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Route 3
As a side-adventure I concluded 25 individual journeys with special regard to Route 3 between stops Brixton Station and Whitehall/Horse Guards. (The course changed in 2023.) This was to observe the nature of the linework confined to the same track yet against the backdrop of changing conditions throughout a course of a day. For the drawing grade B pencil was used.
The results can be found detailed under each drawing.
24/09/2019, Tuesday.
1. B 6:53am -> HG 7:18.
Brixton Station, heavy rain, 16ºC. Layered clothing, cagoul, umbrella. H pencil. Busy bus stop. Grabbed my usual seat, upper deck, front left, window. Bus full. Rush hour is getting there, queues of cars, frequent breaking. Most ppl get off by Oval and Lambeth North. Enjoying the view. Media outlets setting up by Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square.
2. HG 7:30 -> B 7:53.
Rain is heavier, bus is not empty coming from Victoria, but I can sit at the usual spot. H Pencil. Bus fills quick but no overcrowding. Traffic is heavy, queues at the Lambeth Bridge roundabout, south side. Less stop-and-go, the drive is smoother. Everyone got off at Brixton. Quick sharpening.
3. B 8:02 -> HG 8:39.
Left my umbrella on the previous bus, but rain stopped. Very busy, have to stand downstairs, a little awkward, bagging a few strange looks. H Pencil. Lots of breaking, slow-moving cars. Full on morning traffic, cabbies in the bus lane, stopping at every stop, lots of ppl. Managed to sit down at the War Museum. Millbank and Parliament Sq are full.
4. HG 8:45 -> B 9:10
Raining again, hood up. Usual seat. Changed pencil, 0.3 automatic, 2B fillers. Traffic is better on the way out, although it is still busy. Feel sorry for the reporters. Queue at the roundabout, massive puddle at the Imperial War Museum corner. Slow cyclist.
5. B 9:25 -> HG 9:59
Fortunately rain stopped by Brixton. Pencil change to regular B. Upper deck but not the usual spot, further back. Traffic is still bad, long time at
Aggressive driving, stop-go. Fast corners. Stopping at every stop. City centre is still slow around the Parliament, but the bus is emptier.
Aggressive driving, stop-go. Fast corners. Stopping at every stop. City centre is still slow around the Parliament, but the bus is emptier.
6. HG 10:01 -> B 10:25
No rain, ran across the road to catch the outgoing 3. Pencil B. Usual seat. Faster drive, traffic is still busy at the usual spots, but passenger numbers are declining. On and off clouds.
7. B 10:26 -> HG 11:00
Ran over to the other side at Brixton to catch the oncoming one, I’m on a roll! The traffic is calming down, the passenger numbers are too. Smoother drive, easing waiting time at lights. News outlets are frenetic at the Parliament, Boris’s antics are not going down well with the Supreme court. Brexit is not going as planned, but was it ever?
8. HG 11:14 -> B 11: 41
Not a bad ride, bus starts missing stops. Big swing at the War Museum corner, that puddle will not get smaller today.
9. B 11:43 -> HG 12:20
Another run, pencil change, back to H. Everyone seems to gets off, less ppl getting on. Usual seat. Still hoping that my umbrella will turn up on some of these vehicles but not likely. On a day like this, it was probs a gift for someone. Diver change at Kennington Church.
10. HG 12:23 -> B 12:53
Another smooth catch, pencil back to B. Slow drive, congestion at Lambeth Bridge roundabout.
11. B 13:22 -> HG 13:50
Lunch break, had my pate sandwich and bought a strong coffee at Brixton Blend with a Bakewell tart. Feeling a little low, almost ill-ish, I hope this will help. Getting busy again in the way to town, lots are getting on at Brixton. Pace always speeds up after Lambeth, the bus is nearly empty by Millbank.
12. HG 14:02 -> B 14:25.
The lowest and meanest clouds gathered. Had to wait a little and was praying for the rain not to start until I catch the next one, sans umbrella. Just got on time, by Lambeth bridge it was the most epic thunderstorm I sat through on a bus. Frenetic wiper action, raindrops like bullets, trees threatening to fall on the road. Driver was steady, no flinching. Great swing at the war museum corner, the puddle become pond. Felt sorry for the folk in the beer garden at the Stag and the TV people.
13. B 14:20 -> HG 14:58
Rain just stopped as I got off the bus. I was almost the only passenger upstairs. I like that as I feel that my heart can fill the whole upper deck and, my arm has enough space to move. When it is busy, the line will be somewhat constricted too. It is always longer to get into town from Brixton, partially because of the construction work on the corner of Kennington Road that narrows the road. Measure, careful drive, lots of puddles and branches on the streets. Pencil B.
14. HG 15:00 -> B 15:28.
Again, hardly anyone on board, swift fast drive. School children on Millbank. The media is slowly leaving the Parliament. I admire the townhouses on Kennington Road. The Doghouse starts to get some footfall. It is so hot! The sun is out as nothing happened, serving Indian summer vibes. Have to squeeze my tops in the backpack. Trying to peak in to the Garden Museum.
15. B 15:35 -> HG 16:01
Pencil B. Fast and efficient drive, not busy at all. Beautiful skies all around.
16. HG 16:08 -> B16:38
Swift catch of the next one, sticking with pencil B. Ppl are out again, dead umbrellas all over, and the journalists almost completely gone. I wish I had one more pair of hands to take pictures, recordings, and notes. School kids are getting on and getting off.
17. B 16:45 -> HG 17:18
Little wait on the other side, and again, pencil B. The traffic is swelling, more ppl were getting on, but not bad. Same seat. A little hectic driving, another fast corner at the War Museum, but otherwise a solid 30 mins.
18. HG 17:26 -> B 17:59
Rush hour, but not that defined as in the morning. The bus isn’t that empty when it arrives to the Horse Guards, I get a seat upstairs towards the middle. Still by the window though. Measured driving, nothing spectacular. At Lambeth North, the crowds start to get on. My elbow is a little squeezed, have to rely more on the wrist. Stopping at every stop. Working people with shopping bags, women, prams, smell of humid sweat.
19. B 18:03 -> HG 18:35
Good timing, pencil B remains. Quick sharpening. Not a lot of passengers, towards town the roads are clear. The bottleneck on Kennington Road remains. Sunset is fabulous. It’s still pretty warm.
20. HG 18:42 -> B 19:15
Very fast route, usual seat at the front. Dynamic driving, lots of green lights, that probably helps. Bus is still full; windows are fully open. Everyone gets off at Brixton and swiftly swallowed by the mouth of the tube station. New folk get on, heading towards further South.
21. B 19:38 -> HG 20:01
Quick bathroom break in Mackies, bought a meal deal, and ate some walnuts from my bag. I drank quite little all day, so I didn’t have to schedule wee breaks and I start to feel the tiredness kicking in. Really fast route, not a lot of ppl want to go towards Westminster.
22. HG 20:01 -> B 20:31
Still a fair bit of ppl, but almost nobody until after Oval. The media workers at the Parliament packing up their last bits of equipment. Pencil HB. Lots of red light.
23. B 20:32 -> HG 20:59
Different crowds, the bus starts to get filled with folk going for a night out. Loud guys, teenagers in groups, hoodies, headphones, moody looks, ton of make-up and fake nails. Drivers change at Kennington Church, try to eat my sandwich. Can’t finish, eating at red lights. Thankfully nobody starts talking to me. Police, syrens, blue lights. Lots of breaking. Back to pencil B.
24. HG 21:00 -> B 21:26.
Had to run across the Whitehall to catch this one. Wasn’t life-threatening, as Westminster starts to get relatively quiet at this time of the day. Hardly anyone on the bus apart from me. Usual spot, not a lot to report. Flying by bus stops, no traffic on the bridge either. Clearly nobody wants to go to Brixton from Westminster.
25. B 21:48 -> HG 10:25.
Very tired now, this is the last one. Traffic towards town is swelling, Ubers, Cabs, party ppl. The bus smells like a wet dog, but it starts to get chilly. It’s almost empty by Lambeth bridge. Before I the Abby a young black guy sits near me and asks about what I do. I am startled a little as I have not spoken to a single soul all day, but he is genuinely nice and interested. He says that I look like a supermodel. Start following each other on Insta, as the next step of pleasantries. He gets off with me at the Horse Guards. I say goodbye and debate whether I should get an uber home, but I walk up to Embankment instead and take the Northern Line to Kennington.
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