Posted on 11/10/2014 4:11:45 PM PST by Theoria
The examination to become a London cabbie is possibly the most difficult test in the world — demanding years of study to memorize the labyrinthine city’s 25,000 streets and any business or landmark on them. As GPS and Uber imperil this tradition, is there an argument for learning as an end in itself?
At 10 past 6 on a January morning a couple of winters ago, a 35-year-old man named Matt McCabe stepped out of his house in the town of Kenley, England, got on his Piaggio X8 motor scooter, and started driving north. McCabe’s destination was Stour Road, a small street in a desolate patch of East London, 20 miles from his suburban home. He began his journey by following the A23, a major thruway connecting London with its southern outskirts, whose origins are thought to be ancient: For several miles the road follows the straight line of the Roman causeway that stretched from London to Brighton. McCabe exited the A23 in the South London neighborhood of Streatham and made his way through the streets, arriving, about 20 minutes after he set out, at an intersection officially called Windrush Square but still referred to by locals, and on most maps, as Brixton Oval. There, McCabe faced a decision: how to plot his route across the River Thames. Should he proceed more or less straight north and take London Bridge, or bear right into Coldharbour Lane and head for “the pipe,” the Rotherhithe Tunnel, which snakes under the Thames two miles downriver?
“At first I thought I’d go for London Bridge,” McCabe said later. “Go straight up Brixton Road to Kennington Park Road and then work my line over.
(Excerpt) Read more at tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Our little tiny street in London wasn;t on any map, but the taxi drivers knew where it was....they just couldn’t go down it, it was so small......Kensington Church Walk.....DARLING!!!
Overkill. Limits the number of people who qualify. The exorbitant cab fares reflect this. I remember paying $70 for a relatively short cab ride. After that, I confined myself to livery cabs, where the drivers don't have this encyclopedic knowledge, but do drive whisper-quiet Beemers (as opposed to the noisy black cabs).
I was just in London. Took a tax ride from near King’s Cross Station to The Gherkin, a building in central London. I followed the ride on my iPhone Maps. The tax driver took the most amazingly efficient route through an impossible maze of streets. It took 40 minutes as this was the middle of a working day. The sights and sounds were a treat and the spacious taxi made me feel like a ‘Guv-na,” as they put it.
But what was the cost.
I don’t have this kind of knowledge of the streets in my home town. I drive around by landmarks and most of the time could not tell you what street I am on.
This is worth a read.
I was one of Boston’s original bicycle messengers, and had “The knowledge” of Boston’s twisted streets and alleyways. Often when dashing through a back alley in Chinatown or the South End, I would see these strange, life-size outlines of people on the street.
It was a while before it dawned on me that these were the outlines of people found dead.
I got an extra dollar for going to the DMV because it was so aggravating!
Thanks for the ping. Yes, this is worth reading. I think there are not many professions in the wrld that are that professional.
So... you studying up for this? ;-)
“exited the A23 in the South London neighborhood of Streatham “
That will soon ware off....they hate going south of the Thames. :)
And on another note, should you ever need to take a cab in NYC, be advised that most of the cabbies don't speak English of any dialect and probably know less about how to get there than you do.. ;-)
Of course, well all know why they are re-directed to that Pharmaceutical gate.....
Cabbies not speaking english....i’m shocked. :)
However if you need to know what is happening in the world, Ask a Cabbie!
OMG!! Thanks!! That’s our street!!! It was so cute.
Not “drive off this scenic and carefully located cliff”, just “ drive off this cliff”?
Hmm.
“Not “drive off this scenic and carefully located cliff”, just “ drive off this cliff”?”
Oh yes.
They would tell you about a right turn in thirty miles....
In some locations the fastest route is via roads in France, the computer fails to understand the concept of water hence the Chanel has ‘no’ width.
Had a classic two weeks ago, it instructed me to ‘Go straight on’....there was a Stone wall with a footpath access cut through it. The Car refused to fit through this gap.
There was a location near my location where the GPS instructed the lady to cross a train trestle, which she attempted.
Another location instructed the lady to drive into the water from a boat launch.
Which she did.
Only reason these weren’t truck drivers: they were probably busy bothering me instead.
Now nobody knows anything about Bell Circle. But it used to be widely known.
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