This morning's commute and other commuting stories

About once a month I get a proper close punishment pass on priory lane by Richmond park, i assume its motivated by me not using the shitty cycle lane on the pavement. Always makes me think of that tiny nob from Brew cafe and his coke riddled rage...

It's particularly annoying as that cycle lane is only fit for those that are pottering to RP. Even for kids its pretty dangerous as one wobble could splat you off the curb into the oncoming traffic. Just bad all round really

I never used to use this for years, but tend to now on the rare occasions I do laps in RP as I'm inclined to spin along at a relaxed speed on my way home from the park so it doesn't bother me too much.

It is bizarre though that at one of the most popular places in London for cycling so much road space is taken up by a cycle lane that hardly anyone uses.

The newest load of cycle lane bullshitery is the lanes at E&C. They have the potential to be really good, but they're not.
Coming from St. George's Circus to E&C that junction there is shit. There is a lane of turn left plus two straight on lanes. With a painted on cycle lane between the left and straight on lanes. Problem is that the left lane isn't big enough for anything, let alone a london bus so that is very rarely a safe way to filter to the front because all the traffic is sat in the bike lane. Then for some reason there's only a tiny cycle box infront of the left lane so dickheads in fast cars/dickheads on motorbikes tend to speed away then seem surprised when you go straight on.
Plus the cycle lanes themselves appear to have been surfaced by a five year old

Yep, it's a bit of a dog's dick. That left turn lane is just after the bus stops so is always completely full of buses, so the middle lane (straight on) is full of cars, vans and coaches trying to pull into the left lane. The cycle lane is right between those two lanes and leads to the world's smallest bike box.

Assuming you do manage to squeeze your way to the front, when the light goes green there are inevitably pedestrians still chancing crossing at the lights between St. George's Circus and the road up towards Borough, and then doing the same further round on the entrance to the NKR as well.

I tend to just ignore the cycle lanes on E&C and just use the normal bit of road. In fact, I haven't used the cycle lane around there once, as I just can't see the benefit...

About once a month I get a proper close punishment pass on priory lane by Richmond park, i assume its motivated by me not using the shitty cycle lane on the pavement. Always makes me think of that tiny nob from Brew cafe and his coke riddled rage...

It's particularly annoying as that cycle lane is only fit for those that are pottering to RP. Even for kids its pretty dangerous as one wobble could splat you off the curb into the oncoming traffic. Just bad all round really.

One hundred percent this. I usually get to overtake them at the traffic lights and get into the ASL, and sometimes have a chat. I asked one driver if he would be happy for me to be doing 20+mph on the shared pavement if his family were walking on it.

I just go up Danebury Avenue and avoid that aggro.

Super-close-passed on the left (via use of a left turn lane) while in primary position, verbally threatened when questioned, and later spat at (while riding) by a plumbing van driver in London's famous Manchester.
I have photos of his van/reg, his face, and of the contents of his mouth on my jersey after I arrived at work.

The driver alleged I was in the wrong for moving 'late', and but upon shoulder checking before moving to primary, he was 30-50m behind, while approaching a severely potholed section of road where there is one safe line on a bicycle, and heading towards a 20mph zone.
Hence, I'm pretty sure the driver was speeding behind me, in order to make up so much ground so quickly (I was travelling approx 40km/h / 24-25mph at the point of the pass, according to Strava), and certain he was speeding through the 20 zone, as I was matching his speed (while leaving an appropriate stop-gap), meaning I would also have been speeding if it was possible to apply that law applied to unpowered 'pedal cycles'.

Driver apparently has a 'dash cam', but that footage probably also proves he was speeding, that he passed extremely dangerously, and that whatever I did was safe if he'd been obeying the law.
He later re-passed me further along after changing my route, suggesting he changed his course to follow/find me, and proceeded to slow, roll down the window and spit at me, and speed away (occurred in another 20 zone with me cycling at around that).

Any reason for/against giving the police a bell?

Reason for

• his employer might find out
  
• would be good to have him held accountable
  
  

Reasons against

• sometimes police are rubbish with these kind of incidents
  
• high probability of nothing happening
  

Thanks, Miitch. I know the last of those points is the most likely lasting outcome but think I might give them a call just to put it out there.

Sounds like a nutter who could do someone some damage if he's not taken to task for this. I would report it if I were you.

Spitting is assault, you have his DNA on your jersey and his reg, co. name and tel, should be an easy win for the police.

Personally I would report it, but I wouldn't get my hopes up

high probability of nothing happening

Spitting gives them an assault charge that they can make stick.

They will probably do nothing about the driving.

Isn't spitting on someone technically assault? I wonder if the spitting bit might actually gain a bit more traction in terms of something actually happening if you contacted the police.

EDIT: page refresh fail

You have a sample of his bodily fluid on your jersey. That sentence alone, is all that's required for your dilemma as to whether to report.

Thanks for all your comments. Will make a list of order of events/evidence this evening and report this evening.

Plus, you never know if they can pin his DNA on anything else he might be guilty of.

.

Stopped at a narrow bit on Balls Pond Rd to do a right turn, lots of slow moving cars going the other way so took a while... then got blasted by a bus horn right behind me. Scared the shit out of me, those things are well loud!
Why? If I was a car, any driver behind would surely just wait patiently?

Got called a cunt for not letting a driver cut a corner. He had to turn the steering wheel. I hope he's ok.

Any reason for/against giving the police a bell?

Spitting count as assault, keep the jersey for the police to get it swabbed.

This is why we need to take primary position - Had a van driver try to squeeze between me, a traffic island and a parked car this morning, so close his wing mirror was against my shoulder as he went past. When he stopped at a red down the road, got out of his van to reprimand me for calling him a c**t (heat of the moment thing for him trying to run me down, not my strongest moment) and claimed it's my fault for not shoulder checking when I was simply maintaining my line. Check out the video - https://youtu.be/W97ZoFS4l-E

:(

Always the same the one time you're not in primary somebody passes to close. It's not easy to not shout abuse when you feel a threat to your life.

Back in The Nether Regions (Netherlands) at the parents.

They installed a wildly confusing junction took me 2 tries to figure it out and my parents have no idea why they made it so complicated.

The drivers here are more chilled/there is more space for cycling.
Already met my favourites: Cyclists going through red/against cycle path direction/speeding van man/audi up my hole/ped nearly walking into me. International phenomena :)

But having somebody actually LOOK before you go on a roadabout instead of just turning right into you is a pleasant surprise. And the space is nice and the cycle lanes and having a chat with somebody as there's actual room for it.

First day of new commute - moved from Balham to sunny Streatham this weekend, so now my route goes through Brixton and joins the CS7 at Oval.

Pretty uneventful really. Loving the downhill ride all the way through Brixton - but I suspect I won't be so thankful for it on the way home.

8/10

At least you now get to turn off the CS7 at Oval and breath a sigh of relief.

Yup. Brixton seemed to stretch my filtering skills a bit more than the CS7 does though.