This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Essex Road isn't far away on a scooter! Or on a bike for that matter.

True, but it's traditionally always been different lots doing this. Those doing it around St John Street lived locally and disappeared into local boltholes, and the same up near Essex Road. I used to work around St John Street and knew a few people who had been mugged in this way. The police knew who the perpetrators were but didn't manage to work up charges at the time. (I don't know what happened after I left.) The Essex Road problem was eventually sorted, but it took a good while.

At least the muggers around St John Street were also suspected of stealing bikes; I once nearly caught some of them in the act, but was just a bit too late. You used to see them cycling about and both police and security at my workplace knew about them, but they were pretty quick and clever and got away with it for a long time.