This morning's commute and other commuting stories

They're all "pedestrian crossings" which is the one place you can be certain Londoners won't be using to cross the road.

The easiest option is to drift into a solid primary when approaching a london zebra. This usually prevents cars thinking it's a good time to overtake, and if a ped suddenly wheels round and decides they do want to cross after all you aren't within the zone of their first couple of steps...

Obviously you ought to be able to stop in time but logically at any speed, even a safe one, there is a distance at which that isn't safe.

I find that primary position interrupts my granny-dodging flow I get on the footpaths..

WTF was going on on Brixton Road this morning? It was mayhem. Lots of drivers pulling in and out of junctions without warning/looking, a lady with a pushchair and a toddler just stood in the middle of the road trying to cross and 4 idiots going up the inside of a clearly indicating lorry at the Brixton/Oval junction.

WTF was going on on Brixton Road this morning? It was mayhem. Lots of drivers pulling in and out of junctions without warning/looking, a lady with a pushchair and a toddler just stood in the middle of the road trying to cross and 4 idiots going up the inside of a clearly indicating lorry at the Brixton/Oval junction.

Must be a full moon tonight. I had a bloke walk his family, including two small children, out into the traffic between two buses opposite Westminster tube just as the lights went green. Looked at me like I was an alien for suggesting he instead used the crossing 20 feet away.

^^^^
This

Every bl**dy evening.

And pedicabs in the bus lane on Westminster Bridge. And ice cream vans. And tourist buses.

Shall I go on?

I love my commute.

woman in lyrca on fucking rollerblades in the road amongst all the other bike commuters.
fucking idiot.

ASL on Great Eastern Street turning into Old Street this morning:

A copper handing out leaflets to motorbikers in the box telling them they shouldn't be in the box and they were liable to a fine.

Two weeks earlier a little further along Old Street; cops out in force ticketing cyclists for jumping red lights.

Where's the justice, eh? Where's the justice?

Cycling down upper ground on south bank a couple of hours ago, two policemen startto cross the road without looking, right into my path. Felt pretty good telling them off.

A copper handing out leaflets to motorbikers in the box telling them they shouldn't be in the box and they were liable to a fine.

Why not fine them?

Why not fine them?

My point exactly.

Probably because when they are out to fine, they come out in force. This was just a lone copper handing out leaflets to bikes. I'd have felt happier about it if I didn't see the same bikes pushing through onto the ASL at Old Street roundabout. They really took notice of what they'd just been told.

Certainly an eventful one this morning...

Heading down Liverpool Road when I heard a woman scream from the road to my right. Then I see a man on a hardtail MTB bombing it out from said road on the wrong side of the road, onto the pavement then out onto Liverpool Road.

I thought that he'd hit her and cycled off so I turned into the road to check on her when she shouted that the dirty rotter had stolen her iPhone right out of her hand as she was walking along! I turned back out onto the road to try and catch him but he had vanished - the sneaky cunt was wearing the ultimate disguise, fluro tabard, bike mask, glasses. I checked about 5/6 side roads but every cyclist seemed to be wearing a fucking fluro tabard.

Went back, comforted the lady and made a statement to the police when they turned up. Poor lady was in bits, didn't have insurance or Find My iPhone active either, police were taking her on a drive about when I left.

Phew, what a morning.

Be careful with your gadgets people! Insurance/Find My iPhone/GPS tracking are must haves.

Had some kind of dimwit pull up to the edge of a side road, watch me ride towards him along the main road and just slowly crept out in front of me. I shouted a 'woah' as I got closer and he shouted back 'I seen ya!'. Asked him why he continued fucking pulling out then.

Grips my shit when drivers think it's ok to roll out into the road, no way of telling whether or not they're aware of my presence. Just sit tight and move those extra couple of feet once I'm past.

Time to learn to bonnet slide while digging your pedals into his bonnet.

Me and the Leeds lads overtook the Brownlee brothers on what looked like their commute home from training last night... (back packs with trainers strapped to the sides)

2 beaten (in more sense than one) Olympic medallists on the first outing of the bat bike!

I felt mildly ashamed.

Had some kind of dimwit pull up to the edge of a side road, watch me ride towards him along the main road and just slowly crept out in front of me. I shouted a 'woah' as I got closer and he shouted back 'I seen ya!'. Asked him why he continued fucking pulling out then.

Grips my shit when drivers think it's ok to roll out into the road, no way of telling whether or not they're aware of my presence. Just sit tight and move those extra couple of feet once I'm past.

This... all the time. I try staring them in the eyes as I go past but not sure it makes any sod of a difference.

This... all the time. I try staring them in the eyes as I go past but not sure it makes any sod of a difference.

That's the thing, I made eye contact with the guy, staring straight into his eyes as he just nosed his car into the bus lane I was in. He said he'd seen me, but I've still got to assume the worst, begin slowing down and try to shoulder check in case I've got to move into the other lane if he doesn't stop.

Why not fine them?

You can pull one over and fine him, but others won't necessarily realise why he's being fined. He'll then expect them to fine every other bastard in the ASL and complaining that they're doing it too (rightly). It's impractical. A lot of drivers and bikers still don't realise it's illegal to enter the ASL. This time educate and warn them, then in future set up a bunch of specials 'round the corner to give them a ticket.

Interesting one this morning. Rounded a corner about to join a dual carriageway only to come across a chap sitting on the back step of a works transit with blood pissing from a nasty cut in his head. I, of course, uttered the completely not-stupid question "Is everything alright?" as another person asked if I knew the name of the road? I did, and ended up calling an ambulance for the pissy-head guy.

Turned out he'd sped round the corner, lost control, hit a lamp-post and then rolled his car down a pretty steep slope. The car was a complete wreck, impressively so! A fire engine was on it's way to join the two police cars and ambulance that had turned up as I left.

Found a better, more hilly commute with only 4 more days left at the hospital.
Was grinning all the way home.

Stuck behind two slooow-moving, middle aged geezers on the Water Rail Way bike path. Followed them for about two miles and, although they were looking at each other and talking, they didn't look 'round once. One of them on a folder with a Carradice saddle bag (only my eyesight prevents me from knowing who made it), and he seemed to change gear every couple of minutes. It's a flat path. Shit day. Always is.

Canal paths can do one. If you want to go quicker get up on the road with the rest of us. It's like pulling teeth down there.

Yeah, i had reason to want to go slowly myself today, but this was crazy. And i always look behind regularly on a cycle path, even when there's no chance of anyone keeping up with me (pfft), but these guys... totally oblivious.

To the person that ended up sprawled over my rear wheel on the Old Kent Road: that's why you don't draft in traffic, especially when you've heard a siren and don't know where it's come from.