Good evening,
I drove into London this morning. This was not done willingly as the commute by train at least provides a chance to do admin/read the papers/sleep, whereas I can't help but think of a car journey as wasted time at best & stressful & claustrophobic at worst. However, I drew comfort from the fact that it was a glorious morning. I went cross country as much as I could & stayed calm & positive as I made steady progress across a landscape bathed in early autumn sun.
I even remembered to offer up silent prayers of thanks to keep the Gods of traffic happy & was enjoying the ride & also beginning, if I'm honest, to feel a little smug. Until I reached West Hill in Wandsworth on the A3. This spot is usually a bit of a bottleneck, but this morning it was a car park. Nothing seemed to be moving other than the vehicles grinding to a halt in the queue behind me. As my shoulders started to rise & my heart rate increased I tried to occupy my mind by guessing what could be the cause; accident/roadworks/burst water main etc. etc.
Eventually things started to move & after what felt like an eternity (probably no more than 15 minutes) I was at the source of the problem. A census. 'Please pull in if directed' said the signs. Of course I was 'directed' & when I stopped - yet again - was handed a questionnaire to be completed later.
A traffic census. From Tfl.
I was sorely tempted to methodically tear it into a million tiny pieces in front of them but I didn't. I didn't have the time. I needed to continue my drive to work....
Hope to see you at 6,
Robin
