Was the traffic normal this morning to Elephant?

[bobbsy]

Bicycle is the way forward! Lovely weather and much faster than bus/car.

[BrandNewGuy]

Walking is the way forward, but there's not a lot of lovely cash to spend on pedestrians, so they tend to get ignored in the rush for funding.

[bobbsy]

Ahh, I didn't actually mean it as a justification for the works/funding, I just meant it to commute at the moment through the traffic gridlock. With stationary vehicles, bicycles were even better than scooters/motorbikes this morning.

[DulvilleRes]

I had to do the Dulwich - West End commute twice today for various obscure reasons twice on a push bike up the Walworth Rd.

Never seen anything like it - it was solid the entire length of the Walworth Rd ( 1.5 miles?) at 08.50, and still solid at 10.20. An ambulance had just given up, and was sitting in the traffic with the blue light on, people were pissing out of cars. Others were getting out and wandering around, just to have a look.

If you are not cycling into town avoid like the plague - go to Brixton and tube it/ get a train in

[Applespider]

kford Wrote:

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> Traffic backed up from Oval to Peckham Road, last

> night because of Kennington chaos. And back to

> Victoria the other side of VH bridge. And everyone

> sitting with their engines running, in this heat.

And blasting horns presumably in frustration as nothing anyone could actually do. Not sure what diversions people were being sent on but aggressive drivers weren't helping by blocking junctions and carrying on through reds. Even on the bike last night, I got off and pushed at points to find room at Vauxhall to get to a clear but if road.

When Herne Hill flooded, it took a couple of weeks to reopen so probably worth thinking through alternatives wherever possible.

[James Barber]

Have been told the flooded road reopened and E&C now much better.

Anyone been that way since lunch time?

[Annasfield]

Are there any rules around TFL refunding people like they would for delayed trains. I've given up my season ticket and have started cycling to work. Had to use public transport this morning. A journey that should have cost me ?1.50 ended up costing a total of ?7.20. I was also almost an hour late for work.

[northdulmum]

Traffic app says it looks ok around E&C right now - is anyone actually there to confirm that?

[worldwiser]

About 7 12 buses all showed up in a row. No sign of any 176s or 40s. Total shambles.

[MarkE]

Did someone a favour returning a car from SE22 to SW1 today (leaving at 7am, totally oblivious to the flooding etc.). Thought I'd be clever and nip left along John Ruskin Street and up towards Kennington through the back roads.

Hit the back of the queue at JRS and did my left turn feeling very smug. Then hit road closure after road closure and queue after queue to get around E&C. Probably consider myself fortunate to have got over London Bridge at 8:30 and to SW1 at 8:45.

Agony. Big lesson learned - check @tfltravelnews.

[worldwiser]

Next year I'm just going to build a home office in the garden. Just have to accept that no-one is showing any sign of wanting to improve transport round here. Half an hour to E&C is when things are good! Wasting good people's lives.

[rodneybewes]

worldwiser Wrote:

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> Next year I'm just going to build a home office in

> the garden. Just have to accept that no-one is

> showing any sign of wanting to improve transport

> round here. Half an hour to E&C is when things are

> good! Wasting good people's lives.

I don't think it's possible any more. There are just too many people and too much traffic.

The aim is not to fit all this extra traffic into London, it's to make it so painful (or expensive) to drive that fewer people take to cars.

Which is acceptable if they improved public transport. But they can't - it's so hugely expensive to upgrade infrastructure properly or to acquire new land to build extra lines and stations that the whole system is stuffed.

Better cycle infrastructure would improve the situation in zones 1-4 but there are plenty who either can't or won't use it to get in or out.

Barring a zombie apocalypse to reduce population the only real way to relieve pressure is to start changing working hours (where vast portions of the population don't do the 8.30 to 5.30 run) or to develop out of town hubs like Croydon and make them attractive to businesses as an alternative to the centre.

Meanwhile the run into town becomes more hellish year on year...

[ourbubbleonline]

Traffic terrible again this morning - I have heard that there has been a major water mains bursting in Kennington so this may have something to do with it! Steer well clear - no pun intended - teehee!

[Siduhe]

Just passed through Elephant on a bus back towards ED. Best it has been traffic-wise for weeks at this time. Buses also unusually empty - I assume because most people like me who've endured last three days of traffic chaos have moved to other forms of transport in desperation.

[northdulmum]

All ok this morning.

[ruffers]

OKR OK this morning. Although Great Dover Street was solid instead..

[????]

the best it's been for weeks this morning.

[Siduhe]

Also looking pretty good this am when I went through at 7.50 towards Blackfriars. Best it's been for a while, and TFL has finally put in a pedestrian phase for those crossing at Borough Road/St George's Circus so feeling a lot safer all round (as pedestrians don't have to dart through moving traffic to get across that intersection now).

[emc]

Hi

I need to drive up the Walworth Road towards E&C tomorrow (Thurs) at around 8.40am. It was horrific last week but I'm hoping that's because of the burst water main at Kennington rather than the works at E&C - did anyone go up Walworth Road this morning and can tell me what it was like? thanks so much

[Laur]

Hi emc

I travelled that route this morning - the traffic flow was good & certainly not as bad as what it has been. However there is tube strike planned for tomorrow so I would have thought that more traffic would be predicted,

emc Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi

>

> I need to drive up the Walworth Road towards E&C

> tomorrow (Thurs) at around 8.40am. It was horrific

> last week but I'm hoping that's because of the

> burst water main at Kennington rather than the

> works at E&C - did anyone go up Walworth Road this

> morning and can tell me what it was like? thanks

> so much

[northdulmum]

I drive up to E&C every day and then walk the rest to Holborn. It's fine most days bar hideousness of kennington and building works.

As and when I think it's going to be bad, I take the route through Camberwell grove, havil street, up through burgess park and Portland street. That pulls you out at the top of the Walworth road. I'll be doing that tomorrow during strike. It should only take 15/20 or so minutes from ED. I've done that through strikes before and although the traffic is a bit heavier - it's generally fine.

[ruffers]

OKR back to nightmare this morning.

Can't wait for tomorrow with the tube strike.

[Ladygooner]

Any update on how the route is today? Just about to set off for the 176 to TR. Any info much appreciated!

[Siduhe]

I got a 363 (which goes down the OKR) in to E&C about 40 mins ago and it was fine. Not especially worse than normal. Walking up from Elephant to the City the traffic looked quite a bit worse though.

[Concerned motorist]

northdulmum Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I drive up to E&C every day and then walk the rest

> to Holborn. It's fine most days bar hideousness of

> kennington and building works.

> As and when I think it's going to be bad, I take

> the route through Camberwell grove, havil street,

> up through burgess park and Portland street. That

> pulls you out at the top of the Walworth road.

> I'll be doing that tomorrow during strike. It

> should only take 15/20 or so minutes from ED. I've

> done that through strikes before and although the

> traffic is a bit heavier - it's generally fine.

Thats an interesting route. Whats the parking like and how long does it take you?