Dispatches from the South: On the Road Again

This morning I am on my way to Totness via Reading and Dorking, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to discuss public transportation in Britain.

In a word, it’s dire.

But dire is a relative term. Given that the system is antiquated and in shocking need of repair, that the scheduled services are often running late and nearly as often cancelled, that any sort of weather (and I mean any: rain, wind, a bit of frost, some falling leaves) is guaranteed to bring the entire infrastructure to its knees, and that Britain’s public transport system as a whole is the laughing stock of the UE, you’d think I might be a bit critical of it. But I’m not; I think it’s brilliant.

It’s all about perspective.

Where I grew up, the public transportation consisted of standing by the road with your thumb out. So I’m willing to forgive a few bumps and hiccups as long as I’m able to get from A to B without having to rely on the kindness of strangers. (I have to admit, however, that I feel more kindly toward the system while I am, as now, in a train that is actually moving.)

Granted, the trains on The Continent are newer, cleaner, faster, on time and don’t stop when it gets too warm. But, for all their grumblings about the system, the British wouldn’t be happy with something that ran to Teutonic precision; muddling through in the face of adversity is part of their national identity. (They don’t call the Battle of Britain–with their cities were being bombed and the island about to be invaded by a superior enemy–their “Finest Hour” for nothing.)

So the Europeans make jokes about it, the British moan about it and Americans like me think, “At least they’ve got one,” but what is the reality?

Well, take today. I’m on a business trip, but instead of having to worry about traffic, parking and dodgy service area cuisine, I’m watching the sun rise over some of the most fetching countryside you could imagine. I can read, write (obviously), catch up on the work I’m supposed to be doing for the meeting (I’ll get to it), nap, get a coffee and danish from the café car (the food’s just as dodgy, however) or just enjoy the views.

Travel, in Britain, is an adventure, and for those of us who enjoy the advantage of not having grown up with it, it retains its romantic allure. A trip to St. Pancras Station, even if just hurrying through for a connection to Nottingham, is magic. The station is a marvel and it never fails to impress me. Victoria, Waterloo, Paddington; even if the stations are not as impressive, just the names makes you want to pinch yourself because you can’t believe you are actually there. (And this is after seven years.)

Additionally, no visit to England is complete without a trip on the London Underground, with its steep escalators carrying you deep into the depths of the earth, the sound of the trains, the shuffling of millions of feet; it is chaotic, frantic, crowded, iconic and not to be missed. I recommend going at rush hour and squeezing into a car on the Victoria Line; it will be an experience you will never forget.

Last, but certainly not least, are the busses; the work horses of public transport. I ride one every day to work. With a yearly pass, it is a very economical way to travel. The people who prefer their cars tell me they don’t like buses because they ramble all over the countryside before taking you where you need to go, but I like buses precisely because they ramble all over the countryside before they take me where I need to go. Every morning I get to see dawn breaking over the Downs and visit some quaint little villages. And when I get to work and hear stories of the traffic jams and other traffic hardships my work mates have had to endure, I tell them I never notice what’s happening on the road, I’m too busy relaxing.

So if you come to England, you must try their public transport system. Despite rumors, they run to schedule much of the time and, besides, if your train pulls into Dorking ten minutes after your connecting train has pulled out, well, that just adds to the adventure.