London Underground, Tourists and the summer...

I won't be the only person experiencing this problem. If you do not work in London or a big city you may as well stop reading this now. This is concerning tourists, holiday makers, families and school trips who insist on using the London underground during rush hour...without a clue.

We've experienced them all...the ones who stop. In the middle of no where. For no good reason. This can be on an escalator on the walking side, one of my personal favourites as soon as they get to the top of the escalator. The ticket barrier, as soon as they've gone through the ticket barrier, as soon as they see a sign, as soon as they see another person! Really just keep walking. The London underground is incredibly well signposted. It really is idiot proof. So why do so many people stop in the middle of a busy isle and get out a map?

One of my next favourite is enormous groups of (generally) French school trips who insist on making sure all 217 pupils are huddled together making one unavoidable, impossible to navigate around clump of idiocy. They are easily identifiable by the backpacks they insist on wearing really loosely so they hang roughly round their knees. One teacher is at the front dawdling, another at the back - aimlessly trying to make anyone move in any logical direction or speed.

I know people like this have to travel on the network, I'm just saying...why during the hours of 7.30 and 9.30 and 16.45 and 18.30?! there are plenty of quiet times of the day when yes, your enormous suitcase will fit on the tube, yes of course that double stroller / 2 bedroom semi will squeeze on!

And while in on the subject...people in the street who insist on walking 4 people wide when there is no room for anyone else to get around. The number of times I've risked my life darting into the bus lane to avoid this particular breed of muppets...just walk sensibly. Or if you see someone who is clearly rushing for a train just part like the red sea and be considerate - do not scornfully look at me when I have no other choice but to nudge your 2,000 Primark bags in order to navigate the pavement.

Rant over...it's the school holidays (great now we also have 4-11 year olds to content with...)