Southwark Bridge

JimboPlob

Whats going on with southwark bridge. The police have barriered off the ability to ride straight across the junction at the end. Are people simply going round it by crossing over the ped crossing or is this to be avoided?

Thanls

bails87

If you're crossing a ped only crossing then get off the bike and walk.

rjsterry

The ped crossing is also blocked off with barriers there (despite dopey peds still waiting for a green man to appear, and a sign pointing to alternative crossings). Could you turn right onto LTS, then turn off left at Dowgate Hill (you'll need to hop onto the pavement, but there is a cyclepath along there)?

stuj15

It's bloody ridiculous isn't it. I come over from the South on my way home and need to turn right onto LTS. Last night I unclipped and scooted across to Cycle Surgery and stayed on the pavement until the coast was clear to cross over and rejoin LTS going east.

unclejimbo1983

I just unwittingly posted about this in another thread.

What confuses me is that the getaheadofthegames website clearly says the no right turn is "except cyclists" and they've bothered setting up a separate green light for cycles that doesn't show a left arrow, but then it's physically impossible to actually cross the road!

If they actually want the cycle traffic to go left with the cars then why on earth did they put a cycle filter lane on the right? Looks like a recipe for disaster!

snooks

+1 to all of the above

Yesterday I went through the cones on my bike to turn right. So Like unclejimbo I looked on getaheadofthegames and tfl and the route took me over the bridge and straight up...so today I saw the dedicated cycle lane on the right coming north over the bridge.....Then where the fook do I go? I got off and joined the peds. Then I got stuck in traffic going east along upper Thames street...WTF? I'm a bike, I don't do traffic! Grrrrrr

Also where's MY cycle lane on lower Thames street gone?

Also why has one lane over the Bow Interchange been coned off?

Are they trying to kill cyclists or what?

stuj15

snooks wrote:

Also why has one lane over the Bow Interchange been comes off?
Are they trying to kill cyclists or what?

Yeh I ducked inside the cones tonight on the way home. I wasn't prepared to have a van up my arse all the way up the flyover.

cookeeemonster

what I dont understand is why they force cyclists to cross the road on southwark bridge in order to get to their own lane - wouldn't it have made more sense to keep everything on the left and then ban left turning cars?

stuj15

Oh yeh I forgot to mention that tonight there was a bloody big concrete block, blocking the entrance to that new 'right-hand' cycle lane, I still squeezed into the lane before waiting an age at the lights, only to do what I did previously and unclip and use the pavement. It just seems so badly worked out. There has been some policemen there the last couple of mornings, I'm going to ask tomorrow what the hell they are trying to achieve.

cookeeemonster

Good article on this on the ever excellent cyclists in the city blog: http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/southwark-bridge-protected-cycle-lane.html

stuj15

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Good article on this on the ever excellent cyclists in the city blog: http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/southwark-bridge-protected-cycle-lane.html

Thanks for the link CM, weird he didn't mention that fact that the new cycle lane now has that concrete bollard blocking half the entrance. There were no Police there this morning so I couldn't ask what the hell is supposed to be happening, I think they've got fed up with it and left every man/women/child for themselves.