London is Horrible!!!

jbindman · June 2007

on friday i took a wrong turn trying to find the A3 parallel cycle path and found myself deep in a deserted wood, on a gravel track, with rabbits diving in front of my wheels. seems id got on to wimbledon common by mistake. my point being, you can find pretty much anything you want in london. not that i wanted a country ride as it happened, I was just looking for a fast route to hampton...

anyway, to the original poster there are plenty of cycle routes round/avoiding Kings Cross, which is indeed very unpleasant- this am I was on one, at Goldington Crescent, at 8 am and couldn't see a single moving car. not because they were jammed solid, there just weren't any. back street cycle routes have their drawbacks i grant you, i cant be bothered with most of them myself, but if you want to cycle from kings X to birdcage walk without sucking exhausts, it can be done.

fgg 1666

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

London isn't bad but im spoilt because I remember when it was a nicer place.

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

How not to lock a bike. http://i14.tinypic.com/52355zr.jpg

peejay78 · June 2007

judging by some of your recent posts, hack, i think your image of london in the past is here:

http://tinyurl.com/2wadpw

winter: http://tinyurl.com/2xkbbs
summer: http://tinyurl.com/2hsagv

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

I know a hill like that.It's at Wirksworth (Derbyshire) where my uncle lives.

Brought back memories.

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

How not to lock a bike. http://i14.tinypic.com/52355zr.jpg

Pizzaman · June 2007

Like any great city (New York etc), London keeps changing. That's its magic.

Bagonabike · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by The Boss

Colliers wood tower!
The Gherkin!
The millennium dome!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
How *dare* you put Colliers Wood Tower in with those two? It's in a league all of its own. And it comes in handy for filming "The Bill".

southlaker · June 2007

I think I'll start organising cycling holidays in London. Richmond Park every day for a fortnight.

bunnyman · June 2007

Hey, what about Neasden? Wossgoinon wiv all these norverners and sheepshaggers knocking Lahndahn-they 'aven't got a scooby mate!...Seriously, though, I've only cycled in London once ( KX to Waterloo) and it was reasonably painless- just watch out for the busses and DON'T try and undertake them 'cos that's what you'll be needing if you do). It's a great place to visit for culture vulturing etc and there's some nice riding in the Chilterns, North & South Down's etc, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's not the crime, it's general urban claustrophobia, being surrounded by concrete, fumes, traffic and crowds- when I used to go up for the day I always used to feel cream crackered at the end of it as I collapsed gratefully into my seat on the train home from Waterloo.... It's just really hectic ..and expensive . Besides, I have Glentress, Innerleithen etc on my doorstep now (wo!).

Why is the last mile always the hardest mile ? - The Smiths

Unknown · June 2007

Richmond Park last night was delightful - with a SW tailwind the only noise was the buzzing of tyres and the wind in your ears!

I couldn't believe how empty of bikes it was at 9.30pm - assumed people would be taking advantage of the car-free environment to get some easy miles in?

S

plusgourmande · June 2007

Lol, these country boys can't hack it ...

hevipedal · July 2007

So London is horrible?

Friday 6th July Tour de France presentation in Trafalgar Sq
Sat 7th July Tour de France prologue around Westminster and Hyde park
Sun 8th July Tour de France stage 1 - rollout through London weaving over the Thames and rolling out to Greenwich where the racing starts to Canterbury.

Priceless absolutely priceless. The best weekend of my life (almost)

rdaviesb · July 2007

Spot on Hevipedal. My itinerary was the same, ending in Hyde Park in watching the end of the Canterbury stage on the big screen. Almost the perfect weekend.

The BIG GT · July 2007

We all have to make compromises but at the end of the day, scenery and clean air don't pay.

Never been to Vancouver? Vibrant, cosmopolitan city. 20 minutes on a bus or a bike = beautiful coastal views, wildlife, mountains, etc.....

That's how a city should be, but they are VERY lucky with their surroundings.

I could not wait to get out of 'London proper' because the negatives were getting me down and the positives were no longer things that I wanted. When I was younger it was the other way around and I loved it!

I think that maybe some people here are complaining that London has got worse where maybe they've got older and their priorities have changed? All the things I loved about London are still there, I just don't hold them as important anymore, so I moved.

It really is as simple as that: if you don't like it, don't live there, find somewhere you do like and move there; if you do like it, stay there or move there. That is the same for anywhere in the world, not just London.

Why does someone else liking something that you dislike wind you up so much? If everyone liked the same things, we'd really be in the $h!t, wouldn't we? Be positive and make yourself happy, don't just whinge, moan and slag off aggressively because you can't be @rsed to do anything about improving your situation...

snorri · July 2007

neslon wrote:

Cars, inching along at walking pace still trying to squeeze against bikes

I would rather be sqeezed by cars going at walking pace than going at 60-70 mph which is what I have to put up with in my rural idyll :roll:
Anyway I enjoy a trip to London a few times a year, all these people, makes a change. It is a bit remote though

malky54704 · July 2007

neslon wrote:

I had to go there for a meeting a week back and was shocked at how bad it is for cyclists. Cars, inching along at walking pace still trying to squeeze against bikes easily capable of going faster than the stinking, stagnant traffic. No cycle lanes that I saw (between Kings Cross & Birdcage walk). I nearly choked on the acidic puke that passes for air & was really depressed to see the levels of aggression displayed by many drivers towards bikes.
Why do you do it? Move out now, get away from the dump, find a job and a decent house somewhere else and enjoy life without worrying when some psychopathic taxi driver is going to wipe you out so he can save 5 seconds. Life is too short to waste it ploughing through that cack every day.
Yours in sympathy, Nelson

Sorry mate disagree....Lived in central London and Central Paris and in the country. Yeah it's busy and hell you can feel some aggression but London is vibrant, living and diverse. It is a fabulous city.

Youn can cycle in the parks or join the melee, whatever it is the best place to cycle.

My commute down country lanes and disaused railway is great but I do miss that cot and thrust.

I say live and let live and share London get the mood you'll love it!

London is Horrible!!!

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