Lessons learnt from driving through London's mean streets.
Discussion
Lessons learnt from driving a black Caterham 7 at night through the London areas of (in order) Tooting, Clapham, Brixton, Camberwell, Oval, Tower Hamlets, Newham & Tottenham, in the middle of the evening rush hour, in darkness during the Christmas shopping a couple of Sundays ago. No doors, no roof. Strapped in with a 6-point harness. Driving the car for only the second time.
1. Approaching Brixton you will suddenly feel like this is a bad idea.
2. It is very easy to suddenly feel extremely self-conscious – see points 3, 4, 5 and 6 below
3. It is very claustrophobic between a London Bus and a lorry on Brixton High Street. Especially when the traffic doesn’t move. For 5 minutes. And you can’t see anything but these two vehicles ahead and behind you whilst the car gets a lot of attention either side from the locals.
4. There is a quite noticeable invisible bow wave that travels up the pavement ahead of you to the left and the right, particularly apparent when the pavements are rammed with people, that happens when people catch sight of the car out of their peripheral vision and double-take, stop in their tracks or point or stare.
5. Because of this attention from the public, expect a phobia of stalling the car to become overwhelming. It affects not only your ability to find the biting point of the clutch but also of finding first gear in the first place. Typical symptoms include massive over-revving of the engine, and pulling away in third by accident.
6. There is another bow wave that travels even further up the road when you over-rev the car, and it sends an exhaust-note shock wave ahead of you that causes people to turn round. This is mildly entertaining when done deliberately but not when trying to pull away in first.
7. Accidental over-revving also makes pedestrians suddenly sprint across the road where they had once been walking calmly.
8. Cars do genuinely let you in, out, etc. a bit more than they would if you were driving any old car.
9. Remember that the speed limit over Tower Bridge and the road either side is just 20mph.
10. Convince yourself that the car that suddenly pulled out in front of you did actually see you.
11. Try not to look too smug when the boy-racers are seen gawping at you open-mouthed out their windows.
12. Try not to feel omnipotent when you leave them for dead at the lights.
13. Expect to have your photo taken.
14. Expect positive acknowledgment from basically everyone, including a thumbs-up from a cyclist.
15. Be pleasantly surprised.
1. Approaching Brixton you will suddenly feel like this is a bad idea.
2. It is very easy to suddenly feel extremely self-conscious – see points 3, 4, 5 and 6 below
3. It is very claustrophobic between a London Bus and a lorry on Brixton High Street. Especially when the traffic doesn’t move. For 5 minutes. And you can’t see anything but these two vehicles ahead and behind you whilst the car gets a lot of attention either side from the locals.
4. There is a quite noticeable invisible bow wave that travels up the pavement ahead of you to the left and the right, particularly apparent when the pavements are rammed with people, that happens when people catch sight of the car out of their peripheral vision and double-take, stop in their tracks or point or stare.
5. Because of this attention from the public, expect a phobia of stalling the car to become overwhelming. It affects not only your ability to find the biting point of the clutch but also of finding first gear in the first place. Typical symptoms include massive over-revving of the engine, and pulling away in third by accident.
6. There is another bow wave that travels even further up the road when you over-rev the car, and it sends an exhaust-note shock wave ahead of you that causes people to turn round. This is mildly entertaining when done deliberately but not when trying to pull away in first.
7. Accidental over-revving also makes pedestrians suddenly sprint across the road where they had once been walking calmly.
8. Cars do genuinely let you in, out, etc. a bit more than they would if you were driving any old car.
9. Remember that the speed limit over Tower Bridge and the road either side is just 20mph.
10. Convince yourself that the car that suddenly pulled out in front of you did actually see you.
11. Try not to look too smug when the boy-racers are seen gawping at you open-mouthed out their windows.
12. Try not to feel omnipotent when you leave them for dead at the lights.
13. Expect to have your photo taken.
14. Expect positive acknowledgment from basically everyone, including a thumbs-up from a cyclist.
15. Be pleasantly surprised.
Tango7 said:
Will,
Good to hear you have got your new car on the road. I hope it was worth the wait!
Thanks for the light entertainment..I laughed out loud! in a restaurant in Cologne eagerly awaiting delivery of my (UK) R500 from a German dealer who is in the process of testing and registering here with the anally retentive German TUV. I have had exactly the same bad dreams, being one of the fools who has over-specified his first Caterham purchase. You make me feel better!Good to hear you have got your new car on the road. I hope it was worth the wait!
Then get a photo on the entrance ramp to Abingdon Street car park in Westminster ( http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/abcarpark.htm )
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