OMG - What Has Happened to London ?

[DRD]

I drove to London for the first time in a couple of years this weekend to Kingston/ Sheen.

It was absolutely horrendous. Some dystopian Chinese Social Credit world totally alien to the city I lived in and freely drove around in the 90s and 00s

Banks of cameras everywhere
Warnings and restrictions everywhere
Buses stopping traffic at every passenger exchange
Traffic jams on a Saturday at 7pm
Google rerouting around delay after delay
ULEZ warnings
Congestion Charge warnings
Mopeds swerving around like Paris
Ridiculous parking density
Nutter cyclists

Locals will get used to it and adapt in a few days, but to a scrubber from the regions it was just cost/ delay/ oppression and all rather depressing.

Far better to drive North to places like Newcastle than South to London imho

 

[DAFlippers]

Not really London though.

Last week I had to go around the Minories because the 50m road north of Tower Bridge is closed and added 20mins to the journey.

David

 

[AlanJ]

Its called getting old - I feel the same about Leeds never mind London

 

[Dex-Jay]

I drove to London for the first time in a couple of years this weekend to Kingston/ Sheen.

It was absolutely horrendous. Some dystopian Chinese Social Credit world totally alien to the city I lived in and freely drove around in the 90s and 00s

Banks of cameras everywhere
Warnings and restrictions everywhere
Buses stopping traffic at every passenger exchange
Traffic jams on a Saturday at 7pm
Google rerouting around delay after delay
ULEZ warnings
Congestion Charge warnings
Mopeds swerving around like Paris
Ridiculous parking density
Nutter cyclists

Locals will get used to it and adapt in a few days, but to a scrubber from the regions it was just cost/ delay/ oppression and all rather depressing.

Far better to drive North to places like Newcastle than South to London imho

Yep, pretty much my takeaway of the place from my last visit. Every single kid on a moped is doing his best to kill himself. Cyclists much the same.

Everytime I get back on the M1 / M40 I'm like, "Well, what traffic law did I break now? How many points did I just earn myself?" I avoid it when I can.

 

[VeeMonroe]

I drove to London for the first time in a couple of years this weekend to Kingston/ Sheen.

It was absolutely horrendous. Some dystopian Chinese Social Credit world totally alien to the city I lived in and freely drove around in the 90s and 00s

Banks of cameras everywhere
Warnings and restrictions everywhere
Buses stopping traffic at every passenger exchange
Traffic jams on a Saturday at 7pm
Google rerouting around delay after delay
ULEZ warnings
Congestion Charge warnings
Mopeds swerving around like Paris
Ridiculous parking density
Nutter cyclists

Locals will get used to it and adapt in a few days, but to a scrubber from the regions it was just cost/ delay/ oppression and all rather depressing.

Far better to drive North to places like Newcastle than South to London imho

If you think Kingston/Sheen is bad, you should try driving through SE London. Everyone here got driving lessons from a Sicilian instructor.

The reality of living here is that public transport is good and fast, and there’s a lot of infrastructure for bicycles.

I do feel a bit sorry for car and van drivers. The traffic is largely stationary on the main road below our house and is backed up in a morning for miles.

But, yeah, just as you describe. Loads of scooters, mopeds, bikes and other unconventional transport (included powered unicycles) zipping between traffic moving at a maximum of 20mph.

Also, probably worth checking the AA routes (or some other source that isn’t Google maps) because - having lived in SW London - you should be able to get into Kingston/Sheen without driving through the residential neighbourhoods. Google maps will rat-run if it thinks it saves time, and that‘s very bad if you’re driving in London as an infrequent visitor.

 

[M4carp]

I drove to London for the first time in a couple of years this weekend to Kingston/ Sheen.

It was absolutely horrendous. Some dystopian Chinese Social Credit world totally alien to the city I lived in and freely drove around in the 90s and 00s

Banks of cameras everywhere
Warnings and restrictions everywhere
Buses stopping traffic at every passenger exchange
Traffic jams on a Saturday at 7pm
Google rerouting around delay after delay
ULEZ warnings
Congestion Charge warnings
Mopeds swerving around like Paris
Ridiculous parking density
Nutter cyclists

Locals will get used to it and adapt in a few days, but to a scrubber from the regions it was just cost/ delay/ oppression and all rather depressing.

Far better to drive North to places like Newcastle than South to London imho

My parents live in Acton, Chiswick border. They go Richmond way every week to walk the Thames, always moaning about traffic etc. They even got caught out and fined on new restrictions where you shouldn’t be driving due to no through route or something! What a sh1t hole it has become and glad I moved out over 20 years ago.

Don't know how people can pay the high house prices /rent there, what a nightmare for the average family/person.

I go into London driving mode when I go, dog eat dog out there

Whenever I visit I can’t wait to get back here, just need to watch out for tractors and sheep around here

 

[Jay Walker]

Re. the ULEZ - I had my eye on a car bonnet that was listed on fleabay, in the colour I needed. The location was going to fall within the zone when it expanded, so I tried contacting the vendor, a small commercial garage. On receiving no reply, I decided they could shove it, if it now meant another £12.50 (or whatever) to collect.

 

[Tucks]

I live in sheen and you're right it's an absolute nightmare. Biggest problem is that Hammersmith bridge has been closed for a few years while they argue over who is paying the cost to repair it plus you can't drive through richmond park now because of Covid restriction they refuse to remove. ULEZ has also made things a lot worse. London Mayor needs to go!

 

[HomerRamone]

Believe they are planning g to stop. Vehicles in large areas of Newcastle later this year too (and likely other large cities)

 

[Monkeyboypaul]

I will only go if work absolutely necessitates it, and only in a reserved seat on the train. Tube only if I can’t walk it.

My favourite part is leaving - departing Kings Cross for York is such a joyous feeling.

One day I’ll take my kids and do the tourist thing with museums etc, but until then… nah.

 

[johnwhitfield]

I’ve had the joy of driving across London a couple of times in the last 3 weeks. Always a joy to see the sat nav declaring it’s 8 miles to home and will take approx 90mins.

I love northerners picking up games from me and boasting that they can do the bottom of the M1 to new cross in 20 mins or so (normally followed by “or hopefully less”). They arrive looking like they’ve driven through some post apocalyptic nightmare.

I think the idea that it takes as long to get from London to Sheffield as it does to cross part of the capital is incomprehensible to most people who don’t live here.

Mind you it works both ways. I get annoyed if I miss a bus and have to wait 6-7 mins for the next one. Having to be organised to catch public transport would totally do my head in.

Also heading south east out of London from home in order to travel to the West Country always feels utterly wrong.

 

[VeeMonroe]

I’ve had the joy of driving across London a couple of times in the last 3 weeks. Always a joy to see the sat nav declaring it’s 8 miles to home and will take approx 90mins.

That's part of why I have the cargo trike. Mostly for the school run (when the entire road turns into a huge car park), but it can also do Charlton to Chiswick in under two hours with two kids, a small suitcase and minimum fuel costs.

 

[johnwhitfield]

I rarely drive. We’ve had the car for 3 years and have less than 8k on the clock.
It’s more hassle than it’s worth unless you are going for a long distance or need to take a load of stuff.

Couple that with parking charges and public transport is a clear winner.

Whenever I see stuff on the news about people moaning about the price of petrol it takes me a while to realise they are serious. Filling up every three months would be considered heavy use .

 

[VeeMonroe]

I rarely drive. We’ve had the car for 3 years and have less than 8k on the clock.
It’s more hassle than it’s worth unless you are going for a long distance or need to take a load of stuff.

That's why we don't have a car. We only use a car to go on hiking holidays and to take stuff to the tip...

We realised a car would just sit outside depreciating in value and costing us money for residents' parking permits (yep, in London, you pay to park outside your own house...)

 

[Jb3d]

I lived, worked and drove in London/Greater London until I was 30 and later lived, worked and drove in Hong Kong , so felt I’m familiar with big city issues. But now when we drive down to see one of children in East London I’m terrified. Yes as @AlanJ says, some of its about getting old but thats not the only thing. The roads, rules, traffic and drivers are just crazy. Like @M4carp I breath a sigh of relief as we get north of Watford Gap on the way home.

 

[VeeMonroe]

I lived, worked and drove in London/Greater London until I was 30 and later lived, worked and drove in Hong Kong , so felt I’m familiar with big city issues. But now when we drive down to see one of children in East London I’m terrified. Yes as @AlanJ says, some of its about getting old but thats not the only thing. The roads, rules, traffic and drivers are just crazy. Like @M4carp I breath a sigh of relief as we get north of Watford Gap on the way home.

Yeah. I've got to agree. Every time we need to hire a car, it takes us about 50% of any journey shorter than a trip to Scotland to actually *leave* London and, traffic-wise, it's a relief (to me) when we get onto open road...

When we lived in SW London, we used to have to go through the Hanger Lane Gyratory (https://alchetron.com/Hanger-Lane-gyratory) as well [cue deranged laugh].

My husband did his driving test in London and is a lifelong Londoner. He doesn't seem to give a flying flamingo about the traffic. He just happily gets into a rental car once a year and flies through the Hanger Lane Gyratory as though multiple lanes of traffic going around a big roundabout at 50mph bumper-to-bumper is just the usual way of things!

 

[M4carp]

Its called getting old - I feel the same about Leeds never mind London

I left West London for West Wales at 31, I must have been ahead of my time

House prices have gone right up here and selling fast, how times have changed!

My husband did his driving test in London and is a lifelong Londoner. He doesn't seem to give a flying flamingo about the traffic. He just happily gets into a rental car once a year and flies through the Hanger Lane Gyratory as though multiple lanes of traffic going around a big roundabout at 50mph bumper-to-bumper is just the usual way of things!

I used to work in Park Royal and lived near there, seen someone going around the Hanger Lane Gyratory the wrong way once early in the morning

 

[DRD]

In 1992 I lived in Tuffnell Park. My girlfriend at the time was a student at the Courtauld Institute of Art by the Strand/ Aldwych.

She would deliberately leave it too late for the tube so I would take her there in my Mark 1 1976 2 star golf as that was actually FASTER back then.

The place has gone to sh1t.

 

[Sako-TRG]

My work punt me down to London every month or so.
Venus fly trap for cash.
Was in Great Portland Street few days ago.
Stayed at Wembley Park Premier Inn, left motor at the tube station - £6 for 24 hours then metropolitan line, few stops to GPS.
Cake walk
Office then decided to give me a job same day in bloody Gore , high priority customer needing assistance Williams Advanced Engineering F1 HQ.
Took me forever to drive to the M4 Westbound then up towards Wantage - bloody nightmare.
Silly admin office team, clueless with maps and timings

 

[Deleted member 2463]

It’s the mayors fault - Khan has totally ****ed the place.

 

[russdx1]

Best part about London is getting the train out of it

I used to jump on wrong train at reading every so often when they changed the platform at last second, when I got there all I wanted to do is find the first train out

I do enjoy the tube when going to Ice expo