Blackfriars Rd carnage!

On the trip in today I saw.

1. A bloke been hit by a car.

2. At least 25 cops all in a group with speed guns handing out fines to cyclists for skipping lights and cars for speeding.

3. A motorbiker being resuscitated!

There's some bad karma on that road today, be careful peoples!

Good to see the pigs have got their priorities right for a change. I can sleep easy tonight

Pretty bad. I think worse day I have had cycling around London I saw cyclist on middle of road turning onto london bridge with police and ambulance around then later that day my mate got "doored". Also saw police grabbing someone of their bike for skipping a red light - again great use of police time

yeah I saw the motorbike rider in rescuss, put head down and kept going, thinking "there but for the grace of [insert deity here] go I". Damn I hate that Blackfriars junction.

Stay safe out there, folks.

I wondered what they were doing. It's always pretty sketchy in the morning coming down there.

Way back up in the evening is great though. For a start you usually have a tailwind and little traffic. If you have it away from the lights at Ludgate Circus you can usually just make the next set of lights which gives a great flying start to the uphill bit to smithfields (even better if you draft a bus). Those lights are easy to make if you keep spinning up the hill but then you have to really go bananas on the flat to make the lights at the pedestrian crossing at farringdon and on to the lights at clerkenfix. It's a little game I play every day. I can't not. I've tried pootling up there but I can't not race myself.

Downhill in the morning is just a case of trying to stay alive though, dodging the nose to tail traffic, police, lorries turning across the bus lane, motorbikes pulling out without looking etc etc. I usually take that bit pretty slow and careful.

i am in with you on the bad vibes out there. felt a sudden mood swing to the worse as of yesterday through to today actually. after quite a few nice weeks riding things feel to have turned gloomy on the roads.

i stepped up my morning coffee to a double espresso and tensioned my brake cable.

yeah I saw the motorbike rider in rescuss, put head down and kept going, thinking "there but for the grace of [insert deity here] go I". Damn I hate that Blackfriars junction.

Stay safe out there, folks.

Yeah sometimes it gets to you, even though you just have to accept that these things happen regardless....
A few weeks ago I saw some girl on a scooter on tooley street who had been t-boned by a car coming out of a side-road, cunt smashed her leg to pieces it was broken sideways, she was on a heap on the floor screaming in pain, a couple of days after that I saw what appeared to be a motorbike rider on commercial street who was either dead or not far off.
It really does get to me sometime, it always resonates with me and often stirs memories that I try and forget and remind me just how fragile we all are.

it is strange how you can feel it in the air.. i just hold off on those days, it's not worth it

it is strange how you can feel it in the air.. i just hold off on those days, it's not worth it

oh lord

[URL="http://z.about.com/d/top40/1/5/i/7/collins1991.jpg"][/URL]

You and me both. 100% agree with this. Sometimes on my bike, things just don't feel right. Thats when I tend to slow down and take it easy. Weird feeling, kind of like when there is a full moon.

You and me both. 100% agree with this. Sometimes on my bike, things just don't feel right. Thats when I tend to slow down and take it easy. Weird feeling, kind of like when there is a full moon.

Yep - me too.

Have also discovered that when I'm cycling hung over, I'm as jumpy as fuck in situations that I wouldn't normally think twice about.

Slightly off topic- my Father commuted into London for 28 years by train- roughly an hours journey each way.

He once went to the station and just could not bring himself to get on the train.

Went home, phoned the University to say he was feeling odd.

The train he would have been on derailed on the way to London.

Lucky.

Isn't there a film about that?

I am inclined to beleive the OP on this one. I just went over the Bonnet of a car who turned left at the last minute. Not going back out on my bike today

seen an RLJ'er (as outlined in spotted) get clipped by a van near holborn this morning, tons of tickets given out by 5-0 at theobalds curve just before it, and i almost got run down by a van (if my head wasn't down in the headwind it would've been cracked by the mirror!)

sketchy day '09.

this is so true!! weirddd energy in the air. It seems to happen when it gets all muggy and humid - perhaps the closeness of the air or something creates a weird aggro feeling on the roads. :(

some boy racers tried to 'race' me down old kent road just now by revving to intimidate then driving too close to me and shouting out the window.

Thanks to the abundance of red lights - i beat them. TWATS.

Can't believe the police are speed checking cyclists. If it wasn't true, it would be funny.

also - all the traffic lights were off at london bridge and borough...
which is always helpful. grrrr.

I am shitting myself about riding home today after reading this thread. Thanks guys.

this is so true!! weirddd energy in the air. It seems to happen when it gets all muggy and humid - perhaps the closeness of the air or something creates a weird aggro feeling on the roads. :(

some boy racers tried to 'race' me down old kent road just now by revving to intimidate then driving too close to me and shouting out the window.

Thanks to the abundance of red lights - i beat them. TWATS.

Can't believe the police are speed checking cyclists. If it wasn't true, it would be funny.

Same happened to me this morning - going west on Old Street to the juntion with Goswell Rd. Two-abreast behind slow moving traffic, then lots of revving and a very unhappy motorbike came past far too close at far too fast (mid rev-up). Gave him a 'friendly' nod 20 metres later at the lights. TWAT.

I'm going home slowly tonight.

I passed everyone I saw and dropped the cheeky wheel sucking mtber on my commute this morning.. situation normal.
My coffee machine didn't work this morning though - needs descaling already?! Looks like I'm fscked tonight then..

I passed everyone I saw and dropped the cheeky wheel sucking mtber on my commute this morning.. situation normal.
My coffee machine didn't work this morning though - needs descaling already?! Looks like I'm fscked tonight then..

^^Bad koffee karma - the worst sort. Be afraid.....

autumn equinox yesterday
some magic still in the air me thinks

and the students are back in uni, aren't they? usually sparks an "autumn campaign" from the rozzers...

guy on a roadie squeezed into the building works panels on the north side of the bridge today. Thought he'd been pulled under but luckily only the bike was trashed.

I'd rather be spot fined thanks.

You and me both. 100% agree with this. Sometimes on my bike, things just don't feel right. Thats when I tend to slow down and take it easy.

I always panic that I've made the wrong decision and that I'll get twatted from behind (instead of the quicker riding that would have seen me through) :-