New commute, which route?

[CAPP0]

I start a new commute tomorrow, from Kent, gongi in to Minories car park at Tower Bridge. I'll be coming up the A20 to start with.

I need to work out the best route in from there, taking into account the availability of useable bus lanes.

From, say, Cliftons roundabout, I could:

- go up to Kidbrooke, dive up towards Blackheath, then across Blackheath. But from previous commute memory, I think there's little room to filter across the heath?

- go down to Lee, then right towards Blackheath, cut across the heath, come out near the top of Blackheath Hill

then

do I turn right in Deptford and head up towards Surrey Quays and over Tower Bridge that way?

or

press on through New Cross and up the Old Kent Rd to the Bricklayers Arms, then TB that way? More bus lane usage this route?

Will probably have to try all but if anyone has a preferred route, would be good to know.

I could of course go through the Blackwall and up The Highway, but I've tried that before and filtering options on The Highway can be nil at points, with all the lights and islands and narrow lanes.

Cheers.

Edited by CAPP0 on Sunday 22 January 18:29

[CAPP0]

Cheers both. I used the A20 route above this morning. My previous commute in was A20/Kidbrooke/Blackwall/CW. I was looking forward to not having to use the tunnel but now I'm not so sure! Bit manic coming up the new route and it took a lot longer than the old commute. I'm sure I'll shave some time off that once I learn where the pinch points and gaps are.

Have also now gone from a private underground car park to to a public car park so I imagine the bike will pick up a few war wounds

[CAPP0]

Thanks Pete. Your turn-right-at-Deptford route was my other choice, I used to use that to get to Tooley St many years ago. I'll try it tomorrow. Might go Lee Green > Blackheath village > Blackheath Hill to avoid the Blackheath u-turners then.

Having so many side turnings for possible SMIDSYs is *really* noticeable compared to the old commute. I'll have to see, maybe I will even go back to the tunnel option, it's just that the Limehouse Link/Highway route very much reduces filtering options. I'll have to try and time the options on the same days of the week and see how it goes. I certainly don't want to be adding 20-25 mins each way to my commute .

[CAPP0]

Yes, that one's on my radar too.

And, more importantly, the route home is....????

[CAPP0]

kiethton said:

HairyMaclary said:

A20 > Sidcup > Lewisham > New Cross > Old Kent Road

I currently do this but only because I go to Moorgate and tooley street has roadworks.

I prefer:

A20 - Lee High Road -Lewisham - the right just after the station to Deptford - Jamaica Road - Tooley Street

Although not multi-lane it doesn't queue/block with buses as easily and the lanes are wider, with few central reservations, making filtering far easier (and safer!)

I did that in reverse home tonight. No bike lane usage east of Rotherhithe Tunnel until Deptford and a 20mph limit all the way! Fortunately the traffic was light.

[CAPP0]

Sea Demon said:

I work next to Tower Bridge & take the M20/A20, Old Kent Road route - going home though I go via Deptford, Greenwich, Blackheath, A2/Kidbrooke A20/M20 as the OKR/Lewisham is a lot busier in the evenings & there's too much start/stop for me. The route home is pretty clear up til Greenwich/Blackheath but its not too bad really, just seems easier - takes 1h10mins to get home to Maidstone (3 miles off Jct 7).

Ah, very similar, I'm just off J4 of the M20.

Have you tried the Blackwall Tunnel/Commercial Rd option?

I hopped up to Blackheath from Deptford last night rather than go into Greenwich........

kiethton said:

a good looking female exhibitionist that likes standing/changing in front of the window at the junction near deptford (new flats in plan view as you wait at the traffic to turn right heading out of town).

.......and I think I'll go that way tonight too!!

[CAPP0]

kiethton said:

Haha, it's in the big square block here, just over half way up and fairly central:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.480834,-0.023318...

Obviously I didn't go home that way and obviously even if I had have, I wouldn't have been looking, and obviously the lights went green just as I got to them so obviously I didn't ride around the corner not paying attention or looking where I was going.

But if I had been, I might have seen a woman in a window about halfway up the block but to the left side, who might have appeared to be bouncing up and down in a very regular/rhythmic manner, and I might have briefly wondered whether there was someone else in the flat with her and I might have briefly wondered whether she was doing that thing which a mummy and a daddy do when they love each other very much indeed.

Good job I wasn't there, of course.