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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you worked in London

205 replies

LondonIsCalling · 08/09/2021 19:37

And live 40 minutes away from the job, would you drive or take the train?
Job is at a London hospital

OP posts:
Stopsnowing · 08/09/2021 21:17

Suggest plan:

Check if you are entitled to free or reduced parking.

Check if you will have to pay the congestion charge which if I remember rightly is 15 quid a day.

Check if you can rent parking nearby eg a persons drive or garage.

It is really not near a train station so consider if you
Could drive to somewhere outside the congestion zone, park for free or cheap and get the bus in.

TokyoTen · 08/09/2021 21:17

Hard to say. It depends on how central work was, what parking is like, when i was travelling (night v day), how close is station etc

WorkingItOutAsIGo · 08/09/2021 21:18

Ah ok you say google says 40 min drive. Mine right now says 12 minutes but I know at 8am that would be 40 minutes, so did you check at the right times on a weekday?

MurielSpriggs · 08/09/2021 21:19

Personally I would walk that distance

DonnatellaLyman · 08/09/2021 21:19

West london traffic is the worst thing ever. Train every time - better for you, the planet, your wallet and the lungs of Londoners.

If it’s 40min to Chelsea at 9am it’s probably a walkable distance - have you considered that or cycling?

Cupoftea53 · 08/09/2021 21:20

To be honest I would never think of driving to work in London, unless I worked night shifts when traffic would be quiet. The public transport is amazing and also cheap if you are traveling within the zones.

georgarina · 08/09/2021 21:23

Train or bike. I live centrally and driving/parking/traffic would be much less convenient.

lurker101 · 08/09/2021 21:24

Public transport or as others have said cycle/walk - if it’s a forty minute drive at peak times it’s probably less than 3 miles.

Ronacorona · 08/09/2021 21:25

Depends on parking and conj charge done and if you're car is ulez compliant.

PatriciaHolm · 08/09/2021 21:25

@Cupoftea53

i live 4 miles from c&w. If I was going there I would allow an hour for the journey to be on the safe side, not the 17 mins it supposedly takes!
Indeed - I live 14 miles away, in Surrey, and right now Google Maps reckons I could get there in 33 mins (9.25 pm).

If I tried at commuting time in the morning, it would be at least an hour, probably nearer 1.5.

ShingleBeach · 08/09/2021 21:28

I live and work in London and I don’t know anyone who drives to work.

LakeShoreD · 08/09/2021 21:30

Can you not at least narrow down where you’re coming from? Obvs not exact location! But it will help people give better advice. Just asking as I’m less than 2 miles from C&W and the drive can take up to 40 minutes in rush hour. However, the train involves a change then a walk so isn’t any quicker. Bus is a good option as is cycling but if it’s purely down to train versus car then I’d personally drive as long as I didn’t have to pay for the parking, since C&W has a huge underground car park and it’s door to door.

LynetteScavo · 08/09/2021 21:32

@LondonIsCalling

Obviously I don't want to give my exact location. By car it shows on Google that it takes 40 minutes from my house. I will work the standard hours 9-5.
Where do you live, Putney? How long will the train take?
chesirecat99 · 08/09/2021 21:32

OP, you can change the journey time on Google maps.

If I put in a random London address to ChelWest, it is telling me the journey will take 17 mins now. If I change that to "arrive by 9.00am", it says "typically 14-40 mins".

Tresal · 08/09/2021 21:35

There isn’t a congestion charge for that part of London. Chelsea and Westminster hospital is not great for tube or train but I would still go by public transport as the traffic is terrible around there, especially during peak hours.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 08/09/2021 21:35

As others have said you need to re-run the calculation at the peak times. There are days when 40 mins will barely get you to Hammersmith.

ToughLoveLDN · 08/09/2021 21:36

Take the train

TheYearOfSmallThings · 08/09/2021 21:44

I live and work in London and I don’t know anyone who drives to work

Same here. Literally no one. It just isn't something people do, or have done for decades now.

MsHedgehog · 08/09/2021 21:44

For Chelsea and Westminster, train, definitely. No question.

MsHedgehog · 08/09/2021 21:45

@TheYearOfSmallThings

I live and work in London and I don’t know anyone who drives to work

Same here. Literally no one. It just isn't something people do, or have done for decades now.

Well it depends where you live and work... I drove everyday when I lived in NW and worked in NE.
Dishwashersaurous · 08/09/2021 21:46

Train.

There's no where centrally to park. Plus congestion charge

TheYearOfSmallThings · 08/09/2021 21:47

Well it depends where you live and work... I drove everyday when I lived in NW and worked in NE.

Sorry yes, I meant central London not greater London. Obviously people drive around the edges.

WhereYouLeftIt · 08/09/2021 21:51

@LondonIsCalling

And live 40 minutes away from the job, would you drive or take the train? Job is at a London hospital
Have you enquired about the length of the waiting list for a parking permit at that hospital?
longue · 08/09/2021 21:52

I live and work in London and I don’t know anyone who drives to work

It's quite common for those who work in hospitals or schools or police. Many companies have car parks.

Eralos · 08/09/2021 21:54

I’d drive. I drive to work from zone 2 London to zone 4 London. It’s fine.