Driving out of London
Jan 16th, 2015, 12:20 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Driving out of London
Hello!
I live in London, and I started a new job in Crawley next to Gatwick Airport. I'm planning to drive on daily basis from Victoria to work in Crawley, becasue my office is far from the train station and I definitly need a car to go there.
I'm planning to leave home at 6.15am and depart from work at 3.30p,.
Do you think there will be traffic on those times? I've been told that once I'm out of Croydon it's very straightforward from there.
I live in London, and I started a new job in Crawley next to Gatwick Airport. I'm planning to drive on daily basis from Victoria to work in Crawley, becasue my office is far from the train station and I definitly need a car to go there.
I'm planning to leave home at 6.15am and depart from work at 3.30p,.
Do you think there will be traffic on those times? I've been told that once I'm out of Croydon it's very straightforward from there.
Jan 16th, 2015, 12:57 AM
#2
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"Do you think there will be traffic on those times?"
Absolutely.
I'd seriously challenge anyone saying "once I'm out of Croydon it's very straightforward from there." Southbound, problems carry on till the very end of Purley Way, and often start again at the M23/M25 interchange. Northbound, leaving at 1530 just hits the school pickup problems.
I reverse commuted for over 20 years and never found a satisfactory solution to destinations south of the river from the centre, except allowing at least an hour more than anyone would consider prudent, only doing it under exceptional circumstances and inventing complex, often counter-intuitive, routes.
The chauffeurs airlines used to send you if you were in Business or First flying through Gatwick used to go out to the west from north ofnte river. They'd join the M25 around J13, though since rush hour these days starts around 0630 on the section between the M4 and M3, I'd be leery of recreating that route.
We've recently found J9 on the M25, then the A24, a better route to Crawley than the M23. It's ages since I used to do this alternative to joining the M25 at J13, but we used to join at J10, getting to it by the A3036 at Waterloo, the A3205 at Vauxhall, then the A3 to J10 of the M25. I'd imagine that would be a great deal nastier these days Victoria-bound in the evening than Crawley-bound in the morning.
The point about this lengthy list of London back-doubles isn't that it still works, but that complicated Great Circle routes (I used occasionally to do an even weirder one through the Blackwall Tunnel which under some circs worked better) are usually the only real solution. You need to ask around people who do it regularly (like your new colleagues), then chop and change.
I'd still suggest moving to Brighton, though - or keeping a bike at Crawley station. Reverse commuting from London really works only by train or north- or west-bound.
Absolutely.
I'd seriously challenge anyone saying "once I'm out of Croydon it's very straightforward from there." Southbound, problems carry on till the very end of Purley Way, and often start again at the M23/M25 interchange. Northbound, leaving at 1530 just hits the school pickup problems.
I reverse commuted for over 20 years and never found a satisfactory solution to destinations south of the river from the centre, except allowing at least an hour more than anyone would consider prudent, only doing it under exceptional circumstances and inventing complex, often counter-intuitive, routes.
The chauffeurs airlines used to send you if you were in Business or First flying through Gatwick used to go out to the west from north ofnte river. They'd join the M25 around J13, though since rush hour these days starts around 0630 on the section between the M4 and M3, I'd be leery of recreating that route.
We've recently found J9 on the M25, then the A24, a better route to Crawley than the M23. It's ages since I used to do this alternative to joining the M25 at J13, but we used to join at J10, getting to it by the A3036 at Waterloo, the A3205 at Vauxhall, then the A3 to J10 of the M25. I'd imagine that would be a great deal nastier these days Victoria-bound in the evening than Crawley-bound in the morning.
The point about this lengthy list of London back-doubles isn't that it still works, but that complicated Great Circle routes (I used occasionally to do an even weirder one through the Blackwall Tunnel which under some circs worked better) are usually the only real solution. You need to ask around people who do it regularly (like your new colleagues), then chop and change.
I'd still suggest moving to Brighton, though - or keeping a bike at Crawley station. Reverse commuting from London really works only by train or north- or west-bound.
Jan 16th, 2015, 08:16 AM
#3
flanner has given you much more detail/help than I could. I have driven south out of London a few times but never on a regular commute. Other than moving, his suggestion to take the train and a bike is the only one that I could imagine making sense. A few weeks of that drive and I'd either be bat s#!t crazy, would have moved house, or quit my job 
Jan 16th, 2015, 08:54 AM
#4
Crawley station has a large covered bicycle area, I suggest you invest in sensible transport and catch the train.
I used to do a tip from the North of England to Crawley on a regular basis. I ended up catching the bus from the train because it was so easy.
Use this
http://www.traveline.info/
or
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/ not sure if this one reaches out far enough
and I think one has an app.
I used to do a tip from the North of England to Crawley on a regular basis. I ended up catching the bus from the train because it was so easy.
Use this
http://www.traveline.info/
or
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/ not sure if this one reaches out far enough
and I think one has an app.
Jan 16th, 2015, 11:50 PM
#8
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"I'm sorry I didn't read all your input until I posted"
But you're right to remind the poster that Crawley - and the Gatwick sprawl - DOES have a decent bus system, not all centred on Crawley station: there are lots of buses from lots of different stations around what's really Gatwickshire.
It always surprises me how many bus stops there are near Gatwick cargo handlers, offairport carparks and offices for the myriads of businesses that are kind of dependent on the airport. And how often a "Crawley" mailing address is actually easier to get to from Gatwick, Horley (sometimes cheaper, and a lot nearer its bus stops, than Gatwick), Reigate or even Dorking stations than from Crawley's.
The area is a bit beyond the capabilities of the TfL journey planner: worse, even, though is the fact that the planner won't admit it and gives downright misleading advice. Traveline is the poster's friend.
But you're right to remind the poster that Crawley - and the Gatwick sprawl - DOES have a decent bus system, not all centred on Crawley station: there are lots of buses from lots of different stations around what's really Gatwickshire.
It always surprises me how many bus stops there are near Gatwick cargo handlers, offairport carparks and offices for the myriads of businesses that are kind of dependent on the airport. And how often a "Crawley" mailing address is actually easier to get to from Gatwick, Horley (sometimes cheaper, and a lot nearer its bus stops, than Gatwick), Reigate or even Dorking stations than from Crawley's.
The area is a bit beyond the capabilities of the TfL journey planner: worse, even, though is the fact that the planner won't admit it and gives downright misleading advice. Traveline is the poster's friend.
Jan 17th, 2015, 04:50 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks a lot for your suggestions.
The problem is that where I work is in the middle on nowhere 4.5 miles away from Three Bridges Station. There are no buses that go anywhere near it and the bike option was the first thing that occurred to my mind, I did it for a couple of days but it proved to be a long ride to do on daily basis plus the region is really hilly, it's raining almost every time and it's dark by the time I finish work.
I'm afraid driving is the only option left as moving out of London isn't an option because I have a family here.
Thanks a lot again for your helpful advises.
The problem is that where I work is in the middle on nowhere 4.5 miles away from Three Bridges Station. There are no buses that go anywhere near it and the bike option was the first thing that occurred to my mind, I did it for a couple of days but it proved to be a long ride to do on daily basis plus the region is really hilly, it's raining almost every time and it's dark by the time I finish work.
I'm afraid driving is the only option left as moving out of London isn't an option because I have a family here.
Thanks a lot again for your helpful advises.
Jan 17th, 2015, 06:18 AM
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm getting a lift from one of my colleagues for now, but this can't go forever as it might cause them nuisance. I have thought of buying an old car and leave it at Three bridges, but then whole point of the commute which to save money will not be met. I'm paying £310/month for the train, and if I want to buy a car, I'll pay around £1500/year to run the car + the car parking at the station which is £850/year (it's obviously expensive). I have thought of buying a scooter motorbike and leave it overnight at the station but I'm gonna have to check if I'm allowed to and I'm not sure it will be safe to leave it there anyway. Do you think it's a good idea?
My work postcode is: RH10
Someone at work commutes from Tooting in London (which is a bit further to the South West from Victoria) everyday and he told me that it takes him around an hour and 5 minutes.
My work postcode is: RH10
Someone at work commutes from Tooting in London (which is a bit further to the South West from Victoria) everyday and he told me that it takes him around an hour and 5 minutes.
