London - impact of Tube Strike

secretsam
secretsam Posts: 5,098
edited July 2015 in Commuting chat
How's it been? I've been away on business so experienced London sans tube - is it coping or is Noddergeddon?

It's just a hill. Get over it.

Comments

  • j_mcd
    j_mcd Posts: 473
    There were a LOT of bikes out there today, especially at the normal traffic light pinch points but you could generally just get past the slow, weaving, hi-viz wearing peloton quite easily and then just leave them safely behind.

    The car/van traffic was horrendous though. I see all these people and just wonder where they are going to actually park their cars. Not having ever driven in to London on a work day, where do they park and isn't is absolutely extortionate?!
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,212
    Had to go in early as I would have taken the tube today as I had an 8am meeting, so ended up riding in around 7.

    Was no different to the usual 8am commute.
  • On_What
    On_What Posts: 516
    Left at my usual 6:30 start from Sutton and as was well until I reached Brixton where the traffic was heavy and the number of bicycles twice what it is usually. I think the net result of the extra busses clogged the roads more than they usually do, and caused the traffic build up and hence made cycling less safe.
  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    Not a huge difference for me @ 7.30

    A few more bikes than normal but far less cars than I was expecting. I guess a lot of people are WFH.

    The A3 actually looked quieter than normal at that time.
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  • mrtuk
    mrtuk Posts: 75
    Took me 10 mins longer today due to volume of traffic. Needed to do a lot more (slow) filtering today - pretty much all the way from Greenwich into town - which led to a couple of near misses (1 bus pulling out on me, 1 oncoming car turning right across stationary traffic), so needed to be alert.

    London bridge was a complete nightmare.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    London bridge was a complete nightmare.

    Phew, that's where my office is - glad I missed it!

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    On top of the tube strike it is also JP Morgan Challenge so expect Battersea Park and surrounds to be a bit mental!
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    There were more bikes no doubt, there were more cars and certainly more taxis.

    What surprised me though was the pedestrians. I come past Holborn and there were millions of people who didnt seem to have any idea of their current where abouts or where they were going. It was like they had never ventured above ground aside from where they get on and off the underground. I imagine that it is like when someone kicks an ants nest apart and they all come flooding out in a blind panic.
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  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    What surprised me though was the pedestrians. I come past Holborn and there were millions of people who didnt seem to have any idea of their current where abouts or where they were going. It was like they had never ventured above ground aside from where they get on and off the underground.

    I'd be like that. London to me is a series of tourist sites and tube stations, plus my office :twisted:

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    London bridge was a complete nightmare.

    Phew, that's where my office is - glad I missed it!
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  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    got screwed over for 2 interviews today.

    thanks tube drivers. you can pay my rent dickheads
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    On top of the tube strike it is also JP Morgan Challenge so expect Battersea Park and surrounds to be a bit mental!
    Someone tried to get me to do that once. I thought £30-odd to run 5k was also pretty mental!
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  • Squawk
    Squawk Posts: 132
    Took me 10 mins longer today due to volume of traffic. Needed to do a lot more (slow) filtering today - pretty much all the way from Greenwich into town - which led to a couple of near misses (1 bus pulling out on me, 1 oncoming car turning right across stationary traffic), so needed to be alert.

    London bridge was a complete nightmare.

    This. The bit from Deptford to Rotherhithe was horrible.

    Read that they get paid £50k for doing this job. Sympathy? I'd rather sack the lot of them and hire a load of new graduatess who can't get decent employment.

    Added smugness for being a cycle commuter today while in the office.
  • MrSweary
    MrSweary Posts: 1,699
    Coming in from Beckenham there were actually fewer cyclists than usual until I hit Lambeth Bridge. Then there were quite a lot more. Tons of suicide peds and drivers though. As expected.
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  • keyser__soze
    keyser__soze Posts: 2,067
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  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    You are Robert P. McCulloch AICMFP :)
    :lol::lol::lol:

    In my (weak) defence, I did a google image search for "London Bridge Control" and that was the first image that returned. However I will (begrudingly) admit that I had confused London and Tower bridges :oops:
  • GiantDance
    GiantDance Posts: 129
    On top of the tube strike it is also JP Morgan Challenge so expect Battersea Park and surrounds to be a bit mental!

    JP Morgan was last night, its the Standard Charter city run tonight, starts at 19:45
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  • keyser__soze
    keyser__soze Posts: 2,067
    JP Morgan was last night, its the Standard Charter city run tonight, starts at 19:45

    JPM thing runs over two nights, last night and tonight.
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  • rower63
    rower63 Posts: 1,991
    On top of the tube strike it is also JP Morgan Challenge so expect Battersea Park and surrounds to be a bit mental!
    JP Morgan was last night, its the Standard Charter city run tonight, starts at 19:45
    JPM Challenge is also tonight, they split it to be over 2 days a few years ago. Stan Chart Great City Race is also tonight with lots of road-closures in the City after a certain time, so could be interesting
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  • rower63
    rower63 Posts: 1,991
    JP Morgan was last night, its the Standard Charter city run tonight, starts at 19:45

    JPM thing runs over two nights, last night and tonight.
    dammit, this time you pipped me! :)
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  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Defintely think there were some added cr@p drivers around. Had some douche overtake on the right hander at Cannizaro with his phone in his hand. Can only think how much further down the West Hill car park he would have got if it wasn't for me holding him up.

    Putney Hill was also a car park but that's not unusual. Can't say much for the High St I always try to duck through the side roads but some bell end was in the right hand lane all the way over Putney Bridge and decided he wanted to be in the left lane at the last moment except by then it was too late so he just slammed on the brakes sat there blocking the way. Grrr!!

    Regular commuter traffic can be irritating but at least they sort of have a clue what they are doing and where they are going with the exception of school running mums of course.. private schools have broken up now another week or so for the rest.

    Roll on summer hols.....

    Oh and just to be a pedant that is Tower Bridge not London Bridge.
  • GiantDance
    GiantDance Posts: 129
    JP Morgan was last night, its the Standard Charter city run tonight, starts at 19:45

    JPM thing runs over two nights, last night and tonight.

    Wasn't the last time I did it, although that was some years back :oops:
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  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Still massive traffic carnage around the PS/ Victoria St James Park region.

    I see a few people in my office that i didnt expect to come and they are going on about how nice it was coming in by bike and how less stressful it is etc, They will be back on the tube tomorrow.....
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  • jamesco
    jamesco Posts: 687
    It was surprisingly uneventful leaving Ealing at 8am this morning. Apart from a bit of a queue around the Common, traffic was no worse than usual all the way to Shoreditch. Holland Park Ave. will be a nightmare tonight, but it often is.

    On the other hand, there were heaps more cyclists and not just the usual suspects (i.e. hardcore young(ish) blokes going at it hammer & tongs). Lots of women, lots of bikes with baskets / rust on the chain, lots of smiles from newbie riders realising how nice a bike ride can be on a day like today.
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
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  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    think I was more annoyed that we had lots of people dropping out of meetings planned today that had been arranged for months, because they claimed they just couldnt get across London, felt more like they CBA.

    as for the journey didnt seem too different, but I did note the bike rack was virtually full by the time I arrived and thats the first time this year its been like that
  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    Considering we were all advised to WFH, 30% of our workforce was made redundant on the 1st and the office was only half occupied to start with it was difficult to distinguish between today and a normal day in the office.

    Our shiny new office in central London seems to be designed in the shape of a huge white elephant, or perhaps an ivory tower.
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  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    Yeah my commute was murder
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