This morning's commute and other commuting stories

No thankfully, but she was a bit confused as to why I stopped her

Northbound at the top of Kennington Park.
Car in front in the intersection waiting to do a right turn.
Big German coach doing that frustrating chicken thing floating left into the cycle lane to pass the car in the intersection.
Hold my line in the lane and get beeped at.
Give his side panels a fat thump as I pass and win the stupid chicken game.
Not the safest or cleverest but the cavernous rumbling was very satisfying.

Parklife

I hate that junction. cars do it every fucking time there. they can't wait 2 seconds.

Careful with that--it being a left-drive coach may have helped you there. Yours is not a clever manoeuvre in general, and especially not with right-drive coaches. Obviously, they should have the mirrors and set-up to see you, but you can't rely on that.

Agree. Playing chicken with coaches can't go well forever

You'll end up roast of the day :/

Gave an Audi driver a firm tap on his rear quarter (phrasing), to let him know that turning left through the cycle lane on the southbound approach to E&C from Blackfriars/London Road is not cool., despite the fact that everyone does it. He wasn't even indicating. He stopped at the next traffic lights, wound his window down and I think shouted "I'll hit your mum." Very odd.

I think that day we were both reaaally late for work (considering the hour) he was riding fast

This happens every single time I ride through. Shitty infrastructure. They really didn't think through that particular part of E&C.

Northbound traffic on Southwark Bridge was backed up all the way across this morning, and halfway down the hill on the south side. Plenty of cyclists are tempted into some really risky filtering when this happens.

How that road has any right to call itself a cycle superhighway I'll never know.

it's weird there's no indication of the cs7 on the northbound approach either. just disappears for a couple hundred yards.

Had a lovely ride in this morning. Empty bus lane and the 'green wave'(ish) from King's Cross to Old Marylebone Road. Delightful.

Be fair, it's got some bikes painted on it every now and again.

Edit: I just had a look on Google Maps (as if I don't ride it every day) and you're right, there's basically nothing all the way from the junction with Southwark Street ( except the occasional worn-out painted bike on a nice blue background). It's all parking bays, bus stops and motorbike parking - which is a bit mental when you think this is one of the main arteries for commuter cyclists coming from South London.

The only good thing about using southwark bridge is if you're headed southbound the light phasing of the northern junction holds the cars up long enough you can ride across at a normal speed without using the stupid cycle lane. handy if you've got one of those dickhead coach/bus drivers who park across the exit to said cycle lane.

The designers solved the problem of what to do at particularly tricky sections of Cycle Superhighways by just shrugging their shoulders and skipping those bits.

(Don't get me wrong, some of the bits they've done have made a world of difference to my commute even if is just blue paint. Going Eastbound on Grosvenor Road (CS8) under the Victoria railway bridge is a good example, it used to be two thin lanes Eastbound and impossible to get through on a bike if busy, now it's one car lane and a thin blue CS lane but bikes never get held up there.)

Enough with the nose/snot clearing, it's fucking disgusting.

but it feels so good...

City type driving his big fancy Jag down Hornsey Road this morning around 8:40, past the schools, so obviously lots of children around - whilst reading his emails on an iPad on his lap. I spotted it as he almost ran over some kids at a zebra crossing.

Got his attention and asked if he realised how dangerous he was being. He did put the iPad away immediately, to be fair - but then had a sort of delayed reaction and started beeping and shouting at me as I cycled away.

Reported to Roadsafe, although I don't suppose anything will come of it.

Enough with the nose/snot clearing, it's fucking disgusting.

A motorist had a go at me about this at some traffic lights a couple of weeks ago (I normally check to confirm that there's is nobody around to see me do it) I pointed out it wasn't nearly as bad as what was coming out of their exhaust pipe.

Plates?

How else am I supposed to keep my green lane, green?

I don't snot clear in 'the hand over one nostril and shoot it onto the road' type way but do wipe it onto my gloves. What else are you to do when you have an inch on dribble on a cold day?
Wonder how much snot is encrusted in them?

Personalised obvs, including 'V8'. I included the reg in my Roadsafe report so perhaps a slightly higher chance it'll get followed up?

A nose wipe in the gloves should do it, we're talking about commuting here not a mountain climb. My girlfriend has every nasal passage issue known to mankind and she manages her 10 mile commute without snotting all over the floor (her gloves do need a weekly wash mind!).