Well yes the commute is hardly an issue if the work isnt there. Brisbane traffic is horrendous and coupled with the general low standard of drivers it is an awful experience.

Don't start me on about the driving over here, absolutely dreadful. I got shown the finger yesterday for having audacity to complain about a tosser squeezing into a car length gap.

Well you will find driving in much of Britain familiar then!
The one thing I would say has definitely disappeared is courtesy on the roads. Mainly because much of the country is simply a slowly moving car park, so everyone is always pressed for time.
When I am in the UK I cover quite a few miles, and it is a deeply unpleasant experience until you get into the country. (and away from the South East)

WI find driving here an absolute pleasure compared to Australia, drivers seem to know what they are doing, the usually keep left and understand basic road rules and they are courteous.
I have driven from Yorkshire down to Essex and the South West and most of the time it is a real pleasure. On top of that it helps living in an area with low traffic density. It is just so weird having drivers let you out and thank you for doing the same.

I think it is mainly London and the SouthEast. And bits of Brum. And all of the M25. And M62.
But otherwise I agree people generally seem to know what they are doing. Sometimes though, I would,prefer them to care what OTHER road users are doing!

July 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2he3gF5uSM

http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2...k-drivers-rude

and that middle finger..........

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...d-signals.html

Food for thought there.
I find someone sticking two fingers up very rude in the extreme.
But one finger I find aggressive - perhaps because it is newer.

The gesticulation of choice for me has always been the German rotatory forefinger at the temple with a pained expression. "bist du bekloppt, Mensch?"

Perhaps you should re-phrase that to say "one thing that has disappeared from the South East of England (around London)."

There's a lot more to England than that one little crowded and unpleasant area - in which I have no idea why anyone chooses to live. The rest of us in most of England, all of Scotland, all of Wales and all of Ireland are perfectly courteous on the roads. In fact, that's been one of the true delights for me in being back here - people are SO kind and so polite when driving.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...rage-1-5857197

There is absolutely no question about it Australian and New Zealand drivers are far far worse than UK drivers

With the exception of one branch from Yorkshire and one from Wales, my entire family has lived in the south of England for at least 500 years (as far back as my research goes), and people usually choose to live with their families. One of the benefits of living in Australia is that where previously living up north for example would be seen as an unnecessary inconvenience, after having lived 16,000 kms away it is positively next door to the south!

Must add to the broader thread that my recent six weeks on British roads were mainly nightmarish. I drove on the M4, M5, busy A roads in the south and some quiet rural roads in the West Country and Wales. With the exception of the last two (which I suspect are the kind of roads Sally and Chris use) the experience was ugly. No respect for speed limits, overtaking on blind bends, swearing, flashing lights, horn-honking, tailgating horror.

It is worth noting again that as far as I recall both Chris and Sally live in very quiet, rural areas, with low population density, and both work from home (please correct me if I am wrong). This is fine, but hardly representative of the kind of life the average returnee can expect. Most people will have to work in an office or a factory, and will have to live within commuting distance of that employment. This changes the entire game. People seeking accurate descriptions of life in modern Britain should make sure they understand the difference in living standards here.

Remember that walking, cycling or taking a bus or train to work is often a choice too - not all workers have to drive to work. I realise that many people do have to drive, perhaps because they need their car during the working day, but the choice to not drive to work is far more common in the UK than in, for instance, rural or small town US where I live.

Really comparing Australia, UK, Canada or USA is so irrelevant. None is better or worse, just different from each other. The only difference is our life cycles and what place may work for whichever cycle you are on. And that will change.

That said, I can only imagine that Oz and to a lesser extent Canada may be more compatible to the UK as Commonwealth places (maybe Oz left finally?). From my own experience the US most certainly is completely different, in every aspect..just down to its size alone and then the rest..

We're doing it yet again, aren't we? Caruthers is right.

Here in SA our Murdoch rag incessantly push the 'fact' that SA drivers are the worst in Australia. Mind you.....Anecdote coming up!

I pulled out legally to do a U-turn. Signalled/checked. One white van had just turned into my road-I was well clear of him. Then I noticed the tooting and flashing lights. If one has done something dangerous your own instinct and conscience will tell you! I couldn't understand it; I wondered if I had a flat or something.

We are now facing driver to driver-me going one way, he the other. He abused the hell out of me. I made my 'mistake'.....I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled! I drove only a short distance (little villagy shops in this part of my 'burb-built up area). I saw him do a screeching u-turn, and he headed for me at speed.

I braced for impact, because I had a car in front of me and could go nowhere; the front of his van literally dipped as he slammed on the breaks and jumped out of his car. It engendered quite an audience-which came in handy later. I was strafed with abuse, and then he backed away and kept kicking the side door until it caved in.

He jumped back into his van, and did another U at those traffic light without even looking. I took a risk; I got out of my car and calmly wrote down his number, then drove home-and collapsed in my front garden. Polis were called, photies were taken.

He was in a Government vehicle. In the subsequent Court case he was so disturbed that a security guard went everywhere with me. Found guilty-lost his Gov job.
The footnote is that this was a very disturbed individual-he has been looking for me ever since with incessant threats to kill. I am ex-directory, and not showing on the Electoral Roll because of the incident.

It goes on everywhere. It has nothing to do with a country, it has to do with a societal attitude that is increasingly aggressive and selfish.