I don't drive to work any more, and just as well too, but today I had to rise at some unearthly hour to take my car in for its annual service. Normally the exit from driveway to road is simple, maybe one car will be passing as I crane my neck in each direction. But leaving as I did, at exactly the same time everyone going to work was on their way, and everyone taking kids to school was doing likewise, as I backed out into the street to face the crossroads there was a car behind me, a van crossing ahead in one direction, cars coming the other way, cars trying to come up the facing road to turn across me ... I'm telling you, I am not used to this.
A few minutes later, less than a mile from the garage and the roads were locked solid. I sat and fumed for about ten minutes as we crawled, maybe one vehicle at a time, each time the traffic lights ahead changed. Eventually I turned off and took a longer way round. Having finally dropped off the car, I aimed to take a bus home, but just missed one, and then nearly caught it up as I started to walk home but as the traffic was moving at about 6mph, and I don't jog any more, it managed to evade me. Naturally the one behind was stuck in traffic and I had walked half way home before it finally caught me up and I could sit down for the final part of the journey.
I used to drive a fair chunk of the M25 every day to reach a god-forsaken trading estate in New Malden. I don't think I could cope with that now.
