Is this City a Driving Trap? Miss a Sign and Pay a Fine

[@santa55monica]

Your videos not only help with people who are taking driving tests, but also help tremendously people like me who are looking to rent a car in a UK road trip. Much appreciated from the US!

[@bogdanbagno]

> but also help tremendously people like me who are looking to rent a car in a UK road trip Help to stop looking to rent a car and start looking for other options, I guess? 🙂

[@baileyharrison1030]

@@bogdanbagno it’s not that hard to drive here

[@frankraw9991]

@@baileyharrison1030 You can always go back and take revenge if they send you fines. Lots of APPARENT mindless vandalism going on these days? Museums and cathederals like Notre Damne burn down pretty easily.

[@SeraphFive]

I took my driving test four months ago in France, and I discovered your channel just over a month ago. But the least I can say is that your videos have helped me enormously, especially in terms of gaining serenity and learning a lot of things. I even find myself even more motivated to drive and put all this into practice, which is great. So thank you very much!

[@Grahamvfr]

I imagine you dislike the UK lane discipline on dual carriageways compared to France.

[@SeraphFive]

@@Grahamvfr To be perfectly honest, I don't (yet) know enough about dual carriageways in the UK to have a considered opinion, not to mention my lack of experience in my own country to use as a point of comparison. Could you enlighten me on the differences you know about this subject?

[@Grahamvfr]

@@SeraphFive OK briefly, We have poor discipline on dual carriageways in UK, that is, drivers sit in middle or outside lanes when not overtaking.. This causes lots of issues. When I drive in France on dual carriageway as soon as a driver overtakes a slower vehicle, they move immediately back to the left lane (or right lane ofcourse). It was made an offence on the UK to stay in an overtaking lane, a few years back, but it's had little effect. On some of our 4 lane sections, I've seen drivers sit in the 3rd lane when lanes 1 and 2 are totally empty.. Really really annoying.

[@derekheeps1244]

@@Grahamvfr Try driving in Germany then ; much more disciplined than just about anywhere else .

[@Grahamvfr]

Yes I'm a regular visitor to Germany on motorcycle and in car...and yes much better than UK also.

[@julianpenfold1638]

"Miss a Sign and Pay a Fine" I came a similar cropper in Nottingham, and in London. I would assume this applies in many places and will only become more common.

[@farzin294]

Where in Nottingham?

[@julianpenfold1638]

@@farzin294 Something referred to as a "bus gate" near the Motorpoint Arena

[@ellerywood2881]

I live in brighton

[@madattaktube]

Bus gates are the worst. I took a wrong turn in Oxford and immediately turned around and went back again. I then got hit with two fines, one for driving through the busgate, and one for driving back through it 30 seconds later. I'd forgotten to update my V5 when I moved (first car and first move), so the fiine had become £350 by the time I actually received it. Apart from it gets worse - because the two fines were identical apart from the last digit of their 10 digit ID number, I didn't even know there were two fines! Ended up paying £800 for that 30 second detour.

[@julianpenfold1638]

@@madattaktube Oh dear. I would love to see evidence that these measures have their intended effect (whatever that may be - improving traffic flow, reducing accidents, improving bus reliability, air quality etc etc). Is there ever any follow-up?

[@antonliverpool1]

You should definitely do these for other cities. I’ve always said that the worst things about cities with bus / tram lanes is that they don’t take into account drivers from other cities. Manchester City centre stresses me out all the time. Please make more and ask the transport planning department if they would like sone practical advice.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

At least London dyes theirs red, as does most of the US, at least in most places.

[@niallwood]

Driving in Manchester is a right pain, all the roads are undergoing 1-way system. Making it more difficult than necessary

[@KiraOng]

I really dislike driving in Manchester city centre because of the all the one-ways. If I remember correctly, there's a small section near Oxford Road where it suddenly becomes a bus lane - the road markings have all but disappeared and the sign is tricky to see because it's on a bend. I just know a lot of people get caught out and fined. Hate it

[@getshrekt9023]

@@KiraOngskill issue

[@maalikserebryakov]

Well stop being selfish and use the tram / bus then. Whenever a city has no buses or trams People complain about that Whenever jt does, people complain about that too. But ultimately, improving public transport systems is the best way forward from two perspectives: (1) - You won’t have a billion cars polluting the whole damn country and taking up way too much space. You won’t need as many car parks either. (2) - Is better for the environment

[@MostlyHarmlessPlanet]

Been living in Brighton for 10 years, both near Fiveways and Seven Dials, driving in it for 7. Really interesting seeing an "objective" analysis of an instructor driving through the city! Can't deny that watching you make some of the same mistakes I did first few times round was quite amusing (e.g. wrong lane coming out of Sainsbury's right at the start).

[@jamiemaguire6988]

I passed 3 weeks ago and have been driving my own car for the past week but i do still enjoy watching these. There's always more to learn.

[@ConquerDriving]

That's great to hear! Thank you for watching!

[@rabiyakhalifa5867]

I just want to say a big thanks to you for all your helpful videos and especially this one. I failed 2 driving tests 10years ago, and gave up thinking I maybe driving wasn't for me. But seeing how you explaining how things are happening on the road has encouraged me to take up driving lessons.😊

[@jazzx251]

I failed once - then won on my second go. My mother got her licence in her 30s (I studied under the same lovely lady that taught her, aged 19 [me, not the instructress!]) It's never too late - and, as long as you're a nice person, the roads are here for you - a "freedom multiplier!" [hehe - I just invented that saying]

[@coldisopropyl]

Some thoughts: - I appreciate this kind of videos where you drive with commentaries, it's very helpful for all drivers - 150yds with a 7-iron is not bad! - London especially Central London probably has a greater incentive and resource to make the traffic flow better compared to Brighton - I really do feel London and Brighton are a bit hostile to motorists compared to other towns - You can really feel the difference when driving through different London boroughs and cities - 20mph can be quite slow for many roads as can be seen in this video and the bridge in Bexley in your other video. I try not to break the limit but sometimes drivers behind can get annoyed.

[@araylaurence6220]

London and brighton are probably less driver friendly but for the benefit of the wider city to allow for better transit for denser areas which need high or higher capacity transit options compared to cars

[@aimerw]

@@araylaurence6220 From this video it appears Brighton might as well for the city centre ban private vehicles without a permit (trade, and residential around the outskirts). They have bus lanes everywhere anyway, might as well go full hog and have more buses. There is a certain point at which the density of vehicles makes private transportation more of an inconvenience on average to everyone than the personal convenience gained. For tourists and holiday makers, driving down to Brighton, it would make more sense to have them park the vehicles outside the city in multistorey long stay parking areas designed for the purpose.

[@araylaurence6220]

@@aimerw Agreed, very well said

[@emilb.222]

Thank you, Richard! These monologue style videos have helped me alot since passing my driving test a couple of months ago in Denmark. Although we drive on the right side of the road, most of your thought process and observations can, of course, be directly transferred to Danish roads. Nevertheless, your calm and logical approach has been key in me developing a more relaxed and dare I say mature relationship with driving. Keep it up!

[@jazzx251]

When you are driving a bullet that can kill children, it translates into ANY language. "Don't Drive like a Dickhead"

[@dah4527]

I stumbled across this video because I thought I recognised the clock tower. We've lived in Brighton for 26 years, and a year or so ago my wife was caught by a "bus gate" (whatever that is) camera and was hit with a £60 fine. You're right - Brighton council appear to have a deliberate policy of making Brighton so car-unfriendly that it deters drivers, and has the added benefit of gathering millions in fines. Very enjoyable video, and great presentation.

[@ascelot]

As a bus driver, bus lanes can be vital, as it stops car users from blocking buses from pulling back out into traffic or having the mentality of always having to pass the bus no matter the cost.

[@hueywallop2461]

Brighton Council has some nerve issuing citations when they are not maintaining roads, signage and line markings. BTW: If you think this is challenging, try driving in Oxford. As a foreigner, I was able to expand my Anglo-Saxon vocabulary by obeying speed limits.

[@letter1014]

Some of the worst I have ever seen!

[@derekheeps1244]

TSRM ( Traffic Signs and Road Markings ) legislation makes it unenforceable if traffic signs are obscured by dirt or foliage , or if lighting is faulty ; and if road markings are incomplete , such that any part of the paint is worn away so as to be illegible . You are entitled to reject any penalties that are issued in the face of poorly maintained signage or markings - do not 'appeal' which concedes them the right to decide ; make sure you REJECT any penalties - that is the correct legal term and it puts them on the back foot .

[@johnsmith99997]

What you get with a Green/Lab council.. Through malicious and incompetent action they have done their best to destroy the city

[@windinthewillows6248]

@@derekheeps1244So if you are correct, alot of speeding or bus lane tickets or are invalid, as most places I’ve been too, there is either worn or missing road markings and speed sign obscured by foliage?

[@ffotograffydd]

@@letter1014Brighton isn’t great, but I’ve seen a lot worse. In Sheffield the roads are much worse and in Perth they don’t even bother refreshing give-way and stop lines on the road surface and many are barely visible at all.

[@InjuredLionBoxing]

I have been watching your channel for the last few weeks to prepare for my test and I passed first time today in a notoriously difficult area with a 41% pass rate! Thank you so much for all of the amazing advice in your videos!! I will continue to watch to stay up to date with my driving knowledge and support the channel. You're the man!

[@jonnyb7466]

I managed to pass a few weeks ago (in part thanks to these videos) but I still find myself watching your videos, especially the more vlog-style content that you've covered recently. Thanks for what you do and I'll be continuing to watch.

[@ConquerDriving]

That's great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!

[@jazzx251]

good work Keep watching - because, as you said, passing your test is only the first step Keep learning from the best, be chill - let them crash into you, not the other way around!

[@DeathcoreDashcam]

This is genuinely fascinating to watch. Not only is it informative but your editing is brilliant and very easy to watch.... P.S 20mph is ludicrous unless it's in a built up area full of pedestrians or near schools

[@DeathcoreDashcam]

To add, your point about bus lanes is bang on the money! In London alot are 7am-10 & 4pm-7 but the one on Uxbridge Road (& I'm sure many others) are 24/7 which is ludicrous

[@DeathcoreDashcam]

Oh please do a London one. I've recently become a delivery driver And driving in Central can be horrible 😢

[@Poetry4Peace]

​@@DeathcoreDashcaminsane

[@Poetry4Peace]

His his videos of OG goat

[@burgesskab]

Spent a few years working around Brighton in the early 2000s. Looks worse now than it did then!

[@mickyfinn1948]

Excellent video to show what to expect when driving in most uk cities these days. Also, I agree with your criticism of box-junction cameras - got caught when driving to my hotel in London by a car suddenly blocking my exit - so annoying!

[@aminulhassan8929]

Passed my driving exam with just 2 minor faults, your videos massively helped, thanks Richard!

[@ConquerDriving]

That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!

[@kingkal81]

Can you please do a more relaxing & educational town/city driving like this? As someone who has been driving for 2+ years I'm still learning all the time with your great channel. Also the rules are the rules well done for sticking to it. ❤

[@elzanomercedes1537]

I passed my driving test thanks to this channel appreciate your work man and advise you gave us ❤

[@ansonchan7851]

I have passed the driving test today. I keep watching your videos along my driving learning journey and found them really helpful. Thank you for producing the videos and I will keep watching afterward.

[@ConquerDriving]

That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!

[@chriscottingham2003]

I used to live and drive in Brighton, yes its a nightmare especially your video in the north laines area. So glad i learnt in that area, helped to focus on road signs.

[@chriscottingham2003]

I also remember when the 20 mph zones came in and 90 percent of cars and buses were breaking the limit with average of 25

[@23toxic23]

As a class 1 hgv driver for 20 years. I enjoy watching your videos. You are at a pretty good standard. I see some instructors make quite a few mistakes whilst driving themselves and teaching their students. I've thought about becoming a driving instructor. And do feel that I could add quite a lot due to my vast experience from years of driving. And dealing with situations where most would fall apart. I also think car driving instructors would benefit from doing their hgv license. As it does teach a lot that you practice and imo if all the information is taken in. It is a higher level of driving skills that can only benefit an instructor. Great video. I enjoyed.

[@simon5007]

I just want to say thank you for posting a video showing you taking several wrong turns and ending up driving around for a bit. I always feel very uncomfortable because I felt that i'm really bad at navigating when things go wrong. Just last weekend I ended up driving around in a town for half an hour trying to find my way, after the road I wanted to take (according to the GPS) was closed. The GPS was no help, as it kept trying to route me back down the road that was closed, and I felt really stupid essentially driving around in circles trying to find my way. It's really comforting to see that even really experienced drivers can have the same issues when things goes wrong, and that it's not just me being a bad driver. Thank you so much for amazing videos!

[@EmilySillyDev]

Learning how to drive myself, starting lessons soon with current experience on a 125cc motorcycle. This video actually makes me feel happy for the fact that I live in a place with such forgiving roads. The most complicated thing in my eyes is the Penn Inn roundabout, and even then it's a roundabout so it's still quite forgiving 🙏

[@NailBombEnjoyer]

Just passed my test today after 2 previous attempts. Couldn't have done it without the amazing resources on this channel! Couldnt sleep last night so I gave up and just watched your videos instead and it clearly worked. Thanks !

[@ConquerDriving]

That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!

[@antonliverpool1]

A tip for anyone: If the timing of lights is causing a danger with cars left across a junction at busy times, can the highways / local council and they will update them.

[@LJohnston]

I've been watching loads of your videos over the past few months, after being very anxious about driving for a long time. Pleased to report I passed first time last week with just 4 minors (and got the route I was dreading, with two difficult roundabouts and a dual carriageway with lots of speed changes!) I'm in my 40s and learning hasn't been particularly easy, so just want to say thanks for your brilliant videos, really appreciate all the work you put into them. They definitely helped a lot. It's quite hard to find videos and advice tailored to older leaners, so that could be a good theme for a future one?

[@DrPizza-mn6kk]

I have more than 16 years of experience driving in Europe, and 2 years driving in the UK. Driving in Brighton scares me, I just park outside and take public transport when I visit Brighton

[@CrappyProducts]

This is so ridiculous, thank you for bringing sense into this. London is just the same, an absolutely booby trap, I prefer just avoiding it all together

[@neilclark2245]

If you don't use the handbrake when stopped in traffic, your brake lights will be on (because you are holding on the footbrake). It doesn't matter during the day but at night you will be dazzling the drivers behind, particularly if you have a modern SUV style which has up to 20 high intensity LEDs searing your eyeballs

[@DaveMadeOne]

I use my handbrake at night for this reason. Some vehicles break lights are very bright, great for bad weather condition but not good at traffic lights.

[@RickLeslie]

Unfortunately I often have to make deliveries in Brighton in an 18t or 26t lorry. I know most of the roads you showed and I can assure you that it't a lot easier in a car!

[@CPTCosmos]

I've got my practical test lined up for November, and your videos are a huge help. When I first started my lessons a couple of months ago, I was pretty nervous because my instructor is not the best at giving clear feedback on what I'm doing right or wrong. But thanks to what I've learned from your videos, I've noticed my confidence and skills improving. Just wanted to say thanks for that! Also, Brighton is my hometown so its nice to see you do a video there 🙂

[@Bobrogers99]

In the UK, a lot of directional information is painted on the roadway, and quite often it's badly worn and hard to read. In the US, we use lots of big signs, and on major roads they're overhead. I like overhead signs so I can be in the proper lane.

[@Vvvvvvv3]

I got my license this time last year, I find myself always learning something new. I like watching your video I find that I always coming out with something I can do to improve my driving. I’m now working towards getting my c1 license.

[@Harry-hk1el]

The cycle light is to allow cyclists to progress straight when a traffic light junction has a left or right turn, helps stop any accidents where a car might knock a cyclist over who is going straight when the car is planning to turn (bottom of elm grove)

[@arkadye]

I realise this misses the point of the video, but I love your choice of socks!

[@unconventionalideas5683]

43:50 The problem is not that phase. The flashing amber is combined with a flashing green man. This was a dangerous design fault that lead to mass confusion as pedestrians often darted across during this phase thinking that the flashing green meant “hurry up, and you can still cross safely before the traffic starts.” Some drivers also behaved far too aggressively, and tall vehicles like buses and HGVs made things even worse if there were multiple traffic lanes. The results were often disastrous. Edit: typo.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Thankfully Pelicans are being phased out.

[@baileyharrison1030]

I noticed these around Southampton and I was pretty confused having never driven in the south of England before then. I’m sure the rules were in the Highway Code but I never expected roads to be so different in other parts of the country.

[@caferustwat]

If you change the speed limit, you should also change the traffic calming on a road. People tend to drive what feels comfortable, if 30 feels comfortable then people will drive 30 even though the limit is 20.

[@nikkib1732]

I just want to say a big thank you for all your videos. They have been a tremendous help. I passed my driving test today with 1 minor. Thanks again ❤

[@ffinianhe]

Good point on the yellow box cameras at the end. Cardiff City centre is notorious for it, with people cutting in front of you and you having to stop in it. I can't count the number of people I know who have been ticketed for it.

[@xingbake]

Classy move blurring the number plate of the solid-line-crosser :)

[@BongbongA99]

I was very excited to see your posting about Brighton and simply couldn’t wait to check out your experiences and drive through the city (it is a city now isn’t it - it wasn’t back then when I was a humble student there?). You even went passed where Grace was filmed - Montpelier! Despite my excitement, I fast became really saddened to see how the place has changed over the years. It was never as bad as this when I was there, never. I strongly suspect that the blanket 20 mph zone approach was not wanted by people and that it was imposed by the council to fall in line with other fads in use elsewhere. If I recall, the power to use the limit was transferred to local councils from central government a while back. It’s clear to me that 20 mph has an overall negative impact. It genuinely distracts the driver as it preoccupies their attention, taking away their alertness to what’s going on in the road. It’s a case of ‘time division multiplexing’. The human brain only has so much it can process in any given time. Give it something else to concentrate on and other things will be compromised. ‘Sorry I ran a pedestrian over officer, I was too busy concentrating on not going above 20 mph!’, ‘Oh, yes, sorry, I didn’t mean to go into a bus lane or turn into a one way street’ etc. Well you get the idea - extreme thinking perhaps, but then again is it? Imposing a blanket 20 mph makes everything crawl around. People will also naturally try to apply a ‘safety margin’, which generally means that people will travel below the 20 mph. Next thing you know, we’ll be re-introducing a walker at the head of traffic bearing a red flag (a rather poignant reference I thought, given the famous Veteran Car Run that takes place between London and Brighton every year). The situation is further exacerbated with prolific use of those pedestrian crossing that don’t have flashing amber. Are the non-flashing type called puffin and the flashing one called pelican, I forget now, no matter. What was wrong with the flashing type? The bad type are proliferating and I can’t see why. As you say, traffic light timing is hopeless in a lot of cases - I don’t think you could do worse programming if you simply did it in random fashion! I mean you’ve got to apply some pretty rigorous and deliberate intent to get it this wrong. Don’t stall when it’s your turn to go - you might not get another chance to move for a day or so! Why are all lanes just sitting there and nothing doing even when there’s very little to no traffic about - see 51m:00s for instance (probably not the best example perhaps, but hopefully you get the gist). The shrinkage of available road space, brought about by non-intelligent transfer over to busses is a disgrace. Funny how they can do all this yet not upkeep the signage, road marking or road surface. What’s will all those bins? What an eyesore, not to mention the obstructions caused. The lack of directions causes traffic to take the wrong turns/lanes and in order to try and find a corrective path, back streets become quickly overwhelmed and everything snarls up. Non-moving traffic doesn’t allow CO2, CO etc to disperse either. So we have a situation where nothing is moving, all side roads are grid-locked, all bus lanes are empty and drivers are biting their steering wheels. Great fun - NOT. No wonder you spent most of journey just standing still. It wasn’t just your path standing still either - all paths were and for no good reason in a large number of cases. I can well understand ‘driving fear’ taking over in Brighton. It seems likely that the unsuspecting WILL get a fine for visiting the place - it’s almost a given. ‘Welcome to Brighton, now let’s have your fine money please!’ I suspect it’s all deliberately engineered that way. To me, it looks like Brighton is now doing its level best to become as vehicle unfriendly as possible. At some point, when everything closes down and there are no visitors, students or trade’s persons etc, will council will deny all responsibility? How terribly sad. I truly am gutted to see this.

[@Alex-hv7tu]

Haha you sound like a bit of a cretin

[@MrCoolbanna]

You are overreacting so badly. People do want these changes as brighton is a great city to not drive. And if you're fron here it's really not difficult to drive

[@lewis6565]

I drive around cambridge almost everyday, and I'm confident driving here but when I visited Newcastle some parts really stressed me out like all the bus lanes and roads that split up without much chance to change lanes. if you ever visit Cambridge its a pretty standard road layout except for a few bus lanes and the dutch roundabout. I would like to visit Brighton and your video makes me a bit more confident about going and what to look out for.

[@KevinHaorigami]

Passed my driving test first time. I live in Ireland and your videos are just as relevant for the Irish practical test because of how similar our roads are. Thanks for the videos. kevin.

[@Mrtwistedblack]

Legends and Snake… I mean Guyver… I mean David comes across so well, always happy to interact on Twitter with the everyday person. Nothing but respect.

[@clairt8043]

Your videos are great, I've started and stopped driving lessons a few times over the years but always given up after a few lessons, mostly due to anxiety, lack of self belief. As I live in a quite rural part of the UK where public transport has been made practically non existent in recent years, I have no choice but to try again at 41, I am finding the whole thing overwhelming but your videos help a lot, my instructor is great but he never has the time to explain things properly to me.

[@isladurrant2015]

Just keep on honey... find an instructor you like and you'll do it x

[@clairt8043]

​@@isladurrant2015thank you!

[@katefreeman6798]

I was so happy to find this video! I live in this exact area and have been learning to drive this last year. It's so funny to see you doing the routes I've been doing on my lessons and I'm so happy to see that you don't think it's straightforward either! Thanks for all your videos, they are so helpful :)

[@lesa1378]

I've just recently passed my test and you have no idea how helpful these videos are ❤

[@lightspeedmath8065]

Hi Richard, I feel as though your driving mentality is similar to mine in that as a good and skilled driver you want to be sure it's safe to perform any actions. An example for me is always turning my head (shoulder check) in order to change lanes especially if I need to do so quickly. I see other drivers just use mirrors, as it seems to me, and change lane. Although they are successful one cannot be sure that something is there unless one does the shoulder check. That's the difference of luck and skill. Thanks for these videos.

[@ado543]

If you end up with very complex road layouts with lots of traffic lights and long waiting times, it probably means the roads are trying to do too much and you have a 'network level' issue. My impression from this video is that, even in busy pedestrian areas, there are still lots of cars, which means you need lots of pedestrian crossings, and it ends up not really working well for anyone. Looking at a map though, the layout of Brighton does look challenging to create a clearer hierarchy of through roads and access roads. Cambridge is a good example of a better layout. Besides the general layout of the city, the speed limit signage looks very poor. The limit seemed to change between 20 and 30 for no obvious reason, and often there was only one small sign with very few repeaters. I've never seen such poor speed limit signage anywhere else. I agree that the road markings were poor too.

[@portman8909]

It's as if cities like this aren't meant for driving which is why they have such good public transport and cyclist routes compared to rural cities and towns. If I stayed somewhere like this I'd sell my car, and get a bus pass along with a bike. No worry of taking forever to get to places since there's a shop round every corner.

[@mixedboi]

You drive so accurately, very satisfying to watch.

[@windinthewillows6248]

Better to use the speed limiter on your car if fitted, than use cruise control. 👍

[@mrduck7957]

Make a series driving in different cities and rate them on how easy to navigate. That would be cool.

[@zeuscho]

I do think the Puffin crossing holding the traffic because the sensors are still detect pedestrians but they are not crossing the road. It ends up holding the traffic for 10 seconds. It often happens in busy roads.

[@rccookie6202]

Interesting - in Germany you are definitely supposed to cross a red light or drive into the intersection if an ambulance is behind you and it is safe to do so. Not sure if there is a rule about whether you are allowed to go onto the pavement, but I probably would if it’s safe to do so

[@robi4387]

I applaud you common sense.

[@alexthomas7470]

It’s weird to see familiar streets on KZbin. I’m so glad you think Brighton’s a nightmare too😂😂😂 anyway, thank you for all your videos, they’ve really helped me. I just passed today with 3 minors!!

[@ConquerDriving]

That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!

[@kevinjenkins6657]

cheers for the videos bud, passed yesterday, only a week after turning 17, (did the theory on me birthday), then got a cancellation, found it easy so followed your videos rather than pay for lessons. Got 14 minors, stalled, hit the curb, and the examiner pressed the brake. Still passed though, which is great.

[@lukewoolner]

As someone who has learnt to drive near and lives in brighton it makes me more proud of myself for not getting any tickets after passing 😅 note: even with a blackbox i always do 25 (speedometer speed) and that seems to make most other drivers happy

[@murky135]

Hey! i just wanted too thank you for your videos.. i had my test today and passed! with 5 minors. i have spent alot of time watching your videos and it has really really helped me. Thank you again! absolutely buzzing!!

[@robi4387]

May I suggest (to anyone struggling with SATNAV in an unfamiliar city) to check which way is north and look at the plan view before you set off. Having a compass in the car helps for overcast days. Simply because SATNAVs sometimes get confused by reversing to park and change direction in the split second after moving off. Always leave a 2 second gap so you can read the worn out road markings. Councils no longer see the need to repaint or trim trees in front of signs unfortunately.

[@FoggyPigeon]

Welcome to my home town. This is where i learned to drive and I can confirm that central Brighton for a new driver is very scary.

[@davidd5316]

Yes returning my Granddaughter to Brighton university, I was only in the City Centre for about an hour, then I returned home, A week later I received two fines for driving in a bus lane, the same lane, trying to find my way out of Brighton. I will never go there again

[@NatashaBorgorez]

You should come to Worthing (sign at 23:05), it's much easier to drive around here. No bus lanes or gates, barely any roundabouts, straight roads - perfect xD I actually struggle with driving around other cities like Birmingham/Dudley because all the roads are either going uphill or downhill, and I'm so used to driving in Worthing. The closest to Brighton I've been to was Shoreham-by-Sea but it's nothing like Brighton and I don't think I'll risk driving there anyway, even though it's very close to me lol

[@vincentleahy2965]

You should try driving through Brighton at night in the rain. The markings on the road, and the potholes, are almost invisible. Fortunately I use the train but sometimes due the time have to use a car. Nightmare.

[@CromulentEmbiggening]

Few people need to drive in Brighton. The bus service is unparalleled, I'd say better than London. The buses are 24 hours. The trains could be more regional, I think. And it's not too big a city to be unwalkable. I studied at Sussex University which is in Brighton, and it has Falmer train station going through it, as well as bus services going through it. There's also Brighton University of course which is scattered around the city rather than having one campus. So naturally, a population of tens of thousands of students means a large chunk of the population either cannot afford a car or won't have their licence yet and so the city is built to be relatively walkable and well-connected by public transport. EDIT: you went past my old house there and some of my friend's old houses too :) EDIT 2: every member of my family that has driven in Brighton has been fined for driving in the bus lane on London Road!

[@warren12pete]

Interesting Video. I was driving in Brighton a month ago. Would never go there again as it is too much hassel looking out for bus lanes, cycle lanes and keeping to 20mph in areas where it is perfectly safe to go at 30mph. Parking cost is extortionate especially the car parks (London Prices) .You can no longer use cash for street parking which is now via unknown app. and beware as prices can jump from £7 to £20 a day for on street parking within a car length with no indication of cost displayed.I agree with you on Yellow box junctions. Brighton Avoid.

[@S1RBL3SS3D]

I drive in Brighton and never thought it was that bad, but now seeing someone who is not a local drive it, made me rethink it!

[@ConquerDriving]

It's usually much easier to drive on familiar roads. Well designed roads can be used safely by someone of minimum accepted skill without needing to learn the area.

[@solarsonar]

Love these types of videos, ive been driving for maybe 2 years and still cant parallel park! I've watched your video maybe 10+ times. Would you ever consider making a video of just you parking in many different spots so maybe we could see how reference points vary and how to adapt?

[@evanmacdonald9632]

This kind of driving is exactly what I love about driving in cities, given where I’m from in the Scottish highlands, I’ve almost been forced to learn to practice and adapt to all of these things on my own with each new road trip. Now I’m more than comfortable anywhere in the UK 😊

[@georgeswampy6224]

It’s council theft, theft is not supposed to be fair. What we have to do is steal as much as you possibly can legally or illegally.

[@10thdoctor15]

The first time I went to Brighton, about 5 years ago, I was looking for somewhere to park. It wasn't until after I'd turned down a road that I noticed it was busses (and possibly taxis) only. I got home after a week away to find a letter. Expensive parking.

[@farhan.882]

That was 5 years ago… without exaggerating it’s about 10x worse now 💀

[@Galvanize]

Been watching for quite some time now and am from Brighton! Did a lot of my practice around the roads you drove on here and managed to pass first time last August! Keep up the good work!

[@terrybrett467]

This sent shivers down my spine, my son used to live in Brighton and it was a nightmare as you have shown.

[@MrSychnant]

As soon as you realized you had taken the wrong lane coming out of the garage i would have taken a left at the first set of lights which would have taken you back in the general direction of your destination and any decent satnav would have rerouted you pretty quickly

[@MrPaulc222]

I don't live too far away from Brighton and I was driving there recently (in a Transit-sized van) and the point where it changes from 20 to 30 wasn't always clear. It may be that I was trying to absorb too much info at once and missed a sign but I found myself sticking to 20 for quite a long way when I wasn't convinced it was still 20 mph.

[@cameronallan5624]

Transport planner here. Empty tarmac as you suggested for the bus lanes is absolutely NOT a waste of space. It means when a bus comes it can skip past most of the traffic meaning bus journeys are fast and therefore people are more likely to use the buses instead of driving which would cause yet more congestion. If something looks empty it probably is because it’s efficient. Take the London Underground, a single section of track is probably only occupied by a train for 15-20 seconds as it passes overhead. Yet the tube is much more efficient than a road at moving people.

[@mariemccann5895]

Typical of the anti-car crap peddled by the state to tax the poor people to feather the nests of the rich.

[@adamspencer95]

In a well designed transport system, sure. In this instance where they start/stop every 10 yards, and the buses are likely on a frequency of 30 mins or more, no. Just, no.

[@baileyharrison1030]

It didn’t look like many people were using the buses around Brighton though? Maybe 10% of people in vehicles were riding buses?

[@guagadu7804]

8:40 the lights allowing cyclists to go before cars is a safety measure to help avoid drivers turning left into them. Giving the bikes a head start makes it more likely for the drivers to see them, than when bikes and cars get the same green.

[@zaythen]

I really enjoyed your video of you driving through my home town you even drove past my flat and it’s nice to see someone like your self mentioning most of the things I also think are wrong with the way the roads are laid out in my city they are pretty awful especially the road marking or lack of and the pot holes makes driving in Brighton pretty tricky even for an advanced driver like yourself especially as we shouldn’t have to be constantly be on the look out for pot holes with so much traffic anyway thanks again for a great video hope you enjoyed Brighton

[@am_snek1433]

bro drove in circles and didnt realise he made it way more complicated than it needed to be

[@zaythen]

@@am_snek1433 Brighton can be a pretty confusing place to drive if your not from here especially the road signs and road markings are rubbish and I think he chose this reticular route to show our various one way systems around the city centre

[@anoncyclist2131]

way too many roads rely on you knowing that that faded arrow on the road is there already because you cant change lane in time otherwise. its like cities dont want to use signs to make things clear and would prefer you driving in circles for a while

[@tamegamer2312]

You mentioned a 4-lane mini roundabout being rare. In Cannock we have a 5-lane mini roundabout that is absolute chaos at rush hour. Really enjoy these types of videos though, and Birmingham would be a good candidate too.

[@anthonywhelan5419]

Same in Australia. It's all about revenue raising. I'm still paying off a $380 fine for doing 46km in a 40km zone early on a Sunday morning without another vehicle in sight.

[@arkadye]

You said in this video that you can't visualise 150 yards. If it helps: - A bit less than the length of the infield on a 400m athletics track (174 yards) - A bit over 30 car lengths (1 car length is roughly 5 yards - a touch less than that on average (4.57m vs 4.40m), but good enough for an approximation). Using 10mph = 1 car length per second (which is very close to true - it's 4.47m/s while the average car length is 4.40m) you can also get 150 yards in times: 10 seconds at 30mph; 15 seconds at 20mph; 30 seconds at 10mph. You can do your own maths from there.

[@monkeynews8311]

At least they have signs. Come to Edinburgh where there are only worn out road markings 10m before the lights! Lots of dodgy bus lane camera's at junctions with no signs so if you're turning left between 7am and 7pm you get a ticket unless you move to the lane at the very last second which is very unsafe and impossible if a bus is already waiting at the lights.

[@ffotograffydd]

I used to live in Brighton and only used my car if I was going somewhere outside of Brighton, the city is very much geared towards buses, cyclists, and pedestrians, and it feels like they make things as awkward as possible for drivers. It wasn’t a problem though because, cycling or a bus is almost always quicker in Brighton. The junction where the black Golf pulled in front of you, yes, they shouldn’t have done it, but if you miss that right turn you can easily find yourself on a 10-15 minute detour around the one way system, so I can understand why they did.

[@geem2094]

18:11 those plant pots are traffic calming because people used to go up there at crazy speeds even though it’s a short stretch of road

[@bombardygamer4248]

This driving reminds me of Edinburgh. I was in Edinburgh last week, and the roads are a bit like this, bus lanes everywhere and weird lane switching all over the place. In Edinburgh, you could be driving down one of the streets, and it's two lanes, and the left lane is left only, and the right is straight on, so you go in the right lane. The very next junction after that, it's flipped, so left is now straight on, and right is right turn only, so you have to switch to the left lane to be in the right lane for the next junction, and there are no signs to indicate this at all. Also, there is so much 20 around Edinburgh, it's just a nightmare, and people sit right on your bumper when you dare do the speed limit. Luckily, the public transport in Edinburgh is really good. The buses are frequent, there are loads of stops. You can get in to the city centre in about 20 minutes, which is about the same time it takes by car in peak times. There is also a tram now that goes all the way from the airport in the west right to Newhaven on the waterfront in the east, which also goes right through the city centre, and that's actually pretty much brand new. I feel like all these measures to make the roads complicated may actually be done on purpose, and as both a car driver and an advocate for a better environment and so better and more public transport, I am both a lover and a hater of these measures. However, the reason why I say it's most likely done on purpose is that the only real way to get more people on public transport and more people cycling, etc etc, is to get them out of cars. Why would you bother taking the bus or cycling to work when you can just drive instead? Most people don't care enough about the environment or the benefits of public transport to stop driving, and those who do are generally not significant enough of a minority to make public transport viable. The only real way to get more people cycling and using public transport, unfortunately, is to make driving harder, more annoying, and so complicated that people give up trying to drive and use these other transportation methods. Almost every measure to piss off drivers is one that tries to get them to use alternative transport methods.

[@Grahamvfr]

Great vid Richard, it actually highlights to me the futility of the sat nav on the test. You need so many 'basic ' skills for city driving, a sat nav inclusion, is like teaching you to run before you can walk.

[@douglasreid699]

comment about your hand brake use. i was taught if your going to sit still for more than 10 seconds to put your hand brake on and select neutral, it then allows you to get your throttle and clutch ready to go for when you need to pull away, i still use it for hill starts and situations i feel its needed. it also stops dazzling the vehicle behind as your brake lights are a similar intesity to your fog light, and following the rules of the fog light (which i feel fog light should be changed to high visibility light as too many people see some mist and turn it on and forget to turn it off when out the fog or mist because its called a fog light, must use it in fog is the mentality.): Rule 114: you must not 1. use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. 2. use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. you MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users. (see rule 226). In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the foot brake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. this will minimise glare to road users behind until traffic moves again. (Law RVLR reg 27)

[@gonch72]

Puffin/Tucan crossings just dont work as designed. If the crossing is clear the lights should change, simple! There's one by the pier in Brighton that holds on red for over 10sec even with a clear crossing. It just encourages people to leg it across at the last second!

[@good2333]

As a Brighton taxi driver I give you A+ lol you did great.

[@AdvancedReconomics]

i have lived in Brighton for going on 10 years and passed my driving test recently, Brighton, if you dont know the town, is very hard to drive in. you really need to know what roads to use to get you across town. stumps alot of drivers from elsewhere. but that being said its a good place to learn because its so difficult. with so many one way systems, bus lanes and other obstacles. at 17.58, those bins are battered because people assume, rightly that it is two lanes but its not. best bet is to use the A27 to get across to say things on the outskirts saves alot of time rather than navigating the array of roads in the town but a great video demonstrating how difficult it is as someone who doesnt know brighton trying to navigate it. One wrong turn and you are stuffed trying to get towards, what i assume. was the Brighton Marina Asda from Lewes Road Sainsburys.

[@mikmik9034]

I would be expecting the foreword view to be on top, and the incidental views on the bottom. Plus, My Navigation tells me and shows me where the turns will be.

[@SkullFireDemon87]

Great video and always enjoy watching but only have 1 gripe. At 47:35 it’s a set of disabled bays, one of which you parked in. I know it was a short stop but anyone who uses them without a blue badge even for “a couple of minutes” being the normal response from people, it frustrates me as a disabled driver. I know in your videos you lead by example which is why I was surprised you chose that spot to park. Maybe it’s because I usually drive around London and it’s a big problem in those areas. Still keep up the good work helping people with their driving journey as it never ends and we can all improve our own driving

[@sweepy8467]

Great summary of what driving in Brighton is like at the end. The council actively discourage driving in the city, shouldn’t excuse the lack of road markings though 😂

[@win7sony]

I grew up and learnt to drive in Brighton and it really is a different driving style to the rest of the country. Similar to London the roads are small for the number of vehicles using them and it's very dense with activity e.g. taxis and delivery vehicles pulling over. I'd say most of London manages this challenge better with clearer signage and road markings than Brighton, and I don't blame non-locals for making mistakes. That being said we generally don't drive into the city centre unless we absolutely need to, lots of Brighton drivers are also cyclists and bus users and so are more inclined to support bus lanes and 20 zones.

[@MatthewStyles-z8h]

@ 8:38 the cyclist green lights. These are fairly common in Zone 1 London. They're designed to allow a cyclist to get up to speed and avoid close-passes from motorists (who can accelerate much quicker). They also make it safer for cyclists going straight ahead when a driver may be turning left and have not seen the cyclist. They make a huge impact on collision rates. The first in the UK were in York, and they immediately saw a reduction in collisions. They only add 2-3 seconds on to driving times so no huge impact there :) A difficult drive with heavy traffic and poor road markings. Might have to test my own driving down there!

[@chriscottingham2003]

Great video overall, as once a local myself i have the same mistakes as you did. It was nice to go down memory lane. I dont miss the traffic parking and congestion. 😅

[@colliedog5771]

Can you try to drive through Newcastle upon Tyne between 11am to 12pm because I've noticed those times are busy between Gosforth and Newcastle center it was similar to when you went to Eirith when you go around a roundabout there's a bus lane and you need to keep changing lanes.

[@ConquerDriving]

Thank you for your suggestion, I may do Newcastle in the future.

[@mustafahanaf9651]

Seems like Brighton is a city of alleyways rather than actual roads blimey.

[@Dents6679]

That's because it wasn't bulldozed for road users.

[@MrAvant123]

Ealing is like this. I got a ticket for making what I thought was a perfectly reasonable left turn into the Broadway only to find out I'd missed a blue sign and got a fine ! Reading - stopped and reversed into a side road to turn around, only to later find the side road is buses only. My wife got 3tickets in a WEEK in Reading because she didnt see the blue sign that siad you couldnt use a road before 09:00 or after 16:00 !

[@petew8388]

I have been driving since 1978, ( car, m cycle and class 1 LGV ) but now am actually very stressed at city driving. I hate the thought of driving in big cities and avoid them like the plague. To me it is just a massive cash grab with the chances of fines so high. Local drivers are not the slightest bit forgiving towards others and make it even harder. It is all too stressful.