How was your cycle commute?

[Dogsauce]

The gf used to work in Smithfield, I'd meet her after work but if she wasn't ready to come out yet I'd do laps of Smithfield, cutting through that bit in the middle. I think I managed about 20 one time. There's been some road race event in the past doing larger laps around there.

 

[The Boy]

Yeah, so I wasn't going to go ahead with the planned purchase of a new lock the other night when I had to spend money on lights I didn't need. Took the old lock off today and put the new one on just do it was ready to go come Monday morning.

Just as well I did, tbh:

 

[gentlegreen]

My lock is truly ancient - possibly 15 years or so, and out in all weathers and I occasionally get worried and dream up strategies... the replacement lock I bought was far too heavy for my liking ...

Anyway, not being able to resist buying cutting discs for my so far unused angle grinder almost set me off again

 

[stavros]

In case it makes any difference to anyone, here's a quick heads-up that this coming Wednesday is national Cycle to Work Day.

 

[Winot]

Three close passes on ride home just now:

1. Coming south through Kennington Green the roadworks are too close to let cars overtake cyclists (and there's a sign saying don't do it). Twat in a 4x4 tried to overtake then gave me a mouthful of abuse for taking primary to stop him doing so.

2. JCB came past at speed less than a foot away on Clapham Rd. Protested that he was outside the blue cycle track (which is far too narrow) - evidence that they can do more harm than good as drivers think they can drive to the edge.

3. Car overtook at pinch point on King's Avenue as I was taking primary to go through it.

Grrr. The kind of commute that makes you despair of cycling in London.

 

[kalidarkone]

I rode to work today - for the first time, as the van is out of MOT till next week. I was really worried as it's up a very hilly route- but I rode 3/4 of it on the way and 7/8 on the way back. It's made feel amazing! I'll be doing it tomorrow and Sunday as well- Can't wait!! Riding into work actually made me feel less tired!! Endorphins....

 

[iamwithnail]

Was thinking about this thread as I came down the new bits over Blackfriars the other day - it's definitely slower (compounded by being an extra 2km on my route), but it's so much less stressful that's a really great tradeoff to make.

 

[Dogsauce]

I did the new lane southbound from Farringdon properly today (since I was on the slow bike with the nipper on the back). Waited about two minutes to cross onto it from the lights while cars streamed past in the regular lane on green, after a couple of hundred metres on it there was another two minute wait at the next big crossroads as the light changed to red on the way down (if I had been on the road bike and floored it I might have , but it shouldn't be designed for that sort of speed). Doesn't appear that the lights are in sync. Load of shite.

Turned onto CS1 at the bridge and headed to Westminster. This bit is really nice, except the ramps for the pedestrian crossings seem unreasonably steep - even at a low speed they make the baby seat on the back jerk up and down quite harshly.

 

[Crispy]

Doesn't appear that the lights are in sync. Load of shite.

Sometimes it's green when you get there, sometimes it's not. I believe the Fleet Street traffic going across at Ludgate CIrcus is more important, so if any light sequence is synchronised it'll be theirs.

 

[Dogsauce]

Sometimes it's green when you get there, sometimes it's not. I believe the Fleet Street traffic going across at Ludgate CIrcus is more important, so if any light sequence is synchronised it'll be theirs.

Traffic on the main carriageway heading south continued to flow for quite a while after the cycle lane had gone red. If I'd stayed on the road I'd have been a couple of minutes ahead.

I've just checked out how long I was held up (via Strava fly by) and at each set of lights I had to wait approximately 1m25 (so nearly three minutes in total over a short stretch of road). That's not very convenient, it feels like being a freight train stuck in the goods loop for the fast motorised traffic to pass, not like being on a superhighway. Maybe I was just unlucky. I've never seen the light at the crossover on green, maybe it's controlled by a sensor so not triggered unless you enter the lane (so in that respect not much better than the push-a-button-and-wait crap you get at a toucan).

 

[joustmaster]

Traffic on the main carriageway heading south continued to flow for quite a while after the cycle lane had gone red. If I'd stayed on the road I'd have been a couple of minutes ahead.

I've just checked out how long I was held up (via Strava fly by) and at each set of lights I had to wait approximately 1m25 (so nearly three minutes in total over a short stretch of road). That's not very convenient, it feels like being a freight train stuck in the goods loop for the fast motorised traffic to pass, not like being on a superhighway. Maybe I was just unlucky. I've never seen the light at the crossover on green, maybe it's controlled by a sensor so not triggered unless you enter the lane (so in that respect not much better than the push-a-button-and-wait crap you get at a toucan).

If I miss that light I just filter in and use the road.
Far too much stop starting on the cycle path.

 

[iamwithnail]

Gonna be commuting along from Peckham to Victoria from next week, they've got that new cycle lane past Vauxhall, is that right? Anything new to get me the other side of Victoria without getting squashed?

 

[Virtual Blue]

Gonna be commuting along from Peckham to Victoria from next week, they've got that new cycle lane past Vauxhall, is that right? Anything new to get me the other side of Victoria without getting squashed?

I sometimes go through there.
It's safer than before, just look out for pedestrians on headphones when you reach the arches (minor really).

 

[iamwithnail]

Oh, it goes through that way? Interesting. Might need to take a little pootle along at the weekend to see how it all works while it's quiet.

 

[Virtual Blue]

Oh, it goes through that way? Interesting. Might need to take a little pootle along at the weekend to see how it all works while it's quiet.

I'm southbound when going through that way (northbound I take a different route).

 

[Crispy]

The improvements from Oval to Pimlico are fantastic and you can follow along on Streetview. At Vauxhall, Northbound goes on the road next to the ped tunnel
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4...4!1stmij4xl9w_QGLcwLoBEDeg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Be sure not to miss the LH turning for the continuation of CS5 rather than heading further up Vauxhall Bridge Road
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4...4!1saw_FvXV8kqN9KmUVvwOwvw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
This only gets you as far as Pimlico tube however, after which you're on your own (they chickened out of pushing the route all the way past Victoria ). Take Belgrave Square/Road through Pimlico and approach Victoria Station from behind going North. Once you're at the station, from any direction the roads are shite. Victoria Station itself is effectively the island of a huge roundabout so you've got no choice but to take Vauxhall Bridge Road going South. It's nice and wide, and picks up the CS5 segregated route about 2/3 of the way along it.

 

[kalidarkone]

My van is now MOT 'd However going to continue to cycle to work as long as the weather is not too adverse. I have a much better temperament when I'm cycling. Vehicle drivers are cunts.

 

[weepiper]

I've moved jobs to a shop in another part of Edinburgh and my commute has gone from just over a mile along back roads to just over four miles right through the busiest part of the city centre. It's a learning curve it's also the best part of 400 feet of climbing on the way home. I'm going to get fit.

 

[iamwithnail]

Thanks for that Crispy ! That's super helpful. Think I'll go across and right after the bridge ab round Vincent square and thirlby road - I'm going to be the St James park station side of Victoria and that'll avoid going round the station...

weepiper I feel that. My commutes gone from 40 feet to my kitchen to 4miles into town!

 

[The Boy]

I've moved jobs to a shop in another part of Edinburgh and my commute has gone from just over a mile along back roads to just over four miles right through the busiest part of the city centre. It's a learning curve it's also the best part of 400 feet of climbing on the way home. I'm going to get fit.

Hope you're not doing city centre at rush hour. Horrible, horrible experience when I've had to do it.

Edit: actually, my commute goes through town and is lovely. Lothian rd, princes st etc is fucking grim though.

 

[The Boy]

Fwiw, Im getting used to me new commute. Down to 32 minutes ish journey time in way in, and got home in 21 minutes dead this evening.

 

[weepiper]

Hope you're not doing city centre at rush hour. Horrible, horrible experience when I've had to do it.

Edit: actually, my commute goes through town and is lovely. Lothian rd, princes st etc is fucking grim though.

Yeah. So far I've tried the Mound and Broughton St/the Bridges as a way through. Both quite scary

 

[Dogsauce]

Yeah. So far I've tried the Mound and Broughton St/the Bridges as a way through. Both quite scary

Is it practical to head in a bit earlier, or does that not fit around childcare things? On my commute I found setting off at 7:15 rather than 7:45 was much better, hardly any traffic.

 

[weepiper]

Is it practical to head in a bit earlier, or does that not fit around childcare things? On my commute I found setting off at 7:15 rather than 7:45 was much better, hardly any traffic.

No, I have to drop the kids at school first which means leaving at 8.40am. It's actually worse on the way home - on the way there it's all downhill so I can either keep up with or am usually faster than the traffic. On the way home (leaving at 5pm) it's all uphill (some of it pretty steep) so it feels much more vulnerable when you get caught with buses or trucks right next to you.

 

[The Boy]

Yeah. So far I've tried the Mound and Broughton St/the Bridges as a way through. Both quite scary

Yeah, North -> South and vice versa is the big gap in even basic cycle infrastructure in the city. You can either: go Bridges to Broughton street which means Leith Street and three horrible junctions; the Mound which again means two pretty grim junctions as well as the added bonus of negotiating tram tracks, or; Lothian Rd which is simply horrible, followed by the abortion that is the West End. And tram tracks.

Anything else is just too much of a detour to make it worthwhile.

 

[weepiper]

Yeah, North -> South and vice versa is the big gap in even basic cycle infrastructure in the city. You can either: go Bridges to Broughton street which means Leith Street and three horrible junctions; the Mound which again means two pretty grim junctions as well as the added bonus of negotiating tram tracks, or; Lothian Rd which is simply horrible, followed by the abortion that is the West End. And tram tracks.

Anything else is just too much of a detour to make it worthwhile.

yes, that's pretty much it. I do have quite a good route which goes through the back of the New Town then comes across the tram tracks at a pedestrian crossing at Haymarket then goes up through back streets/cycle path across Fountainbridge and through the arse end of Polwarth/Bruntsfield but it takes like 15 minutes longer which isn't an option on the days when I have to be back to relieve the kids' dad of them by a certain time.

 

[The Boy]

yes, that's pretty much it. I do have quite a good route which goes through the back of the New Town then comes across the tram tracks at a pedestrian crossing at Haymarket then goes up through back streets/cycle path across Fountainbridge and through the arse end of Polwarth/Bruntsfield but it takes like 15 minutes longer which isn't an option on the days when I have to be back to relieve the kids' dad of them by a certain time.

Yeah, I was looking to see if there was an easy way onto NEPN, then Gorgie and on towards the south side. Best I could come up with was actually heading downhill, then McDonald Rd -> Brunswick Rd -> Easter Rd -> Scabbyhill -> Holyrood park, then pick your favourite route out from there. But that, while a nice enough journey would basically more than double the journey time.

SO the moral of the story is: when you're riding home make sure you have your D-lock to hand

 

[The Boy]

I was *almost* disappointed that the promised 45+mph gusts didn't materialise this morning. The twats in cars seem to be extra twattish when the weather turns though. I can only assume it's people who don't usually drive at rush hour reaching for the keys once it gets a bit miserable and just aren't used to mixing with rush hour traffic.

Speaking of rush hour traffic, there was all sorts of hilarious nobishness going on on my way home around school run time. You could smell the impotence.

 

[stavros]

My back wheel's a bit fucked, with it slipping when it reaches a certain piece, inside the hub rather than on the cassette. It's especially bad when trying the accelerate from a standing start. It's better if I lead with my left leg, but this goes against how I've been riding a bike for the last thirty odd years.

New wheel later in the week.

 

[stavros]

Given the problems above I deliberately kept it steady this morning, not accelerating hard and not standing on the climbs, and yet I still averaged 15.5mph for over an hour.