Parking & riding in Central London
Discussion
happyWanderer said:
lindrup119 said:
This morning. North Circular. Chinese fking 125 or whatever it was. MIRRORS. fkING USE THEM.
Worse than that are Charlie/Ewan wannabies carrying their lunch in fking panniers...Some of them will see you in the mirrors but refuse to move over....
Adds a whole 3 or 4 minutes onto my commute some days!
lindrup119 said:
Adds a whole 3 or 4 minutes onto my commute some days!
Meh, the fking average speed cameras on a40 add more than that for me...It's mostly about not being a tt.
Whenever I see a rider come up behind me I move over. Dont matter if its a scooter/r1/whatever. If he wasn't there 30 secs ago it means he's filtering faster than me.
Seeing my bike isn't perfect for commuting (wide and tall bars) it happens quite often, but then quite often I get stuck behind some prick whos afraid to go through a gap you could fit a fking jumbojet through....
happyWanderer said:
fergus said:
Reardy Mister said:
Buy good riding kit.
Get in early for the bike bays.
Chain it.
Have eyes in the back of your head.
Learn meditation for all the acts of lunacy you will see or be subjected to.
Cover the horn and the brake.
If you can't filter, make way for someone who can.
+1 Get in early for the bike bays.
Chain it.
Have eyes in the back of your head.
Learn meditation for all the acts of lunacy you will see or be subjected to.
Cover the horn and the brake.
If you can't filter, make way for someone who can.
jhoneyball said:
Filtering in london is a WHOLE DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH to filtering out in the countryside, even a town like Huntingdon where I live. The lanes are tighter, the traffic loads much higher, you cant get away with having panniers, and it is frankly terrifying.
London on a Pan European with full panniers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6BOsF1GYbk
creampuff said:
jhoneyball said:
Filtering in london is a WHOLE DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH to filtering out in the countryside, even a town like Huntingdon where I live. The lanes are tighter, the traffic loads much higher, you cant get away with having panniers, and it is frankly terrifying.
London on a Pan European with full panniers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6BOsF1GYbk
I wonder how many frustrated bikers there were behind him?
Reardy Mister said:
If you can't filter, make way for someone who can.
Just a small rant. Seeing as it's Friday.Hello Mr RT rider on your way northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel this morning, sporting a pair of panniers which made the bike the same width as a Smart car. Hint: how many Smart cars do you see filtering? Exactly. Did you at any point check your mirrors to see around 20 bikes all queued up behind you because you couldn't fit through gaps we could have taken side by side?
What made it worse was, you had no top box. If you had a top box as well, I *might* have taken a slightly more sympathetic view and thought perhaps you were going away for the weekend straight from work. But no top box tells me that, if you bothered to sling one on, you could lose at least one pannier and we would all have been at work half an hour earlier, including you.
For the record, I too have been commuting on an RT but I wouldn't dream of doing so with the panniers on. Or, if I absolutely had to, I'd get the fk out of the way of the other bikes. Like all the other Smart cars do.
Remember, we know where you work.....
jhoneyball said:
Filtering in London...... The lanes are tighter, the traffic loads much higher, you cant get away with having panniers, and it is frankly terrifying.
Rubbish, until recently I had been commuting with a full set of Givi's on my bike and spent the same amount of time trying to pass other bikes filtering as I do now without the side panniers on and the journey time was the same, in fact it's even slower now due to all the Boris highway works. It much depends on which route you use and how busy the traffic is on a given day as to whether there is a gap between the cars in the first place........unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
CAPP0 said:
Just a small rant. Seeing as it's Friday.
Hello Mr RT rider on your way northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel this morning, sporting a pair of panniers which made the bike the same width as a Smart car. Hint: how many Smart cars do you see filtering? Exactly. Did you at any point check your mirrors to see around 20 bikes all queued up behind you because you couldn't fit through gaps we could have taken side by side?
What made it worse was, you had no top box. If you had a top box as well, I *might* have taken a slightly more sympathetic view and thought perhaps you were going away for the weekend straight from work. But no top box tells me that, if you bothered to sling one on, you could lose at least one pannier and we would all have been at work half an hour earlier, including you.
For the record, I too have been commuting on an RT but I wouldn't dream of doing so with the panniers on. Or, if I absolutely had to, I'd get the fk out of the way of the other bikes. Like all the other Smart cars do.
Remember, we know where you work.....
If an RT's mirrors will fit through, the panniers will fit through. If the screen fits past, the 50l top box will fit past. It takes about 30 seconds standing in front of the bike on its centre stand, to work this out. The guy must have just been crap. Hello Mr RT rider on your way northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel this morning, sporting a pair of panniers which made the bike the same width as a Smart car. Hint: how many Smart cars do you see filtering? Exactly. Did you at any point check your mirrors to see around 20 bikes all queued up behind you because you couldn't fit through gaps we could have taken side by side?
What made it worse was, you had no top box. If you had a top box as well, I *might* have taken a slightly more sympathetic view and thought perhaps you were going away for the weekend straight from work. But no top box tells me that, if you bothered to sling one on, you could lose at least one pannier and we would all have been at work half an hour earlier, including you.
For the record, I too have been commuting on an RT but I wouldn't dream of doing so with the panniers on. Or, if I absolutely had to, I'd get the fk out of the way of the other bikes. Like all the other Smart cars do.
Remember, we know where you work.....
On a brighter note, another RT rider who I see occasionally on my commute actually saluted me at the lights on Friday. I think that means I'm in some sort of club now. Maybe not a good one, though.
Edited by Reardy Mister on Sunday 29th November 14:05
Reardy Mister said:
CAPP0 said:
Just a small rant. Seeing as it's Friday.
Hello Mr RT rider on your way northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel this morning, sporting a pair of panniers which made the bike the same width as a Smart car. Hint: how many Smart cars do you see filtering? Exactly. Did you at any point check your mirrors to see around 20 bikes all queued up behind you because you couldn't fit through gaps we could have taken side by side?
What made it worse was, you had no top box. If you had a top box as well, I *might* have taken a slightly more sympathetic view and thought perhaps you were going away for the weekend straight from work. But no top box tells me that, if you bothered to sling one on, you could lose at least one pannier and we would all have been at work half an hour earlier, including you.
For the record, I too have been commuting on an RT but I wouldn't dream of doing so with the panniers on. Or, if I absolutely had to, I'd get the fk out of the way of the other bikes. Like all the other Smart cars do.
Remember, we know where you work.....
If an RT's mirrors will fit through, the panniers will fit through. If the screen fits past, the 50l top box will fit past. It takes about 30 seconds standing in front of the bike on its centre stand, to work this out. The guy must have just been crap. Hello Mr RT rider on your way northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel this morning, sporting a pair of panniers which made the bike the same width as a Smart car. Hint: how many Smart cars do you see filtering? Exactly. Did you at any point check your mirrors to see around 20 bikes all queued up behind you because you couldn't fit through gaps we could have taken side by side?
What made it worse was, you had no top box. If you had a top box as well, I *might* have taken a slightly more sympathetic view and thought perhaps you were going away for the weekend straight from work. But no top box tells me that, if you bothered to sling one on, you could lose at least one pannier and we would all have been at work half an hour earlier, including you.
For the record, I too have been commuting on an RT but I wouldn't dream of doing so with the panniers on. Or, if I absolutely had to, I'd get the fk out of the way of the other bikes. Like all the other Smart cars do.
Remember, we know where you work.....
On a brighter note, another RT rider who I see occasionally on my commute actually saluted me at the lights on Friday. I think that means I'm in some sort of club now. Maybe not a good one, though.
Edited by Reardy Mister on Sunday 29th November 14:05
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Something to consider... however I see a lot of nice bikes parked in Bays all the time. However I worry everytime I leave my bike parked up.
Something to consider... however I see a lot of nice bikes parked in Bays all the time. However I worry everytime I leave my bike parked up.
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
Harby74 said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
It is safe, if illegal, when traffic is stationary, there is no oncoming traffic and no pedestrians crossing the road and I have done it many times with no additional risk to me or any other road user.
While each individual manoeuvre may only move the bike on a small amount relative to the traffic immediately around them, the combination of all of the small gains give a significant overall time saving.
black-k1 said:
Harby74 said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
It is safe, if illegal, when traffic is stationary, there is no oncoming traffic and no pedestrians crossing the road and I have done it many times with no additional risk to me or any other road user.
While each individual manoeuvre may only move the bike on a small amount relative to the traffic immediately around them, the combination of all of the small gains give a significant overall time saving.
Do people actually read what has been posted before replying? In this case I guess not
fleegle said:
black-k1 said:
Harby74 said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
It is safe, if illegal, when traffic is stationary, there is no oncoming traffic and no pedestrians crossing the road and I have done it many times with no additional risk to me or any other road user.
While each individual manoeuvre may only move the bike on a small amount relative to the traffic immediately around them, the combination of all of the small gains give a significant overall time saving.
Do people actually read what has been posted before replying? In this case I guess not
A few months into commuting in London and I thought fk it. If I've got time to check that a) no pedestrians are crossing, b) there's nothing coming on the opposite side and c) there's no fuzz around, then I'm pretty sure it's safe. Illegal. But safe.
Speeding is illegal and dangerous too Harby just fyi
Edited by lindrup119 on Monday 7th December 17:11
lindrup119 said:
fleegle said:
black-k1 said:
Harby74 said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
It is safe, if illegal, when traffic is stationary, there is no oncoming traffic and no pedestrians crossing the road and I have done it many times with no additional risk to me or any other road user.
While each individual manoeuvre may only move the bike on a small amount relative to the traffic immediately around them, the combination of all of the small gains give a significant overall time saving.
Do people actually read what has been posted before replying? In this case I guess not
A few months into commuting in London and I thought fk it. If I've got time to check that a) no pedestrians are crossing, b) there's nothing coming on the opposite side and c) there's no fuzz around, then I'm pretty sure it's safe. Illegal. But safe.
Speeding is illegal and dangerous too Harby just fyi
Edited by lindrup119 on Monday 7th December 17:11
Harby74 said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
fleegle said:
Harby74 said:
....unless of course your one of the many bikers that thinks it's OK to go round the wrong side of all the fixed bollards, traffic islands and cones.
I do this when the traffic is stationary in my lane but clear on the other side with nothing oncoming. While this may be illegal, as long as it is clear of pedestrians and safe to do so then I see no harm. I see no point in sitting in a queueI never hop around crossings though. That's a big no-no in my book
The amount of times I see other bikers and cyclists do this with people crossing the road, vehicles coming the other way, all so they can get to the next red light sooner, it rarely results in any real progress.
We could argue this all night long, but my POV won't change & I doubt yours will so I suggest we leave it.
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