I will add that almost the entire stretch between Greenwich and The Tower Bridge can be done by the riverside. It is much slower and more convoluted but if you feel frisky, I highly recommend it, it is fun :-)
That's a great video. It's so good to see how much the roads have improved for cycling over the years. My first permanent job was at Kings Cross, and there was nothing for cycling then!
when I started cycling in London around 2012 there were very few bits like this... you could just about do my commute without going on any critically awful bits but none of it was really 'nice'!
Another great vid! Glad your brakes were in good working order. Thanks for sharing more of the routes around London 👍 I hope we can continue to see more projects funded. London has taken big steps forward for cycling infrastructure, which is making cycling safer and more accessible. I hope there is more to come!
Definitely “Grinitch”. Born in “Grinitch” hospital. Would go to “Grinitch” Park on the 53 when I was a kid. Also, my Grandad was Mayor of “Grinitch” in the early 60’s. Only “Grenitch” if you were posh 😂. Great video btw. Used to work right where you started (a bank long since knocked down) and to think you can cycle from there to Kings Cross on cycle routes is amazing.
Thanks for the recommendation for Casse-Croûte! Been missing food from back home so will give it a shot! Don't cycle that much but this is the sort of tips and tricks I love about your channel!
I work near Chancery Lane and I take the C4 through Bank/St Paul's every day. I'd been thinking about trying the C14 to avoid the busy craziness of Bank in the morning commute. Best timing for this video!
Biked parts of this today! If you go through Southwark Park (enter on the left at 11:42) to get between Surrey Quays station and Jamaica road, and connect it with C14, you can see the Bermondsey Wall / a lovely stretch next to the Thames. Thanks for the video.
Oh, it most definitely was .... Woolwich was notably the only cockney stronghold (I'm aware of) outside the East End and Shooters Hill the only place where -plebs- working class folk lived atop the hill. See Time Team's investigation of WWII defences for the reasons for that! Their channel is on this platform.
That bit you walk the bike past the Cutty Sark is only a short section, but it is full of tourists enjoying the views and the history of the place, so it's better to be safe than sorry
The only part I do differently is sticking on C14 (making the right turn onto great Suffolk street then joining Nicholson st to connect with C6) rather than continuing on that section with the parked cars by TfL HQ. Possibly a bit quicker (one less traffic light) and I’d say at least as quiet
ah yes good point about the lack of a traffic light, I hadn't clocked that. I did used to go that way but I think I tend to go straight just to keep the route simple as I put enough wiggles in stuff as it is. maybe I'll start going that way again though as it's nice to shave a minute (and a bunch of parked cars) off
I've always heard it as "Grenwich" Our friend who works at the University calls it that too. This is now a very familiar route to me thanks to C4. I am very much looking forward to the Greenwich gyratory being sorted out as the air pollution right in the centre of the town by the posh market is appaling. You can taste the fumes.
Totally, the improvement will be as much to public realm as it is the cycle route. It’s always sat badly with such a nice town full of tourists also being clogged with cars
Great video and really nice route. Thank you! Agree re: panniers... looong time ago I used to ride an aluminium-frame road bike and carry everything in a back pack everywhere and that very uncomfortable experience (and the many potholes) has led me to now ride a touring bike instead with, some very nice Carradice panniers that I would defo recommend! Sorry to see that near miss at 09:17, that's a real shocker. Even if they didn't check their mirrors/blind spot... any driver turning off a main road should be preparing to fully stop to allow waiting pedestrians, cyclist etc to cross (as per the latest Highway Code revision). The van is a Tunbridge Wells-based business so maybe they are not familiar with city driving, but still not an excuse. Hope that doesn't happen again 🙏
T'was always Grinnidge where I grew up (Shooters Hill). Other local place names frequently murdered are Eltham (Eltum) and Erith (Ear-ith ... or Ear-iff). Only one near miss with a van? You should've seen the area before the Rochester Way Relief Road and A102(M) were built. It was a nightmare with horns dripping blood!! Glad you made it out in one piece. 👍
Any fool knows it is pronounced “Green Witch”, named after the Witch that used to live in the park around 1500. Rumour has it that she haunts the park. It is said in the evening, at dusk, you can hear her driving around in a ghostly van shouting “ATTENTION, ATTENTION THE PARK IS NOW CLOSED”.
Top work with this vid. According to Lewisham Council, Deptford Church Street Cycleway should be completed by March. Would be great if you can do a vid from Lower Sydenham Station to London Bridge via NCN21 (soon to be Cycleway 18 once it has new crossing), new DCS Cycleway, C4 and C14.
Such a brilliant route and lovely to see so many people cycling. And completely agree on the area around Bermondsey Street being underrated - great part of town
Unreal route dont know south London too well. McGlynns still closed. Its one of my fav pubs in London. Hopefully reopens without a boring brewery refurb. I use that shortcut alot (off at farrington)
My ancestors have been calling it Gren-itch ever since they paddled their great war canoe up the Thames to bring civilisation to the area. But perhaps that makes me posh? Also, in the dim and distant past the Council were going to make Burney Street one way to cars and make it part of a cycle lane from the Park to join up with the route that stops at Lovibond Lane/Greenwich DLR.
Panniers are great! I use one for work (its partner one was stolen many years ago), I am always surprised how much weight I can put in it without it affecting my balance!
Absolutely. use daily on my commute and have a pair of cavernous Ortliebs I use for my weeks shopping (sometimes going to the Charlton Sainsburys, in this video)
@@a1white I've got an orleib as well! the one that converts into a backpack. thinking of getting a non-backpack one and keeping it in the backpack on my way to the shop/around the shop, then taking it out when packing!
Whilst I have no connections to South East London, routes like this are very interesting and a joy to watch. If I ever decide to venture past Southwark/Bermondsey way, I’ll be sure to save. 22:40 - definitely something out of a Zelda game that street! Cheers 👋🏽
Nice route! Props to dealing with and choosing pedestrians over traffic - I personally find mixing with pedestrians far more tiring, frustrating and draining than being in traffic...
I live Charlton way (though up the hill off Charlton road) and use this route often. I did much of it the other day, cycling to the Lexington. This route is so much better than it used to be but that van pulling across the front of you is unfortunately relatively common (tbh, I’d consider reporting that incident to the Met). Cycling daily I normally get this happening once a week or two. You really have to look out for for vehicles turning across the front of you, as well as pulling out, totally ignoring the giveway markings. Half of them are fully aware of what they are doing, I’m sure and just presume you’ll stop (after all your bike isn’t going to do them much damage). Other than using a camera and reporting them, I’m not sure what can be done. I notice TFl have even put up a couple of temporary signs at the junctions saying “cycle track in use” to try and warn drivers to look out.
yeah what really upset me about that encounter having watched the footage quite a few times is that way the guy just didnt even react, just started straight forward pretending it didn't happen. and if you look at the queue of cars he could have waited literally 1 second and got through no problem without speeding through that gap he did
@@Londoncycleroutes I'd love to see a video where you challenge yourself to do the longest possible London cycle route where it's purely "quiet streets and protected cycle lanes" haha. Would be a huge effort but would also be greatly appreciated!
@@lordgemini2376 this would be fun! honestly it wouldn't be too far off the above... maybe woolwich/Abbey Wood to Hampstead.... or if we don't care about taking a particularly direct route up to Tottenham... maybe Enfield next year... I'll keep it on file! Funnily enough and relatedly, if you notice the cut in the video on Harrison Street, that was my camera battery dying, I had to use a second one to complete the route! Running out of juice used to happen quite a lot with my old camera but is very rare with the current one I use which lasts a lot longer (thanks Patreon subscribers!)
An alternative route, also very pleasant, is to take the tunnel from Greenwich (which you are supposed to walk, technically), and go via Isle of Dogs. Your route has less stops though, and the path is generally wider for cyclists. Nice one though! C4 is probably the nicest bike path I have ever been on - killer vans excepted, of course.
Ah yes! I tend to avoid the foot tunnel on channel videos due to the dismount but I know a lot of people go that way and like it. Which way do you go through the Isle of Dogs out of interest, just on the main road? I think it’s possible to pick your way through the interior but it never looked that quiet to me
@@Londoncycleroutes I went around by the water, except where it was blocked and sent me to the quietish streets. I have only done it once, the other way. It is very nice, and people are noticeably less stressed than in central London! The cycle route is narrow in spots past Tower Bridge though.
@@Londoncycleroutes good work! I have previously asked TFL about the crash barriers that rund the length Vauxhall Bride that effectively cuts the width of the cycle path in half of northbound riders. No sign of them being removed / moved unfortunately
If you shop at the Charlton Retail Park make sure you have a very good lock or 2, had my bike stolen from there this summer (outside M&S) and security said it happens all the time and they recommend cyclists take bikes inside to near them.
that's sad to hear and good advice, thank you! I've 'loved' the comment not because I love you getting your bike nicked but because it'll pin it to the top so other people can see the advice!
I usually shop at the Sainsbury's there and I always take it inside. I have mulled starting to leave it outside but your comment has put that thought to bed !
I did think about it but haven’t had any response from the police when I’ve tried before. It’s probably the only time in any video on this channel you can hear me yell in the background though!
@@Londoncycleroutesyou should instead write to the business, Nightshift Pest Control. Ask if they know they are employing a homicidal maniac. I scrolled through the incident second by second, and at 9:16, the driver looks at you without remorse or even a hint of apology. That makes it DELIBERATE assault with a deadly weapon (his van) and you were lucky to be skilled and calm enough to avoid the collision. You owe it to your viewers to get this ghastly creep off our roads. You should also share this with the London Cycling Campaign and the police. It may be past the notification date for their online portal, but this driver will not have changed his behaviour. I fear for all cyclists and pedestrians who cross his path, as he uses them for target practice
A bloke I used to work with who lived all his life in Charlton - he’d be in his 70s now - pronounced the old “local” way. But as 99% of people pronounce it as you do I’m sticking with that way.
Not from Greenwich (or London) originally but work just down the road in Bexley, and heard 'Grinnidge' a lot, especially from older people- still throws me when i hear it. Never considered that it would be a consciously used separate word/spelling, more assumed that it was just a fairly strong SE London inflected accent that put a spin on the vowel sounds in a way you hear with a lot of similar words. Interesting!
interesting, I'd have guessed that as well! it might have started off like that but then become a bit more of a conscious thing when people moving there started saying it a different way? the only other similar example I can think of is highgate which people in the know call 'high-g't' but a lot of people call high-gayte'
At 11:15, the signal timings seem really dodgy (not helped by the crossing being blocked by a bus). You pass the signal for cyclists just as it's turning from amber to red. Then when you're going across the pedestrian crossing, it seems that the green for pedestrians is already over and the countdown is starting! There must be almost no slack in the timings, seems like it's inviting conflict. I wonder how often this must be happening with TfL's sometimes confusing junction layouts and awkward signal timings. I used to have a commute where I'd turn right from Grove Road onto Mile End Road, then after noticing a couple of pedestrians glowering at me, I eventually looked at the pedestrian signals as I was passing and noticed they were on green! So somewhere a traffic engineer had assumed that, even with the early release, I wouldn't be able to make it across before I was blocked by oncoming traffic. Must've let them eke out a little more capacity for motor vehicles by running these signals simultaneously.
yeah absolutely - I did cut it fine with that light but I don't think the bus slow me down *that* much, we were moving the whole time, and yet by the time I got to the crossing people seemed to be half way across already. I think you're right it's about squeezing out traffic capacity. it might work in the models but honestly it just means the junction isn't clearing and the whole thing gets jammed up as we saw
to add: issue with driver behaviour being that when people know a junction is dodgy they tend to squeeze through signals or sit on crossings/keep clear signs so they have the best chance of getting through, even if it means they're stranded on the junction and blocking everyone else..
that might be possible when those lanes open! will see what I can do. I wish the council hadn't watered down the Lee Green LTN it would have been a lot easier...
I have worked out a good route that fills in a big gap in your coverage south of the river. It's an East-West route between Denmark Hill and Brockley via Peckham, with optional extensions to Lewisham and Charlton. Obviously, you'll want to try it yourself and tweak it to your liking. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you a map and/or videos.
@@Londoncycleroutes Brockley to Denmark Hill is via Mantle, St Asaph, Oakdale, Kimberley, Kirkwood, Brayards, Copeland, Bournemouth, [thro' car park], Chadwick, Grove Pk, Camberwell Grv., Windsor Walk. Reverse is similar but route thro' Peckham is different due to one-ways - McNeil/Blenheim instead of Chadwick. I think it's up to your standards in terms of difficulty/traffic/risk. The Brockley to Charlton via Lewisham extension is mostly quiet roads, but has through traffic so not quite such a good cycle route.
@@infocuslearning nice, I'll have to check these out in person! thanks for the tip. I don't know the Brockley buts too well but I've tended to avoid Camberwell Grove as it can get very busy at peak times (I went down there to film once and had to scrap the footage) but looks like you're only on it briefly on this and I'm sure the whole thing probably rides nicely most of the time
@@Londoncycleroutes Yes, I hope you can check it out. If I haven't convinced you yet, apart from being an obvious gap in your route network, at 3miles, it's perfect cycling distance and there are no direct trains between Brockley and Denmark Hill (where there is, of course, a big hospital)! You can always caveat the route as being decent enough until something better comes along.
In the UK this summer I forced my partner to have one, of a pair of panniers I bought, on his bike. Did he complain before hand and oh boy was he happy once he'd tried it. What is it with men who don't want a pannier because it's not cool? We rode into the city on this path a few times. The only problem with it is the traffic pollution when the cars are bumper to bumper alongside the cycle path. I lived in Greenwich as a kid. I say grenitch and garidch for garage. I had a car almost murder me at that intersection with the van. I was very tempted to crash my bike into it. i guess it must be a particularly dangerous intersection for bikes and probably needs some sort of intervention.
That’s worrying re the intersection - I wonder what could be done there. Also well played for getting your partner on the panniers! Maybe they should rename them something more macho… tactical carrying units 😂
haha there's actually a serious point which is that the wait for the cycle lights at that side road crossing is so long that someone hobbling along at a mild jog can easily overtake you from that distance while you wait for them
I'm quite a bit older than you and I've only ever heard Greenwich pronounced Grinnich. Ps it's because of idiots like that van driver that I've virtually given up cycling. It's just too dangerous for me
@@LondoncycleroutesYou mean dying, right? When pronunciation rules are mangled, it isn't a sign it's still living. It's being murdered. Or should that be 'mourdored'?
@@youngmurphy7556 interesting example to choose as in old English 'murder' was originally pronounced 'morthor' but has been somewhat 'mangled' in the intervening centuries. stop mangling the Cyning's Englisċ!
@@Londoncycleroutes So you're saying it was mangled by one person who couldn't pronounce it correctly and everybody else followed suit? Nah, mate. I'm not falling for that one.
Wow, bringing up the subject of pronunciation and pronouncing it wrongly! Pronounce and pronunciation, notice the o missing in pronunciation, and it is pronounced as it is written! Come on, you should do better than that!
Vickers on bikes - that should be a TFL target .
Great ride + video .
Yes make it a key performance indicator haha!
I will add that almost the entire stretch between Greenwich and The Tower Bridge can be done by the riverside. It is much slower and more convoluted but if you feel frisky, I highly recommend it, it is fun :-)
yep that's another option!
There's also a riverside path from the Blackwall tunnel approach to Greenwich.
That's a great video. It's so good to see how much the roads have improved for cycling over the years. My first permanent job was at Kings Cross, and there was nothing for cycling then!
when I started cycling in London around 2012 there were very few bits like this... you could just about do my commute without going on any critically awful bits but none of it was really 'nice'!
Another great vid! Glad your brakes were in good working order. Thanks for sharing more of the routes around London 👍 I hope we can continue to see more projects funded. London has taken big steps forward for cycling infrastructure, which is making cycling safer and more accessible. I hope there is more to come!
There's a lot in the pipeline for sure!
Definitely “Grinitch”. Born in “Grinitch” hospital. Would go to “Grinitch” Park on the 53 when I was a kid. Also, my Grandad was Mayor of “Grinitch” in the early 60’s. Only “Grenitch” if you were posh 😂. Great video btw. Used to work right where you started (a bank long since knocked down) and to think you can cycle from there to Kings Cross on cycle routes is amazing.
It sounds like the local pronunciation of the name has been a well kept local secret all this time!
Great route and narration. Your videos are always worth taking the time to watch. I hope your rides are safe and your path always smooth.
Thanks a lot very kind 🙏
Really good video. The bits of history you provide are great. Your longer videos are more enjoyable. Keep them coming. Regards 😊
Thank you for watching!
I often travel this way but sometimes leave an additional 10 mins to my journey so I can take the scenic route along the river.
That’s a pleasant way to do it!
Thanks for the recommendation for Casse-Croûte! Been missing food from back home so will give it a shot! Don't cycle that much but this is the sort of tips and tricks I love about your channel!
Do let me know if it’s any good!
I work near Chancery Lane and I take the C4 through Bank/St Paul's every day. I'd been thinking about trying the C14 to avoid the busy craziness of Bank in the morning commute. Best timing for this video!
I hope it works out!
Biked parts of this today! If you go through Southwark Park (enter on the left at 11:42) to get between Surrey Quays station and Jamaica road, and connect it with C14, you can see the Bermondsey Wall / a lovely stretch next to the Thames. Thanks for the video.
I’ll have to check it out thank you!
Nice ride.
Never heard it called "Grinnitch".
Glad it’s not just me!
Oh, it most definitely was .... Woolwich was notably the only cockney stronghold (I'm aware of) outside the East End and Shooters Hill the only place where -plebs- working class folk lived atop the hill. See Time Team's investigation of WWII defences for the reasons for that! Their channel is on this platform.
Love to see these longer rides! This wouldn’t be part of a commute for me but I would enjoy just taking this route for fun.
I can recommend it!
That bit you walk the bike past the Cutty Sark is only a short section, but it is full of tourists enjoying the views and the history of the place, so it's better to be safe than sorry
I'm happy to dismount for now! I'm hoping for a new route to bypass that in the next year or two...
I ride most of this route most days. Loved seeing you cover it! Cheers
I hope it stands up just as well in real use!
Another great route, and another excellent video! 👍🙂🚴♂️
thanks as always for watching!
The only part I do differently is sticking on C14 (making the right turn onto great Suffolk street then joining Nicholson st to connect with C6) rather than continuing on that section with the parked cars by TfL HQ. Possibly a bit quicker (one less traffic light) and I’d say at least as quiet
ah yes good point about the lack of a traffic light, I hadn't clocked that. I did used to go that way but I think I tend to go straight just to keep the route simple as I put enough wiggles in stuff as it is. maybe I'll start going that way again though as it's nice to shave a minute (and a bunch of parked cars) off
Close shave with that van !!!
Very much so, one of the closest I’ve had!
I've always heard it as "Grenwich" Our friend who works at the University calls it that too. This is now a very familiar route to me thanks to C4. I am very much looking forward to the Greenwich gyratory being sorted out as the air pollution right in the centre of the town by the posh market is appaling. You can taste the fumes.
Totally, the improvement will be as much to public realm as it is the cycle route. It’s always sat badly with such a nice town full of tourists also being clogged with cars
Great video and really nice route. Thank you! Agree re: panniers... looong time ago I used to ride an aluminium-frame road bike and carry everything in a back pack everywhere and that very uncomfortable experience (and the many potholes) has led me to now ride a touring bike instead with, some very nice Carradice panniers that I would defo recommend! Sorry to see that near miss at 09:17, that's a real shocker. Even if they didn't check their mirrors/blind spot... any driver turning off a main road should be preparing to fully stop to allow waiting pedestrians, cyclist etc to cross (as per the latest Highway Code revision). The van is a Tunbridge Wells-based business so maybe they are not familiar with city driving, but still not an excuse. Hope that doesn't happen again 🙏
I’m constantly amazed how much I can get in a pannier honestly!
Thanks
Thank you Tom very kind!
T'was always Grinnidge where I grew up (Shooters Hill). Other local place names frequently murdered are Eltham (Eltum) and Erith (Ear-ith ... or Ear-iff).
Only one near miss with a van? You should've seen the area before the Rochester Way Relief Road and A102(M) were built. It was a nightmare with horns dripping blood!! Glad you made it out in one piece. 👍
Sounds like theres a few local ones to watch out for!
As a lifelong Greenwich resident it is very definitely Grinn-ich
Sorry it’s nothing personal!
errr no, it's not 'definitely Grin-ich'.
@ er... yes it is. My entire life that is how people in this part of London have called it
@@lidopigeon257 I've lived here for 37 years and Grenich is the most common pronunciation.
Any fool knows it is pronounced “Green Witch”, named after the Witch that used to live in the park around 1500. Rumour has it that she haunts the park. It is said in the evening, at dusk, you can hear her driving around in a ghostly van shouting “ATTENTION, ATTENTION THE PARK IS NOW CLOSED”.
Haha 🧙
Top work with this vid. According to Lewisham Council, Deptford Church Street Cycleway should be completed by March. Would be great if you can do a vid from Lower Sydenham Station to London Bridge via NCN21 (soon to be Cycleway 18 once it has new crossing), new DCS Cycleway, C4 and C14.
That's useful info cheers! I was hoping by the end of the year but apparently not! and I'll see what I can do on that route as well
Great video as always!! I can confirm that I have heard a few people call it "Grinnich", but I don't hear it very often
Good to know!
Such a brilliant route and lovely to see so many people cycling. And completely agree on the area around Bermondsey Street being underrated - great part of town
It just has a nice vibe!
that was a great route
thanks for watching!
Unreal route dont know south London too well. McGlynns still closed. Its one of my fav pubs in London. Hopefully reopens without a boring brewery refurb. I use that shortcut alot (off at farrington)
Yeah gutted to hear it hasn’t reopened as I thought!
My ancestors have been calling it Gren-itch ever since they paddled their great war canoe up the Thames to bring civilisation to the area. But perhaps that makes me posh? Also, in the dim and distant past the Council were going to make Burney Street one way to cars and make it part of a cycle lane from the Park to join up with the route that stops at Lovibond Lane/Greenwich DLR.
interesting, I didn't know about the Burney Street idea! I wonder if that's still on the cards
Panniers are great! I use one for work (its partner one was stolen many years ago), I am always surprised how much weight I can put in it without it affecting my balance!
Totally, I feel like we automatically compensate for the weight on one side without even thinking about it
Absolutely. use daily on my commute and have a pair of cavernous Ortliebs I use for my weeks shopping (sometimes going to the Charlton Sainsburys, in this video)
@@a1white I've got an orleib as well! the one that converts into a backpack. thinking of getting a non-backpack one and keeping it in the backpack on my way to the shop/around the shop, then taking it out when packing!
Your Cardio must be insanely good!
Haha I’m not particularly fit overall but I do have reasonable stamina!
Whilst I have no connections to South East London, routes like this are very interesting and a joy to watch.
If I ever decide to venture past Southwark/Bermondsey way, I’ll be sure to save.
22:40 - definitely something out of a Zelda game that street!
Cheers 👋🏽
Yes haha very ye olde!
Nice route! Props to dealing with and choosing pedestrians over traffic - I personally find mixing with pedestrians far more tiring, frustrating and draining than being in traffic...
They both have their own challenges for sure!
I live Charlton way (though up the hill off Charlton road) and use this route often. I did much of it the other day, cycling to the Lexington. This route is so much better than it used to be but that van pulling across the front of you is unfortunately relatively common (tbh, I’d consider reporting that incident to the Met). Cycling daily I normally get this happening once a week or two. You really have to look out for for vehicles turning across the front of you, as well as pulling out, totally ignoring the giveway markings. Half of them are fully aware of what they are doing, I’m sure and just presume you’ll stop (after all your bike isn’t going to do them much damage). Other than using a camera and reporting them, I’m not sure what can be done. I notice TFl have even put up a couple of temporary signs at the junctions saying “cycle track in use” to try and warn drivers to look out.
yeah what really upset me about that encounter having watched the footage quite a few times is that way the guy just didnt even react, just started straight forward pretending it didn't happen. and if you look at the queue of cars he could have waited literally 1 second and got through no problem without speeding through that gap he did
Great video : you could have ploughed on up the C6 past Old St Pancras Church to Kentish Town !
Yes good point! Maybe I’ll do that one soon…
@@Londoncycleroutes I'd love to see a video where you challenge yourself to do the longest possible London cycle route where it's purely "quiet streets and protected cycle lanes" haha. Would be a huge effort but would also be greatly appreciated!
@@lordgemini2376 this would be fun! honestly it wouldn't be too far off the above... maybe woolwich/Abbey Wood to Hampstead.... or if we don't care about taking a particularly direct route up to Tottenham... maybe Enfield next year... I'll keep it on file! Funnily enough and relatedly, if you notice the cut in the video on Harrison Street, that was my camera battery dying, I had to use a second one to complete the route! Running out of juice used to happen quite a lot with my old camera but is very rare with the current one I use which lasts a lot longer (thanks Patreon subscribers!)
@@Londoncycleroutes Abbey Wood to Enfield sounds insane haha. I'd love to watch that!
An alternative route, also very pleasant, is to take the tunnel from Greenwich (which you are supposed to walk, technically), and go via Isle of Dogs. Your route has less stops though, and the path is generally wider for cyclists. Nice one though! C4 is probably the nicest bike path I have ever been on - killer vans excepted, of course.
Ah yes! I tend to avoid the foot tunnel on channel videos due to the dismount but I know a lot of people go that way and like it. Which way do you go through the Isle of Dogs out of interest, just on the main road? I think it’s possible to pick your way through the interior but it never looked that quiet to me
@@Londoncycleroutes I went around by the water, except where it was blocked and sent me to the quietish streets. I have only done it once, the other way. It is very nice, and people are noticeably less stressed than in central London! The cycle route is narrow in spots past Tower Bridge though.
Yes those barriers on the bridges are the actual terror. Also at night they are difficult to see.
I’ve submitted an FOI request to try and find out if there are any figures about crashes involving them…
@@Londoncycleroutes good work! I have previously asked TFL about the crash barriers that rund the length Vauxhall Bride that effectively cuts the width of the cycle path in half of northbound riders. No sign of them being removed / moved unfortunately
If you shop at the Charlton Retail Park make sure you have a very good lock or 2, had my bike stolen from there this summer (outside M&S) and security said it happens all the time and they recommend cyclists take bikes inside to near them.
that's sad to hear and good advice, thank you! I've 'loved' the comment not because I love you getting your bike nicked but because it'll pin it to the top so other people can see the advice!
I usually shop at the Sainsbury's there and I always take it inside. I have mulled starting to leave it outside but your comment has put that thought to bed !
It's Grinidge mate 😂❤
Sorry lol!
9:15 That van needs to be reported, he almost killed you!
I did think about it but haven’t had any response from the police when I’ve tried before. It’s probably the only time in any video on this channel you can hear me yell in the background though!
@@Londoncycleroutesyou should instead write to the business, Nightshift Pest Control. Ask if they know they are employing a homicidal maniac. I scrolled through the incident second by second, and at 9:16, the driver looks at you without remorse or even a hint of apology. That makes it DELIBERATE assault with a deadly weapon (his van) and you were lucky to be skilled and calm enough to avoid the collision. You owe it to your viewers to get this ghastly creep off our roads. You should also share this with the London Cycling Campaign and the police. It may be past the notification date for their online portal, but this driver will not have changed his behaviour. I fear for all cyclists and pedestrians who cross his path, as he uses them for target practice
A bloke I used to work with who lived all his life in Charlton - he’d be in his 70s now - pronounced the old “local” way. But as 99% of people pronounce it as you do I’m sticking with that way.
I think that's my policy!
Its such a shame Greenwich is a busy rotary, cant wait for the upgrade!
For an old git like me, that rotary is the upgrade!! See "Toby and John's Transport History" for the area I grew up in.
Will have to check this out!
Yeah it’ll be brill
Not from Greenwich (or London) originally but work just down the road in Bexley, and heard 'Grinnidge' a lot, especially from older people- still throws me when i hear it. Never considered that it would be a consciously used separate word/spelling, more assumed that it was just a fairly strong SE London inflected accent that put a spin on the vowel sounds in a way you hear with a lot of similar words. Interesting!
interesting, I'd have guessed that as well! it might have started off like that but then become a bit more of a conscious thing when people moving there started saying it a different way? the only other similar example I can think of is highgate which people in the know call 'high-g't' but a lot of people call high-gayte'
That really.date me! 😢
11:19 shouldn't the bus stop before the bike lane?
Edit: You talked about it. Yellow box sounds like a good solution.
Yes there used to be a yellow box there I think not sure why it was removed
At 11:15, the signal timings seem really dodgy (not helped by the crossing being blocked by a bus). You pass the signal for cyclists just as it's turning from amber to red. Then when you're going across the pedestrian crossing, it seems that the green for pedestrians is already over and the countdown is starting! There must be almost no slack in the timings, seems like it's inviting conflict.
I wonder how often this must be happening with TfL's sometimes confusing junction layouts and awkward signal timings. I used to have a commute where I'd turn right from Grove Road onto Mile End Road, then after noticing a couple of pedestrians glowering at me, I eventually looked at the pedestrian signals as I was passing and noticed they were on green! So somewhere a traffic engineer had assumed that, even with the early release, I wouldn't be able to make it across before I was blocked by oncoming traffic. Must've let them eke out a little more capacity for motor vehicles by running these signals simultaneously.
yeah absolutely - I did cut it fine with that light but I don't think the bus slow me down *that* much, we were moving the whole time, and yet by the time I got to the crossing people seemed to be half way across already. I think you're right it's about squeezing out traffic capacity. it might work in the models but honestly it just means the junction isn't clearing and the whole thing gets jammed up as we saw
to add: issue with driver behaviour being that when people know a junction is dodgy they tend to squeeze through signals or sit on crossings/keep clear signs so they have the best chance of getting through, even if it means they're stranded on the junction and blocking everyone else..
Can you do Lee Green To Waterloo
that might be possible when those lanes open! will see what I can do. I wish the council hadn't watered down the Lee Green LTN it would have been a lot easier...
I have worked out a good route that fills in a big gap in your coverage south of the river. It's an East-West route between Denmark Hill and Brockley via Peckham, with optional extensions to Lewisham and Charlton. Obviously, you'll want to try it yourself and tweak it to your liking. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you a map and/or videos.
Interesting, which streets? Is it via the Ivy House?
@@Londoncycleroutes Brockley to Denmark Hill is via Mantle, St Asaph, Oakdale, Kimberley, Kirkwood, Brayards, Copeland, Bournemouth, [thro' car park], Chadwick, Grove Pk, Camberwell Grv., Windsor Walk. Reverse is similar but route thro' Peckham is different due to one-ways - McNeil/Blenheim instead of Chadwick. I think it's up to your standards in terms of difficulty/traffic/risk. The Brockley to Charlton via Lewisham extension is mostly quiet roads, but has through traffic so not quite such a good cycle route.
@@infocuslearning nice, I'll have to check these out in person! thanks for the tip. I don't know the Brockley buts too well but I've tended to avoid Camberwell Grove as it can get very busy at peak times (I went down there to film once and had to scrap the footage) but looks like you're only on it briefly on this and I'm sure the whole thing probably rides nicely most of the time
@@Londoncycleroutes Yes, I hope you can check it out. If I haven't convinced you yet, apart from being an obvious gap in your route network, at 3miles, it's perfect cycling distance and there are no direct trains between Brockley and Denmark Hill (where there is, of course, a big hospital)! You can always caveat the route as being decent enough until something better comes along.
In the UK this summer I forced my partner to have one, of a pair of panniers I bought, on his bike. Did he complain before hand and oh boy was he happy once he'd tried it. What is it with men who don't want a pannier because it's not cool? We rode into the city on this path a few times. The only problem with it is the traffic pollution when the cars are bumper to bumper alongside the cycle path. I lived in Greenwich as a kid. I say grenitch and garidch for garage.
I had a car almost murder me at that intersection with the van. I was very tempted to crash my bike into it. i guess it must be a particularly dangerous intersection for bikes and probably needs some sort of intervention.
That’s worrying re the intersection - I wonder what could be done there. Also well played for getting your partner on the panniers! Maybe they should rename them something more macho… tactical carrying units 😂
A glitch in the matrix? 9:51 and 10:28!
haha there's actually a serious point which is that the wait for the cycle lights at that side road crossing is so long that someone hobbling along at a mild jog can easily overtake you from that distance while you wait for them
@@Londoncycleroutes They didn't run the light?
@@NearCry91 I didnt but they presumably jogged across (which is allowed)
I'm quite a bit older than you and I've only ever heard Greenwich pronounced Grinnich.
Ps it's because of idiots like that van driver that I've virtually given up cycling. It's just too dangerous for me
Must be an age divide on it too!
i have heard people pronouncing it as green-vich 😭
That’s definitely wrong!
I suspect those may have been German tourists.
Sorry to be a pedant but it's pronunciation, 'pronounciation' isn't a word.
It’s a living language I’m afraid!
@@Londoncycleroutes Not sure what you mean, it isn't a word. Thanks for another great video!
@@LondoncycleroutesYou mean dying, right? When pronunciation rules are mangled, it isn't a sign it's still living. It's being murdered. Or should that be 'mourdored'?
@@youngmurphy7556 interesting example to choose as in old English 'murder' was originally pronounced 'morthor' but has been somewhat 'mangled' in the intervening centuries. stop mangling the Cyning's Englisċ!
@@Londoncycleroutes So you're saying it was mangled by one person who couldn't pronounce it correctly and everybody else followed suit? Nah, mate. I'm not falling for that one.
Wow, bringing up the subject of pronunciation and pronouncing it wrongly! Pronounce and pronunciation, notice the o missing in pronunciation, and it is pronounced as it is written! Come on, you should do better than that!
It’s a common way to say the word, if it bothers you I’d recommend lodging a complaint with the Academie Anglaise which regulates such matters