Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

My work location in London moves to Canary Wharf next week. [I’ve
hitherto been commuting from Paddington to Victoria by Brompton.] This
significantly lengthens my commute. Not looking forward to it one
bit. I’ve been looking at options involving various combinations of
bike (folder and full-size), Docklands Light Railway, Thames Clipper
ferry, and possibly going from Waterloo (I live in Reading so
Paddington or Waterloo are options.). Also looked at cycling the
whole distance from Paddington from Canary Wharf - about 9 miles,
longer on quieter roads - the distance is not a problem for me but
East London doesn’t exactly look a cyclist’s paradise. [I hate the
Tube so want to avoid it if poss]

Appreciate any advice from folks with experience of commuting this
route with bike, i.e. Paddington or Waterloo to Canary Wharf.

Many thanks in advance, Reg

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:48:08 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

My work location in London moves to Canary Wharf next week. [I’ve
hitherto been commuting from Paddington to Victoria by Brompton.] This
significantly lengthens my commute. Not looking forward to it one
bit. I’ve been looking at options involving various combinations of
bike (folder and full-size), Docklands Light Railway, Thames Clipper
ferry, and possibly going from Waterloo (I live in Reading so
Paddington or Waterloo are options.). Also looked at cycling the
whole distance from Paddington from Canary Wharf - about 9 miles,
longer on quieter roads - the distance is not a problem for me but
East London doesn’t exactly look a cyclist’s paradise. [I hate the
Tube so want to avoid it if poss]

Appreciate any advice from folks with experience of commuting this
route with bike, i.e. Paddington or Waterloo to Canary Wharf.

Many thanks in advance, Reg

Apart from a short section through Islington, the Regent's Canal
towpath will take you more or less door to door on a motor traffic
free route.

I expect the Regent's Canal journey would take about 90 minutes. The
most direct road route would probably take about half that time.


Waterloo to Canary Wharf is a doddle.

From Waterloo follow The Thames Path (motor traffic free) to Tower
Bridge, and cross. At the main junction after the Bridge turn *sharp*
right and double back on yourself past the Tower Hotel and through the
service area into St Katherine Dock (motor traffic free). Foloow
quiet roads to Wapping. At Wapping follow the Ornamental Canals to
Shadwell Basin (motor traffic free). Follow the Thames Path North to
Limehouse (motor traffic free), and take the horrible plunge under
Westferry Circus and that horrendous underground gyratory will spew
you out into Canary Wharf. (It may be possible to take a lift or one
flight of stairs from the Thames path to the upper Westferry Circus
for an infinitely more pleasant final leg of the journey).

Journey time - a delightful 40 minutes followed by a nasty 5 minutes.

The road route would probably take less than 30 minutes.

Also note that Tower Bridge is scheduled for closure to all traffic
for two weeks in March. There *may* be a free replacement ferry
service for pedestrians and cyclists.

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:48:08 -0800 (PST), "
said in
:

My work location in London moves to Canary Wharf next week. [I’ve
hitherto been commuting from Paddington to Victoria by Brompton.] This
significantly lengthens my commute. Not looking forward to it one
bit.

Want a bike buddy? That's my commute. Send emu, we can meet at
Reading some time :-)

The ride form Paddington to CW is easy, it's not hilly, and the Brom
can certainly handle it - or at least mine can. Mine's an L6 with
12% reduced gearing (I like to spin the pedals).

I go through Hyde Park, down Constitution Hill and the Mall, under
Admiralty Arch, turn right down to the Embankment, under Blackfriars
underpass, along Thames Street, past the Tower and then you can
either go on the cycle route (which I hate because it's on the
pavement against traffic a lot of the way) or the Highway , whihc is
fine in my experience. Cross The Highway atht eh mouth of the
Limehouse tunnel, along past Dunbar Wharf and to the DLR station,
turn right and up onto the Wharf. Final leg might differ depending
on where in CW you are.

Takes me 35 minutes on a good day, 45 minutes leisurely, 50 minutes
n the tube (which is a virus incubation system and absoluetly rammed
at most times).

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
GPG sig #3FA3BCDE http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/pgp-public-key.txt

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:38:06 +0000, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:48:08 -0800 (PST), "
said in
:

My work location in London moves to Canary Wharf next week. [I’ve
hitherto been commuting from Paddington to Victoria by Brompton.] This
significantly lengthens my commute. Not looking forward to it one
bit.

Want a bike buddy?


I trust that you will ride with due regard for other road users.

What is a "bike buddy"?

Someone who will ride the same route and who will ride one behind the
other in order to not hold up other road users?

Sounds a good idea to me.


judith

--
I encourage my children to wear helmets. (Guy Chapman)
I have never said that I encourage my children to wear helmets. (Guy
Chapman)
I would challenge judith to find the place where I said I encourage
my children to wear helmets. (Guy Chapman)
I pointed out the web page
He then quickly changed the web page - but "forgot" to change the date
of last amendment so it looked like the change had been there for
years.

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On 25 Jan, 00:29, wrote:



What is a "bike buddy"?

Someone who will ride the same route and who will ride one behind the
other in order to not hold up other road *users?


Will any other road users be held up if you are going from Paddington
to CW in 35 mins ?

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:29:13 -0800 (PST), said
in
:

Someone who will ride the same route and who will ride one behind the
other in order to not hold up other road *users?

Will any other road users be held up if you are going from Paddington
to CW in 35 mins ?

Nobody who has ever tried that journey would even ask the question.
The idea of holding up the oh-so-much-more-important Mr Toads is
completely at odds with the reality, which is that they are so busy
holding each other up that they would never notice - even on the
sections of route where riding perfectly legally two abreast might
theoretically cause some trifling inconvenience.

And there aren't many "road users" in Hyde Park in the first place.

If you want to see some *real* traffic holdups, try the bus jams on
Oxford Street.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
GPG sig #3FA3BCDE http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/pgp-public-key.txt

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

If you want to see some *real* traffic holdups, try the bus jams on
Oxford Street.

I've seen them, and marvelled at the sheer stupidity of it.

The Lib Dems have a good idea here
http://glalibdems.org.uk/news/000298...trianised.html

Which in a nutshell is to close the street to all traffic and run
trams down it.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On 25 Jan, 11:58, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:


If you want to see some *real* traffic holdups, try the bus jams on
Oxford Street.


Or as BoJo says

" Oxford Street is still bisected by a panting wall of red metal. Can
we really leave it as it is? "

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/publi.../way-to-go.rtf

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

On Sun, 25 Jan 2009, Phil Cook wrote:

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

If you want to see some *real* traffic holdups, try the bus jams on
Oxford Street.

I've seen them, and marvelled at the sheer stupidity of it.

The Lib Dems have a good idea here
http://glalibdems.org.uk/news/000298...trianised.html

Which in a nutshell is to close the street to all traffic and run
trams down it.

Ken was pushing the same idea at some point. I think everyone agrees it's
a good idea, it's just a question of finding the money for it.

The only problem is what you do with all the bus routes that go down it.
Do you send them via other routes, thus making those roads more congested?
Or do you cut them in half, turning round at (new bus stations at) Marble
Arch and St Giles's Circus, thus eliminating cross-London routes?

tom

--
In the long run, we are all dead. -- John Maynard Keynes

Commuting to Canary Wharf - advice sought
 

Tom Anderson wrote:
On Sun, 25 Jan 2009, Phil Cook wrote:

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

If you want to see some *real* traffic holdups, try the bus jams on
Oxford Street.

I've seen them, and marvelled at the sheer stupidity of it.

The Lib Dems have a good idea here
http://glalibdems.org.uk/news/000298...trianised.html


Which in a nutshell is to close the street to all traffic and run
trams down it.

Ken was pushing the same idea at some point. I think everyone agrees
it's a good idea, it's just a question of finding the money for it.

The only problem is what you do with all the bus routes that go down it.
Do you send them via other routes, thus making those roads more
congested? Or do you cut them in half, turning round at (new bus
stations at) Marble Arch and St Giles's Circus, thus eliminating
cross-London routes?

Would a "bus journey" from (say) Holborn Circus to Notting Hill Gate then
automatically involve a walk from St Giles to Marble Arch?