This morning's commute and other commuting stories

bit of paper from dentist this morning said no exercise for 24 hours, specifically no cycling. Unfortunately someone in kingston was "in a collision with a train" as SWtrains put it. Decided to pootle to the next station... Then the next... Then the next... I seemed to be traveling faster than any delayed train... Then my pootle was slightly ruined by Combe hill... And I accidentally went quite fast to raynes park... Where I got the train the last stop home...

Pootle/race would extraction again.

#maystillbedrugedup

Had my most terrifying close-call ever this morning.
I was bombing down Sydenham Hill towards Horniman/Lordship lane. There's a Bus lane on the left (that I'm using) and a lane of traffic queuing to the right of me.
The hill is pretty steep and Strava tracked me at ~25mph at the time.
Out of nowhere, some fuckwit 4x4 driver decides that queuing with the rest of the traffic just isn't their style and turns into the bus lane without signalling or looking just as I'm hurtling past.
I was convinced I was about to plough into the passenger side and roll over the bonnet but I somehow managed a skid/swerve/shout combo and squeezed past in the gutter. I genuinely have no idea how I avoided a collision; some kind of cat-like agility kicked in.

Trust this to happen on the one day I leave my GoPro at home...

1/10 - redeemed by the fact I didn't die

^sounds terrifying
that's a lovely descent though - the only bit of built up London where I've hit 40mph

It must be 'Close Pass Day' had three in quick succession along Brixton Rd. Am in the clear bus lane, traffic at a stand still suddenly Mr Pimlico Plumber van pulls out into the bus lane as I'm level with him as soon as he's passed an Easy Jet bus goes past with inches to spare then an Addy Lee goes by even closer so close I can smell the after shave of the driver.

I never understand that manoeuvre as fuhrer up the Rd they are all stuck behind a bus as no bugger is going to let them out.

Got waved at by a family in a taxi and got complimented on my trackstanding skills. 10/10 would commute again.

40mph, head on, pinch point pass on railton road. needless to say the dumb, entitled cunt was on her fucking phone at the time.

die.

You're taking your life in your own hands riding at 40mph on any busy London road. Risking your life by rushing places just like the bean tin drivers.

It must be 'Close Pass Day' had three in quick succession along Brixton Rd. Am in the clear bus lane, traffic at a stand still suddenly Mr Pimlico Plumber van pulls out into the bus lane as I'm level with him as soon as he's passed an Easy Jet bus goes past with inches to spare then an Addy Lee goes by even closer so close I can smell the after shave of the driver.

I never understand that manoeuvre as fuhrer up the Rd they are all stuck behind a bus as no bugger is going to let them out.

Yep, Brixton Rd is a bugger for this, if you leave enough room for a motorcyclist to pass in the lane then you can bet a black cab will try it. Only solution is to block the lane fully, very much for your own safety.

I'd rather it were my own hands that anyone else's. If you are at the top of Sydenham Hill you can see all the way down to the traffic lights and, if there are no cars, it's pretty hard not to let gravity do its thing.

Anyone riding a bike or crossing the road or breathing in London traffic is putting his or her life in the hands of others, which is more scary.

South London was a cluster fuck this morning. All these TFL 'improvements' better be fucking worth it.

In the back streets of Covent Garden I nearly ran Mike Leigh over. Life wouldn't have been so sweet if I had.

South London was a cluster fuck this morning.

+1

Dude pulled a cool whip skid on a Brompton. Chapeau.

Also saw what I took to be a quite generic OTP but turned out to be a Brother Classic Track, an all black build. Decent.

I also drank some wine before my commute, so most of it will be via train.

Heading the fast way across Percy Circus into Great Percy St I was suddenly confronted with a van coming up the hill. Whoops.
A well-timed yell and avoiding action on both our parts averted mutual dents, but it was close. Must. Wake. Up.

Back in almost full winter gear today in Scotland, doubt it got above 5c all day, biting wind and sleet every time I went outside

2/10 until summer returns

Yeah, we had a patch of mad hail/sleet this morning here. Glad I needed the car for work today.

Snowed in Leeds this morning. Busses were like sardine cans.

Quick journey back from paddington to se17 on the kuota at lunchtime. Was not impressed at tourist on Boris bike in Hyde park cycle path veering right into me, as I shouted "careful!" ... couldn't avoid her either, thanks to the pedestrian on my left. Slammed brakes, she wobbled out the way at the last minute.

5/10

Approaching E&C from the south this morning holding primary in the middle lane because, y'know, fuck squeezing up the right hand side of the buses.

Grey Volvo(?) driver behind me decides that even though the traffic is at a crawl I'm somehow inconveniencing him by being in the middle of the road. As soon as he thinks he sees space he gives it a few revs and a honk and squeezes past me on my left (using a bit of the bus lane in the process). Unbalanced, I only just manage to clip out in time. Cunt.

Looked back to see the driver who was now behind me gesticulating in a sort of "well you deserve it you were in the middle of the road" sort of a way. Ignorant cunt.

5/10 Didn't get killed, rest of the journey was actually pretty good.

tailwind 10/10.. didn't even mind getting rained on

Crazy stuff going on the CS7 last night, so much bad cycling. Saw two crashes caused by people not looking and just moving across other cyclists. Someone ran into the back of me as they hadn't left time to slow down at the lights didn't even bother to say sorry. Someone else barged their way through at a set of lights to get to the front. People riding so close to the back of buses and then being caught out when they stopped.

Lots of people riding in the drops, I asked one girl at the lights why, it was because she couldn't reach the brakes while on the hoods, bike to big then?

Poor girl mashing the pedals and changing gear at the same time saw her chain drop off, so she just walked it across all the other cyclist who had just set off from the light, little RLJing on her part.

Felt really sorry for this one car, they were trying to turn left at a set of lights, no ASL box but they didn't stop everyone surrounding the car and even when it went clear you had the odd cyclist zooming down the left.

Really ashamed to be part of that cluster fu*k, not saying I'm the worlds greatest but I do believe I'm a pretty good road user.

Still hopefully the rain will calm people down.

Keep setting a good example. Car drivers will realize we are not all bad and it may register in the few brain cells these other people on bikes have.

Quote in an excellent Guardian article about how car use in cities will continue to decline;

"Cities get the cyclists they deserve. If you have good infrastructure, you will get good cyclists. It's the same with drivers and pedestrians."

You could also get the same results with snipers

The one day I inexplicably leave the cape roll I always carry, I get pissed on!

^^^^ klaxxon