Traffic Chaos London tomorrow
Discussion
Cycle races stretching from East London to Boxhill near Dorking, Surrey will cut London in half all day tomorrow, Sunday 2nd August.
The website very kindly points out all the roads that will be closed and that almost every bridge across the Thames will be shut with the added problems that vehicles won't be able to cross the cycle routes that run out then back into the City.
I got caught by this in 2011 when they did a test for the Olympics.
Had got back from a camping holiday with the kids in Cornwall, late Saturday night and then up 4am Sunday to go to work. No public transport at that time and I can't rely on the night buses, so I drive to work. Wandsworth to Bayswater, takes about 20 mins.
I finished work at lunchtime and headed back south to go home. Gridlock everywhere, and no one knew what was going on. People thought it was a terrorist attack or a continuation of the London riots that had just occurred.
Eventually the traffic came up against the closed roads manned by stewards who gave lots of disinformation about which bridges were open. It wasn't until I found a copper who said that it was pointless trying and that I should wait until the roads opened later on at 5pm.
I abandoned my car, sat in a pub for an hour, went to the cinema, sat in my car for a while before I finally was able to carry on home.
My 20min journey took 5 hours.
This time I have tried to plan but the website is not much help. Basically says don't drive.
Ages of looking at various maps seems to have brought up a route.
I can head from Bayswater to Shepherds Bush and then head south to Hammersmith where the cycles will be going over the flyover. From there go to Hammersmith Bridge which is open and then keep heading south until I join the A3. Head east on the A3, under Tibbetts Corner which is another cycle route and then hit the back roads to head home.
Great plan, I just hope the rest of London hasn't worked this out
It will be hell but at least I'll be on my Vespa.
The website very kindly points out all the roads that will be closed and that almost every bridge across the Thames will be shut with the added problems that vehicles won't be able to cross the cycle routes that run out then back into the City.
I got caught by this in 2011 when they did a test for the Olympics.
Had got back from a camping holiday with the kids in Cornwall, late Saturday night and then up 4am Sunday to go to work. No public transport at that time and I can't rely on the night buses, so I drive to work. Wandsworth to Bayswater, takes about 20 mins.
I finished work at lunchtime and headed back south to go home. Gridlock everywhere, and no one knew what was going on. People thought it was a terrorist attack or a continuation of the London riots that had just occurred.
Eventually the traffic came up against the closed roads manned by stewards who gave lots of disinformation about which bridges were open. It wasn't until I found a copper who said that it was pointless trying and that I should wait until the roads opened later on at 5pm.
I abandoned my car, sat in a pub for an hour, went to the cinema, sat in my car for a while before I finally was able to carry on home.
My 20min journey took 5 hours.
This time I have tried to plan but the website is not much help. Basically says don't drive.
Ages of looking at various maps seems to have brought up a route.
I can head from Bayswater to Shepherds Bush and then head south to Hammersmith where the cycles will be going over the flyover. From there go to Hammersmith Bridge which is open and then keep heading south until I join the A3. Head east on the A3, under Tibbetts Corner which is another cycle route and then hit the back roads to head home.
Great plan, I just hope the rest of London hasn't worked this out
It will be hell but at least I'll be on my Vespa.
LudaMusser said:
OP, getting back from a holiday late on Saturday night and then getting up at 4am on Sunday morning to go to work sounds like incredibly bad planning.
The joys of being freelance. I was lucky to get a holiday in Just come back from Bayswater by the route I checked out. Surprisingly quiet in Notting Hill and Shepherds Bush but the fun started at Hammersmith Broadway. Nothing was moving and it even took me 5mins to get around it on the Vespa.
Hammersmith bridge was clear but massive queues heading north. Had a clear and easy run down through Roehampton until the A3 heading east. Barely moving so a bit of filtering until I could turn right into the back roads.
Half an hour to get home via the long way but if I had been in my car I'd suspect I'd still be at Hammersmith Broadway.
What was concerning was lack of signage or anything telling people what was going on, and advise on which roads not to go down.
But the cycle route went from Stratford, East London, through the centre, out through West London, down through South West London and onwards across Surrey.
That is a big area to circumvent if you live one side of the route and have to get to the other side.
On Sunday morning my youngest had a very serious asthma attack and the ambulance took a long time to get to him. They apologised yet admitted that they were all screwed because of the closures.
St Georges was totally dependent on their only helicopter.
I am not against a cycle race but London is too big and too over populated to be cut in half for a day. It's bad enough when all the roads and bridges are open.
Thankfully my son was treated and recovered but I do wonder how many people may not have made it due to the ambulance delay.
That is a big area to circumvent if you live one side of the route and have to get to the other side.
On Sunday morning my youngest had a very serious asthma attack and the ambulance took a long time to get to him. They apologised yet admitted that they were all screwed because of the closures.
St Georges was totally dependent on their only helicopter.
I am not against a cycle race but London is too big and too over populated to be cut in half for a day. It's bad enough when all the roads and bridges are open.
Thankfully my son was treated and recovered but I do wonder how many people may not have made it due to the ambulance delay.
Mr Will said:
Quit making things up to try and support your point. London was not "cut in half for a day". Everything east of Charing Cross was open before most people were out of bed.
Funny thing about PH these days, it gets so personal.I wouldn't make things up, especially about my son's health and at the time of the ambulance call ie the morning, all of London was split and besides, the crew that made it to us were at Chelsea and Westminster, trying to get to us just over the river at Wandsworth. Going via Charing Cross would have taken too long plus the fact that the only bridge open to the East, according to the Prudential Site, was Blackfriars as the others were all closed until 1700 or 1900, again according to the site which I researched at length before my journey across London.
The only bridge to the West that was open was Hammersmith, hence that whole area was at a complete standstill and even as a motorcycle courier of 10 years, I found it very hard going trying to get back to south London.
'A number of bridges in central London
will be closed during the event on 1 and 2
August. Blackfriars Bridge will remain open
but may be busier than usual. Visit
www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk/roadclosures
for more information about river crossings
during the event weekend.'
That is my opinion formed by my experiences of the day so I trust that yours was different.
OK you don't know me and I don't know you so I could be making it all up, maybe I'll do that from now on just to fill my day
Edited by croyde on Tuesday 4th August 16:15
Emergency measures to cross the course don't matter a jot when the roads around the area are gridlocked.
True some central London roads did open late morning but many remained closed including the bridges as the bicycle and hand bike races came back in the afternoon to finish back in central London.
I'm not knocking the idea of the weekend, just that the route should involved going under bridges so as not to close so many of them.
Maybe with my 35 years of driving in London, they should have consulted me about the route
True some central London roads did open late morning but many remained closed including the bridges as the bicycle and hand bike races came back in the afternoon to finish back in central London.
I'm not knocking the idea of the weekend, just that the route should involved going under bridges so as not to close so many of them.
Maybe with my 35 years of driving in London, they should have consulted me about the route
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