The Knowledge

Whever you want to go...

One of the really great things about London is the taxis.

First, they are incredilby roomy.

I mean, I can stand up in one.

(Yes, I know).

Second, the drivers know every street, alleyway, hotel, restaurant, nook and cranny in London.

And this is not like New York, which is built on a grid (how hard is it to find 45 West 45th Street?)

Get into a London cab and just say "The Guardian" and they wll whisk you away to the offices of this newspaper without any further need for directions.

And they don't use GPS either.

How many times have I gotten into a taxi in New York (cramped, dirty), and asked to go to LaGuardia and had the driver turn around and say "can you tell me how to get there".

It is unbelievable.

The reason London taxi drivers are so good is 'The Knowledge'.

They have to memorize every street, restaurant, hotel and just about everything else in this vast sprawling metropolis. They not only have to know where it all is, but also the fastest and most direct route to it from anywhere else. This is a system that was first instituted in 1865 and it has not changed at all.  To be a taxi driver in London you have to really really know the city. You have to be able to identify every street by memory. You have to be able to explan how you would get from point A to point B and name each and every street you would take to get there.  An examiner can ask you anything. You have to know it all. By heart.

The Knowledge.

This morning we got into a taxi at the hotel to come to the offices of The Guardian and began to chat with the driver.

He had only been driving for a few months, but he had spent close to three years, studying for "the Knowledge"

Three years, full time.

Three years of riding a moped up and down every street in London learning all about the city.

Three years of late night studying of maps and lists of locations.

Then, they take a test.

It's a hard test.

And if they pass, and only if they pass, do they get to drive one of the black cabs.

The Knowledge.

New York could use The Knowledge.

(New York could use making speaking English mandatory for taxi drivers).

The Knowledge for driving reminded me a bit of The Knowledge for making films and videos.

There's a lot to learn.

But you won't be able to take people (viewers) to where they want to go unless you take the time and make the effort to learn it.