This morning's commute and other commuting stories

It's also quite good fun to start a conversation with a motorist in any kind of large saloon car with "look, I know it's hard for you at the moment with Uber coming in at one end and the black cabs at the other, you're having to work longer hours to make ends meet - but you can't drive like this!"

Chilly.

Couldn't find my gloves.

Cold fingers/10

Lockring snapped and fell apart in Wimbledon, nowhere sells any around here so commute home destined to be brown trouser time.

Old street roundabout this morning. I'm in the central lane heading east. Car overtakes me, passenger leans out to go "oi mate, mate you've got a puncture" as part of a hilarious prank. As he's doing so, a bloke on a motor bike who has decided this is the correct time to squeeze through the space between me and the 55 bus on my left while shouting "which way you goin then?!"

Could only manage a puzzled look to the prankster and a "I'm in the same lane mate" to the aggro motorcyclist. Wonderful timing from all concerned, fuck sake.

At which point I lost my rag

Whatever you do, don't bash his box. Drivers don't like that.

I lay in bed last night for longer than I'd have liked, pondering ways in which I'd have done just that. So to speak.

Sunny. Not too much traffic. Hit every light just before it turned red.
Wheeee!

In a man bites dog moment, a bus beeped me for getting too close. A proud moment.

Decked it on a low curb...

sore knee/10

So annoying, I had a proper 'oh shit' moment on one the other day as I tried to roll up it at too lower speed and at too shallower an angle.

Cake and tea will help your knee (and pride) guaranteed :)

Winter is definitely coming, such a cold wake up slap this morning!

Been getting the train this week for various reasons but next week is gonna be wank - someone pinched my gloves last friday hooray.

Winter is definitely coming, such a cold wake up slap this morning!

Seconded.

Ambulance driver was a nob this morning. They swung out from behind a moving truck, no sirens, and obviously couldn't see me and just presumed the road was clear, almost went over handlebars to stop in time, shit scared for a second.

Lea Valley was amazing this morning. Low mist rising off the fields and the water, backlit by the rising sun with dew making everything glisten. Felt like I was nowhere near London. Then I got to Hackney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA63xm5ERbc

Winter is definitely coming, such a cold wake up slap this morning!

Proper forum tradition, of course, errs more on the side of face-touching.

Lea Valley was amazing this morning. Low mist rising off the fields and the water, backlit by the rising sun with dew making everything glisten. Felt like I was nowhere near London. Then I got to Hackney.

And then it got even more amazing. I know the feeling.

I collected my cycle scheme brompton yesterday and rode it home from work. People are very friendly when you are on a brompton - kind of like driving an old vw.

A pile of police near Parliament Square targeting RLJ yesterday morning.

I overtook the same person at least half a dozen times all the way from Fulham to E14. He was more aggressive at junctions and narrow gaps in stationary traffic while I was riding faster in free air but kept getting red lights. It's annoying when you can't shake someone whose riding style makes you nervous.

Partly because Brompton are usually ridden by normal people in their eyes.

Hit a pedestrian on the new east-west superhighway on Embankment. Saw him start to cross from the island while looking the wrong way (I was heading west) and immediately put the brakes on - shaved off a lot of speed but it was inevitable. My helmet plunged into his stomach so my eye must have hit his hip. We are both OK and so is the bike, but with the lane being between the coach stops and the river I'm worried this is going to happen a lot. People seem to like using the lane to take a wider photo of their friend posing on the river. I can see the lane resulting in more accidents but fewer serious injuries and deaths. Maybe I should set a personal speed limit there - will be on it 400 odd times a year.

afraidforthefuture/10.

Screw that, mount a big spike to the front of your bike and make yourself a tourist kebab.

mmm...

1 Attachment

Was heading North on Westow St, in the right lane as I was turning right onto Westow Hill, green filter light to turn right, all was grand, traffic was backed up on Westow Hill so I slowed up. Then the angry shitmonger in the Qashqai behind me blasts her horn at me screaming that I'm in the wrong lane!?! There only is one lane that turns right. I thought it was some sort of existential statement. All I could do was point at the ground where there were no road markings, point at the standstill traffic in front and say "what? But.... What?!?!?" She then started shouting about a bike lane so I did the "keep talking" openening and closing hand movement, which riled her up even more, and rode off down the side of the stationary cars.

Really annoyed me.