“Cyclists have no place on Battersea Bridge” – an unwelcome glimpse of how some drivers see us

The bridges seem to get worse the further west you go: up until Vauxhall they're generally ok, after that it seems like a free-for-all. It's the same with London traffic in general, as I feel most of my scariest incidents have come on my relatively rare journeys out west. 

I think they get better as you go east until the peak at Blackfriars and then decline again - Southwark and London are ok, but Tower is a bit a nightmare and after that, how the hell do you get across?

Steve K wrote:

I think they get better as you go east until the peak at Blackfriars and then decline again - Southwark and London are ok, but Tower is a bit a nightmare and after that, how the hell do you get across?

Walk through Greenwich or Woolwich foot tunnels (or ride if empty) or get a free ride on the Woolwich ferry. None of them ideal, I admit (it's also legal to ride through Rotherhithe tunnel but you'll need an oxygen tank and/or a death wish).

Rendel Harris wrote:

Steve K wrote:

I think they get better as you go east until the peak at Blackfriars and then decline again - Southwark and London are ok, but Tower is a bit a nightmare and after that, how the hell do you get across?

Walk through Greenwich or Woolwich foot tunnels (or ride if empty) or get a free ride on the Woolwich ferry. None of them ideal, I admit (it's also legal to ride through Rotherhithe tunnel but you'll need an oxygen tank and/or a death wish).

It was a rhetorical question 

Sorry, forgot you are a local!

Rendel Harris wrote:

Sorry, forgot you are a local!

No worries, I was only joshing. To be fair, Tower Bridge is about as far East as I get south of the rover on my bike

I agree. I ride the bridges a lot (one of my rides in town is to go over every bridge in turn and then do the same in the way back. 
 

Tower Bridge is awful in every way.

London Bridge itself is fine, but the junction at the southern end is dangerous if you don't know it well. 
 

Southwark Bridge is absolutely fine, as is Blackfriars.

Waterloo Bridge has a protected cycle lane, but it simply merges into the bus lane at the southern and and then you end up on the roundabout, where you need to have your wits about you.

On Westminster Bridge, you just have to accept that it will always be crammed with tourists.

Lambeth Bridge is good. It's short and safe.

Vauxhall Bridge is OK. It has a separate cycle lane and a complex cycle lane system at the southern end.

Chelsea and Albert Bridges are both fine (nice to ride South on Chelsea Bridge, then go the long way through Battersea Park and back North on Albert Bridge.

Battersea Bridge is best avoided.

Wandsworth Bridge (currently closed) is awful, even if you don't brave the roundabout.

Putney Bridge is dangerous, with merging lanes of traffic.

Hammersmith Bridge looks like it will be closed forever, but you can wheel your bike across. 

Chiswick Bridge is part of a busy, fast road. It's fine, but you need to be confident riding with the traffic.

Kew Bridge is OK, but there's a major junction at the North End.

Richmond Bridge is fine (ignoring the big bridge on the road to Twickenham).

Chelsea Bridge now has a bollarded cycle lane one side and a bus lane the other (watch out for maniac motorcyclists). Albert's not bad as it has width and weight restrictions which slow cars almost to a standstill on entry, if you're reasonably quick you can get across car free. Wandsworth is quite good now as it has cycle lanes that extend round the roundabout on the southern side (previously a death trap). Putney's a mare, especially if you want to get over to the middle to turn right. Hammersmith's brilliant at the moment as closed to motors, Chiswick has shared pavements (and they're wide enough for it), so does Kew, Twickenham has a cycle path one side and a shared pavement the other, Kingston has excellent segregated lanes both sides, Hampton Court has shared pavements.

A lot of these improvements have only come in quite recently so you may not have seen them, essentially only Battersea and Putney are really hostile environments for bikes now.

I think (and am happy to change my mind if someone suggests another reason) the reason Chelsea, Albert and Battersea bridges are bad is because they all involve Kensington and Chelsea council, who have been openly hostile to cycling.

I rarely go over Albert, as I prefer to ride through the park and cross over Chelsea Bridge, as the cycleway doesn't start on the north side of the river until the Westminter council boundary, after Kensington and Chelsea.

Chelsea Bridge itself is a bit shit, the wand cycle lane southbound is all right, except for no safe ability to turn right into the park. The approach to the north junction and the safety of it depends on what stage the lights are at, which can be hard to assume at times, although traffic backed up halfway across the bridge usually means they'll go green soon, so filter into the right lane rather than the up the left hand side.

As we've had demonstrated time and again, Battersea Bridge is a deathtrap. Even going across the southern end to stay on the Thames path is a bit risky, piling up on the "refuge" in the middle of the road to cross over to the other side.

I think Kensington and Chelsea's ambivalence and/or hostility to cycling as transport is the reason for these failings. We hear a lot about Kensington High Street - this is the same local authority.

I might start giving Albert Bridge a go, based on what you've said, but having done the slow part between Battersea and Albert bridges, including the current building work restrictions, it should be more sensible to just cross over Battersea Bridge. If it wasn't a deathtrap.

Agree with all you say. The south side of all three bridges (in Wandsworth) has at least some attempts to provide cyclist safety, the northern side has nothing. The only slight mitigation I would say for K&C (through gritted teeth) is that Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Embankment are TfL-controlled roads.

That "refuge" crossing at the southern end of Battersea Bridge is a joke - they couldn't afford the paint for a proper zebra?!