London Freewheel

rgisme
rgisme Posts: 1,598
edited June 2007 in Commuting chat
This is already in 'Ride', but I'm putting it here too as it may be of interest to London 'Commuters' who might not notice it there - a traffic free mass cycle ride round the sights of London!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/art ... ture.shtml

and:

http://www.londonfreewheel.com/default.asp

Could be a bit of fun.

Comments

  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    London "Freewheel" - so no fixies then!

    Rufus.
  • Totalnewbie
    Totalnewbie Posts: 932
    I'm going to do it and tried to persuade the boyf to do it too. Should be fun.

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 400572.jpg
  • "The Hovis London Freewheel will take place on Sunday 23 September and is aimed at cyclists of every age and ability. <b>A 14 km central London route will be made traffic-free</b> allowing thousands of riders to take over the streets and enjoy the capital's most iconic sights including the London Eye, Victoria Embankment, Westminster and St Paul's Cathedral and the Mall."

    Bikes are traffic.
    Bikes are traffic.
  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    Whooooo! I'm so chuffed this is the weekend before the Berlin marathon, else I wouldn't have been able to take part. I'll do it on skates of course!

    <font size="1">My bikes
    My skates</font id="size1">

    If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.
  • ChrisLS
    ChrisLS Posts: 2,749
    ...could, say, a bumpkin bring his bike up to the big city and ride it, or is it just for you city folks?
    ...all the way...'til the wheels fall off and burn...
  • <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by ChrisLS</i>

    ...could, say, a bumpkin bring his bike up to the big city and ride it, or is it just for you city folks?
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
    How do you intend to get here? Taking bikes on trains isnt as easy as it used to be.

    Bikes are traffic.
    Bikes are traffic.
  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    Looking at SWT site, there appear to be a whole splattering of rail closures, platform closures, alterations etc.

    http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrai ... 922AWE.htm

    Don't fancy my chances taking a bike on a "replacement bus service".

    Rufus.
  • Tynancp
    Tynancp Posts: 160
    who lives in the SE and not seen those sites already

    10 miles into the city for me
  • jonathan ellis
    jonathan ellis Posts: 3,870
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by BentMikey</i>

    Whooooo! I'm so chuffed this is the weekend before the Berlin marathon, else I wouldn't have been able to take part. I'll do it on skates of course!

    <font size="1">My bikes
    My skates</font id="size1">

    If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    a pinch off topic
    Mikey where you teaching inline on south carriage drive t'other day?

    I saw a 'bent next to the benches!

    back on topic me and family are in
    <font size="1">ti</font id="size1"> <font size="1">steel</font id="size1">
  • overmars
    overmars Posts: 430
    Ah! T'will be a fantastic day!
    [:D][:D]

    ________________________
    The obstacle is the path
  • graham_g
    graham_g Posts: 652
    Great idea - I thought it would be nice to come down and do but don't think it's appropriate when numbers are limited and it's designed to get more Londoners cycling!
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    im doing it, might bring my little brother down if none of my mates are willing. Unless anyone is coming from Barnet

    http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bikeim9.jpg
  • dondare
    dondare Posts: 2,113
    I commute from Barnet, but I don't know if I'll be doing it on the day.

    "da sapienti et addetur ei sapientia doce iustum et festinabit accipere."
    This post contains traces of nuts.
  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jonathan ellis</i>

    a pinch off topic
    Mikey where you teaching inline on south carriage drive t'other day?

    I saw a 'bent next to the benches!

    back on topic me and family are in
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    By the Albert Memorial, and this bent?

    http://www.londonskaters.com/cycling/im ... 080261.JPG

    Then yes it was me. Stop and say Hi next time!

    <font size="1">My bikes
    My skates</font id="size1">

    If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.
  • domtyler
    domtyler Posts: 2,648
    edited March 2011
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by BentMikey</i>

    By the Albert Memorial, and this bent?

    http://www.londonskaters.com/cycling/im ... 080261.JPG

    Then yes it was me. Stop and say Hi next time!

    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    Pity you don't look after your lawn as well as you look after your bikes Mikey!![;)]

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Porridge not Petrol
    ________
    Honda mt50 history
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Porridge not Petrol
  • PETE Tcp
    PETE Tcp Posts: 498
    I will be there,cycling up from Bexleyheath,stop off at Peckham.

    It should be a good day,us forum members should meet up![:)]

    PETE T
    PETE
  • rgisme
    rgisme Posts: 1,598
    Yes, places are 'limited' but they're aiming to cater for 'thousands' of cyclists so I don't think anyone here need feel shy of joining in. Maybe I'll even wear my C+ Jersey - It hasn't had an outing since the '05 Etape [:)]
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Given that I live only a few minutes from St James' it'd be churlish to not join in.

    My Best Bike
  • peejay78
    peejay78 Posts: 3,378
    i'll be there.

    i want a free loaf of hovis.

    winter: http://tinyurl.com/2xkbbs
    summer: http://tinyurl.com/2hsagv
  • Cyclegent
    Cyclegent Posts: 601
    I have mixed feelings about this. I imagine it will be very popular with the type of lady cyclist who wears a tabard and has a helmet loosely perched on the back of her shampoo and set. They will have a great day but then say 'of course it's far too dangerous to do under normal circumstances'.

    Wouldn't it be better to organise an event where cyclists were given instruction on how to interact safely with other traffic, instead of banning cars from the route?

    'Cycling in Amsterdam.is not a movement, a cause, or a culture.It's a daily mode of transportation. People don't dress special to ride their bike any more than we dress special to drive our car... In the entire 1600 photographs that I took, there were only three people in "bike gear" and wearing helmets.' Laura Domala, cycling photographer.
    \'Cycling in Amsterdam.is not a movement, a cause, or a culture.It\'s a daily mode of transportation. People don\'t dress special to ride their bike any more than we dress special to drive our car... In the entire 1600 photographs that I took, there were only three people in "bike gear" and wearing helmets.\' Laura Domala, cycling photographer.
  • peejay78
    peejay78 Posts: 3,378
    whatever really, i think it's a good idea as a celebration of the bicycle.

    the more things there are like this, the closer we get to a tipping point where the attitude and popularity changes.

    that's not to say that a few cycling proficiency lessons wouldn't go amiss.

    winter: http://tinyurl.com/2vx78q
    summer: http://tinyurl.com/2hsagv
  • Totalnewbie
    Totalnewbie Posts: 932
    Well it ends with the festival thing in the Park, I would hope people like Cycle Training UK would be there to encourage people to get some training in how to interact with traffic safely? Many will not realise that such a thing exists for free/no more than a fiver in many London boroughs.

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 400572.jpg
  • RufusA
    RufusA Posts: 500
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Totalnewbie</i>

    Well it ends with the festival thing in the Park<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    So thousands of bikes left in <i>secure</i> parking whilst people are distracted with stalls and entertainment.

    I wonder how many people will have to walk home after the event?

    Rufus.
  • Regulator
    Regulator Posts: 417
    I shall nip home and park my bike after the ride, then pop up to the festival. As I live in Pimlico its not that far.

    ___________________________
    Bugger elephants - capabari are cuter!
    ___________________________
    Bugger elephants - capabari are cuter!

  • So thousands of bikes left in <i>secure</i> parking whilst people are distracted with stalls and entertainment.

    I wonder how many people will have to walk home after the event?


    [\quote]

    Not many. For the Tour of Britain cycle parks were set up using building site steel fencing and scaffold poles on 'A' frames.
    Bring a decent lock and you will be OK.
  • B1ondini
    B1ondini Posts: 25
    <font color="blue"><font size="3"><font face="Comic Sans MS">I'm in!
    Will be coming down with the Mrs and kids (14, 12, and 9 years old.) Been meaning to get down the the big 'L' on the bikes for a while, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to check out all those potholes for myself!!

    Was looking to camp over up in Enfield on the Saturday night, and cycle in to Victoria Park to be escorted to the main route. Can anyone advise on a (possibly traffic free?) route form King Georges Reservoir to Victoria park that we could follow?

    Your help would be much appreciated.

    P.S. I'm not feeling guilty about being one of the 'Limited' numbers either - surely, the more the merrier!</font id="Comic Sans MS"></font id="size3"></font id="blue">

    ____________________________________________

    Enhancing Muscles, not Destroying the Environment!
    ____________________________________________
    ____________________________________________

    Enhancing Muscles, not Destroying the Environment!
    ____________________________________________
  • Traffic free route? Easy.
    Just follow the Lea Valley route south - which is NCN 1.
    At Hackney Wick you need to come up onto Carpenters Road and cross the bridge. Go down the access route to the Hertford Union Canal and follow that west for a kilometre. You are now in Victoria Park.
  • B1ondini
    B1ondini Posts: 25
    <font color="blue"><font size="3"><font face="Comic Sans MS">Cheers SOtR,
    looks like I'll have to get my old a-z out, or even get on to Google Maps and look at it for real!</font id="Comic Sans MS"></font id="size3"></font id="blue">

    ____________________________________________

    Enhancing Muscles, not Destroying the Environment!
    ____________________________________________
    ____________________________________________

    Enhancing Muscles, not Destroying the Environment!
    ____________________________________________
  • Traffic free route - get yourself copies of maps 2,5 and 11 from
    https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/cy ... efault.asp


    Route is:
    A112 Sewrdstone Road south, right onto A110 Lea Valley Road
    (there may be traffic free footpaths in the area)
    Get onto the southbound Lea Valley route immediately you cross the reservoirs.
    South via Picketts Lock and under the A406 South Circular.
    Keep going past all the reservoirs till you get to Springfield Marina.
    Stop for a well earned cuppa at the cafe.
    South along the past past Walthamstow Marshes and Hackney Marshes.
    Just stay beside the river at all times.
    Past the Lesnes MAtchbox Toy factory.

    You will not recognse the bridge at Carpenters Road unless you have a map. You could look out for the only waterway which branches off to your right.
    Come up the access ramp to Carpenters Road and wheel the bikes along the pavement to the left, coming back down the access ramp on the other side. Continue along the Hertford Union towpath till you reach Victoria Park. The Garden Centre on the towpath is another great place for a cuppa and some cake.