Driving in England

Oh where to start.... People driving 30+mph in residential areas, don't seem to know what a turn signal is.... Those are the only gripes I have with motorists over here. Otherwise, most drivers are courteous and will not hesitate to let you out into a lane. My main gripe is lack of visible, or any signage at all; to direct you, where you need to be until the last flippin second. Painting road signage on the road itself is just idiotic as it tends to fade quickly, leaving you to guess what you're supposed to do. Signage that does appear on a sign post is almost always obscured by overgrown hedges and trees (seriously, why do I pay council tax anyway....). Signage is not just a transportation problem either. No one here seems to know how to advertise where exactly they are. The most you might get is a small rectangular sign with the name of the business, in a location that is not easily read from the road. So you just have to guess you're turning into the right place based on GPS instructions. Nick, US expat.

Maps are good. Plan your journey and make notes......other than that, it's instinct, lol. ⛔  🅿  🚫  ⚠

Chuckle  Butty

The British are excellent at narrowing down any road by parking on either side, and if possible on the corners, just to make sure you can't see oncoming traffic when you turn. This way any urban street changes into a country lane with fewer green. Country lanes are an exercise in self-control, you always feel you're driving too fast. 

The Brits are courteous indeed, and somehow they sometimes expect you to diverge from the rule and be courteous as well. I once had an argument with someone who accusing me of not letting him reverse out of a parking bay. That was an occasional nutter. 

In general, the urban infrastructure is poor. Be aware of larger roundabouts. It's hard to see people come from your right and side sometimes, especially when they drive close to 70mph.

As for speed excess, it's hard to miss those yellow boxes, so if you get caught, don't say you didn't see any warning. If you use Waze (sat nav app) you can pick up on any police controls on the motorway. Most people drive around 80mph in the middle lane, the left lane is for aged people, the very slow and the drunks. I never manage to drive exactly 70mph in straight line for more than half a mile, so the middle lane is where you can find me most of the time. Tollways seem to be exempt from police control, so a nice opportunity to rev up in sixth gear. I like to keep a safe distance at any speed, but in heavy traffic the gap always fills up, like probably anywhere else in the world.

Overall, after driving for six years in the UK, I'm quite happy. Whenever I'm back in the Netherlands, my former home country seems to become more clogged, with more ingenious speed traps. Britain is quite relaxed if you go with the flow.

I prefer it here.

I have done my drivers license here as well. One tip, forget the laws of your country, they don't apply here. I know some Americans that could not and cost them a lot of money when getting their license.

I like roundabouts. Americans back home do not know how to use them so they are not as effective there.

As for speeding, I think I know less people here that have a speeding ticket than as I know in the US that have tickets.

I find that people are generally courteous, like when it goes from two lanes down to one.

Going to do long trips like Americans like to do, in my opinion, is not the same thing and often dangerous. The roads are smaller with more traffic. So I tell people to make it a weekend trip rather than a day. I just fear people falling asleep at the wheel and hurting/killing their families or others.

I use Google Maps getting around.

Parking is an issue but the infrastructure was here before cars were! I also cycle most days because it is faster to get through Cambridge than by car. Also free parking!

This is a very large topic with an array of avenues to talk about... get it avenues?? as in traffic avenues? no? ok then.    I will try and cover some of the topics in this but im sure people will disagree or have further points and experience so here goes.

Apart from the occasional idiot and inconsiderate A$$ that you find anywhere. It is reasonably easy and safe to drive in England when compared to some other countries I have driven in.

The government are very strict on speeding and driving regulations and will happily pull you over and issue you a ticket if you break these regulations. Getting caught by speeding cameras have been made near impossible unless your blind or distracted as they come in big yellow boxes with road markings to show where the camera can see your plate. Being caught by police however is much more

For the most part people let you out of junctions without much problem or long waiting times and merging lanes is easy to adapt to. I find that road signs are relatively ok but I would advise using Google earth or something similar before hand so you are familiar to the area you are driving.

Parking can be a real issue within cities as pay and display parking is generally very expensive and if you think "oh there is a spot there" it is normally followed by double yellow lines or permit holders only preventing you from parking there (or face the risk of being issued a parking ticket). As well as this cities can be hard to navigate, with a lot of streets being one way systems or bus and taxi right of way.

I hope I have answered any question you had. if not I am happy to answer any further question you may have from my experience. 

It was a long process for me to learn to drive in England, as I found that American roads were just so much wider and more spacious than the tight English turns. I think that English drivers are probably better and more in control than most American drivers, as they really have to be to avoid accidents (whereas in America you could drift over about 10 feet before having any problems!)

I absolute hate the parking all over the street culture, however. I know it's because there's less space, but it makes for a much more dangerous driving experience and it is scary at times to almost have to just hope there's no one coming because you can't see through all of the cars.

girlgonelondon wrote:

It was a long process for me to learn to drive in England, as I found that American roads were just so much wider and more spacious than the tight English turns..

You should try driving in Cornwall! Well known for its narrow roads and near death experiences. Makes driving anywhere else a breeze.

When driving in the UK, I am always frustrated when approaching a roundabout.  Directions always say take the 1st right, but approaching the roundabout is a left???? Then more directions say take a right???  Every exit off a roundabout is a left.  I also find it confusing as to which lane in a roundabout I am supposed to be in.  Normally, I am in the left lane if I have to turn immediately once I enter the roundabout, but I notice some inner lane users also exit at the same time. I guess I wouldn't be so intimidated if all the drivers were not going so fast. Still learning.....

jencast2002 wrote:

When driving in the UK, I am always frustrated when approaching a roundabout.  Directions always say take the 1st right, but approaching the roundabout is a left???? Then more directions say take a right???  Every exit off a roundabout is a left.  I also find it confusing as to which lane in a roundabout I am supposed to be in.  Normally, I am in the left lane if I have to turn immediately once I enter the roundabout, but I notice some inner lane users also exit at the same time. I guess I wouldn't be so intimidated if all the drivers were not going so fast. Still learning.....

I would strongly recommend reading "roadcraft", the police driving manual.
This excellent book is also used by the institute of advanced motorists (I'm a member of that excellent group), and will open your eyes to things you never knew about driving.
It explains lane discipline in great detail, removing any worry about tackling roundabouts.

There are versions for motorcycle and car users

This video, whilst a tad less than exciting, explains roundabout procedure..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ubulxtEvWE