CSH #7 Southbound

Delayed somewhat at the office, so I didn't get on the road till after 6:30 on Friday. As I posted previously, the morning northbound ride was fairly pleasant.experience. The evening ride - what a contrast! Cars in the bus lane, parked cars in the cycle lane, more traffic and more jostling for position at junctions. And more congestion. I saw a couple of cops on bikes on Clapham High Street (always nice to see, although they seemed more interested in chatting to each other than cracking crime). I found the 'Elephant and Castle Bypass' that I'd missed that morning (it's rather well-hidden if you're northbound). It's OK, but only by virtue of being quiet backstreets.  The Stockwell Gyratory needs a lot of work on the southbound side - close to no effort at all has been put in to help cyclists negotiate this tricky multi-lane junction.
Too much danger, too much unpleasant car-dodging even for a seasoned veteran cyclist like myself. And why do the parking restrictions and bus lane operation periods end at 7PM? Some of us don't have 9-5 jobs, you know. And some of us like a cheeky half-pint after a hard day down the salt mines. It's getting dark in the evenings, so after 7PM is exactly the time you need more segregation from motor traffic. Revising bus lane operating times isn't exactly revolutionary, but even this small concession seems to be a step too far the car-centric ideologues at TfL.