Keen cycle nuts in Sydenham ?

[cyclesteve]

Welcome aboard umbrella. Nice to see folk out and about on their bikes in Sydders...........

[umbrella]

Cheers Steve, yep cycling is definitely a nice way of getting about Sydders and Forest Hill.

[stuart]

The Mayor, Barclays and Transport for London (TfL) today launched the first two Barclays Cycle Superhighways, which aim to help significantly increase the number of Londoners choosing pedal power for their daily commute.

A key part of the Mayor’s commitment to stimulate a cycling revolution in the Capital, the two pilot routes run from Merton to the City via the A24 and A3, and Barking to Tower Gateway via the A13 and Cable Street. Around 5,000 cycle journeys are currently made every day on both pilot routes, with TfL aiming to increase this to 27,000 cycle trips a day by 2013.

As well as installing distinctive and highly visible blue cycle lanes along both pilot routes, at a minimum of 1.5m wide, works completed to make it safer and easier to commute by bike along these routes include:

· Trialing 37 cycle safety (‘Trixi’) mirrors at junctions along both pilot routes. These mirrors give drivers of large vehicles better visibility of cyclists when preparing to turn left;

· Introducing 84 new Advanced Stop Lines at least 5m deep at junctions along both routes, providing a space for cyclists to wait at lights ahead of the queue of traffic;

· Installing new segregated cycle lanes at the Stockwell Gyratory on the Merton to the City route, and upgrading existing segregated lanes at the Elephant and Castle bypass and on Southwark Bridge, Cable Street and the A13;

· Re-aligning traffic and bus lanes to create more space for cyclists on busy stretches of the Superhighways, for example on the southbound section of the A24 at the junction of Kennington Road and Brixton Road.

As part of Barclays Cycle Superhighways, TfL is also providing funding for the eight London boroughs and local businesses along the pilot routes. The money will used to fund around 5,000 cycle parking spaces, over 17,000 hours of cycle training and more than 3,000 hours of cycle maintenance sessions. TfL has already installed 300 new cycle parking spaces along both pilot routes to cater for the anticipated increased demand from cyclists using the Barclays Cycle Superhighways.

Sydenham is due to get its own Cycle Superhighway (CS6) in 2015 running from Penge and linking up with CS7 at the Elephant. These Superhighways have been rubbished by some in the cycling world as inadequate and just a bit of blue paint. They do have some justification but others have pointed out this could be said of the equivalents in Amsterdam & Copenhagen 40 years ago - but see how they developed over time ... what do you think?

More on CSH here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11901.aspx
A BBC review here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10667623

Stuart

[cyclesteve]

The way I see it, is that its a leap in the right direction and only time will till if London in general get their act together and becomes a cycle friendly city.

[diskocheddar]

I commute from Penge East staion to Victoria on the train with my foldy bike, then cycle to Oxford Circus. It's a whole lotta fun. A few weeks a go I strapped a video camera to the front. Check out the results on youtube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZoq68IOhg

[umbrella]

So has anyone had a go on the new cycle hire bikes?

Alas I'm still waiting for my access key to arrive in the post so couldn't give one of the bikes a spin today, but will definitely give one a go next week.

I think it's a really positive move and I have my fingers crossed that it's going to be a success.

[Likelife]

I think the Cycle hire is a great idea but apparently they are too heavy but I am thinking about joining the scheme as I din't really cycle and as for the Super highway, will there be any bikes to hire in Sydenham or will TfL just say Sydenham is not worthy enough?

[Chazza]

Indeed the bikes are pretty heavy, but it shouldn't really matter on the short rides for which they're intended - central London isn't exactly hilly. Making the bikes lighter would have made them either less durable or more expensive. I just wish the scheme extended a little further out, perhaps as far south as Brixton and as far north as Highbury. At the moment, it seems to go further east/west.

I'd love for the scheme to be a huge success; when people realise that a bike is the quickest way to get around town, I hope it will encourage more people to use one. I have reservations about vandalism and theft. I also worry what the media narrative will be the first time someone gets knocked off and injured, or worse killed, while riding one of the TfL bikes. Coverage about cycling can be pretty negative in some parts of the press, so I'm sure this opportunity would be siezed upon to poor scorn upon two-wheelers.

[umbrella]

I had a go on one of the bikes today, good fun. They are heavy and not exactly nippy but still fine to ride and good for what they're designed for, short trips in central London.

I'll still use my Brompton as my main bike but for days when I've not cycled in, the cycle hire bikes are a useful addition to central London transport.

So far the press coverage has been on the whole fairly positive about them, let's hope it stays that way (but agree with the comment that usually media coverage of cycling does tend to be negative).

[cyclesteve]

Anyone else miss the commute while on holiday ? good job ive been out training for a 130km ride for the Macmillan trust in Sept eeeeeeeeeek !!

[Chazza]

I would have missed it, as I'm not in London this week - so I brought my bike with me

[cyclesteve]

Welcome to 2011 cycle folk, hope all is well amongst the early morning brigade and indeed the cycling community of dear old Sydenham in general.
I was wondering if any of you are thinking about doing the London to Brighton run this 19th of June? Registration is 12th march, I'm def doing it so wondered if any of you guys and gals fancying flying the flag for dear Sydders.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[stuart]

If you want to get some early practice in - the first FNRttC (Friday Night Ride to the Coast) registration is open for the March 18th ride.

You start from Hyde Park Corner on the stroke of midnight and plan not to arrive in Southend before the Cafe starts to serve breakfast at 8am. The daring ride back, the less daring get a train.

Great fun and atmosphere of around 80 flashing lights does scare the motorists off. The Southend ride is flat and easy (the second hardest slope is the A11 flyover!). There are harder rides to Whitstable, Brighton, Bognor & Newhaven/Dieppe later in the season.

The 23:08 from Sydenham Station gets you into Victoria in good time for a rendezvous at the end of platform 12. More here: http://fnrttc.blogspot.com/

I would be careful about the Brighton ride. It was so crowded last year that there wasn't space to ride on the section where we crossed it (Chipstead). Much nicer ways to cycle to Brighton ...

Stuart

[cyclesteve]

I would be careful about the Brighton ride. It was so crowded last year that there wasn't space to ride on the section where we crossed it (Chipstead). Much nicer ways to cycle to Brighton ...

Thanxs for the heads up Stuart, I have heard that the London to Brighton does get very crowded but it's something that I've always fancied doing so I'll prob do it this once, then say " Never again "
I reckon a night time ride looks quite an event .. I might look into that this year, thanks !!

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[paultreacy]

I just dashed over to East Dulwich to fetch music books. Sydenham Hill on the way back wasn't too bad. I was surprised. I seem to have gathered in some fitness peddling around with my two wee boys. I've been training them on road safety. Happened to pass my son's music teacher on Sydenham Hill, in fact. Now he is a SERIOUS cyclist.

[paultreacy]

I will seriously consider the Brighton spin.

[cyclesteve]

There are a lot of riders around Paul that simply defy belief sometimes. A few weeks ago I was pedalling up College Hill and saw a bike in the distance going up the hill, so being the show off I am I tried to catch him up ... Bad move!! He just looked over his shoulder at me catching him up and just left me for dead ( the swine )
Maybe after the sign up date for the Brighton run we can get a collective to pedal up to Clapham Common for the start ?

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[G-Man]

I'm keen to start cycling to work. I'm currently researching bikes, which is proving very interesting. I want to get something I love, which means it has to look good as well as being practical.

The bike I'm getting excited about a bike that weighs about 14KG with hub gears, is this heavy? My commute will be from near the Dolphin to Charing Cross, how long do you think this will take at a leisurely pace? Oh, and how do you keep your shirts crease free?

So many questions...

G-Man

[Kate R Park]

In response to G-Man, 14kgs sounds a little heavy. I'm by no means a club level cyclist, but from what I understand, one's own weight has more of an impact than the bike weight, so if you can stay away from the office biscuits..........

I cycle to Victoria from Sydenham - an easy pace to Charing Cross should take slighly less than an hour, I'd guess. Once you get over the hill, it's all fairly flat.

In terms of laundry, if you've got understanding colleagues and a bit of hanging space at your workplace, get your shirts laundered at work, and left on hangers (launderers will also fold them if required). I'm fortunate in having showers at work, so it means I can freshen up before changing (also means I can get a couple of days out of a shirt - is that a phew I hear?). I've found a place in Victoria which charges £1.70 per shirt for 5 or more.

Just for the thread record, I'm on a yellow Dawes hardtail MTB at about 8:00am on Westwood Hill or CP Park Road, unless it's dry, in which case I'm on my recently acquired (through the C2W scheme) Boardman team carbon, possibly the most puncture prone bike in the world, but oh, so light......

[Carlw]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but it appears this is the place to be for the cycling nuts of Sydenham so I'll gladly join the crowd. I recently moved to Sydenham, and after going through constant ELL and Jubilee line delays in my first few weeks here, I'd like to pursue cycling opportunities from Sydenham to Canary Wharf. I found the following map on the TFL site showing a recommended route from FH to Lewisham:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/pro ... ycling.pdf

Can anyone speak to the safety of this route? As much as I'd love to cycle to work everyday, safety is my primary concern here. Also, if anyone has other suggested routes for getting Northeast (preferably to the Greenwich foot tunnel) I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!