On the commute today

[TimO]

Oddly today the traffic seemed far worse than normal.  I was quite delayed with traffic blocking the roads, and took a lot longer to get in than normal.  I'm rather at a loss to work out why there seemed to be so much more than normal, I guess I was just unlucky with my timing.

I don't think I count as a cross Londoner, since the centre point of my 12 mile journey is Tooting Bec Common, and my destination has an SW postcode, even though it's north of the river.

[Ham]

Another cross-Londoner..... we should wave as we pass 

I thought I was one of a very small minority. Actually, we probably are.

Does SW to E London count?

I think it depends how far you go on each side. If the middle of your journey is bounded by, say, Aldgate to Shepherds Bush then yes. My midpoint (13 miles) is Notting Hill Gate.

Then I'm officially an 'Cross Londoner'  (Wimbledon to Canary Wharf)

Me too - Lewisham to Clapham.

Sorry, no. If you don't go through Central London you have no reason to get very cross. (I suppose going through Vauxhall, if you do, might have that effect)

[Wendy]

Close bus pass on Saturday:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/OmXH01sZilQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/OmXH01sZilQ&rel=1</a>

[clarion]

Traffic was very heavy today, no doubt about it.  Lines of traffic jams through Carshalton, and from Mitcham Junction to Tooting Broadway, Balham to Stockwell, and Oval to Fantancastle and beyond.

It must be awful to have to suffer that.

[alexb]

Very heavy through Queenstown Road this morning. I thought I was just a bit earlier than usualu and had picked up on the tail end of something that clears by the time I normally get to that point.

Incidentally, what are they digging up Cedars Road for now? It can't be more than 10 months since they last dug it all up and that was after it was entirely resurfaced as well!

[Moultonaught]

no commute today as I'm working from home and yesterday's ride was uneventful except for 1) having even more rubbish than usual legs - thanks to the weekend's FNRttS  and 2) an amusing exchange with  one of a group of teenagers as I carried my bike down the two flights of stairs from the cycle path to Aylesbury station:

youth: "cool bike mate - is that one of them folding bikes?"
me: "nope"
youth: "what? It doesn't fold"
me: "yup, that's right it doesn't fold"
youth -  "Oh, ok, in that case I don't like it after all"
me: "charming!" albeit rather muffled as I was chuckling at the exchange...

how fickle are today's youth....

[L CC]

Traffic horrendous here today. There must have been a dozen cars. Don't know what they were all doing up so early

[clarion]

I think I pass that many cars before I leave our street

[her_welshness]

Another cross-Londoner..... we should wave as we pass 

I thought I was one of a very small minority. Actually, we probably are.

Does SW to E London count?

I think it depends how far you go on each side. If the middle of your journey is bounded by, say, Aldgate to Shepherds Bush then yes. My midpoint (13 miles) is Notting Hill Gate.

Then I'm officially an 'Cross Londoner'  (Wimbledon to Canary Wharf)

Me too - Lewisham to Clapham.

Sorry, no. If you don't go through Central London you have no reason to get very cross. (I suppose going through Vauxhall, if you do, might have that effect)

Sorry - actually yes I am an orbital 

[clarion]

I think a cross london commutr would have to cross the river, really, then?

[clarion]

Sorry - actually yes I am an orbital 

If I were at home, I'd post a Youtube link

You're a Sarf Circular commuter, really, aren't you?

[citoyen]

Talking of roadworks, there's something going on at the junction at the top of Crystal Palace Park Rd/Westwood Hill at the moment and the road is down to one lane. Last night, traffic was backed up halfway along Crystal Palace Parade. Nice to be able to whizz past it all on my bike, but there must have been some poorly engines in the queuing cars because after a few seconds of inhaling their fumes, I was close to throwing up. You could taste the burnt diesel in the air. Very unpleasant. Very glad I wasn't stuck inside a car in that. 

d.

[her_welshness]

Sorry - actually yes I am an orbital 

If I were at home, I'd post a Youtube link

You're a Sarf Circular commuter, really, aren't you?

I am, you are right of course, but the A202 is an orbital route. 

[Andrij]

I think a cross london commutr would have to cross the river, really, then?

No, because south of the river is either Kent or Surrey. 

Those who have been on my Thames Path Meaner rides have seen stone marking the border.
 

[Greenbank]

I think a cross london commutr would have to cross the river, really, then?

I cross it twice but I'm not a cross London commuter.

If I worked a little North-East of where I do the most obvious route would require crossing the river a third time.

[Ham]

I think a cross london commutr would have to cross the river, really, then?

No, because south of the river is either Kent or Surrey. 

Those who have been on my Thames Path Meaner rides have seen stone marking the border.
 

I've seen a load of Surrey Kents stuck in their cars ....

[TimO]

Very heavy through Queenstown Road this morning. I thought I was just a bit earlier than usualu and had picked up on the tail end of something that clears by the time I normally get to that point.

Incidentally, what are they digging up Cedars Road for now? It can't be more than 10 months since they last dug it all up and that was after it was entirely resurfaced as well!

Yes, Queenstown Road was also busy for me, and I was travelling later than most commuters (around 9-30).  There seemed to be no obvious explanation.

Cedars Road was predictable, you know the moment they resurface somewhere it'll only be a month or two at most before they dig it up again.  Clearly the crap repairs after that first attempt to really bugger up the cycle path weren't enough, so they're going to make sure that it's even bumpier, by carefully making sure that they don't quite dig up the bit which they did before, so we get two completely different sets of crap surface.

Traffic horrendous here today. There must have been a dozen cars. Don't know what they were all doing up so early

I think I pass that many cars before I leave our street

Last year, on the day when the heavy snow started, I was cycling home fairly late on the freshly laid snow, and probably saw less than fifty cars on my entire commute.  That was probably the least cars I've ever seen on my commute, including cycling across town at times like 4am in the morning.

[Greenbank]

Traffic horrendous here today. There must have been a dozen cars. Don't know what they were all doing up so early

Conversely:-

You can tell that the good weather has come to an end. The number of cycle commuters I see on my commute is down to under 100.

I ripped the arse out of my commute. I stomped along through Parson's Green and tipped 30mph going up the slope of Putney Bridge. Rarrrrr!

[L CC]

Well, I'm obviously channelling That London today, as after TRAFFIC CHAOS this morning, tonight I got OVERTAKEN BY A CYCLIST for the first time ever on the commute.

Obviously I wasn't going to put up with that, no sir-ee. I chased him down, glided alongside, a little idle chit chat, and then I turned off. Upped my average speed over the whole route by 2kph just by riding alongside him for those 3k. I was bloomin knackered. Really, I'm too old and tired to play at trying to impress young men with my athletic prowess. And when I say young, it's not a figure of speech, he had braces.

[clarion]

Chain's a bit slack

[itsbruce]

And when I say young, it's not a figure of speech, he had braces.

Well, sometimes the lycra shorts go baggy if you wash them at the wrong temperature.

[TimO]

Another slightly strange commute on the way home, quite a lot of police cars.  It's not unusual to see one or two police vehicles, since quite a bit of my route is fairly major routes, but I saw a dozen or so separate police vehicles, mostly parked up.

On a Friday evening a few more isn't unusual, but that many on a Wednesday is not really par for the course.

The Stupids were out in force as well, not the dangerous variety, but the gormless drive along at fifteen miles an hours, and then suddenly speed up for no apparent reason type (and other varieties of odd and nonsensical behaviour).

There's obviously a special on odd commutes at the moment, Buy One Get One Free.

[Nuncio]

The weather this week to yesterday morning has been good.  A little windy on Monday, but that dropped.  So did the temperature - 2⁰ at 6 yesterday morning - but not a cloud to be seen.  Yesterday after work it was nigh-on perfect.   This coincided with being able to get away from work in good time and Mrs N not due home till late.  The hills and moors to the north of Swansea were to be my cycling playground. 

First the 10km mile haul up towards Ammanford to Penlle'r Castell on Mynydd y Gwair - Bristol Channel twinkling in the distance to the left over Gower, Black Mountain to the right, and further, vaguely, through the ozone haze, Pen y Fan and the Beacons.  And it was dead still up there for a change: not a breath. Then back along the ridge before the diaganol descent from the Barran Mountain and the drop to Rhyd-y-Fro.  Spurning the direct route home, it was then up the Gwrhyd for more stunning views past the lonely Gwrhyd chapel in perfect isolation and dwindling light. A glance back and I could see the sun as it dropped behind the Barran I had just come off. A 72kph swoop down to Cwmtwrch and an extra little loop to take in the Stafin climb by Ystradgynlais, before the more prosaic valley road and cycle path, and getting back onto my normal commute route for the hill up from Pontardawe.  80km for the day, and 1400m of climbing.

[alexb]

Very heavy through Queenstown Road this morning. I thought I was just a bit earlier than usualu and had picked up on the tail end of something that clears by the time I normally get to that point.

Incidentally, what are they digging up Cedars Road for now? It can't be more than 10 months since they last dug it all up and that was after it was entirely resurfaced as well!

Yes, Queenstown Road was also busy for me, and I was travelling later than most commuters (around 9-30).  There seemed to be no obvious explanation.

I set off 30 minutes later today, not planned, but Queenstown Road was empty today, why? In fact most of my commute had really light traffic.

[vorsprung]

A bit colder today.

I wore gilet,851 jacket, SS base and longs all the way in to work and I wasn't over heated at all