I haven’t worked in London for over thirty years but I do really enjoy watching your videos. I’m sure the infrastructure is far from perfect but it (probably) is better than most UK cities. What I also really like is how you show and highlight those bits of London that are easily accessible but not found if your idea of London is The Tube Map. Inform, educate, entertain as the phrase goes 👍
Interesting video and comments. When designing cycleways it would help if the designers made right turns (and other complex manoeuvres) 'clear and obvious' and also consistent. Then we would not have to second guess how to make the turn - it would be obvious. So I don't mind how they do it but be consistent. Thanks for making the videos. Is it always sunny in London? Or do you only make videos on sunny days? Thanks again.
It’s not always sunny but I’m definitely more likely to get out on a bike when it is haha! Partly as it’s more fun, partly as it looks better in the video, partly as I can’t shoot in the rain as even a single speck on water on the lens ruins the footage (it doesn’t break the camera or anything it’s just there’s a speck of water blocking out part of the video). That said though, I do think it rains less than people think - sure the chances of it raining sometime on a given day are fairly high for a lot of the year, but when it comes to cycle commuting it’s rare for it actually to be raining at the specific time you’re commuting - I noticed this when cycle commuting every day that it was just not common to actually get properly rained on- certainly less than 10 times a year I would say
I personally don’t mind an occasional right turns in two stages, but they really highlight where cycling is just an afterthought to councils and TfL. When they are not willing to reallocate road space, it’s very easy for them to just tell cyclists to turn in two stages.
May I ask how do you find out if you can cycle on pedestrian only looking streets? Such as Bramlands Close 10:58 and Battersea Chapel Baptist Church 11:40?
Sometimes it can be ambiguous but usually you can tell by the signage - in those cases if you look closely there are blue cycle route signs on lampposts which indicates cycling is allowed. Generally if something is a pavement (eg it runs alongside a road) you can’t cycle on it unless it’s specifically designated with a shared space sign. Paths and traffic tree spaces like those ones running away from streets are a bit more ambiguous -ideally they’d have a sign telling you one way or the other but sometimes there isn’t one and you just have to consider context etc
Hopefully TfL get the power to bring in road pricing sooner rather than later. That would be a way for them to keep buses moving, without requiring loads of space for motor vehicles at junctions. Ultimately as long as there are large volumes of vehicles using these roads, that's always going to limit the designs that are considered feasible. You could put junctions on a diet anyway, and hope for traffic evaporation. To the decision makers though, I imagine that probably feels like an unacceptable risk, and the wrong way around to be doing things.
yeah this is the main reason I am so worried about Sadiq Khan's election pledge not to bring in pay per mile. Hopefully he finds a way around him because it's a really important part of the policy eco system that unblocks a lot of other policies and projects (at least with the way TfL is thinking at the moment)
@@Londoncycleroutes I think it will be brought in at some point nationally (to prevent collapse in revenue from fuel duty, and prevent a massive rise in congestion), but it really makes sense to trial in urban areas first, and London particularly.
I will have a look! There is sort of a way between Wandsworth common and Clapham Common I think. By old town do you mean where we end here, old York Road?
@ yes exactly that, for some reason I’ve always called that bit of Wandsworth “Old Town” no idea why. Seems like a missing link currently, probably needs some infrastructure to make fully work
I believe French road rules allow hook turns (turn left to turn right) for cyclists at all junctions unlike in the UK where the hook turn markings indicate those where you are allowed to -- which, if properly advertised, makes for good standardisation (same with contraflow being authorised in all 30km/h roads in France -- though the prefecture de police in Paris is fighting against it arguing that since 30km/h became a blanket rule it led it to be applicable in roads unsuited to it! But that's another story for another day). Some communes have signs to help nudge cyclists into doing so but as Altis's video I've linked below explains, there really is very little clarity on where you are supposed to wait. At least in London, the hook turn markings do make it clear where to wait (and in a case I have in mind at the Tavistock Place/Tavistock Square intersection, the council/TfL refused to install them for some movements because of a lack of waiting space). th-cam.com/users/shortsK8TIh0A_bSU?app=desktop
Really interesting thank you! The markings do at least make it clear, I wonder if it would make sense to put in a generalised change to the Highway Code as well in a U.K. context
When I first got my bike I did have LA lessons in RBKC 🎉so was shown this route. I don't like it tho. Crossing Battersea park road would give me ANXIETY the same as all the twists and turns. I don't like feeling wobbly on my bike. Okay my first bike was a fold up I learned to cycle Albert Bridge to Putney bridge loop. Just like this video. But the chain kept coming off (Inc leaving Albert Bridge 😬) I got a full size trek now I like STRAIGHT roads, tarmac 😍 I love CS8. Tate to Lambeth bridge 😊 is my 10 second speed trial. So this route, the crossing at the Latchmere, the cobbled road, why isn't Falcon Park made for bikes, every thing about it annoys me 😂 I just go on the main roads which here are too narrow, too busy and a flipping nightmare. I have to psyche myself up first. I don't think they consult female cyclists like me. A horrible man blocked my bike in with lime bikes intentionally so now I'm back on crutches. Couldn't cycle home yesterday. Same as the last time I went over cobbles. Maybe I could do the turns 😬 but I don't like the wonky dips, rain and missing bits and gaps. It feels dangerous x
@@LondoncycleroutesI know it's annoying. Lime bikes are 35kg! When shopping for my bike 15kg was too heavy. I got a WD one. So I should feel okay, maybe I could do these turns, but personally I'm more likely to go a busier route and avoid them. Not cause I want busy but even the turning into my road gives me anxiety, it's raised to see better? I hate it. Wonky, tiles, rain, grippy yuk add pedestrians and traffic is enough to make me feel queasy. Lol so not up for this today. Yeah my can't do it may be how non cyclists feel x
Another area is Battersea High Street that should be a great cut thru but every entrance & exit. I was just thinking about the dips, there is one there why aren't they concreted smooth ramp that buggies can also use. I don't like awkward angles and bricks which crumble and leave gaps like the death traps around victoria coach station x
@@Londoncycleroutes Was browsing the TfL projects by chance this evening and came across this nugget from them: "We don't plan on making any other changes to the TfL road network in Kensington & Chelsea along Cheyne Walk, Chelsea Embankment and Grosvenor Road until at least March 2029. (From time to time TfL or utility companies may need to carry out maintenance on these roads. We'll notify residents of any traffic management plans if that happens.)" That's a bizarre commitment against road safety for TfL to take (even if it is to appease the annoyance that RBKC are)... At the bottom of this page: tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/battersea-bridge-safety
Oh and advisory here…. 1. Don’t wear Lycra 2. Don’t look like a Tour De France refugee 3. Don’t wear blacked out sunglasses. The people who you are going to annoy can’t see your eyes and you can’t register any emotion in sunnies. Such as a quick flick of “sorry mate x I truly am a real human being”. 4. You don’t need to ride at peak cadence efficiency… 5. Ride slowly, don’t be a d1ck 6. Remember every annoyance, no matter how small, will be magnified and pedestrians and car drivers will work to see you legislated into non existence. There, golden rules for cyclists. Honestly you don’t need to thank me
I haven’t worked in London for over thirty years but I do really enjoy watching your videos. I’m sure the infrastructure is far from perfect but it (probably) is better than most UK cities. What I also really like is how you show and highlight those bits of London that are easily accessible but not found if your idea of London is The Tube Map. Inform, educate, entertain as the phrase goes 👍
Thanks very much that’s very kind! I hope it’s a public service of sorts
@@Londoncycleroutes Public Service Broadcasting 🙂
Ahhh You cycled past my house! I can even see my car lol
Wave next time haha!
Congratulations on a great guide. I was the editor of On Your Bike (with cycling maps) for many years and this guide is a great replacement.
Thanks very much! Magazines like that are much missed I think
there is a wave machine at Latchmere, been there since i was a child im now 43
Good to have it confirmed!
Interesting video and comments. When designing cycleways it would help if the designers made right turns (and other complex manoeuvres) 'clear and obvious' and also consistent. Then we would not have to second guess how to make the turn - it would be obvious. So I don't mind how they do it but be consistent. Thanks for making the videos. Is it always sunny in London? Or do you only make videos on sunny days? Thanks again.
It’s not always sunny but I’m definitely more likely to get out on a bike when it is haha! Partly as it’s more fun, partly as it looks better in the video, partly as I can’t shoot in the rain as even a single speck on water on the lens ruins the footage (it doesn’t break the camera or anything it’s just there’s a speck of water blocking out part of the video). That said though, I do think it rains less than people think - sure the chances of it raining sometime on a given day are fairly high for a lot of the year, but when it comes to cycle commuting it’s rare for it actually to be raining at the specific time you’re commuting - I noticed this when cycle commuting every day that it was just not common to actually get properly rained on- certainly less than 10 times a year I would say
@@Londoncycleroutes Yeah on a wide angle action camera lens, a single drop of water looks humongous
@@liamness yeah the lens type doesnt help!
I personally don’t mind an occasional right turns in two stages, but they really highlight where cycling is just an afterthought to councils and TfL. When they are not willing to reallocate road space, it’s very easy for them to just tell cyclists to turn in two stages.
Yes that’s a good way of putting it I think
A tad too much chat about the big picture at the cost of describing the route I think
Sorry!
@@Londoncycleroutes I found it very interesting! Great video as usual.
Hi, if possible could you consider doing a route from Sutton to Morden.
I will see what I can do!
In terms of routes, I would like to suggest trying Finsbury Park to Russell Square
Should be doable, I’ll make a note!
@@Londoncycleroutes Thank you ☺️
May I ask how do you find out if you can cycle on pedestrian only looking streets? Such as Bramlands Close 10:58 and Battersea Chapel Baptist Church 11:40?
Sometimes it can be ambiguous but usually you can tell by the signage - in those cases if you look closely there are blue cycle route signs on lampposts which indicates cycling is allowed. Generally if something is a pavement (eg it runs alongside a road) you can’t cycle on it unless it’s specifically designated with a shared space sign. Paths and traffic tree spaces like those ones running away from streets are a bit more ambiguous -ideally they’d have a sign telling you one way or the other but sometimes there isn’t one and you just have to consider context etc
@ thank you so much for your reply!
Hopefully TfL get the power to bring in road pricing sooner rather than later. That would be a way for them to keep buses moving, without requiring loads of space for motor vehicles at junctions. Ultimately as long as there are large volumes of vehicles using these roads, that's always going to limit the designs that are considered feasible. You could put junctions on a diet anyway, and hope for traffic evaporation. To the decision makers though, I imagine that probably feels like an unacceptable risk, and the wrong way around to be doing things.
yeah this is the main reason I am so worried about Sadiq Khan's election pledge not to bring in pay per mile. Hopefully he finds a way around him because it's a really important part of the policy eco system that unblocks a lot of other policies and projects (at least with the way TfL is thinking at the moment)
@@Londoncycleroutes I think it will be brought in at some point nationally (to prevent collapse in revenue from fuel duty, and prevent a massive rise in congestion), but it really makes sense to trial in urban areas first, and London particularly.
Wonder if you can find a link between Clapham Common and Wandsworth Old town? Would create a really nice network with all of your Lambeth routes!
I will have a look! There is sort of a way between Wandsworth common and Clapham Common I think. By old town do you mean where we end here, old York Road?
@ yes exactly that, for some reason I’ve always called that bit of Wandsworth “Old Town” no idea why. Seems like a missing link currently, probably needs some infrastructure to make fully work
I believe French road rules allow hook turns (turn left to turn right) for cyclists at all junctions unlike in the UK where the hook turn markings indicate those where you are allowed to -- which, if properly advertised, makes for good standardisation (same with contraflow being authorised in all 30km/h roads in France -- though the prefecture de police in Paris is fighting against it arguing that since 30km/h became a blanket rule it led it to be applicable in roads unsuited to it! But that's another story for another day). Some communes have signs to help nudge cyclists into doing so but as Altis's video I've linked below explains, there really is very little clarity on where you are supposed to wait. At least in London, the hook turn markings do make it clear where to wait (and in a case I have in mind at the Tavistock Place/Tavistock Square intersection, the council/TfL refused to install them for some movements because of a lack of waiting space).
th-cam.com/users/shortsK8TIh0A_bSU?app=desktop
Really interesting thank you! The markings do at least make it clear, I wonder if it would make sense to put in a generalised change to the Highway Code as well in a U.K. context
Is it not just easier (well, have to remember less turns) by going along the river from Battersea Park down to Wandsworth?
You could go that way, but the link from the park to the riverside (Parkgate Rd) isn’t great
What camera set up do you have?
I have a GoPro hero 11 mounted on the handlebars with a pretty generic mount I bought online
Unfamiliar 2-stage turns are very confusing!
There needs to be some sort of standard
When I first got my bike I did have LA lessons in RBKC 🎉so was shown this route. I don't like it tho. Crossing Battersea park road would give me ANXIETY the same as all the twists and turns. I don't like feeling wobbly on my bike.
Okay my first bike was a fold up I learned to cycle Albert Bridge to Putney bridge loop. Just like this video. But the chain kept coming off (Inc leaving Albert Bridge 😬) I got a full size trek now I like STRAIGHT roads, tarmac 😍 I love CS8. Tate to Lambeth bridge 😊 is my 10 second speed trial.
So this route, the crossing at the Latchmere, the cobbled road, why isn't Falcon Park made for bikes, every thing about it annoys me 😂 I just go on the main roads which here are too narrow, too busy and a flipping nightmare. I have to psyche myself up first.
I don't think they consult female cyclists like me. A horrible man blocked my bike in with lime bikes intentionally so now I'm back on crutches. Couldn't cycle home yesterday. Same as the last time I went over cobbles. Maybe I could do the turns 😬 but I don't like the wonky dips, rain and missing bits and gaps. It feels dangerous x
Oww sorry to hear about the crutches!
@@LondoncycleroutesI know it's annoying. Lime bikes are 35kg! When shopping for my bike 15kg was too heavy. I got a WD one. So I should feel okay, maybe I could do these turns, but personally I'm more likely to go a busier route and avoid them. Not cause I want busy but even the turning into my road gives me anxiety, it's raised to see better? I hate it. Wonky, tiles, rain, grippy yuk add pedestrians and traffic is enough to make me feel queasy. Lol so not up for this today. Yeah my can't do it may be how non cyclists feel x
Another area is Battersea High Street that should be a great cut thru but every entrance & exit. I was just thinking about the dips, there is one there why aren't they concreted smooth ramp that buggies can also use. I don't like awkward angles and bricks which crumble and leave gaps like the death traps around victoria coach station x
Unfortunately money talks in Ken & Chel so it's always going to be a hurdle getting decent cycle infrastructure in that borough.
Tbh if they really cared about the local economy they’d probably go for it - if anything I think they’re being very ideological about it!
The Latchmere wave machine has been broken for at least a year, with no signs of progress!
Important update thank you!
God I hate Kensington and Chelsea council.
They are pretty bad!
@@Londoncycleroutes Was browsing the TfL projects by chance this evening and came across this nugget from them: "We don't plan on making any other changes to the TfL road network in Kensington & Chelsea along Cheyne Walk, Chelsea Embankment and Grosvenor Road until at least March 2029. (From time to time TfL or utility companies may need to carry out maintenance on these roads. We'll notify residents of any traffic management plans if that happens.)"
That's a bizarre commitment against road safety for TfL to take (even if it is to appease the annoyance that RBKC are)...
At the bottom of this page:
tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/battersea-bridge-safety
Oh and advisory here….
1. Don’t wear Lycra
2. Don’t look like a Tour De France refugee
3. Don’t wear blacked out sunglasses. The people who you are going to annoy can’t see your eyes and you can’t register any emotion in sunnies. Such as a quick flick of “sorry mate x I truly am a real human being”.
4. You don’t need to ride at peak cadence efficiency…
5. Ride slowly, don’t be a d1ck
6. Remember every annoyance, no matter how small, will be magnified and pedestrians and car drivers will work to see you legislated into non existence.
There, golden rules for cyclists.
Honestly you don’t need to thank me
I’ve never worn Lycra myself but personally am very relaxed about people wearing what they want!