Choosing a route?

snooks

I'm in the process of working out how to get from TW1 to SE1...I got the free London Cycle Guides from the nice peeps at TFL...unfortunately their cycle journey planner turns a 11 mile journey into 15 and takes me up Richmond hill, and then up the chuffing big hill in Roehampton in the process! So I wrote that off straight away

At the mo it looks like it could be:
Twickers - Mortlake - Hammersmith - Hyde park - St James's - Waterloo - Southwark

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Jacomus-rides-Gen

Hard to say really - I can't chose one of those options!

I chose my commute as a mix of speed and safety, but at the same time made sure I took in Battersea Park because its nice to get the smooth road and the greenery.

I guess I just made my route into one I enjoy riding.

snooks

Seeing it was a nice sunny day I thought I'd give my route a dry run today.
13.2 miles in, 13.3 miles back give or take a few 1/10ths here and there. An hour and 5 there, hour and 10 back..would have made the hour if it wasn't for catching almost every red light and pedestrian grid lock on the southbank

A couple of sticky points which I'd welcome any suggestions to make my life easier/safer etc

1st one is the Hammersmith gyratorary coming from Hammersmith bridge leaving at the A315 Kensington High Street towards Hyde park - Both going to work and coming back...on the way back I was pushed off towards Fulham

The second was coming back from Waterloo bridge going round Parliment square

Seems I have to cross a few lanes in order to get round to bird cage walk

Any suggestion greatly received :cool:

Oh, quick rant while I'm here, if by chance the blue boxer driver who beeped at me on the lights going down HIgh street Ken this afternoon happens to pass this way...Mate, if I can get my bike past your car, you can get your car past my bike. Your ego might have grown, but neither my bike or your car got any bigger when we were waiting for the lights to change

Jeremy Parker

Regarding "tricky bits" like the Hammersmith gyratory and Parliament Square, the best advice is to read the bible, John Franklin's "Cyclecraft". Basically you get into the proper lane early, and because a bike is narrow, get into the proper part of that lane, using the proper techniques when changing from one position to another.

You say that if you can pass a car, the car can pass you. Actually, that's not always true. The greater the speed difference, the greater the width separation needed when one vehicle overtakes another. When the cars are stopped the speed difference is low, so you can use narrow separations. When the cars are moving, you can't.

It's always best to position yourself so that if the motorist can't overtake you it looks as if the problem is that the road is too narrow, rather than appearing as if the problem is that you are being a dog-in-the-manger

Jeremy Parkler[/quote]

spasypaddy

it is all about the safest route, it just so happens that my safest route runs parallel to the quickest route so the difference is marginal! I went the wrong way the other day and ended up along side a triple carriageway so i cycled on the path :oops: i am ashamed but i kept my speed down and as a result it resulted in it being a much longer ride

domtyler

Successful cycle commuting in London is generally about sticking to the main roads, especially where there are bus lanes. And above all having the confidence to claim your space, this comes with experience. Also a good level of fitness is pretty helpful in order to be able to accelerate quickly and stick with the speed of the traffic in order to minimise speed differentials.
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Ferrari Fxx Specifications

snooks

Jeremy Parker wrote:

You say that if you can pass a car, the car can pass you. Actually, that's not always true. The greater the speed difference, the greater the width separation needed when one vehicle overtakes another. When the cars are stopped the speed difference is low, so you can use narrow separations. When the cars are moving, you can't.

Hi ya,

Just to clarify we were both stopped at the same set of lights I was in the middle of two lanes as the lane on my left was filtered to go left (I wanted to go straight on)...I went up the middle so that would leave me on the left of the lane when my lights went green.

His filter arrow went green...he tooted me and said "c'mon, move"...Charming! He would had to increase his speed from stationary to a speed where he could turn the corner. He could have gone straight on and still missed me, my handlebars etc by a foot or so...Obviously he thought he car was bigger than it was

Eat My Dust

You'll usually find during rush hour at Hammersmith, that you will be going faster than the nose to tail traffic!!

snooks

Eat My Dust wrote:

You'll usually find during rush hour at Hammersmith, that you will be going faster than the nose to tail traffic!!

That's what I was hoping might be the case at Hammersmith and Parliament square ...Sunday traffic wasn't too bad, but at least it gave me the chance to stop (lift my bike outta the way) and read my map to find out where I was going, so I now have a better idea which way to point the front end.

Going round Hammersmith on the way (to work) wasn't too bad because a lot of it was bus lanes, but then again there are less buses on a Sunday...I think I might have found a possible cut through turning off HSKen at Edith rd towards Barons Court and taking the back streets to the start of the bridge...only way to find out is to give it a go....now all I neeed is a bike slot at work and I'll be away :-)

baudman

I voted 'safety'. I go safety first, and then distance - because I wouldn't go a STUPID distance to remain safe.

Melbourne (Inner city) is really well set up with bike lanes on roads, and dedicated bike paths. In the past I used to take a bike path almost the whole way to work. Now I work somewhere different, so I am on bike lanes on roads for most of the way.

BakesCP

Why don't you try Upper/Lower Richmond Road to Putney Bridge, then King's Road and Embankment, all the way from Cheyne Walk to Westminster. You'll still have to face Parilament Square but it avoids Hammersmith. May be a bit longer, but should be quicker. Definately my preferred route feom SW to City and judging by the number of other bikes on the route, I'm not alone.

Greenbank

Second the above.

I do Putney <-> Southbank every day and my favourite taking into account safety and speed is back streets to Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge, New King's Road, Cheyne Walk, Embankment, Grosvenor Road, Millbank, Abingdon St, Parliament Sq, Westminster Bridge, into Belvedere Road thanks to a bit of shared path just before the traffic lights and then onto Upper Ground.

I've tried plenty of other routes. Sometimes I go back via Lots Road, Chelsea Harbour, Town Mead Road, round the back of the Hurlingham Club and out by Putney Bridge Tube, but that's usually if I leave close to 5.30pm and the traffic can get annoying (and angsty) through Parson's Green. After 6pm it all flows quite well.

There are traffic lights and roadworks at the end of Battersea Bridge which are a bit annoying at the moment but they should be gone in a week or so.

Not a fan of the southern routes (York Road, Lombard St, Battersea Park, Chelsea Bridge) or along Nine Elms Lane and through Vauxhall Cross but they're ok for a change every once in a while.

11.6km in 25 minutes moving with about 3 minutes stopped at traffic lights.

snooks

Thanks for that

Might be a case of going my first route (easy across ham/smith and PM square) and getting back you route (easy across PM square and avoids ham/smith on the way back)....bit of variety and all :-)

Greenbank

Abingdon St (the road that connects Millbank and Parliament Sq) is closed for resurfacing for 8 weeks. Getting a bike through is possible but slow as you have to walk it (and there are enough Police around there to enforce that!).

Over Lambeth Bridge and past St Thomas's for me now.

Chriscommuter

Greenbank wrote:

Second the above.

I do Putney <-> Southbank every day and my favourite taking into account safety and speed is back streets to Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge, New King's Road, Cheyne Walk, Embankment, Grosvenor Road, Millbank, Abingdon St, Parliament Sq, Westminster Bridge, into Belvedere Road thanks to a bit of shared path just before the traffic lights and then onto Upper Ground.

I've tried plenty of other routes. Sometimes I go back via Lots Road, Chelsea Harbour, Town Mead Road, round the back of the Hurlingham Club and out by Putney Bridge Tube, but that's usually if I leave close to 5.30pm and the traffic can get annoying (and angsty) through Parson's Green. After 6pm it all flows quite well.

There are traffic lights and roadworks at the end of Battersea Bridge which are a bit annoying at the moment but they should be gone in a week or so.

Not a fan of the southern routes (York Road, Lombard St, Battersea Park, Chelsea Bridge) or along Nine Elms Lane and through Vauxhall Cross but they're ok for a change every once in a while.

11.6km in 25 minutes moving with about 3 minutes stopped at traffic lights.

Yep, "third" that.

Years and years of SW London to City/West End and no matter what i try its always ended up being putney Bridge/Kings Road and Embankment if into the City.

fatherted

On your return journey, how about staying just north of the river, going through Chelsea Harbour, over Wandsworth Bridge to Putney picking up the A205. In fact, you could go in this way but it's better , at Wandsworth, to stay south and head towards Vauxhall.

snooks

Dear all,

Thanks to those who suggested the Chelsea Embankment - Much easier and quicker

After weeks of deliberating and using the pants weather as an excuse not to ride in. Yesterday I left my Laptop in work in preperation for C day. My first commute by cycle day...which was today/this morning.

In the end I went A205, Putney bridge - kings road, chelsea embankment, Lambeth bridge, and along the bit of the thames to finish up...13 and a bit miles in total. Left at 9 and arrived at my desk after a nice warm shower at 10:10 (usual time for me) Including getting lost in the office trying to find the bike park! oh and trying to find the showers/lockers as well!

Best thing about the commute was the sausage buttie for breakfast and the Cafe lunch and the lack of guilt in either!!! I know it's not really in the spirit of the heathly cyclist but I feel I earnt it today :roll:

The whole journey was incident free, and I have nothing to write home, complain or rant about, just a warm fussy feeling I get from riding my bike!

So far so good...just an hour till the return journey

I won't be doing it every day, just once or twice a week when I'm in the office. Thanks again to everyone who helped me choose a route
.

Clever Pun

Jacomus-rides-Gen wrote:

Hard to say really - I can't chose one of those options!

I chose my commute as a mix of speed and safety, but at the same time made sure I took in Battersea Park because its nice to get the smooth road and the greenery.

I guess I just made my route into one I enjoy riding.

same here... I changed my route to a longer one to avoid Brixton and Streatham... that was rancid, I now go through the greenwich tunnel and canary wharf and my journey time is actually quicker even though I'm going an extra 1mile & 1/2... which is nice

cars don't bother me, pedestrians do... I saw in on a documentary on bbc2