Tuesday 31 May 2011

Wheel(s) of Freedom

This weekend, I took the car to North London to spend time with old friends and family. It was wonderful seeing them. However, I was nearly undone by the amount of traffic / roadworks on the North Circular and around Finchley/Muswell Hill. Everywhere I turned there was some guy in a dayglow jacket posturing around a hole in the road. It also struck me how claustrophobic the North of London is. The river and Commons/parks in Greenwich, and the closeness to Kent convey a sense of space that is lacking in my old neighbourhood (despite the nearness of Hampstead Heath).
I was happy to be back here after the weekend to be able to stretch out my arms without hitting a norf london resident.
We took the car as I couldn't face taking a stroller on the Underground with luggage for a long weekend - as anyone with sprogs knows, you take as much luggage for 3 days as you would for a week.
Which reminds me, I have never seen a person in a wheelchair on public transport. It's horrendous getting a stroller about, so it must be hellish if you are in a wheelchair. In fact, maybe the management of said public transport should all be forced to be in wheelchairs (or pushing a stroller) for a week just to experience how utterly shite the network is.
If the wheelchair users aren't using public transport, how are they getting out and about?

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