Route-finding in London

Mike Causer

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 22:50:47 +0000, Tony Raven wrote:

> Don't know whether they go out that far but I find
> http://www.cyclemaps.com good for route planning by bicycle in London.

It may well be, but at 10 quid minimum subscription it's a bit steep for
just one trip. The freebee version (which only knows about public
roads?) suggests going onto the North Circular, then leaping 20metres into
the air onto a bridge that crosses it! Doesn't fill me with confidence
that the rest of the route is actually joined up :-/

As several pople have said that the A503 Forest Road is OK, I'll use that
and navigate the back streets of Woodford for the last section.


Mike

Pete Biggs

Dave Larrington wrote:
> Pete Biggs wrote:
>
>> Unless I've been missing them all this time, it's possible to use the
>> A406 to cycle from the A104 to the A13 junctions and back again
>> without going "through" any no-cycling signs.
>
> From memory bikes are banned from the flyover between the M11 and the
> A12. And if one diverts down the slip road to the roundabout (Charlie
> Brown's?), there's no route back onto the A406.

I don't remember seeing any no-cycling signs at that point. Not that I've
never cycled where I'm not supposed to, but I tend to remember the guilty
feeling :-)

~PB

Tony Raven

Mike Causer wrote:
> On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 22:50:47 +0000, Tony Raven wrote:
>
>
>>Don't know whether they go out that far but I find
>>http://www.cyclemaps.com good for route planning by bicycle in London.
>
>
> It may well be, but at 10 quid minimum subscription it's a bit steep for
> just one trip. The freebee version (which only knows about public
> roads?) suggests going onto the North Circular, then leaping 20metres into
> the air onto a bridge that crosses it! Doesn't fill me with confidence
> that the rest of the route is actually joined up :-/
>
> As several pople have said that the A503 Forest Road is OK, I'll use that
> and navigate the back streets of Woodford for the last section.
>

I've never subscribed but don't seem to have any restrictions on the
routes it gives me, including cycle paths and cut throughs. In fact the
route it gave me (see earlier post) used Forest Road for most of the way.

Tony

Tony W

"Mike Causer" <mikec@firstnamelastname.com.invalid> wrote in message
newsan.2005.01.05.12.48.06.694651@firstnamelastname.com.invalid...
>
> As several pople have said that the A503 Forest Road is OK, I'll use that
> and navigate the back streets of Woodford for the last section.

Good choice.

Depends exactly where in SW you want to go but the Grove End Grove Hill link
used to be fine (a little pavement cycling may be required there).

Don't go down the A406 east of the Waterworks Roundabout. Its lethal and
the next exit is east of China!!

T

Mike Causer

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 15:32:45 +0000, Tony Raven wrote:


> I've never subscribed but don't seem to have any restrictions on the
> routes it gives me, including cycle paths and cut throughs. In fact the
> route it gave me (see earlier post) used Forest Road for most of the way.

From the route you posted earlier:
Turn left onto SOUTHEND ROAD (NORTH CIRCULAR ROAD) A406(T) for 684 meters
Turn right onto HIGH ROAD A11 for 109 meters

Now look at how the roads are laid out:
<http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=539737&y=190316>

and tell me how you are going to get from the A406 to the A11 without a
rather long ladder to scale the side of the concrete canyon that the A406
runs in at that point.



Mike

Mike Causer

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 15:45:04 +0000, Tony W wrote:

> Don't go down the A406 east of the Waterworks Roundabout. Its lethal and
> the next exit is east of China!!

Funnily enough I've driven along just that section of the A406 many times,
and I do mean *just* that section, not further east nor further west. To
get into South Woodford from the M11 going south you follow the slip road
from M11 to A406 west, come off the A406 at the first exit, up to the
diamond-shaped roundabout A104, all the way round it and back onto the
A406 east, come off at the first exit A113, all the way round the
roundabout and take the slip road leading to the A406 west, and just
before joining the A406 proper turn left ito South Woodford. Confuses my
old dad greatly, even when _I_ am doing both the driving and navigating.


Mike

Tony Raven

Mike Causer wrote:
>
> and tell me how you are going to get from the A406 to the A11 without a
> rather long ladder to scale the side of the concrete canyon that the A406
> runs in at that point.
>

Easy. Point the Air Zound downwards and let rip for a quick Harrier
jump jet impression ;-)

(Presumably you can take the turn on the left just after the A11 through
the University of London and onto the A11. I've not found the database
to be 100% accurate - on a regular route it sends me the wrong way for
about 10m down a very quiet one way street for example - but given the
objective its usually pretty easy to work out on the spot how to achieve
it even if it involves abandoning a literal following of the directions.

Its not as bad as one route finder that got me totally lost until I
realised when it said turn left at the roundabouts it actually meant
travel three quarters of the way round the roundabout before turning
left to leave it (i.e turn right at the roundabout in common parlance)

Tony