Quickest route into London

[FF1078]

I've driven in the past 3 years at this time
I need the car as wife has a LOT of shopping bags
We take cases and a suit. Drive up to The Savoy, guys parks your car and hey prestow you dont need to worry about the car. 1 days congestion charge and that's it. I took my parents to our local train station last week, they did the same but on train, cost them £250 train and then taxi's and tube. They had to carry there LV cases on a train down plus same back with shopping bags which I wouldn't fancy. My dad said he'd never go on train again. I'm afraid I will be driving.

 

[hilts uk]

I've driven in the past 3 years at this time
I need the car as wife has a LOT of shopping bags
We take cases and a suit. Drive up to The Savoy, guys parks your car and hey prestow you dont need to worry about the car. 1 days congestion charge and that's it. I took my parents to our local train station last week, they did the same but on train, cost them £250 train and then taxi's and tube. They had to carry there LV cases on a train down plus same back with shopping bags which I wouldn't fancy. My dad said he'd never go on train again. I'm afraid I will be driving.

Ok hope it goes well

 

[safrane]

What day?

 

[FF1078]

Friday 20th November

 

[hoyin]

If you have a smart phone install this app called Waze. I drive in London all the time and this is great for finding the best routes and avoiding traffic.

 

[Wack61]

I'm always amazed how accurate the tomtom traffic is , even on B roads it knows where the jams are

 

[TridentTested]

Exactly - I was just about to suggest a similar dodge with Stevenage; straight down the A1, then Anytime First Class return from SVG-KGX @ £33.30, off-peak @ £25.50. It will cost that in parking and lost time in London..

+1


I live in London and drive as seldom as possible. I would never consider a shopping trip by car.

 

[StuartW]

I think the pattern here is that the people who live in London or are there regularly would not drive there and those who don't, would - I lived and/or worked in London from '89 to 2006 and now that I have left, I would not hesitate to drive to and around London.
But, it would be in Nicola's Fiat 500 and not the GTS!

 

[safrane]

I drive into St James twice a week but blesses with free parking and in a Gov vehicle so CC free. My drive is M4A4 all the way and occasionally via Embankment if its choker round Harrods. Normaly an hour from the and to the M25 junction...but sometimes much longer.

 

[FF1078]

If you have a smart phone install this app called Waze. I drive in London all the time and this is great for finding the best routes and avoiding traffic.

Thanks Hoyin, I'll try that

 

[FF1078]

Thanks all for your input
I've not been put off at all and am still driving in.
Maybe if I lived there I would feel differentley but I dont have to rush so I'll just plod along with the traffic and leave her in neutral when not moving

 

[hoyin]

It depends what I am doing. If you have somewhere to park and need the car and don't mind paying all the charges I don't really mind driving around London.

You will find Waze better than tomtom. As it uses google analytics from everyone's phones to give you real time info as to whether they are moving or not. So there are more users than tomtom so the information is more accurate.

However if you don't have signal (like in the countryside) then tomtom is better.

Quite often on long journeys I have both on to see the differences, but I do find Waze to have the upper hand. In London I could not survive without it. I have found some crazy shortcuts with it.

 

[StuartW]

It's Edgeware road that I find congested

It was a breeze for me today taking my regular route. I left home on the Lincolnshire Fens at ten to 8 this morning and was parked behind the Met hotel, walking down Piccadilly before 10. If only it was always this easy!

 

[hoyin]

It was a breeze for me today taking my regular route. I left home on the Lincolnshire Fens at ten to 8 this morning and was parked behind the Met hotel, walking down Piccadilly before 10. If only it was always this easy!

Oh that early on a Saturday! No one in London is awake at that time.

 

[Sham83]

+1


I live in London and drive as seldom as possible. I would never consider a shopping trip by car.

Agree. I avoid driving in London as much as possible as its not fun and ******* the car in constant traffic, plus it's a bugger to park given its size! Only usually use for out of town trips, in London I use the tube/bus or cabs. If you're driving in or out, best to travel early, before 10am I would say.

 

[Steve GS]

I drive into London everyday. Finchley Road slightly better than edgewear road but I am driving in between 6-7 am. Park out side London and get a train in. I only drive in as have a van load of tools

 

[Ebenezer]

Drove in to central London before for the last ACE Cafe meet. Left Reading at 5.50am and was parked up in Marylebone at 6.45am. Left Marylebone at 5pm to go to the ACE - Took just under an hour to travel the 7 or so miles following the sat navs directions. S L O W.
Wouldn't want to do that regularly!
Eb

 

[StuartW]

Oh that early on a Saturday! No one in London is awake at that time.

All the better for us early risers then! I was in the Fiat 500 I hasten to add, much easier to nip around the busses

 

[safrane]

Took me four hours this morning from Bristol to St James Park...and had some tosser run into the back of the hire car despite being in a stopped queue on the M4....Set off at 05:15 to try and miss the rush as 1st meeting was an early one.