Route suggestions Lewisham - Blackfriars?

PinkPedal

Right, I've just moved to the wilds of SE London and need to sort out a bike route to work! A week on PT has done my head in.

Any suggestions? Going to go for a recce on Sunday but so far am thinking up Loampit Vale then cut across so I end up going over Tower Bridge as I don't like the look of riding over London bridge much - is it as crazy as it appears? I've always lived in SW London (will miss the ride down the Embankment) so not familiar with the roads round here at all. Good roads? Bits to avoid?

Thanks

PP

ps can read BR at work but can't post replies...

rml380z

It's not crazy at all; I used to do that route nearly every day and it's fine.

If you're happy on busy roads, take the most direct route;
Loampit Vale, Lewisham Way, Old Kent Road. I then come off at Bricklayer's Arms, take Great Dover Street, Marshalsea Road, Southwark Bridge Road.
Then, either over Southwark Street and a short blast down Upper Thames Street, or Southwark Street, then Blackfriars Road and over Blackfriars Bridge.

It's busy all times of the day, but that's London, init?
Only bit to be careful on is the turning off Old Kent Road onto Bricklayer's Arms roundabout.

Going over Tower Bridge is also fine, but I find that Upper Thames street is usually snarled up and far more stop start. Try both and see what you think.

Good luck!

nich

I do a similar route starting from Beckenham.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55 ... ew_route=1

It's flat and fast, and I think it's pretty safe. I commute at around 6:40am and the roads aren't that busy. Takes me about 45-50 mins.

Coming home can be busy, but along Lewisham / Catford you get bus lanes and/or the roads are fairly wide

London Bridge is safe I think. It's the only bridge I use - Bus Lanes in both directions and there's no problems in getting on and off the bridge (in terms of lane-changes). I did have an idiot taxi driver trying to go around me and cut me up this morning while turning right onto London Bridge from Tooley St, Grr, but in 2 years of cycling it's mostly been peaceful.

The only bit I would watch out for is the dodgy road surface on the north end of Brookmill Rd. Best just to put the power down and take the centre else your'll be near the gutter where the dodgy pot holes and craters are (it's only a short bit of road)

Enjoy!

Gallywomack

London bridge isn't really crazy. The turning out of Tooley St can be a bit of a mare with some vehicles turning left, bovine peds crossing and a big peloton of riders all bunched in various silly positions. But the bridge itself (northbound) is wide and generally fairly free of traffic. Southbound it gets snarled up but that's more irritating than scary.

Re route, I'd just go either Loampit or Brookmill/deptford, and aim for London bridge then get across to Blackfriars via either Lower Thames St or Cannon St, but then I'm an unimaginative sort.

Welcome to the bit of London where all the proper people live, btw

Headhuunter

rml380z wrote:

It's not crazy at all; I used to do that route nearly every day and it's fine.

If you're happy on busy roads, take the most direct route;
Loampit Vale, Lewisham Way, Old Kent Road. I then come off at Bricklayer's Arms, take Great Dover Street, Marshalsea Road, Southwark Bridge Road.
Then, either over Southwark Street and a short blast down Upper Thames Street, or Southwark Street, then Blackfriars Road and over Blackfriars Bridge.

It's busy all times of the day, but that's London, init?
Only bit to be careful on is the turning off Old Kent Road onto Bricklayer's Arms roundabout.

Going over Tower Bridge is also fine, but I find that Upper Thames street is usually snarled up and far more stop start. Try both and see what you think.

Good luck!

Yeah I head up OKR then along Southwark St and cross the river at Blackfriars Br. BB and LB both have large bus/cycle lanes whereas Tower Br is fairly narrow so there's risk of motorists trying to squeeze past you dangerously...

phy2sll2

This is the Brookmill / Deptford route:

http://app.strava.com/rides/1960739

Given the choice, I think I would cross at London Bridge. The north side of Tower Bridge and Tower Hill can get a bit hairy as I recall.

Alternatively, if you really miss the embankment, you could go down to Catford, around the south circular and cross at Battersea. Longer, but more fun.

deptfordmarmoset

phy2sll2 wrote:

This is the Brookmill / Deptford route:

http://app.strava.com/rides/1960739

Given the choice, I think I would cross at London Bridge. The north side of Tower Bridge and Tower Hill can get a bit hairy as I recall.

Alternatively, if you really miss the embankment, you could go down to Catford, around the south circular and cross at Battersea. Longer, but more fun.

Out of curiosity, do you know what time difference there is between the OKR and Brookmill routes?

Gallywomack

And here's a helpful post from Pufftmw yesterday explaining how to go up Loampit and then back towards Tower or London Bridge:

As you come down Lewisham Way to the lights with the A2, get in right hand lane (filter right) and at the traffic lights go up onto the central crossing reservation (legal for bikes), over the A2 when safe, left onto the pavement for 5m then right, down the hill but mind out for mums/kids going to the local school, then straight into the park and take a left 50m before the end of the path & you will come out on the corner Edward St/Trundleys...

The advantage of the Brookmill way is that it is very flat, just one slight hump on Evelyn St near the fire station. I think it's a pretty pleasant route, obviously it's not strong on natural beauty but for the most part there are bus lanes that are relatively quiet, so being squeezed by traffic is rarely a problem. One tricky bit is the one way system by Surrey Quays (Bush Rd), but if you are nervous changing lanes in moving traffic, you can take a sensible approach and wait in the bus lane for a green light, and get a free run over to the right-hand lane where you need to be to carry on up Lower Rd.

Clever Pun

nich wrote:

I do a similar route starting from Beckenham.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55 ... ew_route=1

It's flat and fast, and I think it's pretty safe. I commute at around 6:40am and the roads aren't that busy. Takes me about 45-50 mins.

Coming home can be busy, but along Lewisham / Catford you get bus lanes and/or the roads are fairly wide

London Bridge is safe I think. It's the only bridge I use - Bus Lanes in both directions and there's no problems in getting on and off the bridge (in terms of lane-changes). I did have an idiot taxi driver trying to go around me and cut me up this morning while turning right onto London Bridge from Tooley St, Grr, but in 2 years of cycling it's mostly been peaceful.

The only bit I would watch out for is the dodgy road surface on the north end of Brookmill Rd. Best just to put the power down and take the centre else your'll be near the gutter where the dodgy pot holes and craters are (it's only a short bit of road)

Enjoy!

I use this route too and it's absolutely fine.

London bridge is ok, but tooley street is rubbish so I'd stay north if I were you and hit the embankment for a short while from tower bridge.

PinkPedal

Thanks all, fantastic advice (as ever!) I'll give the 2 main options a try tomorrow morning, but on paper the brookmill one sounds better. Glad to see you think the A2 is ok, peeps at work looked at me like I was crazy for even thinking of using it. I ride a grey Dawes, have long hair and am usually wearing some sort of pink- do say hello if you pass me!

PP

Specialized Needs

I've just moved away from the A20/A2 route: through Eltham to Victoria. Now I do the A24 and cut through Clapham to CS8.

I'm sure you'll be fine. There felt a lot more space for bikes on my old route - lots of wide roads and bus lanes. Much more similar to the space available on the embankment (well, east of Battersea Bridge, anyhow).

I can see why they needed to paint some of the SW route blue.

deptfordmarmoset

PP,

I'll be going over one of them there London bridges around late morning/early afternoon (when it's warmed up, basically). I'd be happy to ride up with you along the Brookmill Road route as long as you're not an early starter. Just let me know a place (from before where you're uncertain of the route) and a time that suits you and I can RDV with you there. (I'll be starting out from just off Deptford Church Street.)

Canny Jock

Tooley street and the right turn onto London Bridge aren't great, but then neither is the run down to the left once you've crossed Tower Bridge. If the traffic is heavy you can't filter because the road is so tight. 50/50 really.

Have a think about the way up there too - the route from puff works, you could also go straight up the A2 (not a fan) or down Brookmill Road and towards Jamaica Road (my preference).

Simon the Pieman

Welcome to The Sham.

The Brookmill road route is a lot flatter then the OKR route. It is also a nicer route. I would cross at London Bridge rather than go over Tower Bridge. I think it is easier/safer.

You can also go down by the river for a bit of a change if you want to take it easy. I do this on a Friday in the summer.

rml380z

Simon the Pieman wrote:

Welcome to The Sham.

The Brookmill road route is a lot flatter then the OKR route. It is also a nicer route. I would cross at London Bridge rather than go over Tower Bridge. I think it is easier/safer.

You can also go down by the river for a bit of a change if you want to take it easy. I do this on a Friday in the summer.

Flatter? As in; "This pancake is a lot flatter than this other pancake"?