# driving in England



## Bill4728 (Jun 13, 2015)

We will be visiting in Sept and will need a car. I understand almost all the rentals are sticks. I drive a stick all the time but am concerned about it being on the other side ( left hand vs Right hand) also what about the peddles, are they switched around too?


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## Passepartout (Jun 13, 2015)

The pedals are in the usual configuration. Only the steering wheel is on the wrong (right) side


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## Ken555 (Jun 13, 2015)

The last two rentals I've had in the UK have been automatic. Just be sure to specify this when reserving and you'll likely be more comfortable. It's a bit more expensive, but I find it worth it. 

Funny story. My first rental in the UK was when I was 21, and it was a stick. The first day I flooded the car. On the third day I realized that while the car was fine, I was starting in third gear and not first. I was pushing the stick what I thought was all the way to the left but really in third. It turns out that particular car had first almost as far left as the left seat. Driving got much easier from then on. 


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## SMHarman (Jun 13, 2015)

If you are used to stick then you will just find yourself banging your knuckles on the door card for the first day then realizing the stick is on the other side. 

Still ABC for pedals.  How confusing would that be. Like the pedal bike with reversed steering. Google the you tube video.


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## falmouth3 (Jun 13, 2015)

I didn't have any issues shifting with the left hand.  My issue was that the rear view mirror was on the wrong side.  If you're ever in doubt as to which side of the road you should be on, the driver is on the inside of the lane, just like in the US.


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## Ken555 (Jun 13, 2015)

falmouth3 said:


> I didn't have any issues shifting with the left hand.  My issue was that the rear view mirror was on the wrong side.  If you're ever in doubt as to which side of the road you should be on, the driver is on the inside of the lane, just like in the US.




At every turn, I just keep telling myself "always be left".


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## x3 skier (Jun 14, 2015)

When I was working in the UK back in the day, I could always tell the non UK drivers. When making a turn, the wipers would come on rather than the turn signals since the stalks were reversed from the USA positions. 

Took me a bit to adapt myself. 

Cheers


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## 55plus (Jun 14, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> The pedals are in the usual configuration. Only the steering wheel is on the wrong (right) side



If it's a stick then the shifter in also on the 'wrong' side.

I was stationed in England for four years. Drive on the 'wrong' side of the road becomes second nature after an hour of so. Fuel is sold by the liter, not gallons and the Brits like their beverages warm so don't try to order a cold American beer at a pub. You'll have to try a chain restaurant - sometimes they may have it. Taxes on importing alcohol is high so don't expect to find it everywhere. If you can get onto an American military base you'll find plenty.

I just combined drinking and driving in the same paragraph and didn't realize it. Don't drink and drive in the UK - they'll nab you...


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## Passepartout (Jun 14, 2015)

morrisjim said:


> If it's a stick then the shifter in also on the 'wrong' side.



No it isn't. The shifter is in the same place. It's just that the driver uses the non-customary hand to operate it.


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## 55plus (Jun 14, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> No it isn't. The shifter is in the same place. It's just that the driver uses the non-customary hand to operate it.



If it's floor mount, like on the old Mini's, it is on the wrong side...


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## Passepartout (Jun 14, 2015)

morrisjim said:


> If it's floor mount, like on the old Mini's, it is on the wrong side...



The shifter is in the same place whether the car is right-hand-drive or left. It's the driver that has been moved.


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## SmithOp (Jun 14, 2015)

Your info on pubs is dated, they do serve chilled beverages, look for the taps with condensation on them. Ice in mixed drinks has to be requested, locals prefer not to water down their adult beverages.


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## Jimster (Jun 14, 2015)

*England*

I would think long and hard about renting a car.  Train transportation is so easy.  Its not so bad once you get away from urban areas, but if you are thinking of driving in London-that's crazy.


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## Pompey Family (Jun 15, 2015)

morrisjim said:


> I was stationed in England for four years. Drive on the 'wrong' side of the road becomes second nature after an hour of so. Fuel is sold by the liter, not gallons and the Brits like their beverages warm so don't try to order a cold American beer at a pub. You'll have to try a chain restaurant - sometimes they may have it. Taxes on importing alcohol is high so don't expect to find it everywhere.



When were you in the UK, 40 years ago! Beer is not served warm, depending on the type it's served cool or at cellar temperature. Of course you can have your mass produced, tasteless lager served cold so it kills any hint of taste that it may have had and you can find that in every pub up and down the country unfortunately.

I presume by American Beer you're referring to Budweiser, Coors, Miller etc? Fortunately plenty of pubs are offering real, decent American beer such as those produced by Brooklyn Breweries, Goose Island, Sierra Nevada and so on. Your comments are so clichéd I actually wonder whether you've ever stepped foot in a British pub.


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## jbrunson (Jun 26, 2015)

*The shifter is easy*

The gear shift is easy to get used to.  It's the roundabouts that will kill you.  The directions in roundabouts are to cities/towns and often intermediate towns to your ultimate destination.  Knowing the route number is often of no help.  You need to recognize a town on your route.  All this while thinking your way through the roundabout while everyone else is doing it by rote.


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## Talent312 (Jun 27, 2015)

Learning to drive on the left is quick + easy. _Watch for roadside-walls in Ireland._
But IMHO, you should spring for an automatic, as you don't need any more distractions.
... like nearly running over a ped while figuring out where the next gear is at.
.


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## Timeshare Von (Jul 25, 2015)

jbrunson said:


> The gear shift is easy to get used to.  It's the roundabouts that will kill you.  The directions in roundabouts are to cities/towns and often intermediate towns to your ultimate destination.  Knowing the route number is often of no help.  You need to recognize a town on your route.  All this while thinking your way through the roundabout while everyone else is doing it by rote.



Successfully navigating roundabouts requires good communication between the co-pilot and driver.  When we're in the UK/Ireland I pay attention to where we enter and where we must exit the circle.  Sometimes the road is well marked before entering, but often . . . not so much until you're right there.  Not enough time for the driver to process their routing AND pay attention to the other cars and the road.

We use a clock-face navigation.  You will almost always enter the roundabout at 6-oclock.  Then I tell the driver "exit second left at 12-oclock" or whatever is the correct direction.  This provides him with a general idea of how much time (pun intended) he will be inside the pesky roundabout.

This system has worked very well for us.  When using a GPS, sometimes that confuses the situation . . . not sure why, but it seems that they just don't know exactly where you'll be exiting to continue on your route to your destination.  Sometimes they don't even have an intersection navigated as a roundabout!


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## Bill4728 (Sep 16, 2015)

OK  Back from the UK and driving twice  once in Cornwall and once in Scotland. 

We got an automatic and paid only about $15 more /day  Not that I do drive a stick often but I didn't want to drive on the left and worry about shifting with the wrong hand.

My biggest complaint was in towns people would stop at the side of a two lane road and PARK. thereby blocking one of the two lanes.  Making a two lane road into a 1 1/3 lane road.


Also the motorways (like the M4 & M5) do not have speed limits  just lots of signs saying they are checking your speed with camera ??

PS any idea what HGV means (something about trucks / buses)


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## Passepartout (Sep 16, 2015)

Bill4728 said:


> PS any idea what HGV means (something about trucks / buses)



Heavy Goods Vehicle.

More info than you could possibly want: LGVs (HGVs)
In the UK, cargo carrying vehicles were previously defined, and still commonly known as, HGV's (Heavy Goods Vehicles), although for harmonisation with other European Union member states, this term was officially changed to LGV - Large goods vehicle. Articulated lorries are the more common configuration of larger LGV in the UK, where a tractor unit tows a semi-trailer through a fifth wheel coupling. The drawbar configuration is a less common example of large LGV, and consists of a rigid lorry with cargo carrying capacity, which also pulls a second cargo trailer, using a drawbar link. The UK also allows the use of 18 m (59 ft 1 in) long 'bendy buses' for public transport.[1][2] Buses however have their own legal classification, as PSVs (Passenger Service Vehicles).


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## SmithOp (Sep 16, 2015)

I just returned from 3 weeks in England also, used the Oyster card the first week in London, then rented a stick shift for the last 2 weeks.  We enjoyed riding the double decker buses the most, the tube was the least favorite.

Agree with your assessment on parking and blocked lanes, I was most worried about clipping parked cars since my left eye was not trained for judging that side of the car.  I didnt have a problem with the backward shifter.  I did hit the curb several times...

Speed limits were posted on the motorways, but with all the construction they were slower than the A roads, the M1 was 50 in the area I was in with cameras everywhere.  The A roads were 60 and lots of people were going 80.  My cousin later told me the cameras were not working on the A roads due to the contract expired, only on the motorway and if the police van was parked next to the roadway.  I rarely saw any police cars.


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## SMHarman (Sep 16, 2015)

x3 skier said:


> When I was working in the UK back in the day, I could always tell the non UK drivers. When making a turn, the wipers would come on rather than the turn signals since the stalks were reversed from the USA positions.
> 
> Took me a bit to adapt myself.
> 
> Cheers


They don't do that anymore. It depends how the mfr sets it up globally. 

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## SMHarman (Sep 16, 2015)

Bill4728 said:


> OK  Back from the UK and driving twice  once in Cornwall and once in Scotland.
> 
> We got an automatic and paid only about $15 more /day  Not that I do drive a stick often but I didn't want to drive on the left and worry about shifting with the wrong hand.
> 
> ...


The (/) sign on a motorway means national speed limit applies. If they change the national speed limit they don't need to change all the signs. 

HGV is a Heavy Goods Vehicle class C or CE licence needed to drive one. Likely the C historically referred to commercial. 

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## Pompey Family (Sep 17, 2015)

Bill4728 said:


> OK  Back from the UK and driving twice  once in Cornwall and once in Scotland.
> 
> My biggest complaint was in towns people would stop at the side of a two lane road and PARK. thereby blocking one of the two lanes.  Making a two lane road into a 1 1/3 lane road.
> 
> ...



The motorways have a speed limit, it's the national limit which is determined by the type of road you are on. All motorways and dual carriageways are 70 mph (unless otherwise stated by signs) and 60 mph on single carriageways. In built up areas the speed limit will usually be 40 or 30 and these areas are well marked with signs.

The problem with parking is that most towns are not suited to so many cars these days and more often than not the only available place to park is on the side of the road.


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## Pompey Family (Sep 17, 2015)

SmithOp said:


> I rarely saw any police cars.



That's because we're all in the station undertaking our diversity training!


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## persia (Sep 18, 2015)

You need to get a SatNav (GPS) device, it will make driving in the UK a lot easier when you are not dependent on maps, it also makes roundabouts easier, because you know which exit. It's almost 2016, the maps of the UK in SatNavs are better than anything you can get in printed form...

And if you get to Swindon you must see the magic roundabout. It's five normal little clockwise roundabouts all running of a large anti clockwise roundabout. It is magic, and amazingly works very well.

[youtube]D22BOOGbpFM[/youtube]


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## Pompey Family (Sep 18, 2015)

persia said:


> .....And if you get to Swindon....



Don't stop....just keep going.


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## SMHarman (Sep 18, 2015)

SmithOp said:


> .  I rarely saw any police cars.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk



That's because. 
1. Policing speed is automated at know accident blackspots. (possibly a whole other debate)
2. It's not a police state with a plan to criminalize the entire population and lock them up in for profit jails. 

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