On the commute today

[Adrian]

I saw all the traffic while walking the dog (I don't go that way on the bike). It was pretty bad.

Unfortunately my colleague has just reported seeing a mangled tourer and a parked-up lorry on her cycle to work, on the Brixton Road before the Oval. No sign of the cyclist but lots of debris. I'm hoping it is not as bad as it sounds.

I passed this as well. There was stuff scattered around, mangled bike, at least one shoe, a rucksack, a helmet. It did all look rather bad.

I was told that the cyclist had come unstuck trying to squeeze between a tanker lorry and a bus. Whether or not this is true I do not know.

[Adam]

Ever been sat in traffic and having an ambulance or police car zoom up the middle of the road, and dreamt about just putting your foot down, and following the blue flashing lights??

Fantasy became true life for me today in Harpenden - and I was on the bike!

On the way home, whilst waiting to pull out across all the queuing cars full of commuters stuck in the High Street, I could see an ambulance rushing along.  As it's quite narrow with a number of refuges, the ambulance couldn't go very fast down the middle of the road, so as it approached from my left, I pulled out a bit into the road, and then as he passed, pushed off, pedalling furiously in its wake. 

The ambulance was probably only able to reach just over 20 mph maximum as the cars in front dived to the sides of the road.  I managed to keep up behind it for about 300 metres before the road cleared sufficiently for it to accelerate away, leaving me loads of room to pull back into the left hand side of the road.

 

[jogler]

you ambulance chaser,you rascal

[Feline]

Ever been sat in traffic and having an ambulance or police car zoom up the middle of the road, and dreamt about just putting your foot down, and following the blue flashing lights??

Fantasy became true life for me today in Harpenden - and I was on the bike!

On the way home, whilst waiting to pull out across all the queuing cars full of commuters stuck in the High Street, I could see an ambulance rushing along.  As it's quite narrow with a number of refuges, the ambulance couldn't go very fast down the middle of the road, so as it approached from my left, I pulled out a bit into the road, and then as he passed, pushed off, pedalling furiously in its wake. 

The ambulance was probably only able to reach just over 20 mph maximum as the cars in front dived to the sides of the road.  I managed to keep up behind it for about 300 metres before the road cleared sufficiently for it to accelerate away, leaving me loads of room to pull back into the left hand side of the road.

 

Haha, this is truly awesome! I have to admit to having done something similar in my car occasionally but by bike earns you respect 

[Chris S]

And if anyone complains, just shout "My wife's in there, having a baby!" 

[Wowbagger]

Not quite a commute, but I was stopped by the police this evening. I was riding on the pavement at the time, heading for a shared use path about 10 yards away. There was a large crowd milling around because The Bleeders were due to kick off some half hour later just across the road.

I had a very affable conversation with PC (or whatever rank) Warren Lamb, who was a pupil of mine some 30 years ago who asked me how I was enjoying being retired. Cheeky git! I still do a handful of hours a week.

[n0seblunt]

Sorry to report that on the commute tonight I came across a nasty aftermath of a collision in Dalston (the corner of Dalston Lane and Kingsland Rd) where the remains of a mangled bike (looked like a white or blue shopper) were under the wheels of a massive articulated lorry. Lots of police and ambulances and all four roads shut down.

I'd be very surprised if they made it out of that alive. Best wishes to them.

But worth reiterating again, never undertake lorries.

[Wendy]

Do we need to assume there was undertaking?  What's not to say the lorry was overtaking and the driver just didn't care.

[Feline]

This sounds awfully similar to the Catriona Patel killing where she was stopped at a red light at the junction and the vehicle was driven left straight over her. Assumptions like 'the cyclist must have undertaken a lorry' make my blood boil to be honest.

[n0seblunt]

Fair point. The bike was crushed on the near side of the lorry towards the middle of the vehicle and the lorry was L shaped, turning left (this is at a cross roads with lights on all four sides).

There could be an entirely different explanation and I shouldn't just assume the cyclist was to blame.

[pdm]

Blowing a gale on the tops this evening. Mostly a horrible cross wind (blowing from SW, route is to NW) but there is one little 2k stretch where it became a tail wind - clocked it at 52kph+gusts 

[Rimnod]

2 things of note for today's commute to and from St Andrews

1  Tonight I witnessed a student riding between the main building on South street and the halls with a full set of servicable lights and he indicated at road junctions. 

2.  Saw a adult Badger ambling down a grass verge. 

[TheLurker]

Wished I'd used the main road this morning. Lots of walking this morning because of ice. 

[Si_Co]

Absolutely beautiful ride in this morning. Amazing what a good bit of sunshine can do for your mood.

[clarion]

Diverted commute last night, going via St Helier.  Good fun, if a bit slow.  Headwind meant that I didn't even get the usual zoom home down the hill

This morning was a good ride.  I believe there may have been a tailwind, but it was quite a personal one, as I was passing an awful lot of people.

Somewhere after Oval, one cyclist started singing 'Blinded by the lights...', then honked a traditional horn.  There were a couple of other humourous shouts, but I didn't catch them.  I don't think they were directed at me - just someone enjoying his ride.

[itsbruce]

Balmy 7 degrees C in London this morning.  Short-sleeve top and shorts weather.  Can only assume all these London cyclists are still in their winter clothes out of habit

[her_welshness]

Balmy 7 degrees C in London this morning.  Short-sleeve top and shorts weather.  Can only assume all these London cyclists are still in their winter clothes out of habit

I'm certainly wearing winter clothes out of habit at the moment, I's rather be over warm than underdressed.

It was sluggish going this morning, felt like the slowest on the commute 

[Ham]

I treated myself this morning and left after 8. I saw the sun, yay!!

[alexb]

Do we need to assume there was undertaking?  What's not to say the lorry was overtaking and the driver just didn't care.

True, but they still do it anyway. I see three or four instances every single day. The message is not getting through.

[vorsprung]

Last night wasn't too nice coming home.  The drizzle developed into proper rain and it was horizontal due to a headwind.  The rain had stopped by the time I got home of course

Nice this morning though, no rain, light wind, warm(er)

[pdm]

Some wind on the way in today - had to pedal hard downhill on the odd occasion....

However, XCWeather is predicting 60mph gusts over the tops on the way home this evening though... 

[Cyclops]

Driving sleet this morning and now it's got really windy this afternoon. Met Office are predicting 60mph+ gusts at going home time. Hopefully, I won't end up getting blown over a hedge

[Regulator]

Bright sun on the way in this morning 

Well behaved drivers 

Bit of diesel about 

Light winds 


Hope it's that good on the way home...

[peliroja]

New Kings Road blocked by police cordon between Wandsworth Bridge Road and Parsons Green on way home today. Side streets rammed with cars. Anyone know what had happened?

[Deano]

After a week of near-misses, the bastards finally got me.

OK, I exaggerate.  But the brainless nerk who decided to cut time off his journey by turning right across one line of traffic and then stopping in front of it while hoping that someone would let him in deserves more than to have his front wing slightly dented by my front wheel and forks.  I'll know the car in future, as it's the one with my boot marks just ahead of the driver's door.

It could have been worse - I came around the rear of a car turning left into the junction he was turning right from, and he simply didn't look.  By the time he had deigned to notice me, he was already blocking the entire road, so I could only bra-a-a-ke.  I thought I was going to end up spread-eagled across his bonnet, but I aimed for the wheel well, and I lost enough speed that my wheel and forks took most of the impact, and I did an impressive endo, managed to unclip and bounced back onto my heels, astride my bike.  The only bodily impact was where I knocked my knee into my handlebars, and I don't expect any lasting damage, as it was pretty minor.

I landed, looked at the driver and shouted "you fucking wanker".  He wound down his window and babbled something at me, but I was more concerned with checking I was alright, and getting off the road.  I thought I was OK, and told him so, and he didn't hang around.  I was expecting a mouthful of abuse, to be honest.  While I was re-straightening my bars (that, and the slight inwardness of the brake lever from my death-grip braking seem to be the only effects), another driver stopped to offer himself as a witness, but since I was fine, and the bike is as good as it ever gets, I thanked him and decided to chalk it up to experience.

Of course, it all went wrong when I decided to change my routine by leaving work half an hour earlier and taking a different route.  It'll be a slightly more sedate ride to work tomorrow.