London Driving

[Roy124]

It is at least 5 years since I drove into town.  I can driven with the Congestion Charge in place and knew of the ULEZ for which my hybrid was compliant. 

We went down yesterday, a Saturday, aiming to reach my preferred car park by 11.  Some 20 miles out the Satnav said one hour to go which did not bode well. 

Shortly after entering the A41 from the A1 we hit the 20 mph zone.  This was the first time we found out that London was all 20 mph. 

Driving down Park Lane was surreal.  Previously 50 mph jockeying for position, fending off taxis and avoiding buses, 20 seemed ridiculously slow.  Leaving that evening we found Park Lane was just one car lane.  The road had a cycle lane, a bus park lane, a bus and taxi lane and Just one car lane. 

But entering my regular car park, Mayfair CP just 5 minutes late, the first thing was no parking chip.  Plenty of space so straight in to a slot and to the office. 

Online the price was £45 for the 6 hours we needed.  To our surprise they now charge just £15 for weekends and bank holidays.

Traffic was generally heavy but surprisingly fluid and traffic in Kensington at tea time was heavy but when we left the car park was were home on time exactly as predicted by Satnav. 

I hate the zone charges and money grabbing, but hats off to Tfl and the 20 mph limit, that does work and is free. 

Edit :

I might add, I think I saw just one filling station with petrol at 155.9 the rest down the A1 were sub 148.9 and a Morrisons in town at 133.9

[Bper]

Having lived in London for 22 years we saw these traffic measures being implemented little by little and could see the impact this was having on the flow of traffic along with the continued increase in parking cost's etc etc.

We travel back to London a few times a year and every time we see more of the traffic restrictions and road closers. No doubt many people that visit from outside do find that their journeys go well but it depends on the day.Weekends will have far less problems with travel then Monday to Fridays when more motorist flood in.

 

[Big_D]

I gave up driving in London years ago, and now I try and stay well away from the area. I only go in when I really have to (for work) and I try and avoid that too if at all possib;e by doing the meeting over the internet

[Roy124]

Bob/Bob, agree.  We drove for reasons of convenience and cost.  A train journey would have been about one hour but then a 20 minute journey to the station and then a cross town trip from King's Cross to Kensington. 

Even Stevens for time but significantly less expensive.  I have free tube travel but Mrs 124 would have had to pay.  And do you really want to travel by tube? 

We walked from Mayfair and a #14 bus back. 

[Big_D]

I hate catching the tube. I'd rather not go into London. They made my choice for me. They now lose out on anything I may have spent there.

[Bper]

2 hours ago, Big_D said:

I hate catching the tube. I'd rather not go into London. They made my choice for me. They now lose out on anything I may have spent there.

It's strange really having lived in London and a regular user of the tube I suppose we just became used to the state of the trains and stations. Whenever we have to travel back we take the train and use the underground as driving and parking would be a nightmare.

What we notice more then anything is the state of many of the trains and the noise as it travels through the stations it is deafening at times.

Many of the trains and stations are older then noah and whist many have been refurbished it is really noticeable when you move out and go back.

Best train we ever took out of London was the one out to Norfolk.

[Big_D]

The new Elizabeth line is fine, but then it is new. My worst is the Bakerloo line. Loud, screeching and deafening. Circle and Hammersmith lines are not too bad.

20 minutes ago, Bper said:

Best train we ever took out of London was the one out to Norfolk.

To me, any train out of London is the best

[Rhymes with Paris]

A long time since I used the tube in London, but I do remember some of the journey from West Drayton to central London being a bit of a nightmare.

I could park near marble arch at an extortionate cost, for one of the cassette tape companies Memorex I think, in the 80s,who needed their roof fixing.

But the terribly important meeting that required the tube to get to central, escapes my memory.

Maybe it was to decide the sandwich filling for the following critical meeting.

 

 

[Mojo1010]

Have lived in London/greater London for over two decades, I now avoid central area like the plague. Even everywhere away from central has a problem in which former bus lanes becomes cycle lanes. Then the buses are using the normal lane, some are only 2 way 1 lane so get stuck behind the bus when they stop, traffic opposite or that the views are restricted of the opposite to perform an overtake. 

When we do day trip to national trust places outside London, it takes longer than it should. Am moving out of London soon when I sort my things out. 

[Roy124]

I mentioned the #14 bus. 

Many years ago I asked the elderly but true born Londoner the best tube to go from Hyde Park to King's Cross.  The obvious station was Green Park a half mile walk. 

He said you want to get the #14 bus, direct to the station from the stop outside.  Funny I used the #14 last month, sadly it no longer goes to KC. 

As it happens I was in London on 7/7 and the tube rats, forced to make above journeys home were largely lost.  My walk from Oxford Street East of Centre Point was easy, but I made lots of friends showing them the way on my map. 

[Eddie G]

On 4/30/2023 at 10:26 AM, Roy124 said:

It is at least 5 years since I drove into town.  I can driven with the Congestion Charge in place and knew of the ULEZ for which my hybrid was compliant. 

We went down yesterday, a Saturday, aiming to reach my preferred car park by 11.  Some 20 miles out the Satnav said one hour to go which did not bode well. 

Shortly after entering the A41 from the A1 we hit the 20 mph zone.  This was the first time we found out that London was all 20 mph. 

Driving down Park Lane was surreal.  Previously 50 mph jockeying for position, fending off taxis and avoiding buses, 20 seemed ridiculously slow.  Leaving that evening we found Park Lane was just one car lane.  The road had a cycle lane, a bus park lane, a bus and taxi lane and Just one car lane. 

But entering my regular car park, Mayfair CP just 5 minutes late, the first thing was no parking chip.  Plenty of space so straight in to a slot and to the office. 

Online the price was £45 for the 6 hours we needed.  To our surprise they now charge just £15 for weekends and bank holidays.

Traffic was generally heavy but surprisingly fluid and traffic in Kensington at tea time was heavy but when we left the car park was were home on time exactly as predicted by Satnav. 

I hate the zone charges and money grabbing, but hats off to Tfl and the 20 mph limit, that does work and is free. 

Edit :

I might add, I think I saw just one filling station with petrol at 155.9 the rest down the A1 were sub 148.9 and a Morrisons in town at 133.9

£45 for 6 hours parking 😱 around £1.30 an hour up North!

[Cyker]

The last time I parked in China Town I think I got charged something like £20 for a couple hours - I don't want to know what it is now!!  

 

[tfc]

Only been to London twice, once with a school outing when I was 13 , and drove a mini bus down there when I was 18 to the London Motor show at Earls Court , and literally bumping into Valerie  Singleton and her two tasty friends coming out of a house round the corner from the show, no problem finding a parking spot at the kerb side and free 50 years ago.

[Rhymes with Paris]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

The last time I parked in China Town I think I got charged something like £20 for a couple hours - I don't want to know what it is now!!  

 

Went to China town for a meal in 1986 with friends from Tooting, followed by a theatre show called "lend me a tenor"IIRC.

It had Jan Francis in it and Paul Nicholas.

The friends had just bought a new XR2, I thought at that time I had really "arrived".

I was a bit embarrassed in the restaurant,as I did not know how to use chopsticks.

As it turned out this didn't matter,as the friends expected me to eat with my fingers, and grunt a lot while eating,as they knew I hailed from Lincolnshire.

The evening was saved by my raconteur skills, regaling them with tales of carrots, tractors, and combine harvesters. And my choice of evening dress consisting of a hessian smock with 3 X's printed across the front, combined with some purple Shell suit trousers, and rigger boots.

Joking aside, it was a great evening, and introduced me to some lovely London people, and I was accepted without question or judgement.

As someone once said, they were lotus days,eat them slowly.

[Roy124]

I use Europark in Park Lane, £15 weekends and bank holidays 

  Gobsmacked I say, gobsmacked 

[Paul john]

I drive into london twice a week. 
PaytoPark, JustPark and RingGo are your friend  

fyi there are plenty of sub £20 in the west end all week 7am-midnight

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

£20 ???? £10 ??? What do you want £5 for? as I used to say to my lad.

I think the theatre and meal outing was less than that per head including parking.

There has been a bit of inflation since then though,can you still get pie, mash and liquor for £1.95 ?

[Paul john]

56 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

£20 ???? £10 ??? What do you want £5 for? as I used to say to my lad.

I think the theatre and meal outing was less than that per head including parking.

There has been a bit of inflation since then though,can you still get pie, mash and liquor for £1.95 ?

Cant quite see what your question is …

other than rambling. 

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

£20 ???? £10 ??? What do you want £5 for? as I used to say to my lad.

I think the theatre and meal outing was less than that per head including parking.

There has been a bit of inflation since then though,can you still get pie, mash and liquor for £1.95 ?

You might be able to but I think you'd end up in A&E getting your stomach pumped shortly after  

[Yugguy1970]

I'm off to London in June for this.  https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/london/

Given how crap the trains are I am almost minded to drive and park as I can claim it back.

[Bper]

10 hours ago, Cyker said:

You might be able to but I think you'd end up in A&E getting your stomach pumped shortly after  

Castles and Manzies the two pie and mash shops I knew and grew up with. One of the best was in Tooting and the other in Chapel market Islington. They both had a few shops dotted around London.

Unfortunately not many left, most of them shut down due to higher costs and less footfall as the generations taste changed. 

Shame as it was a very cheap meal and very filling. Many of the London taxi drivers used to use then all the time.

[Roy124]

19 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

There has been a bit of inflation since then though,can you still get pie, mash and liquor for £1.95 ?

Oh yes, you can definitely get pie, mash and liquor for £195 for two. 

In the early 70s my companion, very knowledgeable in non tourist traps, took me to a real spit and sawdust pub off Charing Cross Road.  Freshly made sandwiches of whatever you wanted 9d.

It was joined by a corridor to the tourist eatery on Leicester Square charging £s not pence. 

[Markyswan]

I really do not like driving into London as so many restrictions and never sure if I get caught slightly in one of the keep clear or yellow boxes due to slow traffic that you can't seem to always time it right when it appears to be clear to go.

Always puts us on edge and have parked outside London a couple of times and it's less stressful to get a tube in.

[Roy124]

Mark, agree.  The time before I went to London, a London, with the charging zone, but less speed enforcement, I used a different technique. 

I would ignore all traffic in my 6, between 3 and 9 o'clock; let them avoid hitting me. I would then drive as fast as I could into any available space in front of me; this kept my 6 clear and left would be over and under takers behind. 

This was on Park Lane and I think the speed limit was quite high. Today, northbound, with cycle lanes, bus parking lanes, bus lanes, I think traffic has only two lanes becoming one. 

The next mayoral election will be decided between drivers and cyclists 🙄