As some of you may know, my family and I are planning to visit the UK later this month, mainly staying with my wife's parents & family near Winchester, England.
I've been to England 14 or 15 times and have driven there only a few times. I find motorway driving the easiest as -- apart from being on the opposite side of the road -- it is the most similar to Canada. However, I find driving on their small, narrow streets and driving through roundabouts (in the opposite direction from Canada) to be extremely difficult.
I feel so foolish when I try to drive there, like a kid just learning to drive! I've been driving in Canada and the US for 30 years or more and find driving in downtown Toronto to be EASY compared to driving in England. I find UK driving so difficult because of being on the left side of the road, the very narrow streets, not being used to roundabouts and the volume and speed of the traffic there.
Just wondering if anyone can relate to this or am I in a minority?
I'm thinking of trying to drive over there again on this trip because I get frustrated of having to rely on other folks to drive me around. I wouldn't mind going to 1 or 2 places on my own or with my sons -- such the Watercress Line (aka Mid Hants Railway) which is only 11 miles from my in-law's house!
Rob
My only experience driving in England dealt with a trip from Thetford to New Market. It involved most of my crew piled into a really tiny car, left side of the road driving and roundabouts, a three point turn in an alley behind a pub, a rental car agreement unfortunately left on the counter at the rental agency, and a very forgiving police-lady.
I must say that as a UK driver - going the wrong way around a roundabout in Germany for the first time was the most odd experience! and driving a US-made crew coach through the narrow streets of Belize City with a column shift on the wrong side (when you have never driven a column shift vehicle, or a LHD one, or one that size before) was a never to be forgotten experience - I should explain that in Belize the Brits drive on the left, the Americans drive on the right - and the Belizeans drive where-ever- the-hell the mood of the moment takes them - usually down the centre of the road (or at least, that is how it seems most of the time). When I was out there there was only one set of traffic lights in the country - controlling a narrow bridge across the Belize River - and nobody had a clue what the colours meant!
I've always wanted to but never had the opportunity. We've always had to rely on public transport. Still, I would think driving slow and careful would be the route to follow as driving on the right hand side is second nature for me and to suddenly have to think about everything in the opposite sense COULD offer quite the challenge (especially an emergency maneuver).
On American soil, roundabouts do not work. In my experience, people 'round these parts pull up to them kind of dumbfounded and just stop! When used properly, they can handle great amounts of traffic quickly and smoothly... but, like I said, the drivers have to know how to use them and most in these parts don't. Quite to the chagrin of most, it seems, however, that more and more small cities are incorporating them.... Sedona and Wickenburg AZ, just to name a couple.
August of 08 my family and I visited Sedona AZ to find that two of the major intersections had been converted to roundabouts. We must have been there the weekend they opened as traffic was hopelessly snarled with traffic being backed up in several miles each direction. They finally called out the traffic cops to come direct traffic as they do and after several hours, it finally cleared up. However, minutes after they left, it snarled right back up again. Hopeless.
TrainNut Wrote:I've always wanted to but never had the opportunity. We've always had to rely on public transport. Still, I would think driving slow and careful would be the route to follow as driving on the right hand side is second nature for me and to suddenly have to think about everything in the opposite sense COULD offer quite the challenge (especially an emergency maneuver).
On American soil, roundabouts do not work. In my experience, people 'round these parts pull up to them kind of dumbfounded and just stop! When used properly, they can handle great amounts of traffic quickly and smoothly... but, like I said, the drivers have to know how to use them and most in these parts don't. Quite to the chagrin of most, it seems, however, that more and more small cities are incorporating them.... Sedona and Wickenburg AZ, just to name a couple.
August of 08 my family and I visited Sedona AZ to find that two of the major intersections had been converted to roundabouts. We must have been there the weekend they opened as traffic was hopelessly snarled with traffic being backed up in several miles each direction. They finally called out the traffic cops to come direct traffic as they do and after several hours, it finally cleared up. However, minutes after they left, it snarled right back up again. Hopeless.
Thanks for these responses!
BTW, I think roundabouts are excellent ways to control traffic. For one thing, they practically eliminate T-bone or broadside crashes that often occur at intersections. They also pretty much keep traffic flowing at all times. It's great to only have to slow down, maneuver through the roundabout, and not have to come to a complete stop.
Also, in the UK, I've seldom see any stop signs -- instead, they have "Give Way" (i.e. yield) signs. Again, I think this is a much better way to control traffic.
The extra (and unnecessary) stopping and starting that we have in North America also creates extra pollution and probably more wear and tear on the car.
In a city not far from Toronto (Kitchener-Waterloo), they have added some roundabouts. My family & I have driven through 3 of them recently in that region and think they're great. You can also use them for safely doing a U-Turn if needed.
Just some comments!
Thanks,
Rob
I have driven in the UK a couple of times, and find it to be much better than here in Canada. Although Ottawa has a few round-abouts, several of them are not configured properly - in one case, you must stop ON the round-about and let other traffic enter...! Yikes!
People tend to follow the rules a little better in the UK, from my experience. Slower traffic does indeed stay near the curb, and faster traffic uses the outside lane for passing, not cruising. On the smaller roads, I'd say that most people behave well, with a little courtesy going a long way. However, I am not talking "Canadian courtesy" where everyone sits at a 4-way stop and tries to wave each other on...
I'd say know the rules of the road, be prepared to take a detour if needed (and use round-abouts to reverse direction), keep your speed appropriate, and you'll be fine.
And don't worry about being on the "wrong" side. Since everything is reversed (i.e. you're on the wrong side of the road, but also the wrong side of the car) it all kind of makes sense. Just beware that if you're driving a stick shift - 1st gear is now farthest away from you, not next to your knee.
Andrew
MasonJar Wrote:I have driven in the UK a couple of times, and find it to be much better than here in Canada. Although Ottawa has a few round-abouts, several of them are not configured properly - in one case, you must stop ON the round-about and let other traffic enter...! Yikes! ...
And don't worry about being on the "wrong" side. Since everything is reversed (i.e. you're on the wrong side of the road, but also the wrong side of the car) it all kind of makes sense. Just beware that if you're driving a stick shift - 1st gear is now farthest away from you, not next to your knee.
Andrew
Thanks, Andrew!
One of my biggest problems is this: In Canada, I'm used to the bulk of the car being to my right. It's second nature, I don't have to think about how close I am to the curb, how much room to leave when turning, etc.
But in the UK, I can't get used to the bulk of the car being on my left. This means I either drive too close to the curb (to my left) or too far away. Also, for the same reason, I either cut my turns 'way too tight OR over-compensate by leaving too much space.
So my wife freaks out because I'm either just about to clip a bunch of cars (parked along the road to the left) or stray over into the other lane of traffic!
I think I can get around this but I have to consciously and constantly think about it!
Rob
English drivers terrify me. When I'm crossing the street they try to run me down. When they drive me around they try to run everybody else down. My father drove in the U.K. and he took the train very far out of London to pick up his rental car.
BR60103 Wrote:English drivers terrify me. When I'm crossing the street they try to run me down. When they drive me around they try to run everybody else down. My father drove in the U.K. and he took the train very far out of London to pick up his rental car.
Unlike in Canada, pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way in the UK...
Andrew
MasonJar Wrote:BR60103 Wrote:English drivers terrify me. When I'm crossing the street they try to run me down. When they drive me around they try to run everybody else down. My father drove in the U.K. and he took the train very far out of London to pick up his rental car.
Unlike in Canada, pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way in the UK...
Andrew
Yes, and you sure had better be looking to the RIGHT when you cross a street or road. It's so second-nature to look to the left instead!
Rob
RobertInOntario Wrote:BTW, I think roundabouts are excellent ways to control traffic. For one thing, they practically eliminate T-bone or broadside crashes that often occur at intersections. They also pretty much keep traffic flowing at all times. It's great to only have to slow down, maneuver through the roundabout, and not have to come to a complete stop.
Also, in the UK, I've seldom see any stop signs -- instead, they have "Give Way" (i.e. yield) signs. Again, I think this is a much better way to control traffic.
The extra (and unnecessary) stopping and starting that we have in North America also creates extra pollution and probably more wear and tear on the car.
MasonJar Wrote:I have driven in the UK a couple of times, and find it to be much better than here in Canada. Although Ottawa has a few round-abouts, several of them are not configured properly - in one case, you must stop ON the round-about and let other traffic enter...! Yikes!
People tend to follow the rules a little better in the UK, from my experience. Slower traffic does indeed stay near the curb, and faster traffic uses the outside lane for passing, not cruising. On the smaller roads, I'd say that most people behave well, with a little courtesy going a long way. However, I am not talking "Canadian courtesy" where everyone sits at a 4-way stop and tries to wave each other on...
Roundabouts (we used to call them traffic circles) can work well if properly configured and when accompanied by proper signage. There's one on the Niagara Parkway which is weak in the signage department, resulting in confusion - at least you can just keep driving in circles until you figure out which is the proper route to take.
There's one in the city of Hamilton, on the main drag, which has been there as long as I've been driving, and it works well. I recall when there was one on the QEW (a major thruway-type highway) that seemed to work
most of the time, but lots of out-of-towners were "caught by surprise", resulting in some serious accidents. It's now long-gone.
Part of the problem with introducing them in North America is that few drivers like to "give way". As for the excessive amount of stopping and starting, traffic planners have introduced so many stop signs in inappropriate locations (as a so-called "traffic calming" measure), that drivers, around here at least,
do not stop at all, and many don't even bother to slow down. I can't count the number of times my car has almost been rear-ended because the guy behind me was unable to decipher the word STOP on that eight-sided red sign. This practice is also expanding into the area of stop lights, which are becoming "stop if you feel like it" lights.
As for four-way stops, especially those controlled by flashing red lights, so-called "courtesy" is simply an expression of "I'm confused".
Given the aggressive attitude of North American drivers, coupled with their increasing inability to read, and our lax standards for obtaining a driver's licence, I'm sure roundabouts will be a big "HIT".
Wayne
Never been to England but, have been to Bermuda a few times. Driving there may not be as hectic but, of course, it's all "wrong way" as far as we North Americans are concerned. Getting used to left hand running took a while but, eventually it became comfortable. My biggest problem was getting used to right hand turns (swing w-i-d-e) and, on one occasion, at an intersection, I came face to face with a local police car. Fortunately, the officer realized with whom he was dealing, just shook his head, and pointed to the lane in which I should have found myself!
Dick
Out here in Cali, stop signs are often used to try to get drivers to slow down to some semblance of the speed limit ( 10-20 miles over instead of double)! We have one traffic circle in Long Beach, and it works well if you plan ahead and look for an opening and gauge your speed before you get there.
Ah, yes! Driving in SoCal!! I remember the "little old (Oriental)lady, that stopped on a green light, (I almost rear-ended her,)and proceeded to enter the intersection on the red light. Luckily, the other drivers realized what had happened, because the lights were 4-way red for about 3 seconds. She didn't get hit, but she sure got a lot of one-fingered waves!
That delay which keeps all lights red for a few (usually 3) seconds between cycles, while a sound idea, has been misappropriated from the amber light phase by traffic officials working in conjunction with the suppliers of red light cameras. Basically, it shortens the amber display, meaning you have to decide even faster whether or not to proceed through the intersection. Hesitate for only a fraction of a second, and you're proceeding on a red. If a camera is monitoring that particular intersection, you'll be sent a ticket.
The thinking behind this and it's implementation was outlined several years ago in Car & Driver magazine: in essence, the suppliers of the cameras sold the idea to traffic departments based on the revenue that the cameras would generate - like a casino, they stacked the odds for the cameras. You'll find many studies showing a reduction in accidents at such intersections (usually done by those with a financial interest in the scheme) and just as many showing an increase in accidents, mainly due to the shorter amber period. Don't tell me that they couldn't have simply added that 3 second "all-red" interval into the existing cycle. Of course, that wouldn't have produced the true "desired results".
Wayne