After spending over twelve hours in either an airport or airplane, I think everyone was clamoring to get his or her first glimpse of London on the bus ride to the hotel. First of all, I had to get used to the cars driving on the wrong side of the road, (which they seem to compensate by also having their steering wheels on the wrong side of the car). Vehicles in London are much more round, with oblong curves replacing a slightly sleeker look in America. Even the boxier of cars, like buses have distinct round edges. I am not really a car person (therefore cannot identify the makes and models of the vehicles), but I seemed to recognize plenty of BMW’s and a handful of Mercedes. There are some Audis, probably stemming from one of the largest Audi dealerships in the world being here. The colors on the cars reflect what seems to be a national color scheme of black, white, silver, and reds that are either candy-apple red or maroon. There really doesn’t seem to be as much variety of cars in London as there are in America, and there seems to be a regular pattern of the same three or four kinds of cars in the same three or four colors (or colours as they write it here). License plates appear to have random letters and numbers; there’s not a single vanity plate in sight. Front plates are white, and back plates are yellow.
Aboveground public transportation relies mostly on buses and taxis. Bright red public buses are numerous with planned routes and can be seen if you look in any direction. Some stop at designated and visibly marked areas while others must be flagged down. When loading, you simply swipe the handy “Oyster” card that is also accepted at London Underground, or “Tube” subway stations. Though there are cameras pointed at all areas of the bus, I noticed when getting on that some did not swipe at all. The interior of the bus is set up more like a subway car than a traditional bus, where some stand and hold on to rails. Tour busses are also understandably common, and remind you that London is a much bigger deal for tourists than say…Peoria. Busses also have their own lanes at the side of many roads, which are clearly marked with worn red paint and the words “Bus Lane”. The roads themselves are sometimes very thin, and it is a wonder sometimes how the buses make their turns so close to other traffickers and signposts.
Taxis are plain black round little cars that lack the obnoxious checkered sides and huge signs on the top. Instead, a small sign calmly announces that it is a taxicab with other signs on the side. I haven’t used one, but I admire the taxi-lanes by popular hotels, such as ours. Outside one of the main entrances, in the middle of the street (literally, the middle of the street, where traffic diverges around the taxi-lane) there is room for about five taxis.
Everywhere you go the place is littered with organized road signs. From helpful Tube stops, to the equally handy “Look Left” written on the streets, London makes it easier on tourists and locals alike, though it does look a bit cluttered sometimes. Many important sidewalk locations have sightseeing destinations marked in their directions. Rather than mark the distance, they are measured in minutes, as in “St. Paul’s Cathedral: 5 Minutes”. The one sign I haven’t seen yet are speed limit signs, but Jesse’s book, The Septic’s Companion says that there are understood national standards for certain types of areas (Rae, 29). For example, in town, it is 30mph. And yes, they use miles per hour for some reason. The reason there are no signs is probably because the speed limit system hasn’t changed since its 1965 inception (Rae, 29).
America’s buildings along the roads are overrun with billboards and advertisements. London’s primary form of advertising instead relies on the sides of the heavily prevalent and efficient bus system. Tall double-decker busses have plenty of space for showing off the latest play, movie, or business for a singular, attractive ad. Longer double-busses have much more horizontal space for their graphics. Tube stations also have plenty of large ads garnishing the hallways and platform. Someone walking around outside on ground level would not even know it is there. It is a refreshing change from home; If it weren’t for some of the most expensive stores in the world hiding overpriced fashion pieces on the inside of Victorian buildings, one would almost think that this is a decidedly less consumer-driven culture than ours.
Being in London, England so far has introduced me to fantastic sites, unique food and numerous other customs. I have been inside Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and some of the greatest museums and galleries in the world. To truly experience a unique location such as this, however, you really have to get out there in the streets. Not like, in a prostitute way, but you know what I mean. The English streets are a wonderful reminder that London is a vastly different place than my hometown Mokena, school in Peoria, and the nearest city of Chicago.
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