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  1. #1
    DF Rookie Stavman's Avatar
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    Default To drive or not to drive, London

    Hey all, planning a trip to the UK this spring and I am debating whether or not to rent a car or not. I am from Canada so I never drove on the left side of the road. Is it easy to adjust or a nightmare? Thank you for your input.

  2. #2
    DF VIP Member rusty's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    depends on where you are driving, around London (within M25 motorway) its very busy
    when I drove in Poland last year (they drive on right) I found the roundabouts a bit confusing

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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  3. #3
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    I wouldn't bother, driving in central London is a nightmare, traffic is a joke and you'll get charged to enter congestion zone and to park is bloody joke upto £12 an hour plus in some areas.

    Whilst our transport system is expensive it's a lot less stressful then driving about the capital.

    With regards to driving on the opposite side of the road, watch some YouTube videos about driving abroad and if you do decide to do it, take it easy and don't be bullied into rushing. I drove in the states last year and found it a pleasurable experience.

    Thanks to Ashley

    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  4. #4
    DF Moderator EvilBoB's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    Quote Originally Posted by Ashley View Post
    I wouldn't bother, driving in central London is a nightmare, traffic is a joke and you'll get charged to enter congestion zone and to park is bloody joke upto £12 an hour plus in some areas.

    Whilst our transport system is expensive it's a lot less stressful then driving about the capital.

    With regards to driving on the opposite side of the road, watch some YouTube videos about driving abroad and if you do decide to do it, take it easy and don't be bullied into rushing. I drove in the states last year and found it a pleasurable experience.
    London is a beast - but I love driving there. I just take my time, never rush and all okay. Once you get into the congestion charge zone the roads are a LOT clearer so it's only the outer parts that are really stressy with lots of bad drivers. Rarely see an accident though....

    I'd certainly recommend you park up at a tube station and take the Underground instead to travel around. It's cheaper, faster and less stressful.
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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  5. #5
    DF VIP Member DavidF's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    For a holiday I would most certainly avoid driving. If you tell us where you are thinking of visiting then we could assist more with what is viable via public transport and what you may need a car for. You will probably find that public transport is cheaper and quicker and less stressful for you to get to your destinations.

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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  6. #6
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    Not sure about inside the congestion zone but I find the rest of London stressful to drive around, as already said it's best to use public transport in most cases. Parking can be a bitch, even at half decent hotels which have parking you have to pay up to £20 overnight let alone in the day. Between Uber and the underground you should be sorted.

    Thanks to evilsatan

    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  7. #7
    DF Admin Teajunkie's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    I love driving in london.

    I'm an ex delivery driver so i have a don't care attitude to my car being hit by knob ends, if they hit me they have to pay.
    I love driving in america too.
    New york a bit busier than most places but slow moving.
    Paris is a nightmare and so is spain and greece.

    But for a london holiday Nah use the public transport links.
    Underground and buses are fantastic.
    Have you joined the DF discord server. https://discord.com/invite/YajVGQxDaw

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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  8. #8
    DF VIP Member Over Carl's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    I personally prefer to use public transport for a lot of journeys unless I need to drive. Traffic can be horrendous meaning you can get stressed spending a long time getting no-where, and you need to be ultra vigilant as there are many pedestrians and cyclists, unfortunately a few of them seem to think they needs to take no responsibility to act safely and basically dump that responsibility on to drivers.

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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  9. #9
    DF VIP Member BertRoot's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    Don't be daft and walk everywhere. If it is more than a few tube stops then get a tube but better to buzz about in between where you want to see stuff. I went with the kids last year as my daughter was in a competition at the Olympic Village and that was about be only distant place we used public transport to get to and maybe 6 tube trips.

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    Stavman (2nd February 2017)  


  10. #10
    DF Rookie Stavman's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    Thank you for all the replies! While in London I was planing on using public transit but We want to go out of london and vist a few small towns on our way to Edinburgh so I thought a car would be best. Can't wait to be abroad!

  11. #11
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    Quote Originally Posted by Stavman View Post
    Thank you for all the replies! While in London I was planing on using public transit but We want to go out of london and vist a few small towns on our way to Edinburgh so I thought a car would be best. Can't wait to be abroad!
    Outside of London driving is fine, where was it you were visiting? I went to Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago but flew as it was only for a weekend and didn't want to waste time driving, great place and people up there!

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    Stavman (5th February 2017)  


  12. #12
    DF Moderator EvilBoB's Avatar
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    Default Re: To drive or not to drive, London

    As Bert says if you are looking at touristy stuff pretty much everything is walkable - also don't discount the black cabs. They are not as expensive as you might think, they are safe and fast and there is never a shortage. Just make sure it's a black cab you get and not a normal taxi firm/minicab.

    If you want to rent a car it might be an idea to rent from somewhere out of the central locations. Heathrow is West of London and has plenty of hire car companies that will pick you up from the airport (Get the tube to the airport and get a free taxi/shuttle bus to the hire company). Once there you have the south and west of the UK available such as Winchester, Reading, Wales etc. Bicester shopping village is worth a look but take pleny of £££s If you are heading north take the train from Kings Cross to Luton and pick up a car from there. From Luton you have Northampton, Milton Keynes, Watford etc. all close by.

    I think renting a car in London may be a bit rough - especially as you've not driven a RHD car before and there are some rules of the road you may find odd with lots of traffic lights, roundabouts and contraflows. If you want to see stuff outside London I'd be looking into hiring from Heathrow or Luton depending on what you are goind to see.
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