Driving in Town

I’ve already gone on about highway driving – don’t worry; I’m sure I will again at some point. But I thought I’d mention a few differences or quirks I’ve noticed in towns.

1. No one honks. If one driver has done something that has annoyed another driver, the annoyee flashes his/her headlights. I’ve seen it quite few times (only once directed at me and I still say I had plenty of room to pull out that time). It makes for much quieter, friendlier streets. I like it.
2. Stoplights & Stop signs. This isn’t a quirk, it was just to say I hadn’t realized there aren’t any traffic lights or stop signs on Orkney. It wasn’t until I was driving around the town of Beauly in the Highlands just before Christmas that it dawned on me: these were the first traffic lights I’d seen in weeks.
3. Trusting indicators. Back home if I’m waiting to cross a street, or turn into traffic, even if I see someone indicating that they are going to turn, I still wait until I see them actually turn before I commit to anything. I’m not the only one; that’s how I see most Canadians driving. I mean, what if the other person had his indicator going already and it hadn’t clicked back? What if she can’t hear she’s indicating to turn off the street? But here, everyone trusts that the other person is going to do what their car is indicating, and acts accordingly. It seems to work for them.
4. Giving way. In the same vein, everyone here seems more courteous with one another. And I don’t think that’s just a small town thing. I’ve seen it most places I’ve been driving in the UK. I think it has more to do with the narrow, twisty roads and lanes. Everyone has just grown up and learned to drive seeing everyone else give way on narrow streets, pull over to let others by, squeeze around tight corners. So everyone yields to one another. (Not always courteous: I did hear a cabbie honk angrily at another driver in Glasgow a couple of months ago, but to be fair, the other driver was trying to park a 15′ Jaguar into a 10′ space during rush hour.)
5. Parking. In the UK, it is legal to park your car with your wheels up on the sidewalk. And it is legal to park your car facing the wrong way. (See Exhibit A). I assume the former harks back to the narrow roads. And really, why aren’t we allowed to park on the other side of the street in Canada? I mean, what does it matter? Only problem with that whole park on either side of the street thing: it freaks me out when I turn on to a street I don’t know and all the cars are parked facing me. I immediately assume I’ve turned onto a one-way street, and shift into panic mode – and then, if another car is driving towards me – Dear God. (Great Western Place, Aberdeen, July 2016 – still not completely over it. It was a two-way; I was fine.)