London traffic, ow Christ!
Discussion
Spend yesterday in London, went via coach.
It was the first time id been to London since Ive been driving and was sat on the front seat of the coach so had a great view. But OMG, its manic, with suicide cyclists and motorcyclists, cants not allowing a lane change.
I much prefer my (comparatively) deserted town, and the countryside.
Anyone here a city dweller? How do you avoid collisions? More than 5 times i was adamant i was about to witness a monumental smack up, but some how it never came to anything.
Cheers
It was the first time id been to London since Ive been driving and was sat on the front seat of the coach so had a great view. But OMG, its manic, with suicide cyclists and motorcyclists, cants not allowing a lane change.
I much prefer my (comparatively) deserted town, and the countryside.
Anyone here a city dweller? How do you avoid collisions? More than 5 times i was adamant i was about to witness a monumental smack up, but some how it never came to anything.
Cheers
Monkeylegend said:
When driving in london drive as they do. I always find you have to be a bit more aggresive in terms of lane changing, junctions etc. They don't like it if you are nervous, or "flap" around.
Best bit was when the driver blew a kiss to someone who had beeped at him. Made my day. (yes, i live a simple life)Benbay001 said:
Anyone here a city dweller? How do you avoid collisions?
I take the Tube 
When I've driven, the key seems to be very frequent mirror checks and being assertive (especially if you find you're in the wrong lane) and ready with a thank you/apology. People will not expect you to let them out and tend to look for gaps so if you create some space, it will be filled.
Also worth remembering that cyclists are "exempt" from the rules of the road, so expect them to be looking for gaps in priority traffic if they're approaching a red light and I'd also suggest making space for them and mopeds/motorbikes when you're crawling/queueing in traffic because they will come past your car, regardless of how much space there is, and it'll help minimise the damage
Chris
Manchester is quite busy at rush hour, but London is seemingly busy at all times.
As others have said, be assertive and be aware of who is around you.
My advice: Don't decide to take a 'short-cut' through the centre of London on a Friday evening to avoid congestion on the M25. It doesn't work
ps. If you think London driving is bad, try Paris, Antwerp/Brussels and Rome. When you've mastered those move onto South American and SE Asian cities.
-London will then appear the epitome of serenity.
As others have said, be assertive and be aware of who is around you.
My advice: Don't decide to take a 'short-cut' through the centre of London on a Friday evening to avoid congestion on the M25. It doesn't work
ps. If you think London driving is bad, try Paris, Antwerp/Brussels and Rome. When you've mastered those move onto South American and SE Asian cities.
-London will then appear the epitome of serenity.
MC Bodge said:
Manchester is quite busy at rush hour, but London is seemingly busy at all times.
As others have said, be assertive and be aware of who is around you.
My advice: Don't decide to take a 'short-cut' through the centre of London on a Friday evening to avoid congestion on the M25. It doesn't work
ps. If you think London driving is bad, try Paris, Antwerp/Brussels and Rome. When you've mastered those move onto South American and SE Asian cities.
-London will then appear the epitome of serenity.
went to india a few years back As others have said, be assertive and be aware of who is around you.
My advice: Don't decide to take a 'short-cut' through the centre of London on a Friday evening to avoid congestion on the M25. It doesn't work
ps. If you think London driving is bad, try Paris, Antwerp/Brussels and Rome. When you've mastered those move onto South American and SE Asian cities.
-London will then appear the epitome of serenity.
that must be the benchmark in insane driveing styles
London driving is much easier than most non-Londoners think. The biggest fault is dithering at junctions or green lights, as everyone is permanently in a hurry. That said, everyone is in the same 20mph boat, so they'll let you out much more than you'd guess. Just make your intentions clear (i.e. indicate) and don't piss about if you get waved out. The traffic lights chop up the flow anyway, so there is often a gap.
The less said about London's cyclists the better. Reports of 'a cyclist killed on the road' don't make me leap to the conclusion 'that poor cyclist, innocently riding along' any more.
The less said about London's cyclists the better. Reports of 'a cyclist killed on the road' don't make me leap to the conclusion 'that poor cyclist, innocently riding along' any more.
It's not just driving - walking down a busy pavement, getting a bus or navigating a busy tube or train station can all be a little intimidating if you're not a local. I lived in London for a few years and it doesn't take long to get used to it. Everybody is just trying to get to where they're going in the most efficient way they can on spectacularly busy transport networks. I don't know if it's that people are more aware of their own impact on the overall flow of traffic or if it's just the net effect of everybody doing their best to get to where they are doing, but traffic of all kinds in London makes much better use of the available opportunities to progress than elsewhere. Every time I left London while living there I wondered why people - be they one the road or on foot - wouldn't just get a f
king move on and stop wasting their time, my time, and everybody's else's time by fking about when they could be making progress. I've mellowed a bit since I moved 
Know where you're going, plan ahead, be assertive and don't waste any time or space. People will get close, they will be pushy, you will have to make allowances but without being too meek - or you'll be holding up everyone behind you. The worst thing you can do is be overly cautious or dither. There's no need to be aggressive, but if you hang about people are liable to walk, drive or ride into you because you're not doing what they expect.
king move on and stop wasting their time, my time, and everybody's else's time by fking about when they could be making progress. I've mellowed a bit since I moved Know where you're going, plan ahead, be assertive and don't waste any time or space. People will get close, they will be pushy, you will have to make allowances but without being too meek - or you'll be holding up everyone behind you. The worst thing you can do is be overly cautious or dither. There's no need to be aggressive, but if you hang about people are liable to walk, drive or ride into you because you're not doing what they expect.
Monkeylegend said:
When driving in london drive as they do. I always find you have to be a bit more aggresive in terms of lane changing, junctions etc. They don't like it if you are nervous, or "flap" around.
I find London drivers to be as courteous as anywhere else, cyclists and motorcyclists are slightly more moronic and less concerned for their own safety.Satnav is the godsend these days !
housen said:
think fwd
That's right - leave the RWD to the real drivers
But in all seriousness you have a good point (if you did indeed mean 'think forward')...Back to the point, I don't actually find driving in London too bad at all. It goes without saying that you need your wits about you, but it's not vastly different from driving in any other major city in my experience. Just remember to get in lane early and that speed cameras are all over the place.
I don't have to do it too often, and when I do go in it's usually only as far as Hammersmith or so. My experience is much like the posters so far. Keep your wits about you, plenty of mirror changes, and if there's a gap, take it. I very rarely find myself cruising in a higher gear, generally picking the one down so that I can exploit what meagre power my car does have when I need it!!
davepoth said:
London's lovely compared to most big cities, yes it's a bit manic but few people drive in so most of the drivers are professionals (taxis, vans etc.) so aren't ditherers. Just be assertive and never, ever stop in a box junction.
Not sure about doon south but I wouldn't class taxis, vans, bus drivers as professionals; well not drivers anyway. Most of them demonstrate the most appalling behaviour on the road. I didn't realise that taxis have the same rights as emergency services and are able to park/abandon their vehicles anywhere they feel without any regard to traffic flow or right of way.Used to work in London years ago and drove in every day, just found that you need to be assertive and you soon get used to it.
Having recently used the M25 a couple of times I had forgotten quite how mad it can be at times though, certainly some interesting driving on display and one of the few places where 80mph felt dangerously slow!
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