And today's commuting highlight is...
Discussion
DirtyHarley said:
I do the A2/M2 every single day - its not bad when everything is running ok... but a single accident or incident snarls it up something terrible, plus the 'elephant racing' lorries are a daily occurance that I generally filter through. Today I did the M20 to Ashford and then backroads for the final leg home instead as google traffic was showing a big block of red/black on the A2 following two accidents within a mile or two of each other.
Although for brands I guess you went from London area following the A2 down to the darenth interchange and then did either back roads or M25/M20? That stretch of the A2 is particularly s
tty and horrible for traffic, roadworks, and potholes!
Yep, just followed A2 then on to A20. Always try and keep it simple when I’ve not much of a clue where I’m going.Although for brands I guess you went from London area following the A2 down to the darenth interchange and then did either back roads or M25/M20? That stretch of the A2 is particularly s
tty and horrible for traffic, roadworks, and potholes!Once you know how the junctions and lights etc are laid out it would be easier, but still grim.
Pothole said:
Makes my blood boil, that kind of comment. Late home doesn't really compare to so miserable you've decided to be dead, or to the mental trauma that driver will now be suffering. Selfish s. Hope your fault finding is successful and doesn't end up costing you too much!
I used to commute in London and it is selfish when someone tops themselves by throwing themselves in front of a train. It can add 2 hours to the journey time to 100,000 people, so people miss dinner with their families, miss relaxation, whatever on top of their normal commute which they would rather not be doing. Times 100,000. Then the train driver has to live with it afterwards. It used to happen quite regularly; every 3 months or so there would be a major delay. Not easy to avoid if you are on a National Rail overland line rather than the tube. I’ve been on a passenger on a train twice which has run over someone. One of those I felt the train run over their body and it resulted in all us passengers being locked in the train for 5 hours, with an arrival home at around 2am. s. Hope your fault finding is successful and doesn't end up costing you too much!Find other methods to suicide is my opinion.
Edited due to small phone screen typos.
Edited by Iminquarantine on Wednesday 8th September 10:23
Iminquarantine said:
I used to commute in London and it is selfish when someone tops themselves by throwing themselves in front of a train. It can add 2 hours to the journey time to 100,000 people, so people miss dinner with their families, miss relaxation, whatever on too of their normal commute which they would rather not be doing. Times 100,000. Then the train driver has to live with it afterwards. It used to happen quite regularly; every 3 months or so there would be a major delay. Not easy to avoid if you are on a National Rail overland line rather than the tube. I’ve been on a passenger on a train twice which has run over someone. One of those i debt the train run over their body and it resulted in all us passengers being locked in the train for 5 hours, with an arrival home at around 2am.
Find other methods to suicide is my opinion.
I know two train drivers both had someone hit the train. One was a girl who apparently stood too close and one was a chap who threw himself in front. I would echo the effect on the drivers. One has never worked again and the other took nearly a year to get back to work.Find other methods to suicide is my opinion.
overtaken this morning by a 125cc Vespa ridden by a bloke in a jumper, living out his Rossi fantasies...literally using every inch of the road (am guessing because he didnt have enough grip to carry the speed on a tighter radius) as he hooned round the London Wall roundabout.
I do like to "make progress" in London where I can...but quite amazing to see someone ride busy 20mph roads on the ragged edge, on a moped. margin for error...zero!
I do like to "make progress" in London where I can...but quite amazing to see someone ride busy 20mph roads on the ragged edge, on a moped. margin for error...zero!
squirdan said:
overtaken this morning by a 125cc Vespa ridden by a bloke in a jumper, living out his Rossi fantasies...literally using every inch of the road (am guessing because he didnt have enough grip to carry the speed on a tighter radius) as he hooned round the London Wall roundabout.
I do like to "make progress" in London where I can...but quite amazing to see someone ride busy 20mph roads on the ragged edge, on a moped. margin for error...zero!
Thats just standard scootering ..... I trundled out of London yesterday towards Lewisham and the scooter / moped brigade are 40mph everywhere and just stoppying for the cameras .... trouble is there are so many sets of lights they just sit at those longer ...I do like to "make progress" in London where I can...but quite amazing to see someone ride busy 20mph roads on the ragged edge, on a moped. margin for error...zero!
New highlight for me, having acquired a basic Sena unit, I am now enjoying hardcore hip hop as my soundtrack to my commute ,,,,,,
Traffic on the way into London seemed particularly bad today even though I rode in late (just after 9am) - Northbound Blackwall tunnel was a long queue in particular - sign of more people coming back into London after the summer perhaps?
I also picked a rather warm morning for a first commute on my recently-acquired Monster 821, which was my highlight - arrived with my legs feeling a little cooked...
I also picked a rather warm morning for a first commute on my recently-acquired Monster 821, which was my highlight - arrived with my legs feeling a little cooked...
_Neal_ said:
Traffic on the way into London seemed particularly bad today even though I rode in late (just after 9am) - Northbound Blackwall tunnel was a long queue in particular - sign of more people coming back into London after the summer perhaps?
I also picked a rather warm morning for a first commute on my recently-acquired Monster 821, which was my highlight - arrived with my legs feeling a little cooked...
Nice bike, great engine that, a real peach, had the 821 in my first Hyperstrada I also picked a rather warm morning for a first commute on my recently-acquired Monster 821, which was my highlight - arrived with my legs feeling a little cooked...
Had a cyclist nearly take me (and the Mrs on the back) off this morning on the OKR - swerved from the NS of the NS lane to the middle of 3 to take a gap.....despite me already being there...if it wasn't for the Mrs on the back (not ideal when already in a tight-ish gap) would have been tempted to take the contact/reach out and deflect him back left, into the back of the bus he was trying to swerve around. Cretin still had the gall to yell at me, as he then went through every single red light down the stretch.
kiethton said:
Had a cyclist nearly take me (and the Mrs on the back) off this morning on the OKR - swerved from the NS of the NS lane to the middle of 3 to take a gap.....despite me already being there...if it wasn't for the Mrs on the back (not ideal when already in a tight-ish gap) would have been tempted to take the contact/reach out and deflect him back left, into the back of the bus he was trying to swerve around. Cretin still had the gall to yell at me, as he then went through every single red light down the stretch.
Would love to see how he behaves when arriving work with an attitude like that !bsidethecside said:
kiethton said:
Had a cyclist nearly take me (and the Mrs on the back) off this morning on the OKR - swerved from the NS of the NS lane to the middle of 3 to take a gap.....despite me already being there...if it wasn't for the Mrs on the back (not ideal when already in a tight-ish gap) would have been tempted to take the contact/reach out and deflect him back left, into the back of the bus he was trying to swerve around. Cretin still had the gall to yell at me, as he then went through every single red light down the stretch.
Would love to see how he behaves when arriving work with an attitude like that !It must have been moron's day out today as I had two incidents from knobends in SUVs....
On the way in, I had someone drift into my lane next to me. He did the old hands up sorry motion... holding a phone with whatsapp showing!
On the way home traffic on the M2 near the Medway services I was travelling in the right lane behind traffic going approx 60, left lane intermittant lorries and caravans doing ~40, SUV infront of me starts weaving indecidedly between the lanes and then commits to move into lane one to speed up, see him weaving in and out of the lanes trying to pick his way forward until he gets stuck behind a slow caravan roughly 10 cars ahead of where he was, he then attempts to pull back into lane 2 but no-one is letting him out since he's been a knob weaving in and out of pretty close running traffic, so he decides to pull into me... which made me very glad I have ABS as otherwise I'd probably be embedded somewhere along the right side of his car!
On the way in, I had someone drift into my lane next to me. He did the old hands up sorry motion... holding a phone with whatsapp showing!
On the way home traffic on the M2 near the Medway services I was travelling in the right lane behind traffic going approx 60, left lane intermittant lorries and caravans doing ~40, SUV infront of me starts weaving indecidedly between the lanes and then commits to move into lane one to speed up, see him weaving in and out of the lanes trying to pick his way forward until he gets stuck behind a slow caravan roughly 10 cars ahead of where he was, he then attempts to pull back into lane 2 but no-one is letting him out since he's been a knob weaving in and out of pretty close running traffic, so he decides to pull into me... which made me very glad I have ABS as otherwise I'd probably be embedded somewhere along the right side of his car!
Approached a traffic light junction intending to go straight ahead. Left hand lane had a very long queue, right hand lane for right turning traffic only but deserted, so I went up the right hand lane. Slightly cheeky but there is a chevroned area (broken lines) between the two lanes so I can get out of the way of anyone planning a right turn.
Got to the lights and they were red with a black golf at the front of the queue. Across the junction there is a right hand lane but it merges very quickly to the left. So either slip back into the queue as it moves off or accelerate hard when the light goes green and get ahead of the Golf at the front of the queue. The gap behind the Golf was decent so I waited alongside the rear of the Golf, planning to either slip in behind the Golf or overtake it according to how promptly it moved off.
The lights changed and the Golf moved leaving a gap, but then backed off a bit, I was looking at the gap and the Golf calculating whether I should still pull in or take the opportunity to pass the Golf. So I saw the Golf slow right down but didn't see the reason, the silver Astra jumping the lights from my right, until it was right in front of me.
The Golf missed him, but if I'd waited at the stop line rather than further back and been overtaking the Golf t the time I don't think I would have. My attention would have been on avoiding the Golf so I doubt I would have seen the Astra until it was too late.
Got to the lights and they were red with a black golf at the front of the queue. Across the junction there is a right hand lane but it merges very quickly to the left. So either slip back into the queue as it moves off or accelerate hard when the light goes green and get ahead of the Golf at the front of the queue. The gap behind the Golf was decent so I waited alongside the rear of the Golf, planning to either slip in behind the Golf or overtake it according to how promptly it moved off.
The lights changed and the Golf moved leaving a gap, but then backed off a bit, I was looking at the gap and the Golf calculating whether I should still pull in or take the opportunity to pass the Golf. So I saw the Golf slow right down but didn't see the reason, the silver Astra jumping the lights from my right, until it was right in front of me.
The Golf missed him, but if I'd waited at the stop line rather than further back and been overtaking the Golf t the time I don't think I would have. My attention would have been on avoiding the Golf so I doubt I would have seen the Astra until it was too late.
today's highlight on a trip to London and sunny Woking was
wet, with more wet, continued wet, with a pissy wet weather front until i got back to staffordshire when it was dry and had been all day as i was informed by the better half
wasn't that bad, busy as it has been but the knob heads who only drive on the motorway twice a year when going on holiday have all but gone leaving more experienced business traffic
usual hold up points are starting to reappear
wet, with more wet, continued wet, with a pissy wet weather front until i got back to staffordshire when it was dry and had been all day as i was informed by the better half
wasn't that bad, busy as it has been but the knob heads who only drive on the motorway twice a year when going on holiday have all but gone leaving more experienced business traffic
usual hold up points are starting to reappear
fk me - who wants to trade their jetski for a bike!?
Today was WET - but crazy thing was all the way through Kent it was dry, little mist but overall I was quite happy with my choice of summer riding gear as the forecast said light rain. Got to Bexleyheath area and it was like riding into a wall of water falling from the sky, with added standing water all over the road, and for the fun of it water somehow producing yet more water but this time with some lovely greasy diesel mixed in!
Bloody glad I leave a spare suit in the office just incase... but chucking still damp gear on to ride home was no fun at all. Be on the train tomorrow though as having an after work drink or two with an old mate I've not seen since before lockdown Mk1.
k me - who wants to trade their jetski for a bike!?Today was WET - but crazy thing was all the way through Kent it was dry, little mist but overall I was quite happy with my choice of summer riding gear as the forecast said light rain. Got to Bexleyheath area and it was like riding into a wall of water falling from the sky, with added standing water all over the road, and for the fun of it water somehow producing yet more water but this time with some lovely greasy diesel mixed in!
Bloody glad I leave a spare suit in the office just incase... but chucking still damp gear on to ride home was no fun at all. Be on the train tomorrow though as having an after work drink or two with an old mate I've not seen since before lockdown Mk1.
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