This morning's commute and other commuting stories

This is old london road Kingston lol

Ill just leave this here...

https://twitter.com/MPSChessingtonN/status/938404467174670341

Notably, I think using upright bars (and the slow AntiAero position they give me) means I'm so damn slow, my interactions seem to mostly be waving vaguely at motor drivers to gesture 'cheers for being a bit patient' at some right turn, narrowing or other mild conflict point.

This, totally. Upright bike == chill ride

On the way home tonight I saw a woman who had the temerity to be on a zebra crossing as some twat in a BMW approached. Driver leant on the horn but hadn't spotted the police car two cars back from him who duly put on the blues. Ahhh, it was sweet.

Yaass justice!

Actually TfL:

are responsible for the maintenance, management and operation of the Capital's 6,000+ sets of traffic lights
...
Our traffic controllers are able to change the length of time a light is green or red to clear an unexpected queue and control vehicles moving into an already congested area.
...
We use SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation) technology at 75% of our traffic lights. This uses sensors in the road to detect vehicles and uses the information to automatically respond to changes in traffic conditions.

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/roads

"it's always a fucking Prius"

Occupation: silent assassin
Appearance: unmarked, usually white
Favourite weapon: sudden left turn

Appearance: unmarked, usually white

Its the silver ones you have to really look out for

4th day in a row on the Bozza bikes due to lost keys keeping my bike in my work basement.

Pros: Get passed by lots of nice bikes
Cons: Get passed by lots of nice bikes

Does anyone have any experience cutting off locks? Specifically a Fahg.

Junior hacksaw, plenty of spare blades, several hours.

Battery powered andle grinder. Bring spare blades / batteries.

I went through a krypto evo in a few minutes with a mains powered grinder when I lost my keys a few years ago.

Found the key about a week later

Some twat needed a stare down from me the other night. I'd crossed a side street, was 80% of the way across the road and he flew around the corner at me. I turned around to face him with his flash car nudging towards my leg. I yelled something about highway code or road rules or pedestrians, waited for my mates, to cross then finished crossing. Yeah, I win driver cunt. You're lucky it was before I'd started drinking. Next time I'll shit on your fucking bonnet.

Cycling up barnsbury road last night. For those who don't know it it has loads of speed bumps and traffic islands on it so it's virtually impossible to overtake and absolutely not worth trying. Cycling about 3m behind the car in front of me when my spidey senses start tingling and I realise some knobber is going to try an overtake. I take primary because there's no way he can safely pass here. Plus there's nowhere to go?! He then proceeds to go onto the other side of the road and then slowly push left, effectively pushing me into the side of the road - all so he can be directly behind the car 2m in front. Immediately turns off as well… prick.

Hah, yeah, I do that route [against the flow], mornings and evenings. The school run on Thornhill is a nice twist; as are the cross streets there. Second worst road on my commute; the first being Glenburnie Rd in Tooting; which is slackjawed idiots gunning 4WDs and BMWs around blind corners at all hours.

I had that precise manoeuvre recently. Just for good measure, both me and the car I was riding about 3m behind were going slightly over the local 20mph speed limit along Brenchley Gardens, making the guy insisting on nudging alongside and then past me even more of a prick.

I used to ride Barnsbury Road heading North after work most days, but have changed my route now as I got fed up of all the pointless, impatient and dangerous overtakes going down that road. I think it'd be better it the road narrowings weren't there.

I raised it with the Met Cycle Safety Team as a good place to do their undercover close passing initiative. Maybe if you and @vilms5000 highlight this area to them as well, we could be closer to something being done there.

Was it your own grinder or did you borrow one? I'm dreading this. I've only had to cut off one lock before and it was the basic Kryptonite and that was still a right faff.

Borrowed sorry

This morning I had to get the train to work, but en route to the station i passed a father taking his son to school on foot. Complete with can of booze in brown paper bag.

Bleak/10

Should have snatched it and threw it to the ground and screamed “NOT ON THIS DAY”

But yeah that’s dark

You hope it was his son.

-bleak/10

You bad man

Warning : do not attempt to ride a bicycle on Oxford Street until the January sales are over. You are invisible to pedestrians.

But Christmas Day, Waifs and Strays XI