To think that Harpenden, hertfordshire has some of the worse drivers... in the world

[ReallyTired]

A long time I went for a job interview at a Harpenden School. It was scary! There were mad people in their 4X4s trying to drop their children as close to the school gate as possible. It was a miracle that there was no accident.

I thought this was a one off, but a couple of weeks ago my son did Grade 2 at St George's school Harpenden early in the morning and yet again there was 4X4s fighting to the death for a parking space.

Driving in Italy is calm and stress free experience in comparision.

Can't agree that it's the "mummies" who are the problem here in Harpenden - it's the fooking mahoosive potholes all over our roads. For an affluent area, the roads are surprisingly terrible - worst than in any place I've ever lived.

There do seem to be quite a few people here who don't know how to use mini roundabouts though!

Great charity shops there though

No idea about Harpenden specifically but I find driving in Italy far less stressful than driving in eg London. In London if I'm in the wrong lane no bugger will let me change and I get evils if I do manage to swap lanes, in Italy (am talking Rome, Florence etc) no-one is in the right lane in anycase so it's perfectly acceptable provided you have the bollocks to just swing across 4 lanes as chances are those in the other lanes will want to be where you were .

I think part of the problem is that people tend to move there from London because they want "large" families (>2) so they all have massive cars on roads that weren't designed for them.

I think that Harpenden attracts the very ambitious types who are go getters and used to having high powered jobs in London before children. Harpenden is a pretty place to live and has amazing schools. I agree that quaint Harpenden roads were not made for large 4X4s.

Certainly the Harpenden mummies who venture to Hemel for the better sports centre/ gymnastics/ cheaper music classes drive normally and experience less stress parking. Prehaps the magic roundabout in Hemel is enough to repell the mad Harpenden mummies back to Harpenden.

"Do they drive the correct way round roundabouts? "

marcopront, come to Hemel and there is a roundabout that you choose which way to drive round. Its enough to scare the sh!t out of little Theo or Rufus!

Oh, I forgot about the magic roundabout in Hemel. Tis fun

The day I passed my driving test my Dad made me drive his transit van around that roundabout for an hour.. Called it my baptism of fire!!

Try Cairo .

Seriously, you have to love a place so posh it makes St. Albans look like Tower Hamlets.

YANBU, I hate driving in Harpenden. The Waitrose there weeds out non-classy shoppers by having the most evil carpark in the world. I nearly rolled back into a naice 4x4 last time I was there trying to get a ticket to make the barrier open

Hemel's magic roundabout was designed by someone on speed.

I love the magic roundabout from a spectator's viewpoint. Not so much fun when driving it and I have to constantly second guess who is in the wrong lane. It isn't hard, just treat it as a series of mini roundabouts rather than one single roundabout and it all becomes clearer.

Bump

I grew up in Harpenden until I was 18 in the cheap bit at the top of the hill and the driving wasn't that bad. But, it wasn't posh enough for a JoJo Maman Bebe either

I learned to drive in St Albans. Until then I had no idea there were rough bits in St Albans [sheltered]

Hatton cross,London >magic roundabout >rush hour , like no other !>>>Wonderful !!

Never been to Harpenden, but having seen the drivers on the M25 near there, I can see your point.

Mind you drivers in Cambridge are a nightmare, they are all so dozy.

Glad I'm not the only one to not like driving there Slough isn't that bad really. I do hate driving through St Albans though, had so many near misses there!

Ah the magic roundabout is easy! You can always spot the people that are new to the area though when you are on it

Hello all ye brilliant and less than brilliant hErtfordshire DRIVERS
Get thee over to MN Hertfordshire for this rant, eh?!?

And YY the magic roundabout is BONKERS

Right you are all coming in my car and I'm showing you how damn easy the magic roundabout is!

Oh yes, come over here!

Ah yes but I'm in Bedfordshire

Never been to Harpenden, but I live in Milton Keynes and the drivers here are maniacs. I don't know if it's because so many of the roads on the grid system are 70mph limits, but they just zoom everywhere, including on the residential streets where there's supposed to be a 20/30mph limit

DH wants me to learn to drive but I am terrified of doing so round here. London was a doddle in comparison.

I'm from Harpenden originally. Neither I or my parent drive though so am ok
I will say though that those same drivers all extend their crapness to wheeling their extremely overpriced pushchairs around. I have never been rammed into or tripped over as many times as when I am visiting

Oxford and Cambridge's drivers all went to the same school of motoring according to DS, they're as bad as each other.

@MurderOfGoths

Right you are all coming in my car and I'm showing you how damn easy the magic roundabout is!

Oh yes, come over here!

You should see if you can get a passenger to video it and post it on here

The magic roundabout isn't really a roundabout. It's a series of mini roundabouts and if you treat it as such it's a lot less scary