I'd stepped out". Idiot. I may have used stronger language at the time.

[jane]

I had an interesting "event" on the way in this morning, going down the last part of the hill after the traffic lights at the bottom of Cedars Road, a kid on a bicycle cycled out from behind a van.


I came with inches of hitting him directly side on and launching myself into flight.  Somehow, and I still don't know how, hacking the brakes on and skidding, I just about managed to get around him, stay upright, and only lightly knocked his front wheel.
Have they stopped teaching people the basics of how to cross a road?  The number of times I come close to hitting people who walk out from behind something like a van or bus is ridiculous, although this is the first time anyway has actually cycled out from such a location.

I'd generally avoid crossing a road from such a place, but if I had to, I'd very very carefully look around before stepping out.

Another child did exactly the same thing today, although located halfway along Cavendish Road instead.
I'll be glad when half term is over.

I was a member of the Tufty Club and I remember it being quite popular in the sixties.  I don't see any road safety programme quite as high profile nowadays. Although Tufty is still around, I believe.  Our instructions for crossing safely began with the sentence. " First, find a safe place where there are no parked cars.". This was still easy to do in the 60's, even in the inner city, where I grew up. I'm guessing it's impossible now.

[Domestique]

A young woman with a pushchair looked directly at me then pushed her chair and baby directly in front of me 
WTF 

[Feline]

A young woman with a pushchair looked directly at me then pushed her chair and baby directly in front of me 
WTF 

You must have accidentally donned your invisibility cloak this morning.
I can't believe how many moron peds are around at the moment, must be the summer that brings them out or something.

[ian]

Heckled by a pedestrian for RLJing and pavement cycling. While I waited at the traffic lights by the OKR.

He then did the same to the girl who had pulled up behind me, who promptly declaimed "why are you talking to me, it was him!"

I'm still waiting at the lights. There is possibly an alternate reality where I am cycling down the pavement through an endless series of red traffic lights, but not in this one.

Judging by my heckler, this alternate reality is accessed through the medium of Special Brew.

[Jurek]

Heckled by a pedestrian for RLJing and pavement cycling. While I waited at the traffic lights by the OKR.

He then did the same to the girl who had pulled up behind me, who promptly declaimed "why are you talking to me, it was him!"

I'm still waiting at the lights. There is possibly an alternate reality where I am cycling down the pavement through an endless series of red traffic lights, but not in this one.

Judging by my heckler, this alternate reality is accessed through the medium of Special Brew.

Welcome to the OKR   I know neither of us need it - we've both been there before...  

[clarion]

I get that a fair bit, though I don't often ride the OKR (life's short enough without using motorways).  I wonder whether your interlocutor has a counterpart in Kennington.

[fuzzy]

I had an interesting "event" on the way in this morning, going down the last part of the hill after the traffic lights at the bottom of Cedars Road, a kid on a bicycle cycled out from behind a van.


I came with inches of hitting him directly side on and launching myself into flight.  Somehow, and I still don't know how, hacking the brakes on and skidding, I just about managed to get around him, stay upright, and only lightly knocked his front wheel.
Have they stopped teaching people the basics of how to cross a road?  The number of times I come close to hitting people who walk out from behind something like a van or bus is ridiculous, although this is the first time anyway has actually cycled out from such a location.

I'd generally avoid crossing a road from such a place, but if I had to, I'd very very carefully look around before stepping out.

Another child did exactly the same thing today, although located halfway along Cavendish Road instead.
I'll be glad when half term is over.

I was a member of the Tufty Club and I remember it being quite popular in the sixties.  I don't see any road safety programme quite as high profile nowadays. Although Tufty is still around, I believe.  Our instructions for crossing safely began with the sentence. " First, find a safe place where there are no parked cars.". This was still easy to do in the 60's, even in the inner city, where I grew up. I'm guessing it's impossible now.

It's all about cost cutting. So few chilblains are actually allowed to walk by their parents these days that Tufty or The Green Cross Man are not value for money.

We'd be better off teaching them to drive and banning their twattish parents from the driving seats of their 'tanks'.

[zigzag]

london bridge was part-closed at 8:45 this morning, ambulance helicopter landing on the street, a person lying on the road - let's hope he/she will survive whatever happened. grim start of the day.

[clarion]

Ooh - that sounds bad. 

Last night, the A3 was still closed at Stockwell.  Grim too, as I don't expect they close such a major road through two rush hours unless there's a very good reason.  Traffic was building up badly, and I wouldn't have wanted to struggle up through Brixton & Streatham, which are pretty congested at the best of times.  I hope the Police get all the evidence they need for a successful prosecution of the killer.

This morning, the road was open again.  I rode in with Butterfly all the way to my work and we managed an average of 24.1kph, which is good for me, and excellent for Butterfly.  She had more time before work, so rode on over the river and round.

Sunny day, quieter roads.  It's great.

[fuzzy]

It was reported as a ride by machine gun shooting

This tends to suggest a potentially large scene to deal with.

[perpetual dan]

Waiting at a give way to turn right with a stream of cars coming from the left. One of them, not turning, stopped and waved me over in front of him. Happens rarely enough when I'm in a car. Ta very much. Someone's unplugged the fan and put the blue light  in the sky back on as well.

[fuzzy]

I'm getting unaccustomed exhibitions of civility at a particular right turn onto a larger road as well at the moment.

Go figure