How many of us apologise to motorists?

rjsterry

I think it's just a reaction to the greater population density particularly on PT. One of the many reasons I stopped commuting by PT is because I found myself turning into one of those pushy-shovey types that barge through a queue to get the last space on a tube/bus/train, who I'd always thought were morons.

cee

rjsterry wrote:

As a child of the West Country, I'd have to say that London is less friendly generally. Not aggressive, just indifferent. To give an example, it's perfectly normal to thank a bus driver when alighting in Bristol (or at least it was when I lived there), perhaps a "Cheers then, drive." whereas in London, you're looked on as a bit of a weirdo for such interaction. See also speaking to people in the tube.

This is one of the best things about an outsider going to london i reckon...

I love watching people squirm as you randomly start chatting to them on the tube etc!

Best way to get a seat i reckon.

notsoblue

Porgy wrote:

I've had a revelation - and it's this - people outside London and the home counties are normal decent people. They are friendly and want to chat and stuff, and will do stuff out of the kindness of their hearts without expecting something for it.

People in London - well if they're not c*nts then they are dragged down by the c*nts.

I think my disilluisonment of London begins here. Hopefully I'll be out of here within 3/4 years.

Awww mate, thats not my experience! If you live in central London you get to know lots of friendly people in the neighbourhood. I currently live just off Gold Hawk Road near Chiswick and its very friendly around there. I've also spent a fair bit of time around Bloomsbury when my ex lived there, and the locals are very nice. Nice community.

I reckon if you only really see London while you're commuting, working or drinking then your impression of it is going to be much different than if you actually live there.

Fact is, its going to appear less friendly if you're just passing through.

Porgy

rjsterry wrote:

I think it's just a reaction to the greater population density particularly on PT. One of the many reasons I stopped commuting by PT is because I found myself turning into one of those pushy-shovey types that barge through a queue to get the last space on a tube/bus/train, who I'd always thought were morons.

Yeah - that's similar to my experience - you end up getting ground down by it.

I reckon, by and large, cyclists are the best of London - free-spririted, against the grain of the push shoveyness - it's by being a cyclist and mainly associating with cyclists (I even married one) that I've managed to stay sane in London so long. 8)

cee

notsoblue wrote:

Fact is, its going to appear less friendly if you're just passing through.

Not my experience.

I think londons a great place. And reckon there are as many shopfrunts in edinburgh as there are on london (proportionally).

The pace is different sure..its busier, so there is less tolerance of delay...

lost_in_thought

Porgy wrote:

tbh - I don;t get aggression in Kent - just no one ever says thankyou. And I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm extrmemely courteous and always try to pull in asap to let vehicles pass me. But then I'm a big fat bloke - maybe that's it.

But - try riding in Devon - if I was doing something wrong then I wouldn;t have had such a positive experience there would I?

As for Essex - I cycled round suffolk for a week last year and had a lovely time - very nice drivers. Once in Essex just a few miles over the border I got cut up by a white van and beeped by a random car passing me who thought I should be on the pavement! After that it got worse.

Well, then, you say you're doing nothing wrong, so I must be doing something right!

I've lived almost on the essex/suffolk border for the best part of 20 years, and while there's the occasional boy racer that's true of suffolk as well. Just 2 weeks ago I did a fair old lap from essex to suffolk to norfolk around the coast, and noticed no real change in driving standards.

I can't suggest anything, but I really don't agree with your assessment that there's nothing worth thanking drivers for! As a rule they're all really very nice to me!

Porgy

notsoblue wrote:

Porgy wrote:

I've had a revelation - and it's this - people outside London and the home counties are normal decent people. They are friendly and want to chat and stuff, and will do stuff out of the kindness of their hearts without expecting something for it.

People in London - well if they're not c*nts then they are dragged down by the c*nts.

I think my disilluisonment of London begins here. Hopefully I'll be out of here within 3/4 years.

Awww mate, thats not my experience! If you live in central London you get to know lots of friendly people in the neighbourhood. I currently live just off Gold Hawk Road near Chiswick and its very friendly around there. I've also spent a fair bit of time around Bloomsbury when my ex lived there, and the locals are very nice. Nice community.

I reckon if you only really see London while you're commuting, working or drinking then your impression of it is going to be much different than if you actually live there.

Fact is, its going to appear less friendly if you're just passing through.

OK - I married a Londoner, my daughter's a Londoner, my 3 best friends are Londoners and when I lived in Camberwell my neighbours were superb - though a few weren;t from London - friendly people who I loved.

But I still think the decent ones are outnumbered - and it's hard to stay decent when you're outnumbered. And even most Londoners I know want to leave London. I don;t blame them....just wish they didn;t all move down to the westcountry pushing property prices up. :roll:

Porgy

lost_in_thought wrote:

Porgy wrote:

tbh - I don;t get aggression in Kent - just no one ever says thankyou. And I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm extrmemely courteous and always try to pull in asap to let vehicles pass me. But then I'm a big fat bloke - maybe that's it.

But - try riding in Devon - if I was doing something wrong then I wouldn;t have had such a positive experience there would I?

As for Essex - I cycled round suffolk for a week last year and had a lovely time - very nice drivers. Once in Essex just a few miles over the border I got cut up by a white van and beeped by a random car passing me who thought I should be on the pavement! After that it got worse.

Well, then, you say you're doing nothing wrong, so I must be doing something right!

I've lived almost on the essex/suffolk border for the best part of 20 years, and while there's the occasional boy racer that's true of suffolk as well. Just 2 weeks ago I did a fair old lap from essex to suffolk to norfolk around the coast, and noticed no real change in driving standards.

I can't suggest anything, but I really don't agree with your assessment that there's nothing worth thanking drivers for! As a rule they're all really very nice to me!

I'll thank them all for being nice to you then.

notsoblue

Porgy wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

Porgy wrote:

I've had a revelation - and it's this - people outside London and the home counties are normal decent people. They are friendly and want to chat and stuff, and will do stuff out of the kindness of their hearts without expecting something for it.

People in London - well if they're not c*nts then they are dragged down by the c*nts.

I think my disilluisonment of London begins here. Hopefully I'll be out of here within 3/4 years.

Awww mate, thats not my experience! If you live in central London you get to know lots of friendly people in the neighbourhood. I currently live just off Gold Hawk Road near Chiswick and its very friendly around there. I've also spent a fair bit of time around Bloomsbury when my ex lived there, and the locals are very nice. Nice community.

I reckon if you only really see London while you're commuting, working or drinking then your impression of it is going to be much different than if you actually live there.

Fact is, its going to appear less friendly if you're just passing through.

OK - I married a Londoner, my daughter's a Londoner, my 3 best friends are Londoners and when I lived in Camberwell my neighbours were superb - though a few weren;t from London - friendly people who I loved.

But I still think the decent ones are outnumbered - and it's hard to stay decent when you're outnumbered. And even most Londoners I know want to leave London. I don;t blame them....just wish they didn;t all move down to the westcountry pushing property prices up. :roll:

I love (central) London, but nobody settles here unless they're obscenely rich imo. I plan to move to Bath soon. You know, to push up the property prices :P

cyclingmev

i usually wave or give the driver a thumbs up if they've given way or generally carried out a rare and random act of kindness .... Nowt worse than ignorant folk!!

nich

Um...

What should you say to a driver when you're filtering and your tire flicks up a stone :oops: :oops:

BentMikey

I must say the difference in driver attitude on average between Essex and Suffolk is quite surprising. Kent is no better than Essex, IMO. There are bad and good in all counties, but Suffolk seems rather better.

lost_in_thought

BentMikey wrote:

I must say the difference in driver attitude on average between Essex and Suffolk is quite surprising. Kent is no better than Essex, IMO. There are bad and good in all counties, but Suffolk seems rather better.

OK, now look here, there's a lot of Essex. If you're comparing, say, Ilford (essex) to Aldeburgh (suffolk), it's a bit 'well duh' to say there's a change.

However, and I can only base this on 20 years of living and cycling around north Essex, and south Suffolk, once you leave the london end driving attitudes in Essex and Suffolk are really no different.

Poor old Essex gets a bad press because of places like Chingford and Ilford.

lucullus

I do my fair share of moaning, so also make a real effort to say thank you / sorry where appropriate. Seems, as a number of other posters say, only fair.

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

Poor old Essex gets a bad press because of places like Chingford and Ilford.

And Romford, King amongst men.