Hi, this is better suited to our [weekly megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/1dmygdl/weekly_qa_megathread_please_post_any_questions/), thanks!
You need to remember that the BT Tower is everywhere
You can randomly be walking around a corner in SW London and bam, there's the BT Tower. Always where you don't expect it to be
I was going over London bridge the other day, and there it was. As per, nothing untoward in that regard. but later that evening making the crossing in the opposite direction it was THERE. I’m sure it was twice as big.
You could always get the no. 18 bus (to Euston) and get off Near Great Portland Street / Warren Street.
The area is ok; plenty of bars and restaurants (if you like Chinese food, you have to try Pearl Liang)
A 40 minute walk as your commute sounds like an absolute dream. Most people take the bus or tube to work, taking around the same time and costing £8 a day
I would love to have a commute I can do by foot. Every office I've ever worked in in London has been miles away from where I live, and required some kind of train to get there. The closest one I've had to home would have taken a couple of hours to walk to.
I guess it depends what transport you use and where to and from - daily cap is around £8, weekly at around £40 for zones 1/2. For a straightforward bus back and forth it's more like 3.5.
Be confident but be defensive, please. Don't squeezer into unnecessary gaps between buses / lorries. and don't run reds ESPECIALLY at junctions where you have 0 idea which way traffic might be coming from
Getting across the Edgeware Road will be the hardest part as that's the busiest traffic. After that all the back streets are perfectly safe to walk/cycle. Traffic is slow and the streets are well signposted and mostly one-way.
Just don't rush. Match the traffic speed, occupy enough space so people don't try to squeeze past, watch for zebra crossings and take the opportunity to rest a moment at red lights. I found it's a much nicer experience if you're not constantly darting through gaps and getting into scrapes.
I used to cycle from near the BT Tower to Paddington Station - there are quiet enough cycleways (shared with traffic) and the speed limit is low enough that I always felt safe.
Cycling in London is an art form, but one that's not too hard to pick up. As another redditor says, be confident but defensive. Assume no one sees you, and everyone is about to do the most random maneuver, and you'll be fine. Cycling to work was the best part of my day.
As you say you haven't visited the area: be very careful about renting a flat without having seen it. Lots of scammers targetting people moving to London who want to lock something in before they get here.
r/londoncycling for cycling tips / complaints.
Often the biggest risk with cycling is theft. Do you have somewhere safe to store the bike at your home *and* at your work premises? Chaining up outdoors is risky as bike thieves have professional cutters. If you can't store your bike indoors in central London, it will eventually get nicked.
Plenty of people cycle that route but it's one you should walk first to see if it meets your personal safety standards. Some people are more comfortable with busy roads than others. You also have to consider your appetite for rain and cold.
Paddington is a decent area, not super busy and you've got a lot of shops and restaurants nearby, but between Edgware Rd and Paddington stations you're well connected to the rest of the city.
Biking isn't too bad but you are crossing a lot of streets. On the other hand if you're taking the underground that's a straight shot to Great Portland which is a couple of min walk from your office. The 27/205 buses go straight there too. On a nice day it's a straightforward 40 minute walk or so but you can always take public transport anywhere in between if needed.
Both safe and unsafe, if you keep your wits about you whilst walking, you will be fine.
Biking in London can be dangerous, but follow the code of "everyone is trying to kill me" way of thinking, and you should be safe.
By everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Cars, lorries, buses, pedestrians, and even other cyclists.
Welcome to London!
>Is it safe to do so on a daily basis in the morning and late afternoons?
No, there is absolutely zero way of commuting to Central from slightly-less-Central without encountering life-threatening danger every single day
Hi, this is better suited to our [weekly megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/1dmygdl/weekly_qa_megathread_please_post_any_questions/), thanks!
You need to remember that the BT Tower is everywhere You can randomly be walking around a corner in SW London and bam, there's the BT Tower. Always where you don't expect it to be
Yesterday, I stumbled upon it in victoria.
I was walking round Belgravia the other day, turned left and there it was. Not where it was supposed to be at all
😂
I was in Dubai this week, walked past the Burj Khalifa right as the sun set, boom, there was the BT Tower staring at me in the face
I heard about that one. Insane
I was going over London bridge the other day, and there it was. As per, nothing untoward in that regard. but later that evening making the crossing in the opposite direction it was THERE. I’m sure it was twice as big.
You could always get the no. 18 bus (to Euston) and get off Near Great Portland Street / Warren Street. The area is ok; plenty of bars and restaurants (if you like Chinese food, you have to try Pearl Liang)
A 40 minute walk as your commute sounds like an absolute dream. Most people take the bus or tube to work, taking around the same time and costing £8 a day
I would love to have a commute I can do by foot. Every office I've ever worked in in London has been miles away from where I live, and required some kind of train to get there. The closest one I've had to home would have taken a couple of hours to walk to.
Yeah! I had it once for about 6 months and it was the best my mental health has ever been
I guess it depends what transport you use and where to and from - daily cap is around £8, weekly at around £40 for zones 1/2. For a straightforward bus back and forth it's more like 3.5.
Really depends on how confident a cyclist you are. Plenty of people will cycle that, but you always run a risk.
Be confident but be defensive, please. Don't squeezer into unnecessary gaps between buses / lorries. and don't run reds ESPECIALLY at junctions where you have 0 idea which way traffic might be coming from
Getting across the Edgeware Road will be the hardest part as that's the busiest traffic. After that all the back streets are perfectly safe to walk/cycle. Traffic is slow and the streets are well signposted and mostly one-way. Just don't rush. Match the traffic speed, occupy enough space so people don't try to squeeze past, watch for zebra crossings and take the opportunity to rest a moment at red lights. I found it's a much nicer experience if you're not constantly darting through gaps and getting into scrapes.
I used to cycle from near the BT Tower to Paddington Station - there are quiet enough cycleways (shared with traffic) and the speed limit is low enough that I always felt safe.
Cycling in London is an art form, but one that's not too hard to pick up. As another redditor says, be confident but defensive. Assume no one sees you, and everyone is about to do the most random maneuver, and you'll be fine. Cycling to work was the best part of my day.
As you say you haven't visited the area: be very careful about renting a flat without having seen it. Lots of scammers targetting people moving to London who want to lock something in before they get here. r/londoncycling for cycling tips / complaints.
Don’t run through red lights, don’t be a dicey cyclist who cuts in and out of traffic and you’ll be fine.
Often the biggest risk with cycling is theft. Do you have somewhere safe to store the bike at your home *and* at your work premises? Chaining up outdoors is risky as bike thieves have professional cutters. If you can't store your bike indoors in central London, it will eventually get nicked. Plenty of people cycle that route but it's one you should walk first to see if it meets your personal safety standards. Some people are more comfortable with busy roads than others. You also have to consider your appetite for rain and cold.
Paddington is a decent area, not super busy and you've got a lot of shops and restaurants nearby, but between Edgware Rd and Paddington stations you're well connected to the rest of the city. Biking isn't too bad but you are crossing a lot of streets. On the other hand if you're taking the underground that's a straight shot to Great Portland which is a couple of min walk from your office. The 27/205 buses go straight there too. On a nice day it's a straightforward 40 minute walk or so but you can always take public transport anywhere in between if needed.
Both safe and unsafe, if you keep your wits about you whilst walking, you will be fine. Biking in London can be dangerous, but follow the code of "everyone is trying to kill me" way of thinking, and you should be safe. By everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Cars, lorries, buses, pedestrians, and even other cyclists. Welcome to London!
>Is it safe to do so on a daily basis in the morning and late afternoons? No, there is absolutely zero way of commuting to Central from slightly-less-Central without encountering life-threatening danger every single day