Where can we live without a car?

[DespairingInLondon]

We're thinking of leaving London but really do not want to have to get a car.

Our children will be in secondary school soon, so we want them to have social lives but without having to drive them everywhere.

Tell me about the places you know within about 2 hours of London where you truly can live without a car. Frequent, reliable public transport, safe cycling options, walk to town centre and shops, etc.

Seriously, no where is like London for public transport. I lived for 14 years in a medium sized city and you were seriously compromised if you didn't have at least one car as buses were patchy outside of the main weekday daytime and only ran to the city centre in spokes so journey time by bus to a school friends for a party might be 1.5 hours and it's only a 50 minute walk. Parties were spread all over and it was seriously annoying that certain families (2) would spout out their green credentials on not having a car yet rely on other parents to ferry their offspring about. No buses on Sundays before 11 was another ridiculous situation as my DD's were choristers and needed to be in the city centre for 9.15am

We moved from London to Saltaire, West Yorkshire in 2016 and didn't get a car until the middle of the first lockdown 2020. We don't need one but it's a nice to have. The public transport is really good and I know quite a few families nearby that are car free. It's more than 2 hours from London though. 2 hours 18 mins to Leeds and then another 15-20 minutes to saltaire. We moved here due to easy travel to London.

Sheffield? You can buy a 3 bed terrace in a good area with outstanding schools and half an hour walk to the city centre and on the edge of the peaks for about £300,000. It's about 2 hours drive to the M25 if you don't get stuck in traffic.

Obvious question... But why not just get a cheap car? You don't have to use it all the time, yet having one really opens up the suitability of hundreds of places.

Kings Cross to York direct trains can be as short as 1hr 48 minutes and run every half an hour.

I concur with others that York is a lovely city with good PT and everyone cycles all over city. It’s also very flat so easy walking.

Easy access into Leeds for employment.

Harborne in Birmingham has a bit of a london leafy suburb vibe. Nice restaurants on the high street within walking distance. Big parks and woods within walking distance. Lots of buses into the town centre and the other way out to Stourbridge. London less than 2 hours by train.

If you are prepared to walk or cycle then many places will work.
You can hire a car or van if you need one for short periods.

I live in a town centre and can walk to the railway and bus stations.
Somewhere like Reading or Maidenhead might work for you

I know people who don’t have a car. They beg lifts all the time! Your DC won’t thank you. It limits them wherever you live. No spontaneous trips into stunning countryside for you!

More votes for Leicester, Colchester or Norwich.

I know people without a car who never beg lifts. They are used to not having a car and enjoy walking.

Cambridge. Good schools, easy to cycle around. Direct train to London in an hour.

@TizerorFizz

I know people who don’t have a car. They beg lifts all the time! Your DC won’t thank you. It limits them wherever you live. No spontaneous trips into stunning countryside for you!

I think this is unfair. Maybe the people you know that don't have a car....

We never begged lifts when we were car free. Taxis are dirt cheap up here in Yorkshire so we used those and also hired cars at the weekend if we fancied it. There's also a car club here but we cancelled that after the first year free membership as we found hiring for the weekend worked better.

We bought a cheap car when we did eventually get a car last year. I think being car free was still cheaper even though we hired cars a fair amount.

@EllieQ

York. Two hours from London by train Compact city, good cycle routes, fairly frequent buses in the city (though not as good in the nearby villages), and well -connected to the rest of the UK by train. There’s also a car club in the city, which is handy for those occasional times when you need a car.

I would agree. It’s well set up for non car owners

I’ve always been car-free by choice and now live in Brighton. Didn’t have one in London either. I love walking and make the DC walk everywhere too, if I need wheels, and sometimes we do if running late for school etc, i get a cab. Buses are good here too and it’s a lovely lifestyle next to the sea. The only complaint I have is that kids have to pay on the buses here whereas they don’t in London. That was a surprise to me. But other than that it’s great and I never ever miss having a car. Nor do I ever ask for a lift! I can’t remember the last time a friend drove me anywhere. They don’t need to drive either.

Agree with the Birmingham suggestion. Sutton Coldfield is on the Cross City train line so great links to a variety of places. Bus services from the suburbs like Moseley, Kings Heath and Harborne as suggested above.

Brighton. Far more hassle having a car there than not. I lived there pre children and post children and found it just as easy.

Northampton? Peterborough?

Tunbridge Wells.

Oxford?

Have you considered a car club membership?

Why the two hours to London condition? Lots of great cities you can live well in without a car but tend to be a bit further from London (it’s not called the commuter belt for nothing).
If you can be further away I’d throw edinburgh and glasgow in the mix.

My brother and his partner have lived several years without a car in Brighton with no issue. Dc at school, he commutes on a train.

@museumum Although we're both working from home, we may occasionally need to go into London for work or access the Eurostar, hence the 2-hr travel limit, but it's somewhat flexible

@FurierTransform We would rather not have a car, mainly for environmental reasons. It's very hard for us to justify given the climate crisis, but if we did go that route it would have to be an affordable electric car.

@FayCarew We've been car-free by choice for over twenty years and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've asked friends for a lift.

To those mentioning car club memberships, we have one in London but I know a lot of places do not have them.

Oxford, Bath and Cambridge are lovely ideas but property is about as expensive there as where we are in London near very good schools and green spaces. I think Bristol has also become pretty pricey now.

Where we are now is perfect for us but getting on the property ladder feels like a real stretch. Especially when I see prices in places further afield.

IME, the less expensive the house the higher the likelihood having a car is essential.

Places were all the attractions and quality services are tend to come with a high price for property.

Where not were.