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Old Dec 10, 2015, 8:40 am
  #61  
 
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When in Rome, drive your chariot like a Roman then!!

Last edited by antichef; Dec 10, 2015 at 11:11 am Reason: Spellin mistak
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Old Dec 10, 2015, 10:58 am
  #62  
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Originally Posted by ajax
Come down to Surbiton, it's much more civilised. And only 15 minutes to Waterloo by train!
The fastest trains are 19-21 minutes to Waterloo... I only know as we're looking to move and considering the neighbourhood. As an aside, it does seem quite London to chronically underestimate time, no? I even catch myself doing it. Someone asks how far to the station, I'm like "oh, 5 minutes" when it's probably more like 8 or 9... but of course the receiver translates that back to normal time when she hears it, so it all works.
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Old Dec 10, 2015, 12:04 pm
  #63  
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When I lived in London, it seemed to be a given that every journey within zones 1-3 took 'half an hour', regardless of actual distance (although you're only 24 minutes from Tulse Hill). But the inner/outer London distances may be altered to suit a person's perceptions, people get funny about that in London. This old advert may explain it:

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Old Dec 10, 2015, 12:28 pm
  #64  
 
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
From what I've seen it's more like a game of chicken.
When I started driving the rule was that there was no rule. Traffic tended to flow very efficiently, apart from the occasional prang. Once you have been reduced to putting traffic lights at roundabouts the game is up.
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Old Dec 10, 2015, 12:42 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by Calchas
Conversely I find the US speed limits astonishingly low, especially for such a large country I was on an empty three lane divided highway the other week with a posted limit of forty. It just went on for miles without even any junctions. I am surprised anyone manages to arrive anywhere
There was a famous tale in the lab I worked in in Wisconsin of some German visitors who decided to drive to Colorado for the weekend. After all it was only a thousand miles each way. They got about 100 miles before it became apparent to them that the speed limit was meant to be taken seriously and they turned back.
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Old Dec 10, 2015, 1:25 pm
  #66  
 
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Originally Posted by Microwave
The fastest trains are 19-21 minutes to Waterloo...
Well no, actually. The morning non-stop trains from Surbiton to Waterloo are scheduled at 18 minutes (for instance, the 7:38 non-stop) but normally get in a few minutes quicker than that.

And the non-stop trains from Waterloo to Surbiton are scheduled for 15 minutes (e.g. 17:23, 17:32, 17:53, 18:02, etc.) and they usually take exactly that. I've been doing it for years. Mind you, there are zillions of people getting off at Surbiton each and every time a train disgorges its passengers between 16:30 and 19:30; you have to actively try not to get trampled.

And who could possibly forget the magical 19:23 service that only goes from Waterloo to Surbiton non-stop and nowhere else?
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Old Dec 11, 2015, 1:09 am
  #67  
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Originally Posted by ajax

And who could possibly forget the magical 19:23 service that only goes from Waterloo to Surbiton non-stop and nowhere else?
I wonder if the MD of South-West Trains lives in Surbiton ?
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Old Dec 11, 2015, 5:29 am
  #68  
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Originally Posted by ajax
Well no, actually. The morning non-stop trains from Surbiton to Waterloo are scheduled at 18 minutes
Ah, I stand corrected... by a minute. And for every SWT service I've been on that gets in early, I've got 3 which have arrived late, though that's not with experience on the fast services between Waterloo and Surbiton.
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