Driving in England

Not that much fun.
Our new van is fantastic, but I don’t actually want to drive it. I’d far rather go with the whole Driving Miss Daisy thing and just let Dev chauffeur me around.
Here are my problems:
Firstly, the roads are very narrow and they are usually lined with cars, sometimes on both sides. This is because people don’t have driveways. And this is because most of the houses are of the pre-car era. And because there are a lot of terrace houses, there is really no room in between for driveways. It makes you realize how young Canada is in comparison. With big giant roads that are, relatively speaking, ridiculously easy to navigate (on PEI at least). We are spoiled, and that, evidently, has made me incompetent.
OK, so before anyone condemns me for not wanting to drive just because the roads are narrow, let’s talk about the motorways – eight lanes of traffic whizzing along, dodging with surprising dexterity from lane to lane. This is scary for the PEI driver, and I think I can safely speak for most of them when I say that. Too fast, too busy, and too terrifying.
Then, to add to that, theres the fact that we drive on the other side of the road. The right side is now the wrong side, and the left side is the right side. Who wouldn’t be confused by that??
And the kicker? Our new van is NOT an automatic, and I haven’t driven a standard in at least 15 years. AND, the gears are on the left, which is where my door usually is. The one I use to escape from the scary automobile.
Now, before anyone goes away thinking I’m completely pathetic, I did drive it today. It was brief, but I did it. I reversed. I did a hill start. I turned corners onto the correct side of the road. I did not hit any cars or any pedestrians. All in all, I think it was a huge success.
My point is, I don’t WANT to do it.
But I will.
If I absolutely have to.