Thames Clipper

[Spearmint Rhino]

Has anyone ever been on the Thames Clipper river taxi thingy?

In 20 years of living in London (and a further two years of visiting it every week), I've never been on it* until Saturday, when - due to the cretinous closure of the Jubilee Line AND the DLR on the same weekend - I had to catch one in order to make it to the Indig02 for Cameo, the start of my Unicorn Night.

And, you know what, it's bloody great. Takes half an hour from London Bridge to the Dome, and along the way you get to see so much amazing stuff, from the Tower Of London and Tower Bridge through all kinds of old riverside pubs to all kinds of even older naval academies etc at Greenwich, and all for less than the price of a single tube ticket (admittedly, I'd already bought a one-day travelcard which got me a discount).

Oh, and through some sort of loophole it escapes Boris's Booze Ban - you can actually buy a drink on board!

*Possibly it hasn't existed for the whole of that time, but still.

[Gangster Octopus]

Thames Clipper

Spearmint Rhino wrote:

Oh, and through some sort of loophole it escapes Boris's Booze Ban - you can actually buy a drink on board!

In the olden days, when pubs were only open for a couple of hours on Sunday lunchtime, we'd often take a boat ride on the Thames, so we could continue drinking...

[E10 Rifle]

Thames Clipper

Yeah they're great those boats. I really don't understand why London doesn't make more of an effort to have more of them and fully integrate them into the public transport network, like they do in Sydney among other places.

That'd be in my manifesto if I was in charge.

[Wyatt Earp]

Thames Clipper

What they said. I love the Clippers. Used one about two weeks ago, to take the kids to the Observatory and Planetarium.

[hobbes]

Thames Clipper

I always come back from gigs at the 02 on them.
Far more comfy than the tube, the stop's nearer and you can get a beer on board.
Fan-fucking-tastic.

[Ginger Yellow]

TFL has published a passenger pier strategy. Some new piers East of Canary Wharf, and a proposed redevelopment of Greenwich pier, but worryingly for me, nothing on the supposed-to-be-built Convoy's Wharf pier, which is increasingly looking like it's never going to happen.

Also, this is a pretty weaksauce sop after canning the Rotherhithe bridge:

TfL is actively investigating the provision
of a new fast ferry service to provide a
high-quality pedestrian and cycle link
between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf,
to support future growth, encourage
healthier and more active travel and
join together the planned cycling and
walking routes on either side of the
river. Options include new or improved
piers at Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf,
together with roll-on, roll-off electric or
hybrid high frequency ferries to reduce
waiting times.
The Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf
ferry would serve as a test case for
assessing the feasibility of providing
similar high-quality pedestrian and
cycle links in other locations in east
London, including Opportunity Areas,
where the river is currently a barrier to
encouraging healthier travel choices

[Balderdasha]

Whatever happened to Spearmint Rhino and Wyatt Earp? I don't think I was active on the board at the time that they disappeared.

[DCI Harry Batt]

They got bored and moved on, more or less. SR had a very entertaining flounce, though I'm not sure if that was his final appearance was it?

[Sits]

As far as I know it was.

[Ginger Yellow]

Looks like I may be using the boats a lot more for a while. I went through the tunnel on my bike the other week. It was not fun carrying that thing, which weighs nearly 30 kilos including pannier, down and especially up the stairs. Not doing it again until the lifts are working. How the hell is the equipment obsolete after less than a decade?

[Paul S]

Why don't you use the DLR one stop instead?

[Ginger Yellow]

Might not be room for my bike on the train, though admittedly that's less likely to be a problem right now.

[Paul S]

If you're feeling brave you could try riding through either the Blackwall or Rothithe tunnel.

[caja-dglh]

Looks like I may be using the boats a lot more for a while. I went through the tunnel on my bike the other week. It was not fun carrying that thing, which weighs nearly 30 kilos including pannier, down and especially up the stairs. Not doing it again until the lifts are working. How the hell is the equipment obsolete after less than a decade?

That is rather a failure. I remember the whole problem with them around 2006 when my colleague was cycling from Eltham. He pretended to appreciate the extra cardio from the stairs (given he was a true Eltham man who smoked and played for multiple darts teams this was clearly garbage). I am sure he will be less than enthralled now he is in his mid 50s.

[Antepli Ejderha]

If you're feeling brave you could try riding through either the Blackwall or Rothithe tunnel.

The Rotherhithe Tunnel does allow cyclists, there's a pavement/path, but the Blackwall Tunnel doesn't.

[Ginger Yellow]

Try Googling "cycling Rotherhithe Tunnel". It is not recommended, though technically allowed. Besides, if I'm going that far out of my way, I'll just go via Woolwich or Tower Bridge. Anyway, all the more frustrating that they scrapped the Rotherhithe pedestrian/cycle bridge and are going ahead with the Silvertown tunnel, which again has no cycling provision. And still no sign of the "fast ferry" we were supposed to get either, though presumably COVID had a lot to do with that.

[San Bernardhinault]

Can you take your bike in that cable-car thingy?

[Ginger Yellow]

Yes, but again with the inconvenient location. And cost. If I'm paying, I might as well get the boat which is much closer.

[Capybara]

I walked through the Rotherhithe Tunnel once. It was New Year's Day morning so there was hardly any traffic.

[S. aureus]

How about biking across?