Dear tourists. I hope you're enjoying London. The left of the escalator is for walking fast because you're in a rush, not for standing next to your friend with a large suitcase.

I'm already there. Been working in London on and off 12 years:

HATE the underground and escalators. Will avoid like the plague now.

HATE people who push in on the trains. HATE people who clog up the doorways in trains instead of moving down the aisle.

HATE people who stop in doorways/at the bottom of escalators/anywhere that bottlenecks or blocks passageways.

HATE phone zombies who aren't looking where they're going, then get offended when I yell at them for nearly walking into me or out into a busy street. Nearly saw some woman get hit by a motorbike yesterday as she just stepped out into the road. Guy had to swerve suddenly.

HATE cyclists who will jump red lights and weave around you as you're crossing the street (caveat: not all cyclists, just singling out a select few who think the road laws don't apply to them).

HATE people who dawdle and aren't aware of their surroundings. Yeah, group of three or four people, please take up the entire width of the path as I'm trying to walk around you. Yeah, please just 'overtake' others without looking behind you. People need to treat paths in London like they would driving.

I feel you.

/r/britishproblems Thread Parent