Millbank - Weds 10 Nov 2010

Specialized Needs

(C & P from my other message):

You may wish to avoid Millbank, and the area around Parliament Sq tonight.

The protesters are currently on the roof of 30 Millbank (the lower building next to the tower), and trying to break into the main tower building, having thrown fireworks in. The protest - due to finish at 3pm - still stretches form the Tate Britain back to Whitehall.

The collecting point for the protesters is outside the Tate. A fair bit of glass around, as well :?

The whole area is currently in lockdown.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Specialized Needs wrote:

(C & P from my other message):

You may wish to avoid Millbank, and the area around Parliament Sq tonight.

The protesters are currently on the roof of 30 Millbank (the lower building next to the tower), and trying to break into the main tower building, having thrown fireworks in. The protest - due to finish at 3pm - still stretches form the Tate Britain back to Whitehall.

The collecting point for the protesters is outside the Tate. A fair bit of glass around, as well :?

The whole area is currently in lockdown.

Ta. That's my route, so v helpful info.

As for the students: w@nkers, the lot of 'em. Never done a bleedin' days work in their lives. Now whining that three years of drinking beer & shaggin' will be too expensive for someone else.

Pack 'em in a rocket to the Sun, that's wot I say.

Specialized Needs

Down to rent-a-mob at Millbank Tower at the moment - but still snarled up Parly Sq to Lambeth Bridge.

Big crowd in Millbank Tower courtyard - bonfire and banners on roof etc - lots of police vans also - including around Thames House. People milling around on the road - still doesn't look good to get through tonight.

Specialized Needs

Whitehall now seems open. Parliament Sq looks like it might be OK.

Millbank still best avoided. It seems to have been cordoned off, certainly at Vauxhaull Bridge and probably at Lambeth Bridge or Parly Sq. Lots of rubbish around, and people milling about. Seems clear on Vicky embankment from VB road westwards now, though.

Albert Embankment (south bank) from Lambeth Bridge to Vauxhall Cross (and Vauxhall Bridge) chocka with coaches which are ferrying students - real gridlock on the embankment.

If you are cold, you can come and stand at the bonfire in Millbank courtyard :roll:

andrewc3142

Greg66 wrote:

Specialized Needs wrote:

(C & P from my other message):

You may wish to avoid Millbank, and the area around Parliament Sq tonight.

The protesters are currently on the roof of 30 Millbank (the lower building next to the tower), and trying to break into the main tower building, having thrown fireworks in. The protest - due to finish at 3pm - still stretches form the Tate Britain back to Whitehall.

The collecting point for the protesters is outside the Tate. A fair bit of glass around, as well :?

The whole area is currently in lockdown.

Ta. That's my route, so v helpful info.

As for the students: w@nkers, the lot of 'em. Never done a bleedin' days work in their lives. Now whining that three years of drinking beer & shaggin' will be too expensive for someone else.

Pack 'em in a rocket to the Sun, that's wot I say.

Absolutely. Education should be for those whose parents can afford it. Cabinet ministers, investment bankers and the like. Strengthens the gene pool. We don't want or need doctors, engineers, lawyers and the like from the offspring of losers.

cjcp

FFS. That's my route, too. Can't they just shout from the south bank or something?

W1

andrewc3142 wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Specialized Needs wrote:

(C & P from my other message):

You may wish to avoid Millbank, and the area around Parliament Sq tonight.

The protesters are currently on the roof of 30 Millbank (the lower building next to the tower), and trying to break into the main tower building, having thrown fireworks in. The protest - due to finish at 3pm - still stretches form the Tate Britain back to Whitehall.

The collecting point for the protesters is outside the Tate. A fair bit of glass around, as well :?

The whole area is currently in lockdown.

Ta. That's my route, so v helpful info.

As for the students: w@nkers, the lot of 'em. Never done a bleedin' days work in their lives. Now whining that three years of drinking beer & shaggin' will be too expensive for someone else.

Pack 'em in a rocket to the Sun, that's wot I say.

Absolutely. Education should be for those whose parents can afford it. Cabinet ministers, investment bankers and the like. Strengthens the gene pool. We don't want or need doctors, engineers, lawyers and the like from the offspring of losers.

Welcome.

Wrath Rob

Me too. And with Albert Embankment as a staging post for their coaches I'd rather avoid completely. I might go to P'Square and then Lambeth Bridge, right up Horseferry, left onto Regency St and then Vauxhal Bridge Road and right back onto Embankment.

Specialized Needs

Lots of riot police around 30 Millbank and Millbank Tower at 5:30, but the road seemed passable, particularly westbound.

Lots of street sweeper vans were at work, and it looks like lots of wall cleaning and reglazing still required.

itboffin

cjcp wrote:

FFS. That's my route, too. Can't they just shout from the south bank or something?

They'd be no one to hear them

cjcp

What a balls-ache of a journey home that was. Embankment was chock-a-block to BB. Had to detour around Great Smith St and past the Home Office.

Not often you see DSC at a complete standstill from VB lights.

Dav3m

Joined at Vauxhal Bridge road, traffic was at a standstill largely due to the hundreds of coaches about. Now I wouldn't normally condone this, but I rode on the pavement with the other 50 or so cyclists. Made the journey home quite interesting, and despite the slow speed, scalped a couple! :-)

W1

Dav3m wrote:

Joined at Vauxhal Bridge road, traffic was at a standstill largely due to the hundreds of coaches about. Now I wouldn't normally condone this, but I rode on the pavement with the other 50 or so cyclists. Made the journey home quite interesting, and despite the slow speed, scalped a couple! :-)

There's a shared cycle path from Chelsea Bridge all the way along the Embankment to Battersea bridge - I took to that for the first time in ages, the traffic was that bad not even a cyclist could filter safely.

Ian.B

I can't remember when I last saw a jam that bad in London. People must have been sitting there for hours. I wonder what the cost was in total vehicle emissions and in wasted man/woman hours of the protesters closing Millbank?

cjcp

W1 wrote:

Dav3m wrote:

Joined at Vauxhal Bridge road, traffic was at a standstill largely due to the hundreds of coaches about. Now I wouldn't normally condone this, but I rode on the pavement with the other 50 or so cyclists. Made the journey home quite interesting, and despite the slow speed, scalped a couple! :-)

There's a shared cycle path from Chelsea Bridge all the way along the Embankment to Battersea bridge - I took to that for the first time in ages, the traffic was that bad not even a cyclist could filter safely.

+1! It's not often you see mopeders pushing their bikes along the pavement.

notsoblue

Ian.B wrote:

I can't remember when I last saw a jam that bad in London. People must have been sitting there for hours. I wonder what the cost was in total vehicle emissions and in wasted man/woman hours of the protesters closing Millbank?

I was thinking about that as I cycled past mile after mile of stationary traffic. But then two things occurred to me, 1) This isn't much worse than a normal day 2) The people stuck in the traffic jam were inconvenienced for one evening, whereas the issue that the students were protesting about will affect the rest of their lives.

I think its great that we have a right to protest. Though last night did muck up my training :P

W1

notsoblue wrote:

Ian.B wrote:

I can't remember when I last saw a jam that bad in London. People must have been sitting there for hours. I wonder what the cost was in total vehicle emissions and in wasted man/woman hours of the protesters closing Millbank?

I was thinking about that as I cycled past mile after mile of stationary traffic. But then two things occurred to me, 1) This isn't much worse than a normal day 2) The people stuck in the traffic jam were inconvenienced for one evening, whereas the issue that the students were protesting about will affect the rest of their lives.

I think its great that we have a right to protest. Though last night did muck up my training :P

The PROTEST would have been over hours before. It was the RIOT that took the time and closed Millbank.

The traffic was much, much worse than a normal day. It's the worst I've ever seen in fact.