Results tagged “scooter”

I've been riding around for more than a month and it's been very enjoyable. But my intention in setting up this column was not just to see whether I like being on two wheels compared with a commute via public transport. It was also to see whether the cost of travel offers any sort of reasonable competition to the prices charged by TfL.

All you drivers out there, you don't know how lucky you are.

I confess, as a four-wheeled motorist I too was spoilt. All you need to do to answer the question "Where can I park?" is to look out of your window. And there you have it - a collection of signs, symbols and detailed passages of text telling you exactly when, where and for how long you're allowed to stop and abandon your vehicle.

Following a second week weaving my way in and out of the London commuter traffic between Haringey and Canary Wharf I've started to get an idea of the pros and cons of traveling by scooter.

On the positive side my commute is shorter and virtually door-to-door.

After riding around the wild streets of North London for a week, gaining confidence and experience I decided to go for it last Monday - my first commute.

I'd been out in sunshine, the cold, at night and in high winds, but as dawn made a feeble bid to break, it brought a new experience with it.

"THEY all hate you and they're out to get you," said Pete my compulsory basic training (CBT) instructor with alarming regularity as he guided four of us through the day of riding and theory legally required to take a scooter out on the road with L-plates. After successfully completing the CBT last week I collected the Vespa LX 125 and took to the road for the first time on my own.

Just over a year ago I began working at The Wharf, moved into London from Hertfordshire and hung up my car keys, after several years of commuting on four wheels to join the sweaty ranks on the Tube. Every morning and every evening. After all, daily parking on the Wharf is a little pricey for most of us and leaving enough time to cycle from N4 would eat into valuable sleeping time.