This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Anyone know why the bottom of Tottenham Court Rd was blocked off by the police this morning?

Brixton Hill closed and will be for this wee I reckon. Burst water main probably on the big mains. Wont know more till later.

A strange commute this morning, within the first couple of hundred yards a white van stopped to let me out of a side street and another car hung back to let some cyclists through then further along another white van let me out again!

I was following a google maps cycling route this morning, they go round the houses a bit, I kept catching up to people who I'd overtaken 10 minutes earlier.

So a thing happened this morning. I was gingerly (as in barely above walking speed) filtering between a van and taxi towards an asl when suddenly the lights turn green just as I'm past their front doors. The van takes off and knocks me near over with his wing mirror.

I'm not really sure who's fault that was.

His, I reckon - if you were in front of him, he wasn't paying enough attention when he drove off. From the description, you must've been riding less than a metre from where he was sitting.

He should have been more vigilant obvs. But you'd acknowledge that you ought not to have been actively pinching yourself up when the lights could change at any point. Best to wait somewhere less squashy? I know none of us do but you know...

Traffic free brixton hill on the way home, bliss.

Looks like it and for a while too..

heading down that way from oval for the first time today. Do you reckon we'll be allowed down there of should I avoid?

Yes most likely allowed, I was allowed this morning - the pavements are available to 'walk' the bike

Has this been posted elsewhere? Saw it referred to in the comments on road cc and thought it was an interesting consideration...(albeit ranty in the article)

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2017/05/arrogance-of-space-copenhagen-hans.html?m=1

You can ride all of it apart from about 100m.

Brixton Hill closed and will be for this wee I reckon.

A rather big wee by the sound of it. :)

Had two funny ones this morning:

First at some temporary lights which another rider sailed through. Random cabby next to me tells me that it gives us cyclists a bad name. I tell him his lot don't have such a great name either.

Next, taking primary along an extremely narrow road and some stupid twat in a van rides right on my wheel. The passenger engages me in conversation down the road saying ill be killed if I ride in the middle of the road. I have a good chinwag with him until he simply says "you think you're so fucking clever mate", at which point I thank him and get on my way. Gonna get in touch with his company and see just how clever I am.

Gonna get in touch with his company and see just how clever I am

Zing!

Gonna get in touch with his company and see just how clever I am.

If only here was a way you could pass a message on to him like "look how clever I am now" haha

Gonna get in touch with his company and see just how clever I am.

updates as and when, cheers.

Super quiet. Is it the school holidays?

yep

yesterdays commute was like first fairweather day of summer in terms of how many weapons there were riding like dickheads. weather was glorious and drivers were all behaving themselves but hated every second of it because of idiots halfwheeling me on both sides, pulling out wide without looking , stopping dead in the middle of the road to check their phone (!), slowed behind a bus that was halfway through pulling out from behind another bus opp. stockwell station and ended up standing there for about 30 seconds as an endless stream of bellends whizzed past him as he was literally sticking out across both the bus and normal lanes stopping all traffic except the impatient dickheads who can't read the traffic ahead. was impressed by the drivers patience at not trying to edge out while they kept up their twattery.

Caught sight of a brakeless singlespeeder this morning. Took him about 10 seconds to come to a stop as he struggled out of his clips/straps to then jam his foot on his rear tyre. Zen innit.

You probably wont see him again.

I've been seeing this more and more in the past couple of months, is suicide fashionable now or is there a call for more Darwin Award contributions?

Not all of him at least

he gon die.