This morning's commute and other commuting stories

had a very eager overtake on a shared path, not sure what this guy was thinking he was doing, right after a 90 degree blind corner, too.

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A guy did that to a mate he ended up with a broken arm laserations and a pelvis broken in three places . Police say as it was on a cycle path he can not be charged under road traffic laws which id just ###t

Just now outside Herne Hill station in front of the Tesco, male cyclist arguing with woman in a white suv. If you need a witness, I heard her threatening you and took a picture of her car.

There have to be some perks for leaving the house before 5am.

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Oh and one flew over the sewage works to show it’s not all roses

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Lovely! Is this your normal commute or a big detour?

Yeah that’s my normal 15km into work. About 2/3 is country roads, lanes. Living just outside Norwich is great for cycling, 5km in any direction from the city and you are in the countryside. But god it’s windy!

Oh, Whitlingham! I went there on a school trip & asked what happened in the FA Cup when everyone went to the toilet & the man in charge said it was a good question.

Haha! I bet the answer now would be “we just pump it straight into the river”

My workplace has a new policy that says if you want to get into the underground cycle parking you must be wearing Hi Viz. .
I have tried to tell them to stick it up their arse but that didn't work, so does anyone have one of them hi viz reflective bag covers they want to get rid of?

Presume you’ve contacted chair of site safety committee praising their dedication to employee safety, and querying when policy will be extended to all persons going to and from motor vehicles using parking facilities at your place of work?

you wot?
I hope they're not allowing people to walk up the stairs without wearing a helmet?

i'd get some high Viz underpants and pull your trousers down when asked.

Hi Viz needs UV light (daylight) for it to be effective. What is the source of UV light in your underground cycle park?

I have tried to tell them to stick it up their arse but that didn't work, so does anyone have one of them hi viz reflective bag covers they want to get rid of?

Yep got one, it'll need posting though...

In one of our offices in canary wharf the security guards tried to make the cyclists get off their bikes and push them across the pavement connecting the road with the underground car park entrance because it was 'dangerous'.

A few of the riders stood there for ten minutes and told the security guards to tell the cars also entering the car park to get out and push across the pavement.

That rule soon got forgotten.

Don't go down without a fight, make it as difficult as possible for them. Tell them you don't have any hi viz and ask them to provide it for you. If they ever get around to this keep on losing it and asking for more.

Fuck 'em all.

This is good advice. Don't let it drop, recruit other riders to your cause.

Escalate your issues to whoever can overrule this bullshit. Do other offices in your area/site/estate have the same policy?

Does this align with the Government cycling and walking to work policy that should be removing barriers to cycling to work rather than putting up obstacles?

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cycling-and-walking

Fuck 'em all

technically i was not commuting but this did happen at commuting rush hour and therefore counts…

some guy overtaking on a contraflow cycle lane heading towards me, looking off to the side instead of forwards, suddenly alerted by my shouting of the question ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ then re-entered consciousness and swerved at the last minute, just clipping the end of my bars, sending both of us off. Neither seriously injured but luckily his bike is fucked which will hopefully keep him off the roads for a bit.

Southbound on Lower Road just after Surrey Quays station.

Two-way contraflow cycle lanes are dumb, people are fucking dumb, and I’ll continue to be thankful that I start work whilst most people are brushing their teeth.

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Southbound on Lower Road just after Surrey Quays station.

Fucking lawless there.

Oof! At least it actually was a contraflow (although i dislike them); round my way there seems to be a group of brain donors who seem to think that all cycle lanes are bi-directional

Going northbound I'm still jumping off the cycle lane at the Maccas, going round the one way system, diving left into the park and popping out just before Southwark Cycles. Anything to stay off those contraflow lanes for even a little bit.

And glad you came off relatively unscathed!

I normally avoid them around there too, but there I was thinking ‘ah I’ll just have a chill one; cruise out the city amidst the chaos of people commuting in’

WRONG CHOICE FELLA

I used to live off Old Jamaica Road and would often see the chaos of that cycleway if I wasn’t in work and just think ‘fuck that’

Lucky - almost the same thing happened to me, only my bike was the one that was fucked. Although this guy just pulled out straight in front of me so no chance to avoid.

Sorry to hear about your crash. Spectacular fork break on the other bike--how did that happen?

Southbound on Lower Road just after Surrey Quays station.

I haven't looked at that yet, and I can't remember if I looked at drawings, but it's interesting that you call it a

contraflow cycle lane

Two-way contraflow cycle lanes are dumb

Strictly speaking, a contraflow is a lane or track contrary to the flow of a one-way street, but I guess your usage here reflects the fact that they, as usual, didn't simply do what really needs doing here, which is to return the stupid Surrey Quays one-way system to two-way operation, but plonked a two-way cycle track into the one-way stretch of Lower Road. In a sense, the term 'two-way contraflow cycle lane/track' is a contradiction in terms, but to me it seems to show that the one-way operation still feels dominant to you (?), and it's therefore an interesting usage. Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm not trying to ascribe ideas to you that you didn't mean to express.

Everyone else--it's not a contraflow lane. :)