What a difference half an hour makes

At this time of year, 0730 is a good time to hit the road. 0800 is just too late - by that time, the traffic has built up quite considerably, and a couple of intersections that I have to cross start to become a bit hairy. This photo shows what happens to the traffic - when I leave at 0800, by the time I get to this spot about 0808, the traffic is banked up 500-600 metres from the traffic lights that lead onto the City West Link (the red arrow). If I get here at 0740-ish, there are only 5 or 6 cars waiting at the lights. It's like the roads a quiet, then BOOM. Cars descend from everywhere.


So do the bikes. I counted 11 bikes in front of me (some are masking others in this photo) and more behind me. We were like a Mongol Horde when the lights went green.

One thing that struck me yesterday is that the sex balance was all our of kilter - for once, I was in the minority. I don't know where all the women came from - maybe they read my post about the lack of chicks on bikes, and thought, "We'll show this guy".

Thanks to the sudden blip in the temperature, everyone in this photo was sweating profusely. Note the steam on my camera lens from being in my back pocket!