coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 /startrant It's Sunday, its the end of a good week - just played a bit of football and driving home. On a main road and turning left into a side road, I slow indicate etc but always take it ultra slow turning left into this turning as the side road has parked cars either side and can only fit one down at once and sometimes you get cars coming the other way at some speed - have avoided some accidents by taking it really slow - so the van driver behind me gives me some abuse because he has to wait a few seconds extra. I shrug it off and drive down the side road, no parking spaces so I am nearly at the end of it and by now have a 4x4 stuck up my backside. Then in front of me, some woman with her daughter in an Audi, she wouldnt back up though motioning me and the 4x4 to reverse about 200 yards back up the road when there was space about 10 yards behind her. In the end she relented and backed up leaving me a couple of inches spare either side of my car to get through a gap. As I squeezed through I forgot to say thank you...I was super focused on not kerbing my wheels which are worth more than her effin car...so that was it she screamed through the open window some abuse. I was quite shocked, so I stopped for about two seconds just unable to comprehend this happening twice in the space of a few minutes...then the guy behind me in mummy and daddys 4x4 leans on the horn waving his arms at me...and I snapped. Handbrake on, neutral gear, door open marched straight up to this 4x4 and told him to get out the car. I realised he was one of the 'rowing set' down at Putney Embankment, so probably a fit guy and I suddenly though god what am I doing, he locked his door and said 'you are blocking the road' to which he got an angry response then I realised he was in fact a bit of a pansy. I can't believe I got out the car. I can't believe that a woman, a mother would abuse a stranger like that in front of her daughter, I am just fed up with drivers in London who lean on horns and wave arms and shout abuse who wet themselves when confronted. These people wouldn't do it to someone if you were walking down the street, bloody morons, the sooner I move out of London the better. /endrant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 We don't get anything like that oop norf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I feel your pain, I hate driving in London....... which I have only done twice in my Zed We don't get anything like that oop norf nor here in sunny Whitchurch Country living for the win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x.laura.x Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 See we don't get none of that up north .... southern thing... not alot of people have patience and manners... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 southern thing... not alot of people have patience and manners... I think its more of a City thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomS Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Bloody southerners It's a different type of **** on the road up North(from what I've seen), but nonetheless still a ****. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Well we are planning on moving to Windsor, still a city but certainly out of London. Must be some improvement. I mean we all get stressed at others driving but keep it within the confines of our own car, when you start winding the window down to verbally abuse people that's just wrong. What is worse is that I now feel terrible I got out the car and scared that bloke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x.laura.x Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 dont be.. maybe next time he wont be so dam inpatient!!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 What is worse is that I now feel terrible I got out the car and scared that bloke! Dont feel terrible Col, perhaps next time he will think twice before giving other drivers hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Am calming down a bit now...thanks guys...just thought I had been a bit of a plonker and I am pretty sure I wasn't. Just that being verbally abused three times in as many minutes was just totally surreal, all because I was driving carefully Right time to settle down and watch some comedy on the box...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 there is a a different drving style in london, my wife is form there and she and her father both drive completely differently and act differently when in london. it seems very much a kill or be killed mentality, and the language as well i still drive like im in the suburbs when in london, leave gaps etc, and yes some people cut in etc, but i've found if you stress about it, the urge to get out and take the breaking bar from the boot and imbed it in someones head would be too great. even still when i try to keep calm i still find my blood starts to boil after to long in london. i could never live in london, i like the fact i can be doing 70 mph with in 3 minutes of leaving my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Understand your frustration but bit stupid getting out and confronting someone, next guy could have a knife or worse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Understand your frustration but bit stupid getting out and confronting someone, next guy could have a knife or worse... it could have been me, then you would have been sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Understand your frustration but bit stupid getting out and confronting someone, next guy could have a knife or worse... Yeah I know, it was daft, especially when I saw it was this big lad who is a rower and I thought right problem time here - mind you when I go, which is very rare, I am pretty damn scary as well probably didn't help that I had my West Ham footy top on from playing footy just prior to it as well - probably thought I was some sort of hooligan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Sorry to hear you had a bad day. Although you get that attitude in many places it's definitely more common in London. Lived in hammersmith / mortlake for 5 years and really disliked the London attitude. Everyone just focuses on their own little world and sod everyone else. Glad i did it but never again, there's more to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 sounds like a bad day... don't loose the head though, you never know who's in the car behind or in front of you... My mate flashed a crazy driver the other day he was doing at least 100mph up the rear of my mates car almost crashed into him, overtook him and belted away. My mate flashed the guy and got really angry almost tempted to go after him and give him abuse, he didn't took the start of the numberplate and model of the car and called the police. A detective called him back and said that the guy driving this car was some killer that had capped a man up the road and was going away from the crime scene...Just saying, what would have happened if he'd got out and given this man abuse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 That is a shocker... ...but yeah I know the right thing to do - as I said I just snapped. Nothing rational going on there. Daft and stupid. I am usually so laid back so just shocked at myself really. Actually just sat down chatting to the wife over dinner and we are going to accelerate moving to Windsor...we both have just had enough of London zone two and all the muppets that come with it. Should be out of London by September Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael robinson Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 especially when I saw it was this big lad who is a rower Size means nothing mate I have done the same mate don't worry about it (there only so much a person can take) it happened to me in the middle of Newcastle on a sat night didnt work out well for the person as when I and a friend got out he reversed in to the car behind so we just laughed and drove away karma's a bitch so it's not just confined to london , just remember there's plenty of dicks about which will push you and abuse you for doing the right thing just keep your cool and hopefully one day you will have the pleasure of seeing them crash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 That is a shocker... ...but yeah I know the right thing to do - as I said I just snapped. Nothing rational going on there. Daft and stupid. I am usually so laid back so just shocked at myself really. Actually just sat down chatting to the wife over dinner and we are going to accelerate moving to Windsor...we both have just had enough of London zone two and all the muppets that come with it. Should be out of London by September good man if thats going to aid you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Live in Macclesfield ( up north ) but work a lot in London. Two COMPLETELY different styles of driving and attitude. Fortunately only ever in a van in London. Would definitely not want to drive the Zed down there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Watched half of 'Paul' not quite as funny as I thought it would be. Had a good look at places to rent/buy in Windsor - quite looking forward to heading further out now - can't wait to get wheels turning etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cesc Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I used to live in Forest Hill in Lewisham, and I think it was the only part of London where driving wasn't massively stressful. It was more like driving in any regular town rather than a crowded city full of overworked sales reps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 I think the whole driving in the city thing just finally got to me really...had been blanking it out, doing a good job, but this morning driving in I made a real effort to notice what was going on around me. Cutting in, tailgating, light jumping...totally stayed calm throughout this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I think the whole driving in the city thing just finally got to me really...had been blanking it out, doing a good job, but this morning driving in I made a real effort to notice what was going on around me. Cutting in, tailgating, light jumping...totally stayed calm throughout this time. I live just down the road in Surbiton, never had a problem driving around here. However, if I ever honk my horn at you I'm saying hello from a fellow Z owner, please don't come and shout at me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 As long as its only a honk and not followed by a tirade of abuse and expletives I am generally ok with people parping me Surbiton is a million miles away from Putney not in distance but attitude, its almost a relief to get past Robin Hood way and out of Putney on the A3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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