Commuting in London - total commitment

donnie murdo

Anonymouslemming wrote:

donnie murdo wrote:

The best way to commute using cycling and public transport is to use overground trains where possible and where permited. London also has a wealth of canal towpaths that can be used provided you have the right bike and lights. You may have to add an extra bit to your journey but it will get you to see parts of London few people see. It does surprise me the amount of people who cycle the same route as a car would take. Use Google Earth or a OS map to plot your different route. I used to cycle to Bishops Stortford and back again from Tottenham without leaving the side of the canal it felt like I was far away from the civilisation over the hedgerow.

I'm looking into overground services in my area, but they seem quite limited, and would push the price of my journey up as they don't seem to take oystercards. I'm sure I used to use a regular travel card on trains within zones 1-6, but either things have changed, or I am misremembering.

I initially thought of canal paths because the bike I am getting will be well suited to them, but I have safety issues. Because of my start and finish times, I'll be riding in the dark a lot, and I've not heard great things about these areas.

You will need to check with the individual rail operator for their rules regarding carriage of bicycles. Oyster Cards with a valid travel card on them are valid on overground trains as long as you are traveling within the correct zones. Oyster Cards that are pre pay top ups are not valid as far as I know.

I used to use the Lea and Stort Canal all the time (admitedly not the same area) for training rides and for getting out to Epping Forest and never had any saftey issues. It was a rare occasion that I came across anyone other than a fellow cyclist, angler, dog walker or runner. On the odd occasion that I came across a group of youths in my path my tactic would be to speed up and aim for them and stay on the opposite side of the path from the canal. They would invariably move out of my way. I must say though at night a lot of the paths become empty and in 4 years of using them I never encountered a problem I also never noticed a lot of left detritus from people hanging around even on the paths down through Hackney and beyond. Invest in a good set of LED or HID lights such as the Exposure Joystick and you will be able to ride safely at night. If you want to stay legal you are actually required to have a British Waterways cycle permit for cycling on towpaths.

More info:
http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/cycling

Anonymouslemming

donnie murdo wrote:

You will need to check with the individual rail operator for their rules regarding carriage of bicycles. Oyster Cards with a valid travel card on them are valid on overground trains as long as you are traveling within the correct zones. Oyster Cards that are pre pay top ups are not valid as far as I know.

I used to use the Lea and Stort Canal all the time (admitedly not the same area) for training rides and for getting out to Epping Forest and never had any saftey issues. It was a rare occasion that I came across anyone other than a fellow cyclist, angler, dog walker or runner. On the odd occasion that I came across a group of youths in my path my tactic would be to speed up and aim for them and stay on the opposite side of the path from the canal. They would invariably move out of my way. I must say though at night a lot of the paths become empty and in 4 years of using them I never encountered a problem I also never noticed a lot of left detritus from people hanging around even on the paths down through Hackney and beyond. Invest in a good set of LED or HID lights such as the Exposure Joystick and you will be able to ride safely at night. If you want to stay legal you are actually required to have a British Waterways cycle permit for cycling on towpaths.

More info:
http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/cycling

Thanks - that's great info. I never knew about the permit requirement before, but looking into it, it looks like you just enter your details and download a PDF. Is that right?

If so, what is the purpose other than for tracking how many people are using the towpaths?

spen666

Anonymouslemming wrote:

Thanks - that's great info. I never knew about the permit requirement before, but looking into it, it looks like you just enter your details and download a PDF. Is that right?

If so, what is the purpose other than for tracking how many people are using the towpaths?

I've often wondered this same question

spen666

Anonymouslemming wrote:

Thanks - that's great info. I never knew about the permit requirement before, but looking into it, it looks like you just enter your details and download a PDF. Is that right?

If so, what is the purpose other than for tracking how many people are using the towpaths?

I've often wondered this same question