For starters, the North Circular is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get. One minute it’s a smooth glide, the next it’s a stop-start nightmare starring your bumper. The key is to just accept your fate and turn up the radio.
I’d also like to propose a new rule: if you cause a crash on the North Circular, you should have to buy everyone in the queue a round of coffee. It’s only fair. We could call it the “Circular Compensation Act.” I think it has legs.
North Circular live: Updates after man, 60, and woman in her 80s killed
And to the driver who was trying to reverse out of the jam onto the hard shoulder: my friend, that is not a shortcut. That’s a one-way ticket to a lecture from a very tired police officer. Please, just sit tight and enjoy the ASMR of a thousand engines humming.
The Silver Lining (Yes, There Is One)
Here’s the uplifting part: by midday, the road was cleared and flowing again. The sun came out, the cranes lifted the last twisted car onto a flatbed, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. London is resilient like that—it’s like a cat who falls off a shelf and lands on its feet, looking slightly annoyed but perfectly fine.
You know what else happened? People remembered to be patient. For a few hours, the world slowed down. Emails weren’t sent, deadlines stretched, and people just… existed in their cars. It wasn’t ideal, but it was strangely human.
So next time you’re crawling along that concrete ribbon of joy, take a deep breath. Look at the other drivers in their little metal bubbles. We’re all in this together, occasionally sandwich-eating, always hopeful, and just trying to get home. The North Circular might test our patience, but it also reminds us we’re all part of one big, chaotic, beautiful mess of a city.
Drive safe, keep a snack in the glovebox, and remember: tomorrow is a new day, and the road will be clear. Or at the very least, the sandwich guy will be there to inspire you.
