London commuters - talk to me

[SteelerSE]

Ballon said:

I commute from Wimbledon to Monument. If I leave home at 06.45 I'm in the office by 07.30, I'd estimate the average journey time excluding locking the bike up and walking to the office is 35 - 40 mins.

There is a Corporation of London car park under the Marsh building (very near the Tower of London) which is on Lower Thames Street and a short walk from Monument, it's free has cctv and is patrolled.

Going home can be a mixed bag, usually OK though but it is worth working out some alternative routes through town for the days when it all goes t*** up.

That's very helpful - thank you!

[SteelerSE]

A quick update.

I ended up on the train into London simply because I didn't want to turn up with a load of sopping wet kit before transforming into a suit wearing person, and I don't have the luggage space on the VFR to stash it all. The test ride into London will have to wait pending an actual job offer. We'll see what happens.

[Fotic]

I come from surrey into Central London each day but use the A3 rather than M3. Cost wise, depending on the bike, it's not a massive saving over train really but saved time is huge. I reckon I get back 45 mins a day by riding and that's without taking Into account delays on the trains which are inevitable. Sure you'll get the occasional puncture or whatever but it's maybe once or twice a year.

My ride is 45 mins door to door in the morning and an hour on the way home.

Make sure you chain it to something though, even if it's just someone else's chain.

[SteelerSE]

Thanks again to all for the comments.

I had my first ride in yesterday afternoon to pick up the new laptop etc and the first ride back out again.

All I can say is that it was a pretty horrible experience.

The traffic is mental and there are numerous places where the lanes are so narrow that even the cycling lunatics can't get through the gaps. On a positive the drivers generally made way where possible and it took 75 minutes door to door.

I just followed the sat nav which was probably the wrong thing to do but as I don't have a clue re-London it was the safest option. I live near Camberley and was starting out near monument on lower thames street. The sat nav took me across the river twice and then out on to the A4/M4/M25/M3.

It felt like the Long Way Round™ to me so if you had that commute to do what route would you recommend?

Looking at the map I would have thought M3/Richmond etc would be better...? Any real world experience would be great.

[CaptainSlow]

SteelerSE said:

The traffic is mental and there are numerous places where the lanes are so narrow that even the cycling lunatics can't get through the gaps.

Give it a couple of months, those gaps soon start to look a lot bigger.

[dukeboy749r]

dibblecorse said:

I do Reading to Farringdon daily, usually leave home about 7.15 and get on the M4 at J8/9, its a filter'tastic journey that takes between 1hr 10 and 1hr 30 mins depending on traffic, traffic light luck, cyclists, peoples inability to drive in a straight line and lobbing their cars at the scenery etc.

M25 / M4 into town will be a solid filter all the way to Monument.

The odd time I do the opposite (Colchester into Cheapside), that is the factor that puts me off - wall to wall filtering.

At least on the train the wobble is catered for and means I won't get knocked off because of it.

[MC Bodge]

SteelerSE said:

if you had that commute to do what route would you recommend?

The route to a new job, somewhere else?

Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 19th June 22:17

[SteelerSE]

Looks like it will be the train for a while until I can work out a decent route.

[Fleegle]

SteelerSE said:

Looks like it will be the train for a while until I can work out a decent route.

vin

The only way you will establish a decent route, one that suits your ability/time/risk level/patience, is by jumping on the bike and trying a few different routes. Commuting into London can be a bit daunting at first, but once you get a gauge on filtering and the random road manners of others, it can be quite fun.

[JBE68]

Having ridden into the City from Kingston for the past 20 odd years, I stopped about 3yrs ago. It simply wasn't fun anymore. The endless roadworks, more cyclists than the starting grid at Le Mans and scooter riders who have graduated from Pizza Hut just made it too stressful. So It's a refreshing 50min walk to Broadgate from Vauxhall along the Thames path then a Boris Bike back to Waterloo in the evening, finished off by 30mins of ipad Breaking Bad, The Shield etc on the train.

Now what I do value is the weekend blast to the south coast passing Goodwood, Whiteways Cafe, A272. Then I remember why I can never retire from biking.

Jeremy

[aeropilot]

SteelerSE said:

I just followed the sat nav which was probably the wrong thing to do but as I don't have a clue re-London it was the safest option. I live near Camberley and was starting out near monument on lower thames street. The sat nav took me across the river twice and then out on to the A4/M4/M25/M3.

It felt like the Long Way Round™ to me so if you had that commute to do what route would you recommend?

For the homeward journey I'd be tempted to get over the river asap, via London Bridge, towards Elephant & Castle, and out onto the A3 all the way down to junction just before the M25 and then cut right 'across country' through West Byfleet and Cobham to Camberley?

[SteelerSE]

aeropilot said:

For the homeward journey I'd be tempted to get over the river asap, via London Bridge, towards Elephant & Castle, and out onto the A3 all the way down to junction just before the M25 and then cut right 'across country' through West Byfleet and Cobham to Camberley?

Thanks - I was thinking similar sort of thoughts but don't know if there's a reason to avoid the A3/M3.

[hadenough!]

I used to ride in to Liverpool st from Woking. I now live in farnborough and work in chancery lane. I've decided all things considered the trains my preferred option.

[aeropilot]

SteelerSE said:

aeropilot said:

For the homeward journey I'd be tempted to get over the river asap, via London Bridge, towards Elephant & Castle, and out onto the A3 all the way down to junction just before the M25 and then cut right 'across country' through West Byfleet and Cobham to Camberley?

Thanks - I was thinking similar sort of thoughts but don't know if there's a reason to avoid the A3/M3.

Don't you mean the A4/M3...?

You can't get to the M3 via the A3 unless you cut through Kingston/Teddington to get the the A316.

If you wanted to use the M3 you'd be better off staying north of the river going along the embankment and then up through Victoria or past Buck House to get onto the A4 and then left at the Hogarth R/about out onto the M3 via the A316.
But that route is a lot more trawling/filtering through London.

[MC Bodge]

Mornington Crescent!!!!

[SteelerSE]

An update.

After the first few weeks I've tried a number of options and realise that:

1) I hate riding in London traffic
2) I'm not very good at it and am holding others up
3) It's not saving me much time over the train
4) The only benefit is cost
5) I'm exhausted from the concentration needed at both ends of the day
6) It's bloody dangerous

So I've gone over to the dark side and bought a season ticket for a month to see how that goes. After my first week of that I'm far happier on the train and maybe 20 minutes slower each way. Having said which I'm getting about an hour or more of exercise that I wasn't getting otherwise (bicycle to station and walk at the other end).

Thank you to everyone that gave me excellent feedback and recommendations for London. My hat's off to you - I have no idea how you do it.

[anonymous-user]

SteelerSE said:

An update.

After the first few weeks I've tried a number of options and realise that:

1) I hate riding in London traffic
2) I'm not very good at it and am holding others up
3) It's not saving me much time over the train
4) The only benefit is cost
5) I'm exhausted from the concentration needed at both ends of the day
6) It's bloody dangerous

So I've gone over to the dark side and bought a season ticket for a month to see how that goes. After my first week of that I'm far happier on the train and maybe 20 minutes slower each way. Having said which I'm getting about an hour or more of exercise that I wasn't getting otherwise (bicycle to station and walk at the other end).

Thank you to everyone that gave me excellent feedback and recommendations for London. My hat's off to you - I have no idea how you do it.

It takes a lot of concentration and a certain type of patience to do it constantly. I HATE it with a passion when slow motorcyclists sit their and block a clear passage through the traffic so fair play for noticing that you are holding people up

I do it in and out 3 times a week from down the M4 to Bishopsgate.

[Dog Star]

Hooli said:

Golgarth said:

This thread serves as another reason why I can't understand how people put up with London

+1
I worked there for a week, thats enough for a lifetime.

Same here; sounds absolutely horrific.

[toxgobbler]

SteelerSE said:

An update.

After the first few weeks I've tried a number of options and realise that:

1) I hate riding in London traffic
2) I'm not very good at it and am holding others up
3) It's not saving me much time over the train
4) The only benefit is cost
5) I'm exhausted from the concentration needed at both ends of the day
6) It's bloody dangerous

So I've gone over to the dark side and bought a season ticket for a month to see how that goes. After my first week of that I'm far happier on the train and maybe 20 minutes slower each way. Having said which I'm getting about an hour or more of exercise that I wasn't getting otherwise (bicycle to station and walk at the other end).

Thank you to everyone that gave me excellent feedback and recommendations for London. My hat's off to you - I have no idea how you do it.

You get used to it and with a bit of practise learn to get better, routes for me are many and never come up on a sat nav (but probably come up with "The Knowledge"). I just kept trying till I was able to knock off almost 30 mins off my journey through central London by finding some cunning routes (for me through Belgravia).

[SteelerSE]

I may try again during the school holidays when the traffic is (hopefully) slightly better but we'll see.