Good Call

Bikeless Commute


The view out of the bedroom window at 1am was well lit; snow lay all across the back gardens in an iridescent-seeming blanket that captured every nuance of noise presenting a silent still life suited best to a European Christmas card. ("Hrmf!")

At 7am my boss called describing the difficulty shed have on the trains from Devon to Surrey; should I even attempt the commute myself? I looked out front; more snow and a snowy-icy road but the main throughfare looked clear. A cyclist crossed the scene to confirm movement on two wheels not only probable but possible. Shadowfax remained under his cover and made no comment. ("Hrmf!")

Morning snow

The online and TV news were saturated with snow. Google Map's Traffic Layer showed red (stopped traffic) across the region from Southampton with its closed airport to Portsmouth with its cancelled bus services. The A31 at Farnham was described as being at 20mph and the A31 at Hogsback was closed. I began to realise the weather might not be insurmountable down here in the Deep South on the coast (unusual as it was to actually get snow here) but obviously very much a problem toward work. ("Hrmf!")

I imagined pushing Shadowfax off the drive, loosing my footing and dropping him unceromoniously on the tarmac. I saw the looks of disdain from passing school kids and OAP (can't sleep, always up early for the 7-11 shop's opening) at the prat with the sideways bike scrabling for purchase with his near-slick-soled riding boots in cartoon fashion trying to lift the mighty beast back to vertical. I saw my face mirrored as a beacon of embarrassment and foolish acceptance the move of 50m to the main road was pointless and any slush up the commute could have me unseated. I saw the light and claimed to the Mrs that I was stealing her Land Rover. (Double, "hrmf").

Here are 9 reasons to believe I made exactly the right decision. Each taken on the commute North; the last was the way home, which was clearer but still treacherous.

Approach to Droxford (where I was a cock in the fog last week)

Entering Droxford

Warnford - the point where, if I was on Shadowfax I'd be unable to turn around as the way back was worse than the way forward

Nearing East Tisted (normally the coldest point on the commute route)

Aboard the A31 - single carriageway...

Nearing Farnham near Crondall Lane

Bugger! The A31 to A331 was closed - so near and so far! Aldershot; the only option

A325 - also closed by an idiot in a truck - deviation around suburbia dodging the kids enjoying their morning off school

The way home this evening through the re-opened A331 / A31 stretch; slush too deep for even Shadowfax's sturdy wheels

My thanks to the Lanny.

Disdain to the Police for closing the A31 to A331 stretch making me face a lorry unable to climb the first hill on the A325 only to keep trying eventually closing the road. More to the idiots of Aldershot driving withh their rear lights covered in snow and their strange measurement of "worst snowed" by their collections of deep snow on their bonets making vision dangerously restricted given the number of local bin-lid kids hanging on the streets where all the schools had closed.

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