This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I'm here now and i've got back to back calls until 2.

Plus, the cricket is about to start so this is my setup:

PRO.

Heal up dudes that fell off.

Ditching the shortcut route to Paddington via Pembridge Rd and the A4206 and stick with Baysie. Still can't work out how to leave this fucking office properly.

Good call on the cricket.

Plus, the cricket is about to start

The cricket is about to finish, more like.

This.

I was thinking about leaving but the whole thing might be done by the time i get home.

Savage.

Some classy lane-positioning going on this morning.

I was thinking about leaving but the whole thing might be done by the time i get home.

Going home? I wouldn't even risk going for a piss right now.

Youre supposed to say "dont worry mate"

So true.

Actually I would argue that saying "thank you for apologising" Would be better rather than saying not worry giving the impression it's not something to apologise for.

Oh look at the end of this video. A sign directing cyclists on to the stepped track after the stepped track has started. Don't know if that would have any relevance to anything or anyone.

https://youtu.be/QYvgIP8tGEA

So much FFS.

Going through Forest Hill this morning I got a beep and a brief snatch of "you cunts" and "get fucking killed" from some incipient-coronary-inna-van. Can't think what his problem was.

I sometimes wonder if there's a parallel van drivers forum somewhere, complete with someone complaining about the same incident (before being asked to take their whinging to 'VanRadar').

I wouldn't argue. I reckon apologising is the same as admitting responsibility. Confirmation is a little rude.

playing devils advocate, i don't think they want you to use the stepped track until that sign, as all the bits before that haven't been painted blue yet. but i'm guessing that they decided to increase the length of the cycle track today cos of stryclists?

In which case any cyclist is guaranteed to hit the stepped kerb as the dropped section that poses the least risk precedes the sign. It's a niggling detail but it's the kind of subconscious cue that influences peoples decisions - an arrow pointing up and to the left conventionally means take the path/lane/route to the left ahead i.e. after the sign. An arrow pointing down and to the left means pass to the left of this sign.

Tbf I quite like the new oval setup. Never was a fan of changing lanes to get to elephant and castle. Only bit that caught me out was the northern end (left into lambeth road, straight to elephant)- turns out there's a dropped curb allowing cyclists to enter it, where the new crossing allows you to go straight across the road. Bit of a moment where I may-or-may-not have been racing for the lights.

^ agree, the Oval lane change was crazy. At least there's an option now for those that didn't want to deal with that.

Putting cyclists left-of-left when they want to go centre-right just seems a bit facepalm.

The new controlled and protected bike lanes on the Queenstown Rd / Battersea Park roundabout follow the same theory. Go left into the bike canal and hit a red light to allow cars to exit left, meanwhile cars going straight carry on.

It's becoming a stark choice between remaining with traffic, or opting for a protected lane that stops and starts (with surprise bus-stop action in the case of Oval).

splitting hairs here - but "guaranteed" is wrong. I've not had a single issue with Oval yet and been using it for the past week #humblebrag

i'm undecided on the whole thing. i keep having to remind myself that this is not infrastructure built with me in mind - it's aimed at would be cyclists who are currently too scared. compared to them most of us on this forum are complete lunatics hellbent on their own destruction. i've learned that giving myself 5 mins more to complete my journey, and therefore doing so at a bit more relaxed pace, is actually quite fun. well, in the summer anyway.

Putting cyclists left-of-left when they want to go centre-right just seems a bit facepalm.

The principle is put conflicting moves under light control/zebra style priority, depending on the weight of traffic flow. Here there is significant left turning traffic so a zebra style would be inappropriate, hence the lights. Is there a straight on green for cars while a straight on red for cyclists?

most of us on this forum are complete lunatics hellbent on their own destruction.

I would like that on a sew-on Carradice patch

(Caveat Google Translate)

"Infernum meus pendebit ad ipsorum perditionem"

OK, some cyclists would be able to bunnyhop it.

Seriously though, that sign has been in place for several days, if it is followed then a cyclist must cross the separation between the general traffic lane and Cycle Superhighway by crossing a stepped kerb. That information might help willski.
Seeing as the BC legals wouldn't help me when I was attacked by the Dulwich gate keeper because 'maybe I should have been in the cycle lane' (all two useable inches of it) I reckon people need all the help they can get.

I think the sign is directing people coming up from Brixton, rather than those coming from Stockwell, who would already be on the stepped path. It's almost imperceptible, even when you're riding past it but the transition from black road to blue cycle patch is flat on the south of the sign, but stepped (dangerously so) to the north of it. If you miss the sign and try to join the blue after the sign, you will get hurt.

shit! heal up fast

On day one there was a guy stood behind this sign directing people onto the track.