I went to sleep on Saturday to the sound of very heavy rain, and woke up to it this morning. It was fifty-fifty whether I'd go out or not. It's not the rain that was putting me off so much as the cold. This year I resolved to not be dissuaded by rain. I haven't done bad. But it's not summer anymore, did I really want to go out that much? I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't. I faffed around the house, not ready to give up, but not keen to go out. And then it started to easy off so out I went. By the time I closed the garage door it had stopped. I set off on a very local circuit, if it started hammering down I could return home.
The weather improved the longer I was out, it was even warming up. I was still getting a soaking from the wet road and puddles, no big deal.
I had to concentrate more than usual, some parts of the route was under water, there were slippery wet leaves and manhole covers to avoid. And the potential for potholes to be hidden by deep water.
I made it home safely, very few cars helped.
When I got home I looked at the app on my phone, somehow I had done fifteen miles.
I have been thinking about cycling to work, but it really isn't safe enough. Most of the route would be on Croydon's twenty miles per hour roads. But no-one comes close to that speed, when I am on those roads in my car it can be very dangerous. Like when I'm on my bike, everyone is desperate to overtake no matter how unsafely.
There is talk of subsidising the move to electric cars to reduce polution. It may mean less polution near roads, but it won't make them safer or more efficient. Ultimately people need to be persuaded to use altenatives. The money could be better spent making public transport cheaper, and more plentiful and on improving cycling infrastructure
There just too many cars, electric or otherwise.
This video from my ride could be of almost all roads; full of parked cars with little thought for anyone not in motorised.
My wife is in a wheelchair; how are we to pass along this or any road like it? Maybe by going down the middle of the road! Anyone with a pram would be faced with the same dangerous choice.
We can't go anywhere that is accessed by a minor road, unless we drive.
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