Driving a car in London

[Francko]

How many people here do drive in London?

I think it is scary with all those cyclists on the way. If you drive how did you manage not to run them over?

[Rebecca Loos]

why do you find it scary to drive with cyclists around? I thought there was lots of mopeds in Italy, surely you're used to sharing the road with 2 wheelers?

(not that I am into clichés or anything..... )

[SandyDown]

if you think there are too many cyclist in London, you ought to come to Oxford, the majority of all students (both school and uni students )cycle, they are so reckless, do not stop for traffic lights, or look when turning right or left... you just got to keep an eye for the foolish youngsters.

What gets me about driving in London is the one way system, and the fact that I can see where I want to go across the road but I have to go all way round the neighbourhood to get there... I really need a GPS when driving in London

[Francko]

why do you find it scary to drive with cyclists around? I thought there was lots of mopeds in Italy, surely you're used to sharing the road with 2 wheelers?

(not that I am into clichés or anything..... )

The mopeds have enough power to get out of troubles should they need to make a sudden move. However, yes, they are a trouble too. But yes, I am used to. Especially my parking skills, acquired in the narrow streets of Rome, are way abow the average of the UK standard.

[OwlHoot]

How many people here do drive in London?

I think it is scary with all those cyclists on the way. If you drive how did you manage not to run them over?

I find they're like pigeons - Somehow they always manage to get out of the way at the last minute.

[sasguru]

Interesting point

As a true Londoner I have noticed the increased traffic over a period of 20 years. It's much quicker to travel by tube (assuming you don't get blown into tiny little pieces ) than by car. So although I have a car, it's hardly used at all apart from the odd weekend trip out of London or to go to the supermarket.
Plus the hassle of congestion charge, no parking, excessive drink-driving laws etc etc. makes me think of doing away with a car altogether. In fact that would please me as it's one less form of taxation I'm coughing out for.
Anyway as we all know thrift is the new consumption - it makes a huge difference to your bank balance at the end of the day, so this month it will be bye-bye car

BTW Franco I doubt if your Italian parking skills are better than a Londoners. From what I've seen in Rome, parking tends o consist of shunting and scraping other cars out of the way if necessary.

[OwlHoot]

From what I've seen in Rome, parking tends o consist of shunting and scraping other cars out of the way if necessary.

In Paris, and France generally I imagine, when parking on a level road you aren't supposed to use the handbrakes. This allows other parkers to shunt you along to make space for their parking or exit, and they're likely to scratch your car deliberately if they find you have applied the handbrake.

[Joe Bloggs]

Is that from personal experience OH?

My experience here in sunny Belgie wouldn't surprise me. Just booked the car in for various repairs to the paintwork/dents etc which have occurred within the space of a year (€500 the expected cost) from damage done to it while parked.

Thinking of getting a bike, but the nutters driving/cycling here scare the sh*t out of me...still I'm all in of favour of all the lovely's I see each day in the summer in short skirts astride the saddle.

[Alf W]

Encased in over a ton of metal with a seatbelt and 6 airbags I don't find cyclists all that 'scary'.