The latest series of strikes has one girl itching to pee

So the tube’s down. I may not have to dive into the depths of London’s vast underground networks to get to work, but I suffered the repercussions nonetheless.

It took me two hours to get into the office this morning, an entire 45 minutes more than my usual stress-free journey by coach. Traffic crawled all the way from Canary Wharf to the Cannon Street, possibly because many people decided to drive to work today.

Yet amazingly, everyone was already busy banging away at their desks when I walked in six minutes late.

Have we become so attuned to London’s beleaguered transportation system that we are able to anticipate the backlash from strikes?

And if that’s the case, how many businesses in the capital have armed themselves to the hilt with business interruption (BI) cover?

An AFP news report tagged the cost of the three-day strike by the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union could sit in the region of £50m for affected businesses.

Pinching yourself for not investing in BI? Never too late, I say. Strikes like these are aplenty. So are terrorist threats. And flooding (cue the movie ‘Flood’ which shows London being hit by a tidal wave).

Imagine what the City would be like if there were no Pret, no Starbucks, no Eat, Café Nero, Marks and Spencer foodhall or – wait for it - no Tesco open at the crack of dawn to serve the almighty cup of coffee and bagel.

I imagine it would be great. Just like the aftermath of a disaster – eerily quiet. After all, insurance thrives on the adverse, doesn’t it? And it wouldn’t hurt our health either. Unless you had to pee on the coach.