Driving in the UK...
Driving in London and the rest of the UK.
Several people have asked me what it’s like driving in London so I thought I’d give you a general idea of my experiences.
Firstly… In Moselle Avenue, one has to think hard about taking one’s car on an outing especially if one has a parking spot right at the door of one’s own home. Our section of Moselle Avenue has cars parked on both sides of the road so there is only room for one car to drive down the Avenue at a time so if you see a car coming you have to duck into a space and wait till they drive past… our block isn’t that long and one can wait either up at Lordship Lane or at our closer intersection Darwin Road. I started to get a bit suss with all the cars parked in our road because I once saw a woman park her car and walk around the corner into Lordship Lane where there weren’t any houses. Up closer to the High Street the streets have Resident Parking Only signs… but not down our end. The other day I watched a car come down the Avenue and try to squeeze into a small space I was watching to see where the driver went! He was Chinese and went straight into the front door of the house he’d parked in front of… so maybe our Avenue isn’t always being used as a parking lot then!! I’ve had to drive around the block a couple of times before I’ve got a park and very late one night I gave up and parked around the corner in Darwin Road. We have frosts some nights now but if you are lucky to park under a tree you don’t have to scrape ice off your windows the next morning… but if the birds are pooping and you are under their tree… you have to deal with their droppings in the morning!!
Driving Locally… many streets have cars parked on both sides of the road but most drivers are polite and let you through or let you in… you have to know the perimeters of your car very well, I did have one very close shave missing one car by a quarter of a millimetre I reckon. I’m tough though I don’t let them bully me and most drivers are a bit like Sydney Drivers if you hesitate they won’t let you in! Every one gives a thank you nod or wave, which is nice. I haven’t found driving around the Suburbs any different to driving around Sydney except there is about 100 times more traffic and on some days you spend more time sitting than actually driving. Traffic is very, very heavy everywhere. I have to admit to needing a navigator in the front seat when I set off on longer trips, I can get around Wood Green on my own and now could probably get to Surrey by now as well.
The North and South Circulars… These roads are supposed to help one to get out of London without having to go through the middle where there is a Daily Congestion Charge of £8 ($A20). The Circulars do sort of form a Circle around London. We can usually get to the North Circular easily enough but are stopped where the A1 crosses over… then all of a sudden the North Circular which is 2 to 3 lanes both ways becomes one lane through many suburbs and this is where we all stop and look at the traffic stopped going the other way… this goes on with all sorts of dog legs and weird one way systems till we hit the South Circular and a decent speed but then again if the Roads Department hear a rumour that a small pothole may be starting to form… they close the road for 6 months at least while they think about what to do!!
Signs… We still don’t’ know what a lot of signs mean for example, what is a small yellow triangle with black in the middle mean? We’ve seen a square as well! What exactly is the speed limit on motorways? We have never seen a sign! Then there the signs that scare you but you don’t know what to do but keep proceeding because they usually pop up at the last minute when you can’t change your mind or back up… like… Weak Bridge or Weak Tunnel… I ask you what am I supposed to do about this situation?? In Scotland they warn you that there are Hidden Dips… they aren’t of course we found every one of them.
Country Lanes… These are pretty and cute and mostly bend and wind around goodness knows what and are single lane with a little tiny pull in area every now and then. Usually we have the road to ourselves but there is always a local who appears behind you all of a sudden and sits on your tail till I either duck into a lay-by or they turn off, I can almost hear them grumbling, ‘Bloody tourists!’ Meeting oncoming traffic is tricky, we think that if you are going up hill you back up but we’re not sure and you don’t want to get too close to those cute hedges because they sometimes hide stone walls… all I can say is that I haven’t put a scratch on the car yet!! Now if you are lucky to hit a bit of old Roman road in the middle of these Country Lanes you bless the Romans because their roads are dead straight and allow the locals to over take the tourists in safety and give the driver a good view of the countryside without worrying what will be around the next corner. Driving on these Lanes at night is not my idea of fun especially as the Locals know the road so well and in a hurry to get home.
Motorways… Unfortunately we have used Motorways quite a lot… it’s the best way to get from point to point without getting stuck or lost in local traffic. We have never been on a Motorway that didn’t have that little pot hole that needed at least 6 months to repair so we have spent many a while just sitting. We hate the Motorway Refreshment areas but the toilets are usually clean.
Parking… Humph! There are just no rules about parking you can park on either side of the road facing any way you like, we even saw in Bath one of those little tiny cars that look like a sneaker parked with it’s nose in the gutter… it was only as long as the normal car is wide! I’ve seen on a busy road one car stop all the traffic behind it while it waited for the traffic coming towards it to cease so it could cross the road and parallel park on the other side of the road!! And no one tooted or anything they just sat in their cars and waited. How many feet do you have to park from the curb you are asking?? Don’t worry just park ON the curb… as long as two wheels are up on the pavement no one seems to object!
Yellow Lines… Single yellow lines mean you can park if you put your hazard lights on and two wheels up on the pavement! Double yellow lines mean you can park if you put your hazard lights on and two wheels up on the pavement! Both of those statements are TIC of course you cannot park on either but the only lines I have seen working are the Double Red Lines, nobody but nobody parks on them!
Speed Cameras… there are constant signs saying Speed Cameras but where there are signs there are no cameras… we think! We have learnt that yellow boxes beside the road are Speed Cameras but there is never a sign telling you they are there… one flashed at David on his way to pick up Tomo from the airport early one morning but we are yet to get the Fine, Tom says there probably wasn’t any film in it!!
Bus Lanes… are paved in red bitumen and for us they are a bit of a grey area we just don’t understand them… we thought we weren’t allowed in them at any time but there are many occasions when you have to go in them especially if you want to turn left and the Bus Stop is near the corner. Then there was that famous time I sat in a bus lane with the engine running watching if a bus was coming in my rear view mirror while David popped out of the car briefly… I got a Fine and a photo of my car that time!!!
Roads in General… With a couple of exceptions the roads in Britain are in excellent order, 9 out of 10, the road signs I will give 5 out of 10 for because some are just too confusing for someone who doesn’t know where they are going and looking for directions. Driving Manners are exceptional another 9 out of 10 and asking directions 10 out of 10… people are wonderful and eager to help.
Speed Limits… are in MPH
Distances… are in Miles
Petrol… is sold in Litres, so work that one out!
Driving in France… will be different, it’s been quite a while since I drove a right hand drive vehicle on a right hand drive road but I’m not expecting any problems with my trusty navigator by my side. We are well aware of the English French relationship so Nerys kindly sent us an AUS sticker with an Aussie Flag to put of our French made car… so hopefully they will be kind to us eh??
Several people have asked me what it’s like driving in London so I thought I’d give you a general idea of my experiences.
Firstly… In Moselle Avenue, one has to think hard about taking one’s car on an outing especially if one has a parking spot right at the door of one’s own home. Our section of Moselle Avenue has cars parked on both sides of the road so there is only room for one car to drive down the Avenue at a time so if you see a car coming you have to duck into a space and wait till they drive past… our block isn’t that long and one can wait either up at Lordship Lane or at our closer intersection Darwin Road. I started to get a bit suss with all the cars parked in our road because I once saw a woman park her car and walk around the corner into Lordship Lane where there weren’t any houses. Up closer to the High Street the streets have Resident Parking Only signs… but not down our end. The other day I watched a car come down the Avenue and try to squeeze into a small space I was watching to see where the driver went! He was Chinese and went straight into the front door of the house he’d parked in front of… so maybe our Avenue isn’t always being used as a parking lot then!! I’ve had to drive around the block a couple of times before I’ve got a park and very late one night I gave up and parked around the corner in Darwin Road. We have frosts some nights now but if you are lucky to park under a tree you don’t have to scrape ice off your windows the next morning… but if the birds are pooping and you are under their tree… you have to deal with their droppings in the morning!!
Driving Locally… many streets have cars parked on both sides of the road but most drivers are polite and let you through or let you in… you have to know the perimeters of your car very well, I did have one very close shave missing one car by a quarter of a millimetre I reckon. I’m tough though I don’t let them bully me and most drivers are a bit like Sydney Drivers if you hesitate they won’t let you in! Every one gives a thank you nod or wave, which is nice. I haven’t found driving around the Suburbs any different to driving around Sydney except there is about 100 times more traffic and on some days you spend more time sitting than actually driving. Traffic is very, very heavy everywhere. I have to admit to needing a navigator in the front seat when I set off on longer trips, I can get around Wood Green on my own and now could probably get to Surrey by now as well.
The North and South Circulars… These roads are supposed to help one to get out of London without having to go through the middle where there is a Daily Congestion Charge of £8 ($A20). The Circulars do sort of form a Circle around London. We can usually get to the North Circular easily enough but are stopped where the A1 crosses over… then all of a sudden the North Circular which is 2 to 3 lanes both ways becomes one lane through many suburbs and this is where we all stop and look at the traffic stopped going the other way… this goes on with all sorts of dog legs and weird one way systems till we hit the South Circular and a decent speed but then again if the Roads Department hear a rumour that a small pothole may be starting to form… they close the road for 6 months at least while they think about what to do!!
Signs… We still don’t’ know what a lot of signs mean for example, what is a small yellow triangle with black in the middle mean? We’ve seen a square as well! What exactly is the speed limit on motorways? We have never seen a sign! Then there the signs that scare you but you don’t know what to do but keep proceeding because they usually pop up at the last minute when you can’t change your mind or back up… like… Weak Bridge or Weak Tunnel… I ask you what am I supposed to do about this situation?? In Scotland they warn you that there are Hidden Dips… they aren’t of course we found every one of them.
Country Lanes… These are pretty and cute and mostly bend and wind around goodness knows what and are single lane with a little tiny pull in area every now and then. Usually we have the road to ourselves but there is always a local who appears behind you all of a sudden and sits on your tail till I either duck into a lay-by or they turn off, I can almost hear them grumbling, ‘Bloody tourists!’ Meeting oncoming traffic is tricky, we think that if you are going up hill you back up but we’re not sure and you don’t want to get too close to those cute hedges because they sometimes hide stone walls… all I can say is that I haven’t put a scratch on the car yet!! Now if you are lucky to hit a bit of old Roman road in the middle of these Country Lanes you bless the Romans because their roads are dead straight and allow the locals to over take the tourists in safety and give the driver a good view of the countryside without worrying what will be around the next corner. Driving on these Lanes at night is not my idea of fun especially as the Locals know the road so well and in a hurry to get home.
Motorways… Unfortunately we have used Motorways quite a lot… it’s the best way to get from point to point without getting stuck or lost in local traffic. We have never been on a Motorway that didn’t have that little pot hole that needed at least 6 months to repair so we have spent many a while just sitting. We hate the Motorway Refreshment areas but the toilets are usually clean.
Parking… Humph! There are just no rules about parking you can park on either side of the road facing any way you like, we even saw in Bath one of those little tiny cars that look like a sneaker parked with it’s nose in the gutter… it was only as long as the normal car is wide! I’ve seen on a busy road one car stop all the traffic behind it while it waited for the traffic coming towards it to cease so it could cross the road and parallel park on the other side of the road!! And no one tooted or anything they just sat in their cars and waited. How many feet do you have to park from the curb you are asking?? Don’t worry just park ON the curb… as long as two wheels are up on the pavement no one seems to object!
Yellow Lines… Single yellow lines mean you can park if you put your hazard lights on and two wheels up on the pavement! Double yellow lines mean you can park if you put your hazard lights on and two wheels up on the pavement! Both of those statements are TIC of course you cannot park on either but the only lines I have seen working are the Double Red Lines, nobody but nobody parks on them!
Speed Cameras… there are constant signs saying Speed Cameras but where there are signs there are no cameras… we think! We have learnt that yellow boxes beside the road are Speed Cameras but there is never a sign telling you they are there… one flashed at David on his way to pick up Tomo from the airport early one morning but we are yet to get the Fine, Tom says there probably wasn’t any film in it!!
Bus Lanes… are paved in red bitumen and for us they are a bit of a grey area we just don’t understand them… we thought we weren’t allowed in them at any time but there are many occasions when you have to go in them especially if you want to turn left and the Bus Stop is near the corner. Then there was that famous time I sat in a bus lane with the engine running watching if a bus was coming in my rear view mirror while David popped out of the car briefly… I got a Fine and a photo of my car that time!!!
Roads in General… With a couple of exceptions the roads in Britain are in excellent order, 9 out of 10, the road signs I will give 5 out of 10 for because some are just too confusing for someone who doesn’t know where they are going and looking for directions. Driving Manners are exceptional another 9 out of 10 and asking directions 10 out of 10… people are wonderful and eager to help.
Speed Limits… are in MPH
Distances… are in Miles
Petrol… is sold in Litres, so work that one out!
Driving in France… will be different, it’s been quite a while since I drove a right hand drive vehicle on a right hand drive road but I’m not expecting any problems with my trusty navigator by my side. We are well aware of the English French relationship so Nerys kindly sent us an AUS sticker with an Aussie Flag to put of our French made car… so hopefully they will be kind to us eh??
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