Sport (fuck) The Olympics

[Nate]

It'll only get worse!

Get a bike

 

[cHodAX]

It's about 15 miles. Left at 18:30, home at 20:40. Lulz.

Fuck, that is not nice.

 

[Tom]

Well this morning was pretty poor. Two trains didn't show up, no word of warning, no announcements - they just never appeared. So 45 min wait for a train, only for it to crawl all the way in. So instead of arriving at the office at around 10:30, I arrive at 11:45. Good start there.

On the way home the train was crawling, no announcements again. Then it got to Raynes Park where they kicked everyone off the train if you wanted to get off before Effingham Junction (a fair way down the line). So I was booted off a train and told to change at Raynes Park. Only thing is - there were no trains to change to and they KNEW this. They weren't running any at all. They weren't moving and they weren't attempting to move them. Train stations had empty platforms with trains sat about 50 meters away refusing to move to let people off.

So there were hundreds of people stranded at Raynes Park and Wimbledon. Given that I live about 4 miles from Raynes Park I decided to walk it. It was then I started to realise what an utter shambles these non moving trains were causing. Not only were people stuck on them and stuck at stations, but they lowered ALL the level crossings on the line. I passed 3 on the way home and the traffic was backed up for dozens of cars at a time. So the train network fucked up their own line and caused gridlock on the roads as well, so people trying to get lifts from where they were couldn't get out or in either.

As I was walking back on a main road a bus happened to pop by as I was at the stop. It stopped, let a few people off... and then fucked off without letting me or an elderly woman on. It was reasonably full but obviously had plenty of space and it had just let people off... driver was such a cowardly prick he couldn't even look at us. Took me over two hours to get home. Would have been considerably longer if I wasn't a fast walker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle

15 miles? That's about an hour on a bike.

 

[Raven]

If it takes him 2 hours to walk 4 miles he wont be doing 15 miles on a bike any time soon

 

[Wazzerphuk]

If it takes him 2 hours to walk 4 miles he wont be doing 15 miles on a bike any time soon

I thought you said in another post somewhere that you were good at maths?

 

[Jupitus]

I good at math?

and are you suddenley a fucking yank? Mathematics, or Maths...

 

[Scouse]

and are you suddenley a fucking yank? Mathematics, or Maths...

This tbfh.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Sorry what? Are your eyes wrong or just misquoting me for a laugh?

 

[Raven]

I thought you said in another post somewhere that you were good at maths?

Given that I live about 4 miles from Raynes Park I decided to walk it......Took me over two hours to get home.

4 miles is a long way for you cityfolk!

 

[Tom]

Maybe it took four hours because he stopped for lattes every ten minutes and talked continuously on his phone while trying to hail taxis. City folk love lattes!

 

[Ormorof]

4 miles is far

 

[Embattle]

It'll only get worse!

Get a bike

Plus a walk to the kitchen I think I'll take a ride across the Torch route near Kingston and go to Richmond Park for a little cycle

 

[Scouse]

4 miles is far

An hour's brisk walk.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Yeah the walking part took 45 minutes. To confirm.

 

[Poag]

My HS1 train was ontime this morning and had plenty of seats, roll into StPs ontime, small army of purple clad persons waiting on the platform to catch it back to Stratford.

Saw my first olympics tourists in ashford this morning I think. They followed the commuter drivers into the commuter carpark (has a swipe card gate rather than a ticket machine) got the front, oh dear, everyone had to backup so this ladden 4x4 could waddle its way back out. Spoke to one of the ticket guys and it had been happening for the last 45 mins or so he said which was shocking as it was 6:30 at the time .

Train emptied out at stratford a little, see how things go on the journey home. Friday will be the real test tho, new timetable comes into effect....

 

[Embattle]

Plus a walk to the kitchen I think I'll take a ride across the Torch route near Kingston and go to Richmond Park for a little cycle

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Richmond Park is awesomesauce. Bloody huge but great. Need to figure out some of the better photo spots. There are brilliant photo albums on the park alone, might get one soon maybe. I don't go enough considering how close it is.

 

[old.Tohtori]

So...what do you folk think of the actual olympics, outside the obvious pain in arse it causes transit and other such shenannigans?

Any redeeming qualities? Business for city, economy, care for the sports?

 

[DaGaffer]

So...what do you folk think of the actual olympics, outside the obvious pain in arse it causes transit and other such shenannigans?

Any redeeming qualities? Business for city, economy, care for the sports?

I'd be amazed if it had a net financial benefit for London (as far as I'm aware there have only been a couple of profitable Summer Olympics ever, and they were both in the US). It gave lots of Irish and Polish builders something to do after the Celtic Tiger collapsed. Erm, watching Spurs and West Ham fight over the stadium was a laugh for a while....erm, that's about it.

Oh, the sport. Haven't sat down to watch the Olympics for at least 20 years, probably not going to start now. Maybe the football.

 

[Job]

I left the center of London one morning on a motorbike to catch a Dover ferry, I don't think I passed single car that was actually moving for the first ten miles.

 

[Raven]

So...what do you folk think of the actual olympics, outside the obvious pain in arse it causes transit and other such shenannigans?

Any redeeming qualities? Business for city, economy, care for the sports?

Boring except for the football.

 

[Embattle]

So...what do you folk think of the actual olympics, outside the obvious pain in arse it causes transit and other such shenannigans?

Any redeeming qualities? Business for city, economy, care for the sports?

It'll be interesting.

 

[Lamp]

I left the center of London one morning on a motorbike to catch a Dover ferry, I don't think I passed single car that was actually moving for the first ten miles.

Yep, traffic is fecked at the moment
The VIP lanes come into effect tomorrow
A12, A13, A406E, A2, A3, A40 - all screwed today
No right turns permitted from Baker St or Gloucester Place
No right turns permitted from Marylebone onto the Marylebone Rd

Its going to be carnage. The only ppl laughing are TfL at the amount of revenue coming their way in the shape of £130 penalty charges.

 

[caLLous]

Barring some massive security breach (I find it very hard to believe that *somebody* won't try *something* devastating), bits of it should be enjoyable to watch. On telly. From afar.

 

[Poag]

Disregard my earlier post. Stood on the platform waiting for the 5:10. Apparently it just arrived, the announcement says, and a train pulls into a different platform.

 

[sayward]

London on Friday was a nightmare, so i hate to think what it's like this week. two separate buses stopped and threw us all off, one because the driver had gone over his hours! I thought that only happened with air crew. St. John's Wood was crawling with people in Olympic t shirts with large olympic passes round their necks. What's that all about? Cricket?

 

[Ormorof]

Whats with some of the football being played in Cardiff & Coventry?

are there not enough football stadiums in London? (i mean theres only like 10 million clubs in london!)

 

[caLLous]

They're playing some at St. Jame The Sports Direct Arena, aren't they?

edit - and Glasgow. :|

City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Old Trafford, Manchester
St James’ Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Wembley Stadium

 

[Chilly]

Presumably it's to spread the olympic love around the country rather than for practical purposes. They could probably play it all in 10 stadia in London.

 

[JBP|]

I go past the Ricoh Arena (City Of Coventry Stadium) three or four times a week. It's been quite entertaining watching them cover up all the advertising with bin liners.
but on the plus side they did resurface the roundabout so people and work out where the lanes are

And the dot matrix signs saying avoid the area made me chuckle