Picking Up Rental Car

Having arrived at the building that houses the rental agencies at the air port (Alamo, Avis, Hertz, etc. (Kenning is off site with a phone box to the left on a post), get your car, check for damage, a spare tyre (tire) and tyre condition. Stow the luggage and have the driver get in the right side and you are ready to go. KEEP TO THE LEFT. Check out the clutch action. Turn left, past the main terminal; here its a one way street. And here your are, driving on the left, with 3 hours of sleep in the last 30 hours, with a body time of 3 AM and you are about to come to a busy Roundabout!

If you haven't already booked lodging near the airport for the night before your return flight, your first goal is to get to the long term car park (parking lot) by the North Terminal. There is a Travel Inn and you want to book (reserve) a room for the night before your return flight. This makes life much easier on the last hectic morning when you need to be at the terminal 2 hours before flight time after finishing cramming all the stuff you (and/or your wife/spouse/significant other) bought into the cases and turn the car in. They have a shuttle, but its busy and you have to book it. There are some other hotels (a Travelodge too) around, but this one is cost effective and handy.

In general, booking a reservation for the night before your return flight as close to the airport as you can find at an affordable place is a good idea. It makes the departure process much less hectic. This Travel Inn can also be booked with their reservation number from anywhere in the UK, or from the US.

Wherever you arrive, DRIVE ON THE LEFT!

It will seem strange to have all that car on your right and you will cringe at the oncoming traffic passing so close on the right. Think carefully about turns and what lane you should turn up in (most likely the left) when completed. A right turn is one in which you cross the lane of the oncoming traffic. Using the outside mirrors also takes some thinking, its just not normal to look for adjacent lane traffic in the right mirror.

Not only is the driver under stress, but the passenger (probably also a driver) is sitting where they expect to have a steering wheel and brakes and there aren't any.

As mentioned, one of the first features you are likely to encounter is a roundabout. A roundabout is a traffic circle. This is a marvelous feature of the UK, and it works well when there aren’t too many cars around. They are actually a circular road, ranging from small with a little circle of grass in the center, to large with a center hundreds of feet in diameter. Some are strange shaped, motorway ones often being oval and located over the motorway lanes. I’ve even seen a square one. There is an interesting complex of them where the A20 and A28 intersect in Ashford, Kent. The first one you find on the way out of Gatewick is a problem as the traffic is heavy, and there are several entrances from parking lots to confuse things.

There seem to be a lot of places where more than two roads intersect, and/or roads do not intersect at right angles. The roundabout provides a solution for this situation too.

When you come to a roundabout there will be a picture of it on a sign so you can see where to go. You will be coming in at the bottom. Traffic in the roundabout circulates clockwise. What you must know is where you want to go in terms of the road you want to take, the name of your destination, and perhaps the first major town along your route. The signs are very good. While it may be confusing, you can always go ‘round’ ‘till you figure it out (do this with caution as the other drivers won't be expecting it).

You are (hopefully) driving on the left. The universal rule of the road gives the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right. This means cars IN the roundabout have the right-of-way. Looking to the RIGHT, wait until (a challenge at this first roundabout) the way is clear and then enter.

Once in the roundabout, the exits will be signposted as to the road number, next major city on that route, etc. More on signs later.

Roundabouts can be multilane, some as many as 5 or 6 (the famous Hyde Park Corner in London). Always signal when changing lanes. The idea is to stay in the left lane if you are going to leave in the first couple or exits. If you are going most of the way around, move to the center lane so cars can enter and exit from the interim roads. You will then have to move to the left lane to exit. This is easy to say, but in practice I find keeping track of the traffic on the circle (so I can change lanes) very difficult. The circles are also small relative to the amount of traffic and speed making any kind of lane changing dicey (risky), especially to the left.

Theoretically, cars in the outside lanes of a roundabout must yield to cars in the middle lanes wanting to get out. This follows from the "car on the right" has the right-of-way. Cars in the center will be to the right of those on the outside (which is why traffic circles don't work very well if you drive on the right and traffic would move counterclockwise as we would do in the US).

For a common roundabout, sticking to the left (outside) lane seems to work pretty well. It doesn’t draw many honks and gives the option to leave when you spot your exit. Always be cautious as the locals may not be expecting you to continue around in that lane. Yield to traffic in the center lanes wanting to exit. Above all, act to protect you're ass.

A common hazard, and practice to avoid, is cutting across the circle. In may instances there will be a roundabout on a main road where most of the traffic wants to exit on the opposite side and continue on their way. In these situations roundabouts are impediments, and they are being removed in some areas (having one seems to satisfy the British need for freedom and fair play, giving anyone arriving at the intersection equal access no matter how hazardous or inconvenient). There is a strong tendency to drive the straightest line through the circle, cutting from the entering left lane through the center lane and back to the left lane to exit. Anyone in the center lane gets squeezed.

Another hazard associated with roundabouts, especially the busy ones, is spotting approaching cars. The human eye is very good at picking up an object moving in front of a fixed background. If you look across a roundabout, you will see cars going every which way (cars on the near side will be going right to left, and cars on the far side will be going left to right). Having a fixed background to help spot a moving car that is out.

More importantly, at some point on their way ‘round the roundabout, approaching cars will be coming directly at you. Its hard to spot them with a busy background with the only change being in size (not azimuth). This can be complicated by often having to look for them over your right shoulder. Its even worse for us folks who wear glasses. Use great care is checking for cars in the roundabout.

There are variations on roundabouts. In heavy traffic areas signal lights may be used to regulate traffic entering and moving around the roundabout. In some cases the left lane may be forced to leave at the next exit. If this is not your desire, moving to a more center lane is necessary (a situation complicated by having all the roundabout lanes virtually full of traffic all the way around). The roundabout by the Birchanger Green Services, exit 8, on the M11 is an example of this.

And there is the sneaky mini-roundabout. This is created when a white circle is painted in the middle of what appears to be an ordinary intersection of two roads. This makes it into a roundabout where "roundabout rules apply". Most locals seem to zip right through as if it wasn’t there, even driving over the painted circle. The implications of roundabout rules can be a hazard. The rule is the car in the roundabout has the right-of-way. This means if you are tooling along and an approaching car is in the intersection first, he has the right to make a right turn (remember, you are driving on the left so a right turn is the one where you cross over the other lane of traffic) in front of you.

Reviewing what this specific roundabout sign is telling you, you are approaching from the bottom. There are two ways you might want to exit. The first one will take you to Crawley and Redhill (two nearby towns) and also to the North Terminal via the A23 highway. The second exit, most of the way around the roundabout, will take you to the M23 motorway (motorway signs are blue) to either London, Brighton or East Grinstead (the latter two being in a direction opposite from London although you can't tell from this sign). Also, you will come to the M25 motorway which will take you to, among other places, Heathrow airport.

Some slightly relevant information is revealed by this sign. Remembering that "All roads lead to London", at a time in the past there was a highway with the number A23 that went from London to Brighton. Further to the east is an A21 that runs from London to Hastings, etc. When traffic became unbearably dense a motorway was built roughly along the same route and it is the M23. The A23 still exists and is the 'local' road that actually goes through the towns. Same situation occurs in lots of places.

It is here you could head for the Travelinn by the North terminal to book a room for your return trip.

Now, Gatewick arrivals, that you have found your way to the North Terminal, hopefully without going past the South Terminal more than a few times, go toward the long stay car park (long term parking lot), and pass the barrier arm and into the Travel Inn car park (remember to drive on the left so the dispenser of tickets that opens the barrier is accessible from the right, or driver’s, side of the car). Now we can go over some other aspects of driving around the UK.

While you are in the road, its easier than you might think to drive on the left as everyone (almost) is doing it. Its the uncontrolled areas, like this parking lot, that will constantly give difficulty (as will parking lots when you get home). When you came out of the motel, which side of the car did you head for? How did you line up for using your ticket to raise the exit barrier?

From the car park, by pretty much staying to the left and using the first exit on the roundabout you will be heading for the M23. When you get there you will come to the sign for the roundabout at the motorway interchange. Note that it is blue indicating its associated with a motorway.

As you will note, on motorways the roundabouts are generally above the roadway and oval shaped. Again, you are coming from the bottom. As you might expect the airport interchange will be busy. The stubby roads are the entrances to the roundabout from the motorway exits. The first exit you would come to would take you onto the M23 heading for London. Note that interchange roundabouts are most often above the motorway making the entrances/speed-up lanes downhill, a big help for the tiny engines on many of the cars.

The M25 is the ring road around London.  Note it is indicated in parentheses indicating that you will come to it by and by. When you get there you can go east toward Dartford, a bridge/tunnel complex for crossing the Thames on the east side of London (for those heading to the north and east). You can go west toward Heathrow airport, or head for the west. The interchange for the M25 is complicated. For complex intersections (when you get to the M25), know where you are headed and follows the signs; trying to figure it out will get you lost.

If you decide to take the M23 south, the third road (second exit) in the direction of Brighton (which is only a short drive) and Crawley, at the next exit, number 10, the A264 crosses the motorway. Note that it is listed in parentheses indicating that you will come upon it. Following it west toward Crawley will bring you to a roundabout with a railway track passing overhead. Unless you have a specific reason, like going to Heaver Castle, going to East Grinstead is not particularly attractive activity.

Taking the first exit will lead you to a Tesco’s "Superstore" (big grocery store) where you can stock on some essentials such as facial tissues (Kleenex), paper towels, non-carbonated beverages (ice is scarce) and snacks (crispers (potato chips) and milk chocolate wheatmeal biscuits (cookies)). The deli is fairly good as is the bakery and and there is a supply of pretty good sandwiches. There is also a restaurant should you need some breakfast. The superstore is signposted in the roundabout. They take credit cards and provide a first glance at the culture. Superstores generally have pertol (gas) stations and are usually the cheapest around.

Superstores, among many other places, have cash machines where you can get some of the local currency.

If you take the third exit from this roundabout and follow along to the next roundabout, taking the second exit will lead you to a Sainsbury’s superstore. I think it, too, is signposted at the next roundabout which uses signal lights to control traffic flow.

Driving on the motorway is actually not a bad way to start with driving on the left. While the speeds are high, everybody is going the same way. About all you have to do is stay in your lane and read the signs. There is no cross traffic to deal with.

You have probably noticed the vehicles around you by now. The ones we call busses are coaches. The trucks are called lorrys. They can also be referred to as goods (goods being what we would call freight) vehicles, or GV’s. Big ones would be heavy goods vehicles, or HGV.

A semi-trailer is a semi-articulated lorry. I didn’t call them and 18 wheeler because they are not. Most all of the lorrys are some form of cab-over-engine design. Space is precious in the UK, and there is not place for long wheelbase vehicles. Distances are also relatively short so (I can’t recall any) there are no sleeper cabs. The tractor part of a semi usually has a single, dual wheel rear axle, although a pair axles is fairly common.

The trailer usually has three axles with a single wheel, somewhat wider than ours, on each end. They are 16 wheelers. And they seem to generally be air ride. Also note that most have fabric sides and are intended to be loaded from the sides. History and space preclude a lot of loading form the rear end as we do. Loading from the side is probably quicker too. Note too that they carry cargo quite low to the road (our semi’s don’t generally have any cargo below the top of the wheels) to make use of all available space. They look pretty big from your little car.

We did see a 74 wheeler once. It had a trailer with 64 wheels, 16 sets of 4, individually castered, spaced evenly over the bottom.

Heavy lorrys without trailers come with two or more dual wheel axles in the rear. They may also have a second front axle with wheels that steer. All this allows heavy loads in a limited space.

Other goods vehicles come in all sorts of shapes. Some look a bit silly, but that’s Britain. Silly or not, they all move along at high speed. There are no pickups, but SUV’s are appearing (its even sillier there than here). There is a little model of a panel truck that appears to have interior room about like a ‘66 Chrysler’s trunk.

You have probably noted the passenger cars have a bit wider tires that would be typical here, and they handle quite precisely. After you get off the motorway you will see why.

And you have probably noticed there are a LOT of vehicles around. This is part of what makes driving in the UK very intense. Driving on the left means you have to think about your actions, normal reflexes being useless. If its at all warm you will roll down a window making for lots of noise. The road surfaces can be quite noisy. On the smaller roads there is limited visibility, no shoulders and curb stones, stone walls or hedges at the edge of the pavement. All these factors require constant attention and bring on fatigue quickly. Rest often and don’t even think about alcohol.

There are various types of roads in the UK. The high speed ones are called motorways and have the "M" designation. Many have inherited their number from a major highway that used to, or may still, follow the same route. They are most often 3 lanes each way. The left, or slow lane, runs about 55-60 mph. The middle lane runs around 70+, and the high speed one is up for grabs. There are official speed limits, the Beamers and Mercedes folks don’t seem to notice, and neither do the police.

Motorways are the easiest for the novice to drive as everyone is going the same way and exits/entrances are regulated. Its a good way to get used to being on the left. Just check the right mirror and signal before changing lanes. The right mirror will be flat, the convex (wide angle) mirror is on the left for checking the lanes while passing. Many of the right mirrors have a bend toward the outer end so you can see into the second lane over.

Motorways are generally well designed, although they have a number of construction zones. Of note:

a) There are no Norwegian Interchanges, the ones we have here where the entering traffic enters before the exiting traffic exits making for confusion and hazards (examples are Hwy. 36/I-35E and I-35W/I-494, even the new I-35E/I-494 interchange is Norwegian except they moved the action off the through lanes hoping we wouldn’t notice). Any motorway congestion is moved to the interchange roundabout above the through lanes. If we would only add a layer of bridges to our interchanges. Entrance ramps are generally downhill making accelerating (especially with smaller cars) to motorway speed easier.

b) There are no Polish Polka intersections where two freeways just cross forcing the through traffic on each to do a lane changing dance to continue (examples are I-694 east/I-35W north and I-35W and the cross-town Hwy. 62).

c) There are few Swedish disappearing lanes. They are where you can stay between the white lines and find you are in the slow lane, and a bit later you are in the fast lane and then your lane ends as lanes appear and disappear on either side. Most of these are associated with construction land closures on the motorways.

Some poet said, "..all roads lead to London..". At its true. A map will show major routes in the south all centered on London. It makes going other directions difficult, kind of like trying to get from LaCrosse, WI to Green Bay. There is a ring road around London, the (in)famous M25. It is very heavily traveled. It may be a good option, at least form Gatewick, to use it to get to another motorway going in a desired direction away from London. Don’t even think about driving much inside the M25 ring road; if you get in very far you will probably get lost and there is no place to park anyway.

As a learning, or reorientation, exercise its is a good idea to start driving on a motorway. With minimal risk, you can get used to being on the left, your car, and the traffic.

If you want to go any distance at all, the motorway is the road of choice. Taking the little roads will provide about and average speed of 20 to 30 mph. Its hard to visualize here in the open, north central states, but that’s the way it works out. And its intense driving. At times you will be whipping around the corners about as fast as you can go, with the ever present line of cars behind you, and looking at the speedometer you will be doing 35.

Little roads will provide access to interesting areas, but they may not provide a better view of the countryside. They tend to be lined with walls and hedges grown too tall over the centuries to see over from a car (not bad from a coach). Motorways are more recent roads and have better viewing.

There are "A" and "B" roads. I have never seen a gravel road. There is probably some connotation as to which is a major road, but I find little correlation. A roads can have from one to four numbers after the "A". B roads tend to have four numbers after the "B". Examples would be the A1 from London to Edinburgh, the A21 from London to Hastings, the A272 (very pretty drive across the South) and the B3212. I've read there are "C" roads that are very narrow.

The number of digits may be an indication of the importance, or age, of the road. Most of the smaller roads tend to be B roads. The low numbered A roads seem to be the main arteries and probably result from ancient roads. The straight roads were built by the Romans. There is probably a history and a plan to all this, but I don’t know what it is.

Some roads have been expanded to four lanes to handle the traffic. Some of these have been upgraded to motorway status (even though they are not 6 lanes). These will be noted as A1(M), for example. This means motorway rules apply (emergency stopping only, etc.) and they will have controlled exits/entrances of an interchange nature.

There are some really tiny, or lightly used, roads, especially in Scotland, that are single lanes with turnouts. Most of these will be signposted. The road is only one lane wide. Spaced along it are small areas where the pavement is widened to allow approaching cars to pass (the turnouts). The idea is to watch ahead and if you see a car coming, duck into the next turnout. Their spacing is such that you can see from one to the next so there is no need to squeeze by in between or back up to one if you are playing the game right.

Single lane bridges are signposted to indicate which traffic has the right-of way. If the picture on the sign shows your lane ending in a red cross line, you must yield to oncoming traffic. Their sign would also show your lane in a red ending with theirs being in black. If there are a number of bridges, alternate ones will give you the right-of-way (fair play and all that).

Good maps are essential, especially for guys. While the signposting is excellent, bordering on the phenomenal, a good map is still necessary. A map the AAA will provide here only shows the major roads and while useful for planning, most of the roads you will drive are not shown. A map with a scale of about 1:200,000 is about right. There is enough detail to be useful, and a map will cover enough area to be useful.

 There are a number of suppliers of maps. Michelin has a series that may be useful (for sure if you travel in France). There are Ordinance Survey Maps is varying scales, even to showing individual houses. And maps of everything in books. Some of these are available in the US from map stores or better book stores, especially those with lots of travel books.

There is a series we have found useful called "Leisure Map". These are available for a number of overlapping areas, have a useful scale and include sites of interest to tourists. They are published by:

Estate Publications
Bridewell House
Tenterden, Kent, TH30 6EP

I wait until I got to the UK to get detailed maps. Newsstands (at the airport for a start), bookstores, and travel bureaus have them. The "Leisure Map" series used to be found in most tourist offices, but they seem to be harder to find in recent years. Buying them locally will get you the most recent editions and you need buy only for the areas in which you will be traveling.

With "all roads leading to London", and Driving into London for a tourist being out of the question, the solution is the M25 ring road. It does circle London, and its very heavily traveled. Unless you have planned some travel in an area you can get to directly from the airport, heading for the ring road will set you up to go in a desired direction. As you travel around it, signs will direct you to, along with a myriad of specific places, "The West", "The North" , "The South", etc. On the southeast side of London the Dartford bridge/tunnel is toll.

Sooner or later you will want to leave the motorway system (although you can find fuel, food and lodging there, its a pretty narrow view of the UK). While we have talked about roundabouts, there are some other useful things to know. If you approach an intersection, finding a single line painted across your lane means to yield to approaching traffic. A double line means "Stop", like a stop sign. Often there will be a triangular sign painted on the pavement before the line(s) with a warning.

In general, be more alert to road markings painted on the pavement than you are in the US.

Roads will usually have a center line unless they get too narrow for cars to pass easily. Then the center line disappears and you have to work it out as you go.

Pedestrians have the right-of-way in cross walks. There are a couple of types of these. In the roadway onn either side of the crosswalk there will be sections of the pavement with black and white zigzag lines painted in them. These are the stripes warning of a "zebra" cross walk, don't park on them. In moderately congested areas the crosswalks will also be marked by lighted, flashing orange spherical balls (Belisha beacons) on posts on either side of the road. If a pedestrian looks like they want to cross there, stop for them.

In heavily congested areas, the cross walks will have traffic signals associated with them (which is why that traffic light is in the middle of the block). Here the pedestrian has a button to push to activate the stop signal sequence. These are "pelican" crossings. Watch for them.

Thanks to Stewart for this information.

There is also a pedestrian psychology to watch for. I think there are probably two sources of the effect. The first of these appears to be a need to assert personal rights and freedoms. While we have always had basic freedoms (freedom from unreasonable search, etc.) it has not always been so for the Brits. There seems to be a desire, in certain circumstances, for them to conduct themselves however they wish no matter how much inconvenience it may cause to others attempting to share space with them. This affects pedestrian/pedestrian interaction as well as pedestrian/motorist interactions.

The second component of this effect seems to be based on ignorance, with an amount of lack of thought included. While the midwest in the US has grown up with the automobile as a part of daily life for folks of all ages, and, therefore, a general sense that it is important to the transportation system as a whole, this has not been the case in the UK. Until relatively recently having a car was a privilege not shared by a large part of the population for economic and physical (where do you park it and why do you need it in compact cities in a small country) reasons.

The collective process of getting around involves the interaction of pedestrians and motorists. This process goes much better if each is experienced in the other’s mode of operation as it (ideally) allows them to anticipate situations and actions and behave in a way to be most beneficial overall. With a significant number of pedestrians having no experience as drivers, particularly older generations, and with what appears to be a limited ability to comprehend situations, one must be alert to actions that tend to muck up the overall flow of things (and in some cases be hazzardous to both pedestrian and motorist).

Parking is interesting. While aggressive, its nowhere as creative as it is in France, nor has it been elevated to the art form found in Italy. Cars are small, and can be fit into spaces you would ignore here. Parking can generally be done from either direction of either side of the street (actually seeing all the cars facing the same direction would make one think they are on a one way street). A single painted line along the curb means (I’ve been told) to check for a sign to see what the rules are. A double line means "no parking during business hours" (whatever they are at a given location). I have also been told a double line means "Don’t even think of parking here, ever". Having done so while conveying my wife to a dental surgeon (dentist) for an urgent situation I have had the priviledge of paying a £ 10 fine to the York police (being complicated by not discovering the summons secreted in the windscreen (windshield) wiper arm until we were in Lincoln the following day).

Space is cramped, especially in business areas. Some practical considerations come into play. Goods vehicles will often park in places inconvenient to traffic, there being no other options. Cars, when delivering or picking up things will also park strangely. If possible they will park half on the sidewalk (pavement there)(if any) to make things a bit easier for the passing motorist. Driving through a small town can be an obstacle course.

There are also the folks that park dangerously. I can only assume they are trying to assert their rights with a complete disregard for their safety, the safety of their vehicles or the safety of passing motorists. As roads have evolved, some major highways now pass through villages leaving little or no room between the driving lanes and the buildings. People will park in the road, about equivalent to parking in a lane of Hwy. 36 to shop for groceries! This restricts the road to one lane (I’d almost bet two would park across from each other, blocking the entire road) making for a traffic mess, with HGV’s dodging around. Watch (out) for them.

A common feature, in a car park (parking lot) or along a street is the "Pay and Display" plan. Here you find a machine that takes coins and prints a little sticker with the time you must depart on it. You stick this on the inside of your windscreen (windshield) or right front (driver’s side) window. The meter maids can check to see if you are paid up.

If the minimum time for paying is long compared to the stay, there will be time left on the sticker. If you are entering a car park and an exiting driver offers a sticker (as out of the car window) say "Thank you very much" and take advantage of the free time. And vice versa. Its probably illegal but seems to be a common practice.

To deter illegal parking there is a practice of "clamping". Rather than tow an illegally parked car it is immobilized by clamping things to the wheels. To get it released you must pay the fine and a fee. Private parties can clamp for parking on private property but they must post the conditions and they must be reasonable. Abuses of this practice (scams) have been reported.

Signal all lane changes. The UK drivers are very conscientious about this. This would apply to passing, turning, moving over half a lane for a bicycle/moped or a car parked half in the driving lane.

With all the congestion, especially in towns, there is another important signaling that goes on between drivers. Note that the headlight high beam control stalk is designed so you can "flash the bright (head) lights" even if the lights are not turned on (as in the daytime). Now you know why the foreign cars have the light control designed the way it is. This is used to signal oncoming drivers. A flash, or often two, quick ones, indicates, "I’m going to wait, come ahead" (as in skirting around a goods vehicle parked in one traffic lane).

In the USA bright lights are usually used by a following driver to indicate he has a tiny mind and is pissed off because you had to move in line in front of him. Also, in Italy flashing the brights indicates, "I’m coming through, get out of the way", an interesting contrast in cultures.

Also note that the parking lights, not necessarily the marker lights, are inside the headlights themselves. There are a couple of reasons for this, one being that in towns and cities where there is adequate street lighting for visibility, a civilized area, one can drive with only the parking lights on. This keeps the bright lights from being offensive (as in shining into windows, other driver’s eyes, etc.). You see a mix of drivers using this technique and those who do not.

There are also some restrictions as to what kind of lighting is required on a parked vehicle at night. If you must park in a place that might present a hazard to traffic, understand what regulations apply (I don’t).

I had an incident occur that pointed out another hazard. While waiting to enter a main road one day an approaching car appeared to signal a turn into my road. Not driving defensively, I proceeded. I got a honk, and while it wasn’t close, the approaching car didn’t turn as I perceived they indicated.

Watching the situation, and doing some follow on research, what I found was the car was a Volvo. Because of their heritage they run with the headlights on in the daytime (similar to the new ‘daytime running lights’ here), although at reduced intensity (or maybe just the parking lights inside the headlamps). Note that the headlight beam pattern in the UK has a Very sharp cut-off on the top side (and a dip to the left). What was happening was the approaching car, passing over undulations in the road was moving the headlight beam up and down at a rate that looked like the signal flasher. When the beam was up you could see it, and when it was down it did not appear the light was on in the daylight. With the angles being such that only one (the left) light was visible, it appeared to be a turn signal.

The moral is to drive defensively, and not move until the other driver has committed to an indicated action or disappeared from sight.

With lighting and signaling in hand, more on the non-motorways.

Roads, by our standards, tend to be winding, narrow and have no shoulders. They are often bordered by walls and/or hedges many feet tall making the road seem to be in a tunnel. Curbstones along the side of the road (verges) are common. Visibility around corners is often very limited, and zero at driveway entrances. It takes some practice to be able to charge around corners into areas you can’t see, hoping there is not someone cycling along the road with their wife and children and that the corner isn’t too sharp to negotiate. Somehow, with the size and cornering ability of the cars, it works out although you will always have several cars behind you waiting to pass.

Any secondary road that has any straight sections was probably originally designed by the Romans.

A long time ago having the main road pass through your village, or farm, was a good idea. You could take advantage of any road improvement to move about. As it has evolved, houses and buildings are found within inches of driving lanes of very busy roads carrying heavy vehicles. It must constantly rattle the shelves in the houses. For us, it is another potential hazard resulting from the limited visibility and clearances.

Along the roads there will be parking areas, or laybys. These are wide spots where you can pull over and stop to gather your wits. Most often there are no restrooms although there is evidence of desperation motivating improvisation. People will be parked, having tea, reading the paper or sleeping within a few inches of the heavy traffic passing by. Major laybys will often have a semi-permanent trailer where you can buy tea, soft drinks, sandwiches and sweets (the tea trailer in the layby).

As you might expect given the wet climate, the pavement differs from ours. As here, it is basically either asphalt or concrete. Often, the surface is much more aggressive than would be found here. This makes them noisier than we tend to be used to, and driving a smaller car makes this more apparent. I have seen some signs warning of pavement noise. The pavement must work as I don’t see much slowing down when its wet.

Concrete roads are often grooved (for better wet weather traction and to prevent hydroplaning) across the traffic flow direction. This makes them quite noisy compared to our parallel grooving (and there is not the pavement smoothing effect either) although it doesn’t affect the vehicle directional stability.

The asphalt used, along with the larger stone sized in the top (seal) coating make for a fair amount of noise on these types of roads. However, if you look at a wet asphalt road it does not have that shiny, slippery look our asphalt roads have. Actually its the opposite. The plan appears to have the water run off between the stones (microscopically speaking) while the tips of the stones stick above the water to provide contact with the tires (like walking over a stream on the rocks).

Roads are well signposted. People have been traveling around the UK for centuries and the demand has created excellent signage. A complaint a Birt, or European, has with the US is that you need a map to find out how to get places!

If you are headed someplace of any size, about the time you begin to think, "I wonder how to get to this place?", a sign will magically appear giving you the route. Its really incredible. There are a couple of tips.

The way to the center of the towns is usually marked. As are the ways to prominent attractions. Often the way to the rail station is marked. Getting out of town is not always so easy.

Along motorways note signs showing images of vehicles head-on in the driving lanes. An likely example by a long hill would be lorry images in the left two lanes and a car in the right indicating that lorries may not use the right (high speed) lane.

Similarly, a sign showing a lane blockage, almost like a "T" in one of the lanes shown on the sign indicates that lane will be closed ahead.

On roads with narrow bridges a sign with a black car image in your lane and a red image in the approaching lane indicates you have the right-of-way for crossing the bridge. The sign on the other side will show a red image in their lane and a black image in the approaching lane indicating they must yield to oncoming traffic.

A sign that would read (or equivalent):

A65 Middlewaddle

(A62) Upperwaddle

means you are either already on the A65, or should seek it out to get to Middlewaddle. It also says that if you follow the A65 you will come to the A62 which will take you to Upperwaddle. Its the parenthesis that indicate "by way of".

My two recent examples include Brighton. We went into town during the rush hour to see the Royal Pavilion. Traffic was heavy, congested and we had little idea where we are going. Spotting the pavilion I dodged onto a tiny side street, and found a parking spot (miracle). Returning to a main street, fairly disoriented, I needed to know how to return to Eastbourn (or thereabouts). There, next to the traffic signal for this nondescript street, was a sign pointing to Eastbourne. It would be equivalent to finding a sign pointing the way to Hinkley by the Bus depot in downtown Minneapolis.

The other example, which I can use as a lead into a final suggestion for driving around, is Hampton Court. This is an attraction that is well worth your time that is located in Richmond, an area in southwest London (the 'rich...' stands for the folks that live around there). You can get there by following the M25 to the A3. Sure enough, along the M25, about two exits before the A3, along with everything else, Hampton Court starts to appear on the signs.

Immediately after the exit on the A3 an informational sign provided accurate information that, if we would have been smart enough to follow, trusting and precisely, would have pointed us in the right direction. It indicated the exit for Hampton Court was "Esher Wood (or like that)". The next exit said "Esher" which we took. Not seeing any Hampton Court signs on the associated roundabout made us suspicious, and sure enough, we had screwed up. After ten minutes of turning around and getting back on the A3 we found the next exit was "Echer Wood". From there the signs led, although through a number of twists and city streets, to Hampton Court.

When leaving Hampton Court, right at the car park exit was a sign pointing to the A3. And the return route was well marked. Obviously we were not the first car to follow the route.

That could be a lead in about how to how to deal with having a car and going into towns and cities. Small towns are easy, but look for parking lots tucked in behind the shops. Many main streets, the High Street, have been turned into pedestrian malls. Medium sized towns can be managed, but there will be a lot of traffic. Many will mark ways to parking. Cities like Bath, Hastings, Canterbury, Lincoln, Cambridge and Norwich fall into this category.

Often its easier to drive into these towns on the weekend, especially Sunday and if they are not primarily tourist towns. On the weekend the goods vehicles are not there, and shops often close in the afternoon. On Sunday the shops are closed. For example: recently we were able to drive into Norwich and park within an easy walk of the Cathedral on a Sunday. For tourist towns, try weekdays when the local tourists are at work.

Don't even try to drive in big cities like London. For London, plan to visit the city at the end of your holiday (you could also do this at the start of the trip but you would have to carry all the purchases your wife would make around the whole time). Return the car to the airport and use public transportation.

If you are absolutely stuck going in to London while you have the car, there are a couple of approaches which have tourist value. One is to stay in a small town in southeast England (or anywhere around London) where there is a rail line. An hour, or less on a commuter train will get you in and you can buy a same day return ticket, including a tube pass, for about 8 pounds or less. Trains run late enough so you can see a play and be home by midnight. The train experience is worth it.

A slightly more aggressive approach would be to drive into London to the end of a tube line, or on a rail line, and stay there (where you may have parking). See the lodging information. On the far east side of London, staying in Illford, at the end of the M11, at the Travelodge or the Travel Inn puts you on a tube line. Staying in Romford (A12 or A127 from the M25) at the Travel Inn puts you a 5 minute walk from a rail line; a same day return with tube ticket is 4 pounds and the ride takes 20 minutes to Liverpool St. station.

For want of a better place, there are a couple of additional driving situations to be noted. One of these is the "squeeze-pass" situation. Remembering that most of the cars are small (being narrow here is the key), there are some wider stretches of roads (almost like in the US). Also, long lines of traffic are common, and the desire to pass a slow driver is intense. I can’t remember the signaling technique (flashing lights, etc.) but, road width permitting, the traffic squeezes to the side freeing a "third" passing lane in the center. Obviously this works for one passing vehicle, a second in the opposite direction is a problem. I don’t think I’d recommend the technique unless you feel you have a handle on the complete game (or maybe are following the Benz doing the passing), but at least be aware the situation could be presented to you.

Motor cycles are another matter. I think they are used a therapy for mental institutions treating the suicidal. While its not practiced here (the risk is being shot), motorcycles in the UK drive between the lanes of cars in traffic. This means that while you are stuck in three lanes of non moving traffic on the motorway, a motorcycle may ease past you in the between lane space. Generally this is done slowly and cautiously.

The same concept is also applied on two lane roads. You can be rolling along, perhaps at the speed limit, and out of nowhere a cycle will blow by (on your right, remember) running along the center line so fast you will think you are standing still. The fact that many of the cyclists wear exotic (probably Italian) clothing (fluorescent, or "visibility", green being a large component) doesn’t make this a practice for reaching old age. I think their goal is to pass in the narrow spaces between oncoming cars, but often its a tie. The good part is they are gone before you get a chance to flinch, leaving only the adrenaline rush for you to deal with.

All vehicles that may be operated by a person studying to be a real driver have a "Learners" sign, a white sign with a red "L" on it ( like the "Scarlet Letter"), attached to the front. There is a real jam up for exams, so you can be a learner for quite a while. There should be a "Tourist" sign too, except it would attract thieves. This is actually a good idea, providing a warning to be extra wary and tolerant.

Along with this, there are people learning to ride mopeds. Being too big to be passed easily (as a bicycle would) and too slow to keep up with traffic, but fast enough to be difficult to pass, a moped is one of the most annoying (to a car) and dangerous vehicles I can think of.  Recognizing the need for safety, a flock of mopeds out on a weekend run, each with a big "L" sign on the front, riders all equipped with full face protection helmets (like the formula racers) and racing along at 25 mph looks really silly. But then its England!

And there are the traffic cones. As in the US they are used to direct traffic in construction areas. Here a few are placed and most folks get the idea. In the UK they are placed shoulder to shoulder, sometimes two rows deep. The cone lobby must have gotten legislation passed to maximize the number required. I've seen a 'cone hire' facility and a phone number for the 'cone hotline' which I suppose you would call if you saw a cone being abused.