CS3 (Cable St) alternatives to get to Canary Wharf

surrey_commuter

I see more bike crashes on this stretch than all of the other 20 miles put together due to idiots going as fast as they can rather than at a safe speed for a narrow cyclepath with numerous intersections. I have tried The Highway as an alternative but found the tipper trucks to be too much. Does anybody else going into Canary Wharf use the A13 or any other route?

kurako

In the old days I would go to Aldgate and the along Commercial Road. It's not without trauma. The Minories and Aldgate are pretty horrible for cycling on large wide roads, buses, lorries all the rest. Once you get onto Commercial Road there is a bus lane all the way to Canary Wharf.

EDIT: From Mansell St it looks like you can turn right onto Alie St then right onto Commercial Road. Still not pretty but it avoids the Aldgate shitstorm!

Sharkyssurfers

I go that way everyday back home and have found going aldgate to A13 to be a pain to many traffic lights and loads of traffic that you cannot see cars turning until the last minute, it doesnt really improve until you have passed the limehouse station section. I found the highway not to bad if you stick to riding inbetween both lanes of traffic, just wish we could go through the tunnel at the end as well!! and then turn up to A13. At the moment I am using the cable street cycleway as I tend to pootle along there rather than go flat out, to many junctions, pedestrian crossings and idiot cyclist/peds and again at the end turn left to rejoin the A13, I dont think there are any other direct routes you could take to be honest the only other alternative is to go through whitechapel and turn off one of the roads there but it just as bad as cable street/A13 and Highway.

surrey_commuter

Cheers - that has to be worth a look - coming back will need a recce to avoid the worst of Aldgate/Tower Hill. Could stay on Fenchurch and pick Embankment up at Southwark Bridge

kurako

I suppose it depends what direction you're going. In the morning I found Commercial Road not too bad. The lights can be a pain if you get caught.

The Highway was mainly very busy but moving quickly and the lanes aren't really wide enough for 2 lane traffic. If you can keep up it's ok but otherwise a massive pain. Westbound in the evening the approach to Tower Hill is like a car park and you just filter so that's easy.

Cable St westbound is not too bad just ride in the road. The cycle path is garbage.

cookeeemonster

I occasionally use cable street as it's relatively relaxed and scenic compared to 99% of my route but using that (and going through limehouse etc to rejoin the A13 part of the CS3) adds about 5 mins or so to my journey and so I avoid it...actually the main reason is it gets way too busy in the nice weather. People going too slow/fast and basically riding like d*cks with no thought to peds and other cyclists. But it's not all bad and makes a nice change (it's easy to exaggerate based on a few experiences...the main thing to do is to remember to chill out and drop the speed/increase your patience level).

I now go from Commercial Street to Commercial Road/East india dock road etc via aldgate and as long as you keep your wits about you (as Boris would say) it's mostly ok. You must keep to the middle or even further out in the bus lane for certain sections - and always keep an eye out for cars at sideroads and gaps in the traffic for cars in the middle of the road wanting to go into the sideroads...and coaches, coaches are b*stards. Or rather their drivers are.

But the vast majority of the time it's all fine, just ride defensively and with an eye out. But if there's lots of traffic for some reason (blackwall tunnel shut and so on) then avoid like the plague, car drivers get very impatient and do all sorts of things...plus it's mega slow. So move off onto cable street asap.

surrey_commuter

In 3 months I have seen the aftermath of 4 crashes down there (none in the other 19 miles) and even pootling feel it is a matter of time before some idiot crashes into me - might look at riding in on Commercial Rd and back on Cable street on the road.

clarkey cat

Hello. I also head into CW - know what you mean about the cyclepath. The riding is terrible. I actually feel safer on the Highway with the tipper trucks.
Heading home on the Highway is okay as the traffic is so slow.

hegyestomi

I always used to take the A13 as it was the fastest way to get to CW: I wasn't that bothered about truck as I used to keep the pace up and take a lane (they got another one to overtake) if required.
Have you tried ST Catherine's Dock? You can go down at Tower bridge and if you feel like quite and calm (probably slow) ride without the cars than it's worth trying. I only took it once or twice as I prefered speed of A13 but it was by far the nicest route to get there.

clarkey cat

Interested to know your route aside from that...

On the way in I go Esher-Kingston-Kingston Hill-A3-Wandsworth-Vauxhall-Waterloo-cross at Southwark Bridge-Tower Gateway-Highway-Narrow St.
On the way back: Narrow St-Highway-Tower Gateway-Thames St-Embankment-Chelsea-Putney-Richmond Park-Kingston-Hampton Ct-Esher.

I find this the quickest way.

surrey_commuter

hegyestomi wrote:

I always used to take the A13 as it was the fastest way to get to CW: I wasn't that bothered about truck as I used to keep the pace up and take a lane (they got another one to overtake) if required.
Have you tried ST Catherine's Dock? You can go down at Tower bridge and if you feel like quite and calm (probably slow) ride without the cars than it's worth trying. I only took it once or twice as I prefered speed of A13 but it was by far the nicest route to get there.

would that be to take the Thames Path off the end of Narrow St then through Wapping?

surrey_commuter

clarkey cat wrote:

Interested to know your route aside from that...

On the way in I go Esher-Kingston-Kingston Hill-A3-Wandsworth-Vauxhall-Waterloo-cross at Southwark Bridge-Tower Gateway-Highway-Narrow St.
On the way back: Narrow St-Highway-Tower Gateway-Thames St-Embankment-Chelsea-Putney-Richmond Park-Kingston-Hampton Ct-Esher.

I find this the quickest way.

That is a mans route on the way in... I was trying to up the miles and hills so take the more scenic
Surbiton-Kingston-RP-Putney - Chelsea Harbour - Embankment - CS3 - Narrow St
home I just reverse it - definitely not the quickest but I find it the least stressful (apart from CS3)