On the commute today

[clarion]

It was reported as a ride by machine gun shooting

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

Oh that's terrible.  I figured there would be a lot of evidence to examine.

[DrMekon]

Rode 42.31km in 1h30m11s, which is precisely the same time as yesterday morning (and no, I haven't mixed up my gpx files )

Ooh, and passed 7000km YTD.

[Redlight]

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.

That's about 5 minutes after I came across but I didn't see anything. It wouldn't surprise me though - the critical mass benefit of having a large number of cyclists using the bridge is unfortunately outweighed by some incredibly dangerous / brainless riding, which is not a good idea if you're mxing it with buses and dumper trucks.

[clarion]

Some confusion about this incident it seems - some reports motorcyclist and cyclist.  Some say motorcyclist and pedestrian.

Meanwhile, someone on LFGSS reports a woman cyclist hit by a van on Blackfriars Bridge this morning.  Not too serious, but def injured, apparently.

[PaulF]

London Bridge appeared to be still be closed at 1030 - at least the lights at the North end were being controlled by police

[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.

That's about 5 minutes after I came across but I didn't see anything. It wouldn't surprise me though - the critical mass benefit of having a large number of cyclists using the bridge is unfortunately outweighed by some incredibly dangerous / brainless riding, which is not a good idea if you're mxing it with buses and dumper trucks.

it must have happened just after you've passed and the air ambulance response was immediate. i was approaching the junction and saw the traffic moving in the front, but when the light turned red i stopped and saw the helicopter landing. they were just closing the junction at that time for safe landing. if this article is correct it was pedestrian/motorbike accident.

[clarion]

Two possible reports of cyclists down today - both on bridges.

Now, I don't know the details of either incident, but I note that I got an email from LCC this morning asking me to sign up to the petition to the London Assembly members, trying to persuade them to support a motion regarding retaining the 20mph limit at Blackfriars Bridge, as recommended in a TfL report in 2008, ignored by Boris Johnson.

Whatever the circumstances, applying a 20mph limit to all London Bridges could only improve safety for all road users, not just cyclists.

[Andrij]

There is also talk of making the entire City (which would include London & Blackfriars Bridges and half of Southwark Bridge) 20mph.  This I welcome.
 

[clarion]

Well, it could happen, and it would help, so I'd be all for it.  Where have those proposals come from?

[her_welshness]

A woman pedestrian was injured in a collison with a motorcyclist at the south end of London Bridge on Thursday morning.

I remember one pedestrian colliding into a lady cyclist at that crossing section. This hirsuite pedestrian gave this look as if to say 'not the ensemble' 

I hate Tooley Street for this - pedestrians are trying to escape the train/tube station to get onto the bridge and its absolutely manic. Am hoping that with the re-design of London Bridge station that this may be addressed.

Clarion - maybe those proposals (re: 20mph lmit) come from Jenny Jones?

[Andrij]

Well, it could happen, and it would help, so I'd be all for it.  Where have those proposals come from?

I saw it mentioned in a Blackfriards Bridge email yesterday, but have managed to find an article about it:
 City wants 20mph limit in bid to save cyclists' lives | News
 

[clarion]

Fifth of London commuters take over an hour to get to work - Evening Standard

Yeah.  I hate it when it takes more than an hour to get to work.  Means that motor traffic has delayed me for an extra three minutes.

London workers are suffering "nightmare" long commutes in appallingly overcrowded carriages, official figures reveal today.

They show that hundreds of thousands in the capital's centre - one in five travellers - are forced to endure gruelling journeys of more than an hour.

Poor things.  If only there were a way to enjoy getting to work...

[simonp]

My 20-minute commute is too short. 

[GruB]

I've finally had enough of the small person that drives a very large silver BMW - VN58XXM.  
For the past 12 months or more at least once a week our direction of travel would cause him to push past on the most narrow of sections and normally quite often at speed.  He is very impatient.

Tonight coming home he flew past me on a straight stretch of narrow lane.  Totally irresponsibly.  So I decided to go into the village where I believed he lived and to find his car parked on his drive.  Luckily it was a small village so it didn't take long.

I made a show of getting out my Blackberry, looking at his car, tapping on my keys, looking back, tapping some more, looking back and back again.  He didn't appear but I didn't bother to scour the windows to see if he had noticed me.

Stage one complete.

Secondly, continuing with Zone2 training.  Humiliatingly I was overtaken while going up Caen Hill by a chap on a MTB.  Oh the shame.

[gerwinium]

Got stuck waiting for a bunch of young kids and mothers + prams to pass on the stairs of the Greenwich tunnel. I'm afraid that is as adventurous as my 25 minute commute gets. Lots of school kids around at the moment though.

Anyone know if there's a date when the stairs in the Greenwich tunnel will fully re-open? They seem to take a lot longer than originally promised.

[clarion]

Damn good ride again this evening.  80km so far this month, with 23.5kph average.  Splendid.

[Canardly]

Tut its ok for you part timers.......

[simonp]

Damn good ride this evening.  50km at 28kph on the Pompino in what can only be described as glorious weather.

Happy times.

[simonp]

I think since doing my first fixed SR (and 15.25AAA in the process) my ability to muscle up hills on a 71” gear has improved enormously.  Woo.

[itsbruce]

Finished building my new bike yesterday (thursday) and tested it by... riding it the full 8.5 miles home.  This was interesting.  I discovered that a) I can build up a bike quite reliably but b) the seat-post bolt was broken, with the result that my arse got closer to the ground as the trip progressed.  A shim will see me to the nearest LBS.

[clarion]

Last early morning this week.  Butterfly again rode in with me all the way to work.  Well, she got there first, but I hadn't told her that I stop filtering when I'm in the queue for E&C - it's not worth the hassle.

Really zoomed this morning, though, covering the trip to work in 51 minutes.  And, with Butterfly on her sootbike, I could hare away from the lights, catch the RLJers, ride ahead of the big boys, then ease off ever so slightly for her to catch up.  Great fun.  I think several road bike riders will be arriving at work with shrunken willies after having been scalped by a gurl.   A few of them resorted to jumping red lights, presumably to avoid being left behind again.

25.5kph average.  Very happy with that.  Shame that half term is over next week, and I shall be back riding at my normal, congested, time

As an aside, I had hoped that, coming through earlier, I might have seen itsbruce at Stockwell, but sadly that didn't happen.

Three days of fun, though.  I wonder how many motor commuters get to their destination and think 'I enjoyed that.  Wish it was a bit further.'?

[TheLurker]

A wash of blue linseed flowers in a couple of fields.

[Andrij]

I've finally had enough of the small person that drives a very large silver BMW - VN58XXM.  
For the past 12 months or more at least once a week our direction of travel would cause him to push past on the most narrow of sections and normally quite often at speed.  He is very impatient.

Tonight coming home he flew past me on a straight stretch of narrow lane.  Totally irresponsibly.  So I decided to go into the village where I believed he lived and to find his car parked on his drive.  Luckily it was a small village so it didn't take long.

I made a show of getting out my Blackberry, looking at his car, tapping on my keys, looking back, tapping some more, looking back and back again.  He didn't appear but I didn't bother to scour the windows to see if he had noticed me.

Stage one complete.

I do hope stage two involves a warrant card!


Yesterday: While walking to the the station (oh, the shame) I saw something truly shocking: two London Dynamo riders... stopped at a red light!  They were talking to a few other roadies, so one could assume that peer pressure made them do it.  Carrying on toward Whitechapel I noticed there were quite a number of roadies heading out of town.  Very unusual.  It was when I saw a quartet of cyclists in full LMNH kit that it struck me — they must of have been heading out to Hog Hill.  Really must head up there one of these days.

Today: Great ride in, easily hitting 40kph without giving it my all.  Yes, I had a tailwind.  Average speed this morning was just over 25kph; would love to stay above that number on the way home.  I also learned something this morning: I don't like how the Elorrio handles bumpy roads at over 35kph — it bounces around too much.
 

[clarion]

Yesterday: While walking to the the station (oh, the shame) I saw something truly shocking: two London Dynamo riders... stopped at a red light! 

Pics or it didn't happen!

Today: Great ride in, easily hitting 40kph without giving it my all.  Yes, I had a tailwind.  Average speed this morning was just over 25kph;

[SteveC]

A thank you, sir! To the chap on a road bike I followed this morning. You may not have realised you were pacing me and I'm sure you could have dropped me in an instant if you'd wanted, but I got a much needed workout! 

S