Wednesday, July 26, 2006

A motoring interlude

Regular readers will know that I commute by train, and that despite all my moans about London Underground, it is a transport system that I greatly prefer to the alternative, driving along crowded roads. But all this changes in the summer. The roads become less busy and, in the heat, the trains become far more unpleasant. So I selfishly do my little bit to enhance global warming and deplete finite petroleum reserves.

I have to say though, that I don’t feel guilty about that right now. Just working through a “normal” day in sweltering heat and sweat-inducing humidity is bad enough. At the end of the day I can’t face sitting first in a hot stinking bus and then an even hotter and probably overcrowded – so no seat – tube train. The air-conditioning in my car is not that good but at least it does cool the air, I do get a seat and the journey time is 10 minutes less than on a good day on public transport.

There isn’t much to write about though. Traffic jams on the A40 don’t have the same, how can I put it, glamour as “signal failure at Cockfosters”, or “delays due to late running”. There are no moronic announcements, such as the endless plugging of Oyster cards when all regular travellers already have one! The quirks and foibles of one’s fellow passengers are not there. One has no rapport with the drivers alongside, even in the worst of jams.

But fear not. When it cools down, I shall be back on the trains and my pen will be once more in my hand, loaded with vitriol and ready to lash.

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