|
|
England, Scotland, Wales and even Ireland for that matter, should prepare visitors by posting a Government Heath Warning - “We Drive on the Wrong Side of the Street.” An American visitor to the British Isles - that’s what they call the collection of all those places – that thinks it’s going to be a home away from home because of language similarities, is setting himself up for a rude awakening, particularly when renting a car for business or vacation.
In the first place, what an American calls “The Street,” the British call “The Road;” The “Sidewalk” is “The Pavement” and “The Pavement” is also the road. If you go to put your luggage in the back of the car, you’d be putting it in the truck - an Englishman or a
Scot would be putting it in the boot.
Let’s assume you’ve landed at London’s Gatwick Airport and just disembarked from your flight. Next, as you might expect, you will take your Internet rental acknowledgement to the car rental desk. There’ll be a whole row of them - just like home so far - and they’ll mainly be familiar names - Avis, Hertz, Budget and so on. You’re going to be asked for some signatures and your “Driving License” – yes that’s different too - both what it’s called and how it’s spelled. As in the states, you’ll be given copies of your rental agreement, along with helpful documents such as maps, and the keys and told where to pick up the shuttle bus.
This is the first point where you’ve got to be very awake - even though you’ve just been sitting on an airplane for eight or more hours, your body thinks it’s the small hours of the morning and you’re six hours sleep short. You have to look to the right for approaching traffic, not the left! Be careful, they really do drive on the left over there.
Having found your car in the car park (not on the parking lot) you open the door and find there’s no steering wheel, no pedals and no instruments - in fact they’re on the right side of the vehicle not the left. That can be quite an adjustment for a sleepy and jet-lagged driver.
You get the engine (motor) started and, very carefully, you ease your way out into the morning rush hour traffic. OK so far, its one-way circulation but you can’t see what’s going on around you - you’re looking in the wrong place the rear-view mirror.
In just a few short minutes you’re on the Motorway (freeway) M23 and heading for Central London - you’re trying to remember to keep to the left (along with a few other rules such as no passing on the inside). The speed limit is 70 but you’re lucky if you can manage 40 because the roads are so busy. Just relax; you’ll get the hang of it. If not, there are other options.
So what is the alternative? Gatwick Airport has its own railway (railroad) station and there’s a train into Central London roughly every ten minutes. An added bonus is that it takes half the time you’d need by car. Another option for those not up to tackling new road experiences; forget renting a car - get off Virgin Atlantic’s airplane and onto Virgin Rail’s Gatwick Express - go by train.