Brockley to the West End the easy way?
Worried that the East London Line might eat in to overland services to London Bridge? Wondering how the narrow platforms and footbridges of Brockley station will cope with the massive increase in passenger numbers forecast by TfL? The best way to bypass all of these commuter worries is to go by bike.
We have cycled in to London for work, on-and-off, for about 10 years. The combined effect of the congestion charge, increased bus and cycle lane provision and the fact that global warming has turned spring in to summer, means that the experience has become a lot more pleasant in recent years. The vast increase in cyclist numbers on London's streets also means that you no longer feel a lonely pariah in a world of motorists.
Safety is, of course, still a massive concern, and the anti-cyclist diatribes to be found in the papers or on talk radio these days have helped to create a climate in which motorists often treat cyclists with contempt, but on a sunny day, cycling to work can feel like a pleasure, rather than a chore.
Brockley Central's bike is due to be dusted off for the summer and we decided that there had to be a better way in to town than the route we used last year - involving pot-holed routes through New Cross and Deptford High Street (whoever voted that as London's best shopping street was a patronising wally) and then up towards Rotherhithe and Bermondsey, before crossing the river at Waterloo, to get to the West End.
We found this alternative on a great website called Bikely, which describes a route of around 12km from Brockley Station to Soho. It's designed to minimise the traffic levels you'll encounter (which, in our view is more important than distance) and takes you through Peckham, Burgess Park and over the river at Millbank. We plan to try it next week but would be interested to know if any readers have alternative routes they'd like to suggest:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Brockley-to-Soho
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