safest cycle route from ED (friern road) to Curtain road, Shoreditch

[mayo]

I currently cycle to work in Farringdon every day. However, I'm starting a new job soon in Curtain road, Shoreditch.

I've had a look at the cycle routes online but wondered if anybody who regularly cycles that way could recommend a good route from personal experience. I'm a reasonably competent cyclist but would rather cycle a slightly longer route for quieter roads / good cycle lanes than the most direct (as long as it didn't make a huge amount of difference.)

Any advice very much appreciated.

[rendelharris]

Presumably at the moment you use the North-South Superhighway to Blackfriars? So instead of going straight on at Blackfriars Bridge, drop down and join the East-West Superhighway (heading east). Opposite the end of Southwark Bridge turn left onto Quietway 11 (Queen Street). Follow the signs for Q11 as far as Featherstone Street, where you can turn right onto Quietway 13 which will take you all the way to Curtain Street. Nice ride!

[wulfhound]

Depending on exactly where you're starting from - aim for Burgess Park via either Camberwell Grove / Edmund Street, Lyndhurst Way / Chandler Way, or Rye Lane / Surrey Canal Path.

Then through the park to the Portland Street / Albany Road junction.

Up Portland Street and follow the Elephant cycle bypass anti-clockwise (Rodney Road and then the cycle track along the New Kent Road, cross at Meadow Row).

From there you can choose:

- London Bridge up to Bank, then Moorgate. Fastest but busiest.

- CS7 Southwark Bridge Road to Southwark Bridge, then back streets to Bank. Fairly direct, protected cycle lane some of the way, but still a lot of big trucks on the approach to Southwark bridge.

- Blackfriars Bridge via St George's Circus, the least direct but a protected cycle path all the way.

If you go via London or Southwark Bridge, basically you want to end up on Moorgate just south of the station (there is a back way around the Barbican but it's fiddly - once Crossrail is finished you'll be able to cycle from Coleman Street to Moorfields, but that's not possible at the moment. Turn right at Finsbury Square and you're pretty much there.

Via Blackfriars it's a longer haul back East - stay on the cycleway as far as Smithfield Market, turn right and follow the back streets north of the Barbican, or take Chiswell Street if you want to go a bit quicker. I tend to go the Southwark Bridge way as the Blackfriars detour is too long.

[pebs]

Download cycle streets app - it will give you some excellent routes. Quiet/Balanced/Quickest

[TTW]

I actually work on Curtain Road, and cycle in from just off Bellenden Rd in Peckham Rye. Happy to show you my route if you want to join me one morning - it's the quietest I've been able to find, going via the Surrey canal path and following one of the official (but poorly signposted) quiet cycle routes, completely avoiding the Elephant and Castle roundabout. London Bridge to Curtain Rd is the only busy/sketchy section.

[wulfhound]

TTW - you may have better luck going via Bank/Moorgate (i.e. left at the top of London Bridge instead of right). Gracechurch Street & Bishopsgate on two wheels is awful. Even though the Bank way is longer, there's about half as many sets of traffic lights and fewer buses to get stuck behind - so it takes about the same time.

[mayo]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I really appreciate it. Looks as though there are a few options so I'll try them all and see which I like the best. TTW that's a very kind offer, I'll PM you.

[superhans]

Just wanted to resurrect this thread as I'm starting a new commute to the bottom of Curtain Road too. I'm enjoying going west through Burgess Park and joining Walworth Road (moreso than Portland Street which I've found has become quite busy and is a lot narrower), and then joining the CS7 all the way over Southwark Bridge. I went through Bank but got caught out with all the round closures around Liverpool Street. Considering just joining Bishopsgate instead however that's hairy enough driving through in a car! Tried Cycle Streets app but I don't think it's accounting for the closures. Does anyone have any advice (and for the return leg, too)? Thanks very much!

[wulfhound]

Interesting superhans - I always found Walworth Road dicey - you'd either get stuck behind buses, or have to take risks overtaking them. (Bishopsgate is the same). Portland Street is much improved with the new cycle lane up to New Kent Road; it's busy but there are more bikes than cars a lot of the time.

When you get to Bank, turn left (north) towards Moorgate instead of heading towards Liverpool Street. Then right at Eldon Street (first set of traffic lights after Moorgate tube) and you're nearly there.

There's a back way up Wood Street that's quieter than Moorgate, but if you're OK with Walworth Road then a couple of hundred metres of Moorgate isn't going to bother you.

[superhans]

Thanks wulfhound - i'll try that. Ended up approaching Eldon St from the other direction this morning which was less fun given that it's a one way street! I think i'm a bit averse to Portland Street on account of a near miss with a car pulling out from a space without looking and I think that the quietness of the stretch often means that i'm swerving around people blindly wandering into the road. I miss the lollipop man though :)

[wulfhound]

Eldon is 2 way from Moorgate to the Wilson St corner. Then Sun Street & there's a cycle cut-through Appold Street to Curtain Road. A lot of the one ways around there have a bike contra-flow but not sure about the one way bit on Eldon.

[katanita]

For anywhere around Old St I tend to take the backstreets/cycleway from ED to Southwark bridge, from the bridge continue straight over along the cycle route up King St as far as Guildhall, then turn right along Lothbury, left up Moorgate until you turn right up Worship Street and then immediate left up Tabernacle. The one way streets around there make it a little tricky to cut through to Curtain Rd but I think you can do it via Clere St and then Luke st.

It's a pretty quiet route, lots of it segregated or back streets.

[natty01295]

80cc petrol bicycle

Or

4 stroke motorised bicycle

[jrpfinch]

After experimenting on several routes, I think the best way into the city is

Get onto Camberwell Grove. Benhill Road. Across Burgess Park. Portland Street. Carry on right to the end where there is a new u-bend cobbled cycle path. Cross at the zebra crossing and follow the new cycle path to new Kent road. Cross new Kent road at the lights opposite Falmouth Rd. take Falmouth Road. Left onto harper road. Right onto brockham street, round trinity church sq, left onto trinity street. Great Suffolk street. Right onto Southwark bridge road. Cross river. Follow cycle path to guildhall

[handh]

I go almost this exact route, never touch Bishopsgate or Moorgate. Best route is over Southwark bridge, follow quietway Q11 or variants - I go Queen street, turn left before the guildhall at Trump Street/Russia Row (very topical), Aldermanbury, Love Lane, Wood Street, Moor Lane, then right at chiswell street where there's a new contraflow cycle lane across finsbury square, follow Sun Street and Appold street straight to Curtain road. Sounds fiddly but it makes sense once you're there.

Q11 map here http://content.tfl.gov.uk/quietway-11-map-the-city-to-angel.pdf

[mayo]

handh - I tried your route this morning and it worked really well, thank -you. The only bit that I couldn't work out though was Chiswell street. At the top of Moor lane you can't turn right into Chiswell - left only. I ended up going left and turning around which obviously isn't ideal. Do you do a forbidden right turn here or is there something I missed?

[handh]

Hi Mayo, glad you liked the route. Yes, there's a blue cycle path sign half way up Moor Lane telling you to turn right into Chiswell Street so I just do it despite the conflicting left turn only signs, it feels safe to me as cars are usually stopped at the zebra, I figure TFL will sort out the signs at some point!

If you prefer you can turn right a block earlier at ropemaker street, cross moorgate and turn left into Sun Street to reach the same point, but it's busier and a shame not to use the new finsbury square cycle lane.

[mayo]

Ok I?ll try the same then. Thanks!