We have made comments in the past about not driving in central London. It’s something we would never consider, for several reasons, some of which are detailed below.
We do understand that you may have a genuine need to do this, but we’d tell everyone not to drive if they possibly can.
Here’s why:
- the cost of a hire car
- the cost of petrol (over £1.50 per litre)
- it’s not an efficient way of getting around. It’s slow, because of narrow, windy streets, traffic lights and crossings, road closures for repairs etc, one way systems, protests and demonstrations and, of course, the sheer weight of traffic and the imposed speed limits (20mph).
- confusing streets.
- it’s not fun, in fact, it’s stressful, especially traffic jams, accidents and other drivers.
- parking is a nightmare. There’s no real parking on the streets, no parking lots and limited multi-storey parks. These could be up to £30 an hour, though that is not typical, and need to be pre-booked as there are limited spaces. They are not the safest places. Some more out-of-town venues may have parking available eg The Barbican.
- congestion charge, currently £15 per day if you pay or £180 per day if you don’t (ie penalty).
- ULEZ (ultra low emission zone charges), can be £12.50 per day depending on the car.
- you don’t need to. If you come from a place where you don’t think about a 60 minute drive to buy groceries (and we don’t think much of it ourselves), your first thoughts may be ‘get a car’. No, public transport may be expensive compared to some places, but it usually works, can get you anywhere efficiently, is easy to use and is well integrated, can be fun, takes minimal effort,… you get the picture.