This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Specialising in the Midlands?

What's going on along Whitehall/Bridge St? Some pretty serious looking traffic barriers going up and what look like guard's stands at trafalgar sq

State Opening of Parliament tomorrow

Wiley motherfuckers.

https://twitter.com/TfLTrafficNews/status/473738545744863232

^Amazing.

i saw it going over waterloo bridge on my way in but couldn't catch it to take a pic before it turned left. Mrs Hell loves octopusseseses.

#slowasfuck

What makes that picture is the octopus's eye.

Ha, "Is it armed?"

Just had a minor incident which arose much white liberal guilt.

Aggressively driven at and honked at my black BMW 4x4. Gave it dirty look. Car pulls up next to me with 3 black youths barking "WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!" at me. I stare at them and wonder whether said youths are complete poseurs, in which case call them out and have a pop OR keep mouth shut in case they are dangerous. By the time I've thought it through they speed off through the lights, on the wrong side of the road.

Not sure if massive racist or sensible cyclist or a bit of both.

Does race come into it? If they were white would I have reacted the same way? I'd probably be more inclined to think they were posing if they were white.

Didn't get the registration no. in any case.

I called out three black gentlemen in a hatchback on Ballspond Road a while back..........I remember it so vividly, I was wearing road shoes, they were wearing black, the driver overtook me and then took a hard left in to a small cul de sack, I was not best pleased so started to point out the dangers of such manouvers......anyway they got out started to push me about, fuck all you can do in cleats, so I was fortunate enough that a ped stepped in and helped me out, could of turned nasty though.

Although nothing serious happened I have since curtailed my attitude as coming to blows over a misuse of the road isn't really worth it. Plus, maybe there won't be a ped to help next time nor may there be any cameras, or maybe the registration isn't registered to the driver, who knows with some dodgy fuckers.......

Tell'em to fuck off and spin on with it imo.

could have.

First commute on the fixie this morning. Scared the sh*t out of me to be fair. Dunno how you London guys do it!

Where are you based?

^ Bournemouth maybe? Just saying.

^Lol.

Maybe its my absence and forgetfulness but there seems to be many more arseholes cycling bikes in London now then when I last commuted on bike a years ago.

The main area I'm seeing them is the cycle lane/cut through between Hackney Empire and Hackney Road via London Fields and Broadway. There are people cycling along (south-bound) in the morning with their kids on bikes out front, lovely to see... and then some wallies are over-taking them in the (north-bound) oncoming traffic lane and completely disregarding the fact that there are cyclist travelling towards them.

So then I have to break and pull up, change rhythm.....if it happens now and again that's fine, but two or three times every morning??? I feel like ploughing in to one of them just the show them the error of there ways! WHY F**KING DO IT?

P.s. Am I better off just changing my route and avoiding these turds?

I dedicate large portions of my time and effort to avoiding these cunts every day.

This morning there's about ten cyclists (including me) slowly pelotoning it behind a bus in heavy traffic and some clown comes up on an MTB and breakneck speed and tries to overtake the bus between it and the next lane.

It's always me me me push push push gotta be at the front me first me me I'm important.

Mega fail on commute back to work, snake bite puncture on Euston road this morning with a loud bang, then whilst changing the tube I didn't check if the inner tube was aligned correctly another bang went off whilst putting the wheel back on!

Got pissed off and just rode on the flat tyre to the local evens at royal oak and they didn't have any continental inner tubes, so decided to get a repair kit instead to do some quick DIY at lunch today!

Oh the joys of cycling (and my stupidity)

it's just the human condition. I get the same thing when I'm walking to the station on the odd day I get the tube in.

i'll be strolling up the street and some plank will cross the road and step right into my path and then slow to a snails pace so I have to either come to a halt or walk around them. then when I get to the crossing further up by the main road and am waiting for the green man they'll catch up and try to stand with their shoulder slightly in front of me so they can cross before i do even though it's clear i'm walking faster than them.

According to the taxi driver that almost ran over my front wheel on Waterloo bridge this morning, it's cyclists' fault when cars overtake us so close that we have to veer to the left and almost take out another rider.

Obvious, really.

I read some more of 'One Way Road' whilst sitting on the Tube this morning. Quite pleasant.

"Hell is other people."

Sparky, 2014

Got pissed off and just rode on the flat tyre to the local evens at royal oak and they didn't have any continental inner tubes, so decided to get a repair kit instead to do some quick DIY at lunch today!)

tube snob? there all made by kenda anyway

^^^ Yeah but you get in a bit of exercise on the weekends to make up for it.

Think new branding for cycling in LND should be the CycleSuperBELMway amirite?

From Brick Lane I typically go behind finsbury square, through the barbican, past Farringdon market and then out before Holborn to Chancery Lane. Not too much traffic/too many peds during the day at least and I get to see the architectural equivalent of a HHSB, i.e., the Barbican. Working off Bond st., I got my daily dosage of reasons to hate humanity cruising from there to Oxford street.

Farringdon Market. WTF?

According to the taxi driver that almost ran over my front wheel on Waterloo bridge this morning, it's cyclists' fault when cars overtake us so close that we have to veer to the left and almost take out another rider.

Obvious, really.

Oh my I have something similar pretty much once a week.

You try to pass me when there's not enough room, or if there is, you don't leave enough room on my right. Me knocking on your van/car. You, suddenly slowing (you were in a rush to pass only a moment ago) winding the window down, shouting 'Don't touch my car/van!'.
Me saying 'If you're too close to me, I'm going to let you know. If you pass with enough room, I wouldn't be able to knock on your car.'
You: 'Don't knock on my car/van!'.
Me: 'Um, don't pass so close please. You should give at least 1.5m room around a cycle.'
You: 'Don't touch my car/van!!!!'
Me: 'Uuuuuh ... don't pass me so close then.'
You 'DONT TOUCH MY CAR/VAN AT LEAST I PAY ROAD TAX ...'
Me: speechless.