donnae_b

I heard that there are parts of London where you are not allowed to own a car, is this true?
thank you,

Mucky

I don't think you are specifically not allowed to own one.
However, what with the Congestion charge, the car parking charges, congestion and no where to park anyway its probably better not to bother owning one.

Maybe our London friends know better.

Muck

_Kat_

No, it's not true.

There are plenty of parts of London where finding somewhere to park one is a nightmare though.

nona1

What a funny idea - whoever is telling you that needs a few extra brain cells. Does anyone seriously think that any normal country would make it illegal for people living on a few specific streets to own a car? What if you bought a car and kept it somewhere else - they gonna lock you up?

Anyone can own a car anywhere. Whether or not you'll have anywhere to keep it near your home is another matter. That, and the good public transport links, is why a lot of central Londoners simply don't bother with a car.

They may be getting mixed up with the congestion charge. You have to pay a daily charge to drive in some areas, with the aim of reducing the level of traffic.

Also, there was a time (and it may still be current, I don't know) where several streets in the 'square mile' by the embassies etc were closed to general traffic for security reasons. You could still own a car if you lived there though, just not drive it all the way home!

nytraveler

It's not very practical to drive around the center of London - but quite a few people there own them and use for weekends.

It's like owning a car in Manhattan (although our congestion tax is still in the planning stage) - but parking on the street isn't possible unless you're home during the day to move it at the correct hours for street cleaning - which means at least $500 per month for a garage as well as high insurance costs - along with the cost of the car itself.

flanneruk

What an absurd idea. How could you possibly tell people in North St they can't have cars, while people in South St can? Presumably the poster lives in a country with so ill-established a democracy that such stupidities are commonplace.

As for: "parking on the street isn't possible unless you're home during the day to move it at the correct hours for street cleaning" I've come across that in the US and in Italy - but never heard of it anywhere in Britain.


What DOES happen in London, though, is:
- in most of London, street parking is severely limited, and where it is permitted usually heavily charged - around £3-4 an hour in the centre. There are special street parking spaces for local residents: acquiring the permit for these spaces costs money - typically a bit over £100 a year. "Local" usually means "within a few hundred yards of the space concerned" Few people bother using off-street car parking.
- In addition, using your car in central London costs £8 a day during weekday daytimes if you live outside central London, or £0.80 a day if you live in the charging area. Annual cost for residents: £200 maximum.

So if you live in the centre and drive your car every day in the centre, you pay £300 A YEAR for all your parking and congestion charges.

We're delighted so many of you have been taken in by this myth we've created about how difficult driving in central London is. Keeps it one of the easiest cities in the world to drive in.

And they said you can't fool all the people all the time.

janisj

&quot;<i>whoever is telling you that needs a few extra brain cells</i>&quot;

I just <i>might</i> be the same person(s) who suggested donnae_b could take a cruise to Sacre Coeur (?)

MissPrism

My daughter gave up her car in London and now belongs to (I think) Streetcar.
Cars are parked in streets all over London and you can hire one by the hour, day etc.
You let yourself into the car with a smart card and return the car to the same place when you've finished with it.

stfc

I believe in Singapore car ownership is discouraged, and is it in the cities of Japan where you have to have a parking space before you can buy a vehicle?

Notwithstanding flanner's opinion, driving in the centre of London is the last thing I would do.

travelgourmet

<i>I believe in Singapore car ownership is discouraged</i>

Not just discouraged, but actively regulated. In addition to absurdly high taxes, you have to bid on a Certificate of Entitlement simply to have the opportunity to own a car. These certificates are limited in supply and expire after 10 years. Once all costs are added in, you are looking at spending close to S$200k to buy even a small car. Parking and operating costs are extra, of course.

In Europe, Denmark doesn't go quite as far, but does charge a roughly 180% tax on cars.

Still, neither country &quot;disallows&quot; car ownership.

caroline_edinburgh

There is at least one new development in Edinburgh where residents are supposedly not allowed to own cars - but I suppose nobody knows if they buy them and keep them elsewhere. I don't know if they have to sign some sort of pledge !

When I lived in London hardly anyone I knew had a car - it wasn't worth the hassle.

donnae_b

Thank you all for sharing you knowledge about car ownership in London. Fodors is a great resource to set the record straight!
Sincerely,
Donnae