If you live in London

[NeverEndingSnorey]

How do you feel about areas being called “zone” plus a number when used out of TfL context? Is this easier to understand where people are referring to? Is there any sense of identity loss for areas thar sit in the zones but whose names are used less? Or are they used less?What benefit, or otherwise, is there to having “zones” other than navigating TfL?

Unless talking directly about travel people in London tend not to refer to Zones.

On MN it's reasonable for a poster to say they live in a semi with a large garden in Zone 6 in a thread about property - this would indicate that they are not mega-rich but doing OK!

Also, someone lives in Zone 5 but their teen wants to go to Leicester Square with his mates and be out late.

That sort of thing.

When people talk about which zone they live in it's normally because they're talking about their work commute because most people work in Zone 1 and generally if you're living in Zone 2 your commute is under an hour, but Zone 3 upwards you've got a commute of an hour upwards.

I don't hear Londoners using the zone word to other Londoners.

It's only really useful to describe to non-Londoners if you live in the centre or outer suburbs, or if you need for some reason to be absolutely accurate about which travel zone a station is in.

Back in the day when they changed the phones to 071 and 081 the distinction was important. 071 was infinitely preferable because it signified ‘proper’ ie inner London.

This Zone distinction is just the same. I’m Zone 2. As a born and bred Londoner it matters as a way of conferring a sort of social strata which isn’t class.

And 3

20 years living in London and also never experienced this-zones only get talked about in relation to lamenting the cost of a travel card or having to travel through zone 1 to get somewhere else 🤷🏻‍♀️
Most people talk about living North, East, SE etc etc

East Dulwich borders did make me laugh though 🤣 It is so true!

I have never seen anyone on MN talk about zones outside of the context of distance from the centre.

I am not sure half my friends who live near me would be able to say exactly which zone we are in.

It certainly isn’t eradicating a sense of place.

I reckon they live somewhere that they're a bit embarrassed about and don't want to admit it. I'm not going to use Harlesden as an example or anything...
Otherwise it doesn't tell you much other than how far it is from the centre.

I suppose it would be helpful if you are telling a visitor how to get to you. For example, I am in Zone 1, so I might mention that to a tradesperson or a visitor so that they can anticipate congestion charges or cost of public transport?

But in general if asked where I live, I say the place name.

I think outside of TFL, it is not super helpful. For example, Zone 1 covers quite a large area. Someone from Belgravia is going to tell you they live in Belgravia. They are not going to say 'I live in Zone 1', lest you assume they might actually mean, say, Lambeth North.

I would only ever talk about the London zone I live in if it was in the context of a conversation relating to my commute or travel. I wouldn’t use the zone reference as a substitute for the place or area name.

No reason at all for anyone to be embarrassed about living in Harlesden.

Or any other area of London.

I really hate the snobbery around areas, where thousands of perfectly normal decent people live perfectly normal safe lives because that is where they can afford.

I twice lived in roads that were literally the last road of SE22 and both times when selling had to beg the estate agents to target sales at the people in the neighbouring postcodes, as otherwise we had endless viewings by people who wanted to live in East Dulwich but thought they were in Outer Siberia when they reached our place. Ironically both other areas were far better connected for travel and I'd happily have bought in either myself. My first place was firmly in SE22 but got placed in the North Dulwich triangle, as this was before anyone wanted to live in East Dulwich.

Anyway, there are people who will say they wouldn't never live outside zone 1/2 (choose your pickiness) in a generic way, and I agree on the phone codes! (I have a former zone 1 friend who moved to what we now refer to as zone 52 as she was so attached to central London living.) Other than that, possibly useful in a very local context if an area is large, to narrow it down?

I forgot about Norbury!