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Having spent years commuting by train into the city, relaxing and reading the newspaper, on a journey which was just as quick as by car (if not quicker), and a fraction of the cost, the majority of my colleagues, and seemingly most of the city preferred to sit in traffic at extra cost. The car dependency culture will take a lot of shifting. Most of the people we know refuse to contemplate public transport.
I drove into London every day for 15 years - I had a garage under the office and it suited me well. In my next role, I caught the train every day and quickly moved to first class as I couldn't bear the phone calls and the continual loud consumption of food.... I sat next to someone once with a bucket of curry on one train home. A bucket. Added to this were the days when it all went wrong - which were frequent. A packed concourse at Waterloo, cancelled trains and a sense of impotence - I hated those days.
So now I am back to driving in to London. I don't care how bad the traffic is - I feel in control and in my own space. I'm also doing it in an EV - so it costs about £4 each way (if that) - a fraction of the cost of the train and none of the discomfort.
