Interesting comparison of parking prices worldwide here from The Economist, indicating pretty clearly that Europe is leading the world in exorbitant charges for a few square metres of space. New York and the big Asian capitals aren’t far behind either.

Of course, if you really MUST get behind the wheel in a major metropolis, please make every attempt to fit in with the local driving style.

Clearly, driving a car around the big cities is a tourist alternative open only to those with bucketloads of spare cash. However, it’s interesting to look at the lower end of the scale and imagine the possibilities. A rental car might be a nice alternative to slumming it on India’s rail system, for example, which has been known to send many a well-balanced traveler straight to the laughing academy after hours, even days, of delay thanks to lax timetabling!

Of course, if dollars abound and you really MUST get behind the wheel in a major metropolis, please make every attempt to fit in with the local driving style. Yes, driving on the right side of the road is a consideration, but beyond that you’ll find a host of idiosyncracies in road life the world over. Check out “How to Drive in New York like New Yorkers Do”, for a start. A few of our favourite hints from this temple of wisdom:

Pedestrians have the right of way. This is by far the most important rule for driving safely in New York… New York drivers, impatient that they are, like to squeeze through the gaps in the stream of people crossing, or to intimidate and rush pedestrians by nosing up to them. So please don’t add any more to that perception. This is that one time when you wouldn’t want to be like a local, and rightly so. Besides, you could easily get – and this the least of them – an unpleasant earful from an irate pedestrian, a spittle on your windshield, or a dent the size of a human foot on your fender.

Dealing with Diplomats. Give diplomats a wide berth. There are so much more of them here in New York than anywhere else in the world, even Washington DC… Diplomats are expected to obey the laws of the host country, and they usually do observe the rules of traffic. But when push comes to shove, there’s no telling what they’ll do.

Dealing with Cabbies. In the last couple of years, there has been a marked improvement in the quality of New York cabbies. They seem better trained – in driving skills, manners, and understanding of the law. They also seem less discourteous towards their fares as well as their fellow drivers. They are still quite aggressive but mostly because their passengers actually expect them to be so. More importantly, they all speak English now. Not so, only a few years ago.