This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Larkhall is a nasty rat run if I trust what I'm told at meetings.

I commute from Battersea to Bermondsey Street and I've just started using the Turret Grove -> Lansdowne Way bit of Cycle Network Route 3 as a way of avoiding Wandsworth Road, and I like it. I probably go down Larkhall a bit later than most (usually around 9.15), and I barely see another vehicle until the car park that is Lansdowne Way. There are some absolutely mental speed bumps on Turret Grove though.

I haven't found a way of completely eliminating CS7 around Oval, but I have successfully ditched Elephant & Castle now.

I usually cross clapham common on the cycle routes across it then go over into the road by st marys school then right into abbeyville road and along onto cavendish road then across tooting bec common on a shared path and come out at church lane or the other one to amen corner. From that you can keep going into mitcham or go right and upto tooting broadway station but miss that amazing bit between the 2 tooting tube stations.

I'm not a fan of the 'new' oval at all, feels a lot more cluttered.. Thinking of finding a route that avoids it altogether.. Grumble grumble..

some real despair for humanity on the commute this morning - people incapable of civility.

I sometimes do the reverse of this.

If you cut across at Oval, go through Kennington park, then along Cooks > Ruskin and then work your way across to Burgess Park, you can go through the park, cross OKR at the lights, and pick up the cycle routes along Willow Walk or Mandela Way and then go up onto BS .

Takes some fiddling to work out the optimal route but you can eliminate most major roads and go through two parks. If you go up Page's Walk you get to see Stompy the tank too, who has just had a fresh coat of paint.

I'm learning a lot here. Awesome :)

Didn't manage to experiment with my route this morning though, would've risked being late if I'd tried anything other than the glorious CS7.

Having said that, it wasn't too bad today. The big ol' HGV that followed me up onto Southwark Bridge definitely jumped the reds at Southwark Street though - I only just got through and he was a good couple of seconds after me. Perhaps he didn't like me taking primary and thought that because he might've got through if I hadn't been there then that gave him the right to go through anyway.

Had reason to use the Wandle Trail this morning. Saw one other cyclist on my stretch from South Wimbledon to Earlsfield. As soon as I got back on the road, 5 or 6 cyclists within the first 30 seconds.
Considering the amount of moaning about cycling infrastructure, it seems odd that so few use a nice quite path along a riverside. Anyway, nice for me.

He probably knew that the light sequence is overly biased to Southwark Street and didn't want to be stuck there. I hate the junction on my way home, always red.

That sounds good.
Burgess Park/OKR feels like it would be a bit out of my way, but I'm starting to come round to the view that a more interesting route with less Walworth Road/Heygate Street building site might well be worth a few minutes' of my day!

got MEGA baffled last night by the new cycle lane layouts heading south to elephant and castle at st georges circus (nr silverprint) what the F is going on there!?

then cut up with this morning with milliseconds of reaction allowing me to follow sudden right turning van doorside on tower bridge road this morning before he slams on the brakes and i go around his bonnet shaking the finger.

i could swear my tyre contact points were UNDER his vehicle as I was forced to lean so hard..

deez streetz...

Got the closest I've ever been to reaching into a car, grabbing the phone out the the driver's hand and lobbing it into the distance. Arsehole.

Stanningley Bypass is a complete clusterfuck in the mornings at the moment. I can't wait for the segregated bike path to be finished. I should really take the slightly longer route and ride along the canal instead.

Becoming a little bored of all of the Sons of Anarchy wannabes on their mopeds and scooters blocking cycling lanes and ASLs.

Twerps.

I got the train.

Me too

It was a bit dull.

Yup

I am riding home :-)

Have you got a new bike?

+1 !

Tube today for me - going to have my drinky heed on tonight, as my Dad would say.

Continuing in the ranty spirit of this thread regardless: lady at Balham tube station who made a last second switch of ticket gate in front of me and THEN spent 5 or 6 seconds fumbling for your Oyster, have you considered commuting training?

5/10

I explored those new lanes this week. Little confusing, but I think all will become clear as people get used to them and the E&C roundabouts are re-done.

Also found a new bit of the East-West CS open this morning. Sort of open. Hopped on for a little roll...

https://instagram.com/p/85C1hQjVCF/?taken-by=mattsparkes

Early ride in. It was swift. I quite liked not having to dodge 26 non-indicating left-hooking cunts.

Nearly took car (cold) but then I've winter gloves, so no excuse really.

Nice and sunny today, everybody seems to be in a good mood too, peds/other cyclists/drivers.

No cow incidents of note today but I almost ran over a frog (no hi vis), saw three kestrels (quite unusual for this area), one kingfisher and three deer, and almost ran over a squirrel (no helmet) and I also learned that deer can swim:

I pass a fishing lake on the mornings which is separated from the tow path by a high fence (supposedly to keep otters out but I suspect it's to stop people just walking in off the tow path). I saw two deer on the other side of the fence who were startled and ran off away from me but in the same direction I was heading. "Oh cool, I'm going to cycle right past them and get really close" I think, but as I gained on them they both started trying to jump through the fence which is far too small a mesh for them to get through. I backed off so they'd calm down a little and find their own way around the lake but one decided to jump the fence where it became a bit lower and then, without breaking stride, leapt straight into the canal and proceeded to paddle over the the other side!

A pretty cool thing to see but a shame I startled the deer so badly.

A pretty cool thing to see but a shame I startled the deer so badly.

Calm down deer!