Canary Wharf commuters

clarkey cat

Say, how long does it take, at 8.30am to get from Blackfriars Bridge to Canary Wharf?

And what is the best route?

I know a few of you guys work out there.

iPete

stalking a work mates strava, Smithfield market, basically blackfriars to Mudchute park, 5.7 miles in 23 minutes

clarkey cat

Ah okay cheers not as bad as I thought. 26 miles going to be a hell of a commute. Hopefully will move up some of the Stats places.

mudcow007

New job dude??

mr_ribble

Most people fit into one of two categories

Cable Street - proper bike lane etc, but loads of side streets and IMO more trouble than its worth

Highway - Real men take the highway. Its two lanes, but its fast and its the way I always went. So when you approach start to approach Limehouse Link tunnel, get in the RHL and at use the ped x crossing to go up and over the pavement onto Narrow street (its a designated bike passage). Along Narrow street and over the swing bridge, then turn right at Westferry DLR and along Wesferry Rd. Up the ramp and hey ho you are in Canary Wharf.

There is then a security stop at Westferry circus, and make sure you look out for the CW security guards who think they are policemen, but are in fact absolute losers that think they have the power of He-Man.

So something like this http://app.strava.com/activities/9767497

Blackfriars to CW is 3.7 miles and you could so it in 15 mins if you push it.

Koncordski

All of the above, you'd be looking at around 20mins depending on how many coaches are blocking the 12inch wide cycle lane leading up to tower hill. The Highway is indeed for those of a MTFU persuasion, cable street CS3 is a total pain in the backside so i avoid it. Average speeds along the highway are in the low 20's and as it's 2 lanes I make sure i take primary as the gutter has a lot of sunk drains thanks to the tipper traffic that smashes along there.

If you can keep up with traffic well enough then it's much more direct than CS3. When you get to the limehouse tunnel either go right at the PED-X as mentioned (time this wrong and you'll be there for 3-4 mins) or swing left after the cement plant then immediately right through the park and over the rotherhithe footbridge. Both will get you onto narrow street and having done both there's nothing in it by the time you get to limehouse marina. The Col du Westferry Circus is a hotly contested strava segment. 8)

mr_ribble

Koncordski wrote:

The Col du Westferry Circus is a hotly contested strava segment. 8)

Tell me about it. I OWNED that segment http://app.strava.com/segments/796534 with 31 seconds up the climb.

But I dont go out there anymore, and now I see a certain Ben Johnson owns it. I feel an Oprah appearance on the horizon...

mr_ribble

as for how long it will take you. Well Keyser has done it in 11 mins, and Kate in 13

http://app.strava.com/segments/3420158

Steve Ohis a TdF contender with a time of 9 minutes. Thats an average of 25mph. Not sure what to think of his times. I know JZed has lost out to him in the past, but surely no-one can ride it that quick. Moped rider ??

kurako

Another option is to cut through the City to Aldgate then take Commercial Road. Not as irritating as Cable Street and not as hair-raising as The Highway. Added advantage is there is a cafe near Limehouse station does a nice bacon roll.

asprilla

Congrats on the new job.

veronese68

Asprilla wrote:

Congrats on the new job.

What he said.

clarkey cat

Thanks guys. Only been in my current role for 4 months but when looks like a good opportunity.

Highway sounds hair-raising but as an ultra-alpha I don't think it will frighten me too much. Cheers.

asprilla

Four months? That's a whole career as far as I'm concerned.

clarkey cat

every avenue for promotion above me (and beyond) is filled with a flexi working mother so I can't see any scope for moving out of my current position so its thank you very much and see ya. Enjoy your snack-a-jacks.

Koncordski

What was left of a moped was spread across the Westferry-Limehouse Tunnel junction last night. Total carnage for the traffic, nothing was leaving the Island in any direction, enjoy whizzing past the traffic on the bike when that happens.

There's frequently an accident there, the lights are on very fast changes so it always amazes me when people shoot them.

http://goo.gl/maps/vrKTu

clarkey cat

How long does it take you door to door Koncordski - and do you go thorugh RP or up the A3?

sketchley

Koncordski wrote:

What was left of a moped was spread across the Westferry-Limehouse Tunnel junction last night. Total carnage for the traffic, nothing was leaving the Island in any direction, enjoy whizzing past the traffic on the bike when that happens.

There's frequently an accident there, the lights are on very fast changes so it always amazes me when people shoot them.

http://goo.gl/maps/vrKTu

Yep looked pretty bad, the rider must of been gone in the ambulance by the time I got there, but there was a pool of blood and medical stuff in the middle of the road. Guess it was quite nasty. Expected the highway to be quite bad after that but best it's been all week. Odd.

I don't like that junction in either direction, I work in south quay so go under the circus but the amount of left hooks I would get if i wasn't turning off to go to south-quay / westferry is huge. Driver's there assume you are turning off (most people do) so over take round you even though you haven't signalled the left turn. I prefer to head round the back of westferry circus by the river and come out by the City Pride, but the building works going on there shut the path by the river a while back, anyone know when this will open again? Lots of people do this going to the wharf also go round the back and then either carry thier bikes up the steps to the top of the circus or use the lift (big enough for 2 + 2 bikes).

Koncordski

clarkey cat wrote:

How long does it take you door to door Koncordski - and do you go thorugh RP or up the A3?

Usually 1 hour 15 mins, give or take 5 mins for badly timed traffic light sequences. Go through RP and pick up the peloton over putney bridge, the A3 route is miserable IMHO.

sketchley

Clarkey where are you coming in from?

In the morning I come up CS7 to E&C then head down NKR, and up and over tower bridge before executing a dodgy right turn onto the highway and then Narrow Lane. Like so http://app.strava.com/activities/40393906

Evening tends to be down the highway and straight down Embankment, like so http://app.strava.com/activities/40393909


I have to say the highway while busy it quite fun and fast, providing you have something left in the tank. Going the cable street route is much slower but not a bad option if your spent by tower bridge....

sketchley

path round the back reopens end of the year

http://www.canarywharf.com/aboutus/Medi ... ide-South/

mrc1

Mr_Ribble wrote:

There is then a security stop at Westferry circus, and make sure you look out for the CW security guards who think they are policemen, but are in fact absolute losers that think they have the power of He-Man.

I accidentally went into the sub level bit of road once after getting confused by directions and had a set to with one of the t*ssers. I pulled up and asked him how to get out of the underground bit and he said "You shouldn't be down here" - yes I know, I am trying to get out of here "Well you shouldn't even be down here it's a restricted area" - yes I understand that, I don't want to be down here, I'm trying to get out, could you tell me how to "It's a restricted area down here the public aren't allowed down here as it's a security risk, you need to leave" etc etc.... Tools.

clarkey cat

Sketchley wrote:

Clarkey where are you coming in from?

In the morning I come up CS7 to E&C then head down NKR, and up and over tower bridge before executing a dodgy right turn onto the highway and then Narrow Lane. Like so http://app.strava.com/activities/40393906

Evening tends to be down the highway and straight down Embankment, like so http://app.strava.com/activities/40393909


I have to say the highway while busy it quite fun and fast, providing you have something left in the tank. Going the cable street route is much slower but not a bad option if your spent by tower bridge....

Coming in from Walton on Thames. Looks like my usual route into the city is the best option and then carry on up the Highway and perform this little right turn into Narrow St is the answer.

sketchley

The Narrow street turn takes some practice. You need to get over to right hand lane early, there is right turn (into some flats) just before a rasied curb in the middle of the road. Sometimes you make that gap and can turn into the flats then it's 100yards down the pavement (marked as duel use, kind of, well one end is with no "end" sign) before the right turn into Narrow St. If there is no gap for the flat turn, then stay in the right hand lane until you get passed the raised curb and you have 50 yards of gap before the pedestrian where you can turn if a gap, if not you wait at the ped crossing. Be warned though get the timing wrong and you can wait a while for the lights to change. What you want to really avoid is getting to the ped crossing in the left lane as you can get a double hit on wait time getting all the way accross. If you are in left lane, go left then right through the park on the CS3 and back onto Narrow St, just watch out for the left and right lanes swapping over