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Does anyone enjoy driving in the UK (anymore)


Calm Chris
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Had to go to Kent earlier, moderate 100 mile round trip.

I asked myself- should I take the 120d or the FRV trolley? I answered myself by thinking the FRV needed a run (it did 998 miles between mot's last year).

So off I set round the A406 (speed cameras and traffic everywhere), then along the A13 (specs covers 75% of the A13 to M25 Lakeside), get to Lakeside and the junction has a 2 mile queue.

Went past the junction through Lakeside proper and get to the QE2 bridge without queues, spec cameras on the bridge and beyond (last speeding ticket was here), join the A2 traffic, then the M2 traffic.

Get to where I was going.

On the return the A2 / M25 has 4 miles of stationary nonsense, decide to carry on. Get to Blackwall tunnel with a 15 minute crawl. Then crawl along the link road back to the A406 and eventually get home.

 

At no stage was there any driver fun, at no stage could (anyone) have been speeding. Even if I went out at 04:30 on a Sunday the whole journey couldnt be enjoyed because of the specs, the speeding cameras, the road works, and the quantity of knobs in micras on the road.

 

Driving in the SE 2016 has no pleasure.

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Last time I had a car (a Peugeot) I enjoyed driving. I don't have a car at the moment but I have a bike and I enjoy biking. Although, hooliganing opportunities are emphasized on a bike which makes it way more fun.

 

Edit: Kent is my area too.

Edited by guess who
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Yes is the simple answer.

 

Still plenty opportunity to have fun (in a sensible and legal way internet police).

 

Any road that is busy is never really going to be a 'drivers' road anyway, just take yourself off the beaten track occasionally, loads of good fun roads out there, I even manage to enjoy myself in the Galaxy occasionally!

Edited by Tipex
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No, not really. I live in close to work and work in central London, so don't often have the chance to enjoy a good drive. It's why I spend 99.9% of the time on the bike. Infinitely more fun, exhilarating (especially accelerating) and engaging, and no fecking traffic to contend with - the greatest waste of time known to mankind. I am driving to Stamford this weekend though, so looking forward to that, as long as there's no slow moving traffic. 

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Good post.

Mostly no.

It's not so.much the traffic....although that's generally a PITA nowadays,  but the other drivers.

The sheer number of drivers doing the following is getting beyond a joke: Phoning/texting/not concentrating/driving on my side of the road/not giving way/ not indicating etc etc.

Generally, 3 main categories:

1. Selfish (eg mums in Range Rover outside school)

2. Can't be arsed (eg white van man not indicating)

3. Incompetent (eg middle Lane owners club)

All do my fùcking nut in.

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Definitely no but for me it's the state of the roads.

When I was much younger you could go a blast down some interesting B roads and have some fun but today it's just too risky with potholes. 

Up here even on the major motorways you have to have your wits about you as great holes appear from nowhere.

 

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Yes.

I do no virtually zero leisure miles.  Any non-business miles I do will be the odd day out with the family ambling to attractions here and there.

My driving for the sake of it, i.e. driving for pleasure, is absolutely zero and has been for a good few years now.

However, my current trend based on the first 6 months of 2016 is about 25k p.a., all business miles.  I've done 63,000 in the 520d in 3 years.

But I enjoy it.  Most of my trips, as some know, are up and down the M1/A1 to London or down to Bath, Birmingham, over to Manchester, Glasgow etc.  I will often get up at 6am, drive 250 miles, work 6 hours and drive back 250 miles.  It is never nice being stuck in traffic but I enjoy driving because I get time to collect my thoughts and I love seeing places I've not seen before, roads I've not driven on, etc.  I get to some weird and wonderful places and the routes to them always teach me something new, whether it is a great little road through woodland or a huge flat straight B road with peaks and troughs that I've not even realised existed.

I get stuck in plenty of traffic and it is a pain in the backside, but overall I enjoy driving in the UK.  I think the crux of this question is do you enjoy driving for driving pleasure - and because I don't do any driving for the sheer pleasure of it then perhaps my answer is immediately disqualified.  Yet I enjoy driving.

p.s. if I was within the M25 area my answer would be different.  As some know, I recently drove from Guildford to Enfield - through the centre of London.  I do mean right through the centre too.  My car had a "Nav Breakdown Moment" (it fecked up the journey based on criteria) that is very rare and I was stupid enough to listen to it.  It took me over 3 hours, I think it might have been 3.5 hours to 4 hours in the end.  I don't enjoy the M25 but it is the same with the M60/62, M11, A14, etc.  They're not nice roads but nor is the M1 around Chesterfield.  Blackspots - but inner M25 regions, Dartford Tunnel, etc, they're all crap.  In some respects, I think the wrong question has been asked.  If I had a sports or performance car of any variety, and if I felt inclined to, I could be in the wilderness of Northumberland within 15 minutes and, on a Sunday morning, I could probably blast around hundred upon hundred square miles of country lanes without seeing another car.  So it is all relative to where you are in many respects.

Edited by NewNiceMrMe
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I'm in a slow burn chat with a lad who has never gone over 9k revs on his pristine Kawasaki 600rr.

If it works out I will take the bike, but I am struggling with the shear volume of big brother tech everwhere in my drive / potential ride zone. It makes me consider the wisdom of owning a sports bike, 

For a nano second last year I considered the Golf R deals, and for another nano second pre ordering a RS ****us- both failed due to driving zone.

 

None of us are smart enogh to beat mobile camera sites, and in all honesty there's so much tech out there, waiting to fine you and add points its all a bit too much chore, no fun.

 

 

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42 minutes ago, Calm Chris said:

I'm in a slow burn chat with a lad who has never gone over 9k revs on his pristine Kawasaki 600rr.

For a nano second last year I considered the Golf R deals, and for another nano second pre ordering a RS ****us- both failed due to driving zone.

None of us are smart enogh to beat mobile camera sites, and in all honesty there's so much tech out there, waiting to fine you and add points its all a bit too much chore, no fun.

Do you mean the ZX6R? :) When you do get some clear and safe road, ideally with some roundabouts, straights and bends, then there's nothing better than an out-and-out hoon, even if it is for a short time. I agree though, there's much tech out there to put an end to the fun.

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I do enjoy driving.

I enjoy the sound of my V8 and it makes me smile.  Music on, V8 burbling and me cruising.

 

However, if I was in London, then I am sure it would be different.  Either speed humps or scameras everywhere.

Also Mr Calm Chris, going south from London during the week days is bad news at the moment.  Due to the Southern Rail fiasco, I am sure many more people are driving in from anywhere where SR is supposed to run.

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I can recall the last time I had a fun drive. It was on the way to Millbrook about 18-24 months ago. God weather, early weekend morning and a proper cross country thrash. 

But it was a long time ago. I guess it's rare for me to be out in the car alone. I'm either with family and the youngest doesn't travel well or if it's just me then I'll normally opt to use the motorbike.

 

 

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I do find it interesting people complaining about driving in London - I rarely get stuck in traffic any more than I do in the Midlands. What I do find though is that it's easy to get stuck in traffic if you don't know where you're going. You end up on the main routes - exactly the same as everyone else, as that's where the SatNav directs people.

For me I think 'enjoying driving' is subject to some qualification. I like it as it gives me timeout - I'm not doing anything else, other than catching up on books/podcasts etc 

Real time I actually 'enjoy the act of driving' tends to be my Aus roadtrips.

 

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Weirdly, my Aus trip helped reinforce the joy of just driving about enjoying the view as opposed to driving fast. Speed limits are so strictly enforced people just cruise *.

I do still enjoy driving, which is why I'm still thinking airport exec taxi is a possible semi-retirement job a few years from now.

 

* - Edit: My approach to driving in Aus may also have been influenced by the fact I was driving my friends' 15 year old 2.8 V6 Passat estate with a billion kms on it and rather tired shocks... :eclipse:

Edited by garcon magnifique
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It's a 'yes' from me too.  Fortunately my drive to work is easy enough, and there's a a variety of routes, most of which avoid the main A27, which means that there's always an opportunity to have a bit of a blast.  And the enjoyment is about the route and the opportunity not necessarily the car - some of the most fun has been in the least powerful cars...our Up! was immense fun to drive, but £500 of A8 also brought its own enjoyment.   I also enjoy the thinking time that being in the car brings, and am quite happy on a 5 hour trip up the M1 - I can even zone out the irritation of the 50mph sections now :roflmao:

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25 minutes ago, PeterS said:

 I also enjoy the thinking time that being in the car brings, and am quite happy on a 5 hour trip up the M1

Couldn't agree more.+++

If you're used to long drives and aren't thinking about the journey itself, I find you can have some of the most productive thinking time possible.

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We've just got back from Stamford. A1 all the way with no hassle whatsoever. Would even go so far as saying an enjoyable drive. Soon as we get to Hyde Park, gridlocked (Ride London - central road closures). Took us over an hour and half to get south of The Park. Drop Mrs Jon back home, then the car back at the office to pick up the bike. 10 minutes on the bike, infinitely more enjoyable than the previous 1.5 hours of sitting in congestion. 

Edited by JonC
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Did this one once upon-a-time when I was in the Royal Navy & had to leave immediately with classified electronics to support one of our ships about to pull into Aberdeen.

IIRC I did it in 10:30 hours including 2 meal stops, but that was pre-speed cameras, doing 110....kph (your honour) on the motorways in my first car SRi Cav.

 

Pompey to Aberdeen.PNG

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Interesting comments about quality thinking time etc when driving. 

I have found myself getting somewhere and not recalling how I'd done it or got to a junction quicker than expected etc. 

Its always worried me : Trusting my subconscious when driving. How much do I miss or could have predicted earlier if I'd actually been concentrating on the driving. 

When on the motorbike I don't have that. I'm just constantly checking, reviewing, planning etc even on motorway slogs. 

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30 minutes ago, Scotty said:

When on the motorbike I don't have that. I'm just constantly checking, reviewing, planning etc even on motorway slogs. 

So very true. It's like switching to auto pilot in the car, then fully engaged and alert on the bike.

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