Driving in London

Visitors to London who are tempted to drive around the capital during their stay should listen to the little voice in the back of their heads that asks ‘is this going to worth it’. With a few exceptions probably not. What politicians of all levels in the UK have realised is that the car driver is a cash cow that needs milking on a regular basis.

At the pumps, passing through and parking is where you’ll get a big hit. Prices vary with location but the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol is around 0.90p at the moment and because 80%+ of that is tax don’t expect any sudden prices drops.

In central London there is a Congestion Charge zone that is operates Mon-Fri 7.00am-6.30pm and costs £8 per day. Currently the zone extends from around Marble Arch east to Tower Bridge and from St.Pancras in the north to Lambeth on the southern side of the Thames.

The Congestion Zone is marked by a large white C on a red background on traffic signs and marked on the road when you enter. You can pay the charge before you drive in , on the day of travel, both at £8 or before midnight on the following day at £10. You can pay online,by post, by phone, by text or pay in certain shops and petrol stations. The system uses vehicle registration recognition cameras and failure top pay means a £100 fine. The same technology is used to fine any one driving or stopping in red bus lanes, also £100.

On February 19th 2007 the Congestion Charge area will almost double in size going west as far as Shepard’s Bush.

Parking can be expensive, most local authorities make a fortune charging for on street parking and wardens are very quick to ticket cars not with a valid meter or ticket from a machine.

Car parks in London are not cheap, NCP is one of the major operators and looking at their Holborn site the charges are £1.10 for every 15 minutes up to a maximum of £26 per day. A couple of other sites to check if you do need to find a London car park are London City Parking and BCP.

Don’t forget in the UK we drive on the left side of the road, when you approach a roundabout give way to traffic coming from the right and if you see a square yellow box on top of a pole about 12ft high by the side of the road, its a speed camera and will flash and take a picture of the car’s licence plate if you’re doing more than the speed limit on that road.

Also look out for smaller grey boxes on high poles when you approach sets of traffic lights. These will flash and take a picture if you go through the junction after the light has turned red.

Speed limits vary but in most built up and residential areas it will be 30mph rising to 40mph on busier roads and 60 and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Always look out for roadside signs that will say what the limit is for the road you’re on.