Owning a car has many benefits. For one, you’re not stuck on public transport systems, jam-packed in next to lots of people – how uncomfortable and stress-provoking. Not to mention the wait times, delayed or cancelled services and a long trip to get anywhere.
Driving a vehicle means you can get from A to B with little to no hassle, as well as being able to have personal space and control. But what if you’re from a remote or regional area and have moved to the city? There’s a lot to learn and get used to when it comes to city driving, but this handy article is going to be a gridlock guide and will teach you how to acclimate to city driving.
Invest in the Right Car
First thing’s first, to drive around the city you need a car (obviously), but not just any car. A compact SUV is a perfect car for city commuting.
Due to its smaller size, a compact SUV makes handling narrow streets, tight corners and tricky turns a breeze. Smaller SUVs handle extremely well and are perfect for navigating around a metropolitan city.
They also have more room than a smaller sedan or hatchback, which means that you have all the added comfort of a larger car – both in terms of cabin and passenger space but also with ample storage. This means that you can carry what you need around, making it an ideal car for running errands, doing the shopping and transporting items.
Accept the Traffic
Now, this might be a shock moving from a less densely populated area, but the city traffic is unavoidable. Particularly during the morning peak hours and the afternoon rush, which usually begins around 3 pm as all the parents hit the road to pick their kids up from school.
Rather than rage against the traffic and get frustrated – learn to accept it. It’s a part of driving in the city, and now we’re going to go into some suggestions to help pass the time when you get stuck in gridlock.
Find Some Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to pass the hours when stuck in traffic or spending a while driving across town.
Chances are that if you have an interest there is a podcast (or five) to match it. You’ll find everything from true crime, to science, to board games, to sport and everything in between. So, spend some time at home bookmarking some podcasts and then listen to them during your city driving time.
Listen to the News or Music
Finally, you can also listen to other things while stuck in city traffic. This is always a great time to catch up on the news – there are bound to be several digital and radio stations that can help keep you up to date.
And if the news isn’t your thing, then music is sure to be. Make yourself a Spotify playlist for those gridlocked moments.
Wrapping Up
In this blog, we’ve explained some tips to assist you in getting used to city traffic jams.
Our first tip was to invest in the right car to navigate those tight city streets – and a compact SUV is a perfect choice here.
Next, we suggested practising some acceptance about the traffic. It’s a fact of city life and one that everyone has to get used to.
Finally, we shared some tips to help spend the time gridlocked, including listening to podcasts, the news or your favourite tunes.
With all of these suggestions, tips and tricks put together, you’ll soon find that you can tolerate the metropolitan traffic jams, and perhaps even come to value the time you get to yourself.