This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I’m coming from surbiton, through RP and over the col de Marc bolan into Putney normally. I did wonder about going straight over from the end of priory lane towards Barnes but the level crossing there can be a time thief

This thread is becoming the Putney/Wimbledon commute tips thread at the mo!

And all the better for it!

There you go then - Past the Bolan memorial, down the other side, right at the mini roundabout down the seemingly dead end street - though little pedestrian gap and then saunter through Putney in relative fume free comfort.

It used to be the most pot holed street

Maybe that’s why they all drive land rovers / jeeps or whatever.

Ah I see! Which would bring you out next to the half moon eventually? I might give that a go this week

Car didn't start, cost me £15 for a taxi for the school run (it's 9 miles) but on the upside it was a lovely 6 mile run to work on the Brompton.

The comber Greenway (sustrans)and cycle route from CS Lewis square via Connswater nature park (community charity) are well worth a try if you visit Belfast.

Rental bike docks near the route, unless you start near comber.

Fucking fuckity fuck chain slipped off the fucking cassette, jammed into the hub, breaking two spokes in the process (only discovered after as was 10 miles from home) and couldn't unclip as I locked up on a climb. Pitched over into a ditch which blew the wind out plus cuts, stinging nettles and a bent rd. Had to wrench the wheel out to free the chain and bend the mech back so hands covered in oil mixed with blood from arm and fingers. Fucking hate cycling.

... fucking cassette ... bent rd ... bend the mech ...

Have you considered fixed gear or single speed?

lol
not for climbing Garsons Hill on the way home, to old/fat/crap

Yep, straight onto dryburgh, then couple of options. Either carry on straight all the way to turn left onto Charlwood and on to the half moon or turn left earlier onto Erpingham and Felsham before left onto bigggs row.

Non of these are quicker when the traffic is flowing better, probably about the same time when it's busy on LRR, but much nicer, particularly if you're not smashing it about.

I just like mixing my commute up, so have plenty of little detours I throw in on a whim. It's nice to explore.

Yep, straight onto dryburgh, then couple of options. Either carry on straight all the way to turn left onto Charlwood

Just be aware there are 3 primary schools on/near that stretch of Charlwood so avoid it any time between 8.30-9.15 or 2.30-3.15.

Most of the children know how to cross the roads safely, it's the parents that are the biggest problem, plus the shitshow of SW London hazard-light entitled parking.

Mechanical fault at lights... Working on bike last night + forgot to put saddle bag with basic tools back on bike.

Start the 3 mile walk, carrying bike because I don't have allan key to straighten rear wheel in dropout.
Not a single offer of help, "you ok?" Or anything.
Considering this is along a bike path I was really surprised.
I usually offer help if I see someone on the roadside, thought that was just the done thing!

You didn't fancy just saying "excuse me, do you have a multi tool I could borrow?" to anyone riding past?
Just quietly seething that nobody offered first.

I don't think shouting to people cycling past me was going to get much in the way of help. Asked at junction but apparently nobody has time/likes to talk. I must look homeless...

This thread is becoming the Putney/Wimbledon commute tips thread at the mo!

Yup turning into the Bikeradar Silly Commuter Racing thread...

oh man, that kind of multi-level stack is never not funny. Eventually.
I’ve done a tip backwards into a roadside ditch of brambles (insult to injury: my camping gear-laden bike snagged then joined me a split second later).

On train with bike, man decides to stand next to it by the door and stack a couple of bags so I couldn't unhook it and get it down. First annoyance. Queue of people in the carriage as we get to the station. Doors open, man gets off I am next and move to unhook my bike so I am right in front of the door. As I unhook I get a bump from the back: woman next in line decides the 2 seconds it takes me to get my bike down is 2 seconds too long and barges past me even though I am right next to the door. She mumbles I sorry, I tell her I am trying to get my bike down and she could wait but she is off.

Nothing that annoys me more than people.

Appropriate

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Something about the police awareness campaign/'crackdown' on scooter use:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-share-images-of-seized-illegal-electric-scooters-a4153271.html

Police shared this image of an e-scooter equipped with phone holder, bell and helmet.

Cheers, it's a shame IMO. Anything that reduces emissions causing traffic is positive for me, and requiring insurance/registration/MOT/whatever for these things to make them road legal seems like overkill.

I don't own or want one, but seems like a step in the right direction for people that can't/won't cycle.

#bloodyscooterists

"£300 fixed penalty notice and six points on a driving licence."
I presume you can't deny you have a driving licence, given the fact you're riding a battery scooter?

I see a couple of these things every day on my commute. I think I prefer dodging them to normal scooters and cars.

"£300 fixed penalty notice and six points on a driving licence."
I presume you can't deny you have a driving licence, given the fact you're riding a battery scooter?

It's a motoring offence, so if you have a licence you get points on it. If you don't have a licence you get points on it when you apply for it. Either way you get fined.

If you pretend you don't have a license then you'll get found out as you'll need to provide ID, and they'll work it out from that.

Well, it's obviously the initial reaction to a relative novelty. I heard last week that apparently there are moves being made to legalise them in Germany (but haven't looked into it any further).

I'm in two minds about them. I agree with the emissions angle, although I cordially dislike the fact that people don't exercise while using them. I also strongly suspect that for the most part they'll be used to complement public transport. I don't know how easy it is to carry one on a crowded train or bus, but it's probably doable.

Generally, I think that if there's a motorised, low-impact solution available, it will replace more cycle trips than it will replace other motorised trips. For instance, when scooters became so common around 2004 or so (this was apparently because they were being sold with a year's free insurance, I was once told), I got the strong anecdotal impression that their use was impeding the cycling boom that had started to happen around this time. The general tendency that has prevailed for decades all over Europe is that the average length of trips and the need to travel have continually increased, and this has prompted much more motorised travel everywhere, whether by public or private transport. Where cycling has increased, this has generally only been because of localised population increases, e.g. in cities like London, and because of political measures to reduce motor traffic in centres (although these have usually resulted in much more motor traffic around the perimeter of towns, e.g. where ring roads were built to 'complement' the progressive measures in the centres).

I'm not convinced that the use of these scooters is going to be that much of a good thing.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/boy-speeding-electric-scooter-cleveland-police-driving-licence-points-teeside-court-a8632951.html

Still somehow track your points even is licenseless