This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Lovely sunny morning. Correct amount of clothes. Quiet through Stoke Newington. Nice chat with chap turning left at some lights. Chuckled to self at a fellow in a very pleasing Soreen jersey. It might have to be another 10/10.

I really love riding my bike.

There are at least 8 completely different behaviours/strategies/tactics at ASL boxes. From polite queueing up or getting ahead of the person you'll overtake when the lights change all the way down to not giving up a fuck and undertaking and barging past all of the people that have just overtaken you for the 5th time.

say hi to the fellow pushbikers

Talking? Umadsis?

(well...that may work with the 3 at a time in Belfast in London you probably get 10 in one ASL...Q much pushing and shoving?)

10? I've seen 100+ in the ASL boxes at a big junction like Grosvenor Road/Millbank/Vauxhall Bridge. Rarely ever any pushing and shoving, rarely ever anything other than a quiet tut or a shake of the head.

Beautiful day, wore too many clothes. Sweaty/10.

Is there such a thing as ASL etiquette?

There certainly should be.

There are at least 8 completely different behaviours/strategies/tactics at ASL boxes

I feel a list coming on.

I thought that the rule was ~8000 watts through the pedals at green, hunt down the person who wobbled off halfway through the red phase, then throttle it back a bit.

It seems there are 8 different etiquettes then from "being a utter wazzock" to "pure gentleman/woman" ...take your pick ;)

Days like today make me wish I had a commute to do.

Trick is to share showers...

Has flu. Needed to leave the house, so cycling at a jogging pace in granny gear called for. Such slow.

Snot&wrapped up warm/10

Chelsea Embankment snarled up and so up onto the shared use pavement I go.

Car fire by Albert bridge blocking the road and lots of motons getting shouty at the police there who had stopped all traffic.

Blasted by on the pavement without having to slow at all.

Hopefully no one hurt, no sign of ambulances.

Some Dulwich Paragon guy shot through a red light as I was riding across a junction on green. He'd somehow misunderstood the cycle lane lights on the one way bit by the IWM, I think. Not sure how, they seem pretty straightforward?

The guy upstairs said this to me when we bumped into eachother on the stairs...

Rather satisfying exchange with a lady drinking outside the pub at Clapham North this evening.

Was filtering past a Prius (let's face it, probably an Uber) as he edged into the cycle box. Made a motion to let him know he was well over his line.

Heard a shout from the pub "You don't even pay tax!"

Replied over my shoulder without thinking: "I pay more than most!"

Little bit braggy, but I think I made my point...

Any complication that you introduce in traffic schemes will get misunderstood from time to time and lead to sticky situations. As ever in design, the best kind of design is that which you don't notice because it's so simple and straightforward.

True, although I should note that his two mates had worked out that they needed to stop at the big red light. He was in proper hunched over aero-mode, caning it. Seemed awfully surprised to see me and the rest of traffic lawfully proceeding across the junction.

That's what I mean. They got it, he didn't. Most people most of the time will work out what they have to do, but some won't, and this is relative to how complicated things are. The more complex, the more you will have these comprehension failures. In order for design to be properly inclusive, it has to be as simple and subtle as possible.

Not a fan of the 2 stage turns then?

Total nonsense.

The Vauxhall roundabout section of segregated cycleway is already at capacity.

This morning was a shoulder to shoulder hi viz cluster fuck of touching wheels and folk carving from left kurb to turn right without so much as a shoulder check.

^ sounds joyful :/

While waiting at a red light this morning in the ASL another cyclist came left of me...and went clean through the red light. Sigh.

Other than that the Graham Weigh track iron is a delight to cycle. Should see if I can silence the chain the rattling is driving me barmy. Good way to announce your presence though ;)

Some cunt on a Boris bike crashed into me whilst I was trackstanding.

This morning was a shoulder to shoulder hi viz cluster fuck of touching wheels

Yeah, it was packed out there this morning. Think people must have noticed the nice weather yesterday and decided to dig the bike out of the shed.

How does this work then? Cyclists wait on red in the box - then after a couple of minutes go on red. No traffic at all.

god damned people deciding riding a bicycle to work and back everyday is a more attractive option than sitting on a tube/bus for hours. who the ruddy hell do they think they are?

DON'T THEY KNOW WHO I AM??? I'VE EARNED MY RIGHT TO BE HERE!!! MY BARTAPE COSTS MORE THAN YOUR ENTIRE BIKE DAMN YOU TO HECK!!! RAAAAR!!!

#leltc