This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Andyp the forums' answer to Michaela Stachen

are you his terry nutkins?

If you like Bill

I did not know that, interesting. I see bats regularly, just never had a collision with one before. I guess they aren't really expecting anyone to be cycling along where their dinner is.

How to kill ten bats with one length of hosepipe.

What happens if you swing a snooker ball in a sock at dusk?

Cheers. We were about a foot away from not being ok. Daughter completely oblivious, naturally, probably just wondering what those funny words Daddy's shouting out mean.

Yoofs in Fred Perry shirts will investigate the noise, and circle around you asking for a light.

Mind you - it could have been the complimentary nuts.................

100% doing this later.

No bats were harmed in the posting of this message.

Apparently if you swing it really fast that can confuse their sonar and they can hit the hosepipe. But that never happened when we did it as kids.

Apparently if you swing it really fast that can confuse their sonar and they can hit the hosepipe. But that never happened when we did it as kids.

Their sonar operates above 11kHz apparently, unless you've connected it to a helicopter engine I don't think you'll be confusing the little blighters.

The hose pipe could generate those frequencies based on the length of the pipe and the harmonics of that sound.

This thread is going round in circles.

Batshit crazy.

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was a list of 'commuter bingo' riders a little while ago... Twice in the last month or so I've seen a woman on a blue hybrid with panniers, near the end of Waterloo Bridge heading north, who really ostentatiously parks herself in front of motorbikes at the red light and takes photos of them with a big brick phone. She then weaves about in front of them, shouts at them and films them as they ride up towards Kingsway. Maybe they cut her up on the bridge? Maybe it's always the same motorbike and she's got a vendetta.

Today I also saw her a little while later, parking in front of a bin lorry that was stopped outside the British Museum to take photos of the blokes in the cab. They didn't seem to be doing anything other than blocking traffic, which I think they're allowed to do. What's the deal?

More fun on Tooley St. Is it acceptable to ride the wrong way (West) along the fenced-off single lane cycle path instead of waiting behind the backed up but gradually moving traffic? It's not as if there's nothing coming the other way, and it's not as if they don't mind sharing the space. Before this, I thought I was going to witness a crushing by a bus as a very impatient bloke jammed his way through the narrowest of gaps to get in front of a bus just as it was starting to move. The driver had to brake hard to prevent him from being guillotined.

Riding even more slowly than usual to avoid getting drenched with my own sweat. I wondered how the guy in the blue suit labouring away on the Boris Bike got on with his first few hours at his desk.

This morning before leaving I saw three kingfishers AT THE SAME TIME and then TWO MORE on the commute/nursery drop off. Then I cycled through a herd of cows and had a close up encounter with a rabbit which my son enjoyed.

The three kingfishers were fighting. I knew they fight for territory/mates but only ever seen it on springwatch or something ages ago, so that was cool.

Nature/10. Will cycle again.

Blue suits (white shirt, brown shoes) seem to be quite the 2016 commuter thing

Started chatting with a guy on a Harley in Leyton this morning and was subsequently still bumping into him at various points deep into Whiechapel. A light tail wind and traffic lights meant I was always able to stay with him. Plus he had to go round victoria park and I did not. I then caught a useful wheel from a guy on an electric bike over Tower Bridge before dropping him on the road down to NKR.

And it didn't rain. And I wasn't hung over.

9/10 would keep up with motorised people again.

Wonderful cycle yesterday with wee man on the front of the tandem on the Comber greenway. "i love this path" "cycling is great".

No nature showoffs, I did meet a badger there in the dark years ago (gulp!) luckily my dyno light scared it off.

Lots of curious cyclists and one running asking "where did i buy it". It's too bad specialty tandems/box bikes are so hard to get here making them £££... and out of reach for most (got lucky on this one...)

The long-running thing about commuter bingo makes me wonder ... should @photoben get on a new ride-consciousness or x/10 top trumps: Road Closed due to Shootings, Close Pass, Swervy van, Kingfisher Diving Selfishly, Shouty Lady, Squirrel Deceased in Forks and other faymous sights on Commutes. Criteria could be: Frequency of Sighting, Making one piss oneself*, Scary Factor, Wish I had A Go-Pro Ness, Philomena Cunk-like Wonder at Inherent Beauty of Event, Acceptable Rage Response etc etc,

*Today I saw someone get to the front gates of Goldsmiths main entrance as a light changes to red - one way bit descending joining gyratory feed from A2 onto Lewisham Way before New X Venue. I curse mildly that I miss green, watch geezer a few yds ahead leave carriageway at speed over tiny yard of raised footway to avoid white stop line, then swerve immediately back onto road again as bus accelerates from stop from right. I laughed so hard I nearly shat myself/10

I swear and nearly hit an oncoming cyclists because of that fucking victim blaming sign on the middle of the road.

I pick it up and ditch it from the road.

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Went full on pro commuter mode with a new PB for getting into work. Dork/10.

Nice weather too.

They need a sign to warn cyclists about the sign.

Removing it is a bit daft regardless of your principles.

And was there a sign warning cyclists of @edscoble taking pictures in the middle of the bike lane?