And today's commuting highlight is...
Discussion
I've come to a realisation on London commuting.
In the winter it's horrific, cold, wet, depressing and concentrating on the road after a 13 hour stint in the office is becoming increasingly difficult. I'm also facing a new kit capex cycle (that I've been putting off for years), have (touch wood) never been in an off, my bike hasn't been stolen from its new on-street city parking, I haven't lost my license to the 20mph speed cameras now adorning my route and I've got a young baby.
As such, after the nice summer I think I'll be letting the train take the strain from the autumn, using it as a chance to get up to date on emails - a lot easier now I've moved and am on a better train line. On the flip side, I say this in winter most years so let's see...
In the winter it's horrific, cold, wet, depressing and concentrating on the road after a 13 hour stint in the office is becoming increasingly difficult. I'm also facing a new kit capex cycle (that I've been putting off for years), have (touch wood) never been in an off, my bike hasn't been stolen from its new on-street city parking, I haven't lost my license to the 20mph speed cameras now adorning my route and I've got a young baby.
As such, after the nice summer I think I'll be letting the train take the strain from the autumn, using it as a chance to get up to date on emails - a lot easier now I've moved and am on a better train line. On the flip side, I say this in winter most years so let's see...
I've been commuting into London 5 days a week as usual until this week, but last week I got stuck riding in hail, then snow, with the M2 closed due to a lorry fire and then a big chunk of 50mph clusterf
k near faversham, and now this weeks forecast of around-4C for the early mornings that I leave to commute in - I've decided to say sod it and bought a week train ticket for this week! Had a nice read on the way in and then snooze on the way home this evening - I can tolerate it but I already miss being on the bike for the stty train times and extra time it takes!
k near faversham, and now this weeks forecast of around-4C for the early mornings that I leave to commute in - I've decided to say sod it and bought a week train ticket for this week! Had a nice read on the way in and then snooze on the way home this evening - I can tolerate it but I already miss being on the bike for the stty train times and extra time it takes!
I biked it in today, wasnt bad with a hoodie under the jacket and the RST heated gloves but thought I'd try the A2 for a change instead of the M20, I wont make that mistake again - gridlocked pretty much all the way into town, dont know how people do it everyday in a car, no accidents just the volume of traffic - mental.
Sea Demon said:
I biked it in today, wasnt bad with a hoodie under the jacket and the RST heated gloves but thought I'd try the A2 for a change instead of the M20, I wont make that mistake again - gridlocked pretty much all the way into town, dont know how people do it everyday in a car, no accidents just the volume of traffic - mental.
A2/M2 is my daily route into town - it's fine if you're an early riser with minimal traffic unless the M25 junctions are snarled (I leave home at around 0415 latest) but leaving anything after about 0700 is pretty much filtering all the way in from about the medway bridge. Used to be a lot clearer but I think a lot of people have shifted to it having given up on the M20 after the last few years of average 50 / op-Brock / maidstone junction issues. Definitely noticed that since covid there has been a lot more lorry elephant racing on the A2/M2 than there used to be too.I try to avoid the M20 if I can as the dun-dun-dun of the slab road surface gives me a numb arse and hands after a while!
Commuted on the mp3 400 for the first time today as I our glorious leaders say I need to go into central London more often to prop up the local Pret empire and fill their offices. 3 days a week is going to be grim and less productive plus I don't want to smash those commuter miles on my 1290. Endless 2nd gear 20mph is no fun.
I've not commuted on a scooter since 2019 and I forgot how much fun filtering is. It goes through smaller gaps, I can ride like I don't care for the rules of the road
twist and go, looks ratty as fk so don't care about salt and it will sit in the outside lane of the M20 keeping up with traffic.
Trade off is looking like a total bell, but I can live with that. It's not got heated grips/seat so it was chilly but I've got my keiss gear. Next winter I may treat myself to some Oxford grips.
You can take the chav off the scooter but you can't take the scooter out of the chav
providing the thing doesn't fall to bits my commute is going to be on my 800 quid, 15 year old, 3 wheel, Italian stallion from now on.
I've not commuted on a scooter since 2019 and I forgot how much fun filtering is. It goes through smaller gaps, I can ride like I don't care for the rules of the road
twist and go, looks ratty as fk so don't care about salt and it will sit in the outside lane of the M20 keeping up with traffic. Trade off is looking like a total bell, but I can live with that. It's not got heated grips/seat so it was chilly but I've got my keiss gear. Next winter I may treat myself to some Oxford grips.
You can take the chav off the scooter but you can't take the scooter out of the chav
providing the thing doesn't fall to bits my commute is going to be on my 800 quid, 15 year old, 3 wheel, Italian stallion from now on.Taking into consideration I am not the one who makes the rules, is that definitely Congestion Charge exempt?
When I looked the 300cc MP3's just about were but the 500's weren't due to the length of them.
Can't remember the exact number, but if over a certain length combined with being taxation class of a tricycle then they aren't exempt.
When I looked the 300cc MP3's just about were but the 500's weren't due to the length of them.
Can't remember the exact number, but if over a certain length combined with being taxation class of a tricycle then they aren't exempt.
Yup it's ulez and cc exempt and you can ride 3 wheelers in bus lanes.
But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
HairyMaclary said:
Yup it's ulez and cc exempt and you can ride 3 wheelers in bus lanes.
But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
Excellent. Didn't want to think of you toasting your win with a can of Stella whilst all the time TfL were prepping to knock on your door at 3am.But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
Picking up the traffic light comments from a few pages ago, there's a T junction/crossroad near me that's jammed up from 3-6 every day. Bloody awful to drive through. The T junction (It's mostly a T but has traffic detection for a supermarket to make it effectively a crossroad, it's rarely used though) is light controlled. Most people want to turn right from the bottom of the T and the people on your left all want to go straight on since it's the route out of town. This is perfectly synchronised with the lights about 100m and 200m further up the road to cause as much congestion as possible. Both routes at the T junction will get maybe 3 cars through before it's blocked up again, then lights further along will let a smattering of cars through and go red on timers instead of traffic detection. 15 seconds waiting for a car that doesn't exist to go through takes the proverbial.
The best part is that they same council just spent millions reducing traffic throughput at a perfectly functioning roundabout to install a Cyclops junction which everybody in that area hates and any cyclists using it ignore their path.
The best part is that they same council just spent millions reducing traffic throughput at a perfectly functioning roundabout to install a Cyclops junction which everybody in that area hates and any cyclists using it ignore their path.
HairyMaclary said:
Yup it's ulez and cc exempt and you can ride 3 wheelers in bus lanes.
But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
For the sake of a tenner, it's not worth thinking about every time you ride it. But I had to apply for a 100% trike discount from TFL which cost £10 cheeky sods. Apparently the chance of you getting caught is slim as the cameras are front facing but they also use mobile cameras to catch bikes. Thought for the sake of a tenner I best submit the paperwork.
HairyMaclary said:
Anyone braving the commute tomorrow? High winds and rain. Need to be in cental London so it's going to be an exciting one.
I'm planning on it as I forked out for the train last week and its not really financially viable to do a 2nd week on it or even one/two days this week. If don;t manage to get half way before it starts looking too dicey I'll turn back but I think it will only really be the medway bridge that will be overly blowly due to being so exposed.DirtyHarley said:
HairyMaclary said:
Anyone braving the commute tomorrow? High winds and rain. Need to be in cental London so it's going to be an exciting one.
I'm planning on it as I forked out for the train last week and its not really financially viable to do a 2nd week on it or even one/two days this week. If don;t manage to get half way before it starts looking too dicey I'll turn back but I think it will only really be the medway bridge that will be overly blowly due to being so exposed.kiethton said:
I've come to a realisation on London commuting.
In the winter it's horrific, cold, wet, depressing and concentrating on the road after a 13 hour stint in the office is becoming increasingly difficult. I'm also facing a new kit capex cycle (that I've been putting off for years), have (touch wood) never been in an off, my bike hasn't been stolen from its new on-street city parking, I haven't lost my license to the 20mph speed cameras now adorning my route and I've got a young baby.
As such, after the nice summer I think I'll be letting the train take the strain from the autumn, using it as a chance to get up to date on emails - a lot easier now I've moved and am on a better train line. On the flip side, I say this in winter most years so let's see...
I've been feeling the same and as I get older I struggle with all the city and car lights after dark, especially in the rain. So, I used the bike right up to Xmas but have been on the train so far this year and will probably stay on it until March. This is my usual pattern and when I ride on the train, I read my book and generally chill. I often think to myself "why on earth do I ride a bike to work" when I start using the train, then after a few weeks I can't wait to get back on the bike.In the winter it's horrific, cold, wet, depressing and concentrating on the road after a 13 hour stint in the office is becoming increasingly difficult. I'm also facing a new kit capex cycle (that I've been putting off for years), have (touch wood) never been in an off, my bike hasn't been stolen from its new on-street city parking, I haven't lost my license to the 20mph speed cameras now adorning my route and I've got a young baby.
As such, after the nice summer I think I'll be letting the train take the strain from the autumn, using it as a chance to get up to date on emails - a lot easier now I've moved and am on a better train line. On the flip side, I say this in winter most years so let's see...
So far I have commuted on the train for 6 trips from Sevenoaks in to London, so that's 12 journeys in all. I have had one train cancelled altogether, one train to Cannon Street diverted to Victoria (awesome, thanks SE Trains) and 8 more delayed by more that 10mins (it's timetabled as a 24min journey all in). One was 45mins late - for a 24 mins journey - a the signal operator mistakenly put us on the slow line instead of the fast line. How? How?
Only one of those 12 journeys has left and arrived on schedule. Also, the train fare is £28.60 return for a 28 mile journey so that's 50p per mile (for the round trip). It would be cheaper to drive a car in to central London, even with the congestion charge. Where is the incentive to use public transport? I'll do it until it drives me mad again, as it surely will and then I'll be back on the bike!
HairyMaclary said:
Anyone braving the commute tomorrow? High winds and rain. Need to be in cental London so it's going to be an exciting one.
We had strong gusty winds 2 years ago in January which resulted in a rather unconventional bike related injury for me. Coming home from London I did the customary filter to the front of the waiting queue at the traffic lights at the (raised) junction where the M20 exit takes me on to the M25 heading south. Anyway, so there I am in neutral sitting waiting for the lights to change to green and huge gust of wind hit me on the right sight and blew me completely over sideways and crashing down on my left. I have a GS1200 and on that day had the top box on it and I think it just acted as a sail. Once they get passed a certain point, there's no holding them up and it took totally by surprise.I managed to slow the descent down to the deck so the bike was undamaged but I crashed down on my elbow as I rolled away. Some kind motorists helped me up with the bike and off I rode but as I was riding home I thought "hmmm, that elbow is a bit sore". Didn't think too much of it but the next morning I woke and it REALLY hurt and I knew I'd broken it. Sure enough an X-ray at Pembury Hospital confirmed a rather nasty fracture in the radial head of my elbow joint!!
So there you are, came of my bike and broke my elbow and wasn't even moving at the time. Watch the wind out there fellas!!!
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff