Hi there just wondered what london is like to drive through is it as bad as what people say fancy doing a bit of tramping but that really puts me off . I usually drive a 100 mile radius from the northwest ( Manchester) I know there’s a lot of restrictions and weight limits any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
It’s a hell hole for newcomers, honestly.
I didn’t think it was as bad as people make out , well it is and it isn’t lol , you expect to be sat in traffic for a while and find weight restrictions etc so just enjoy the views but on the other hand if you get stressed easily then it is a nightmare , a lot of impatient people won’t let you out etc the cyclists flying in and out of traffic etc …
Smoggie89:
I didn’t think it was as bad as people make out , well it is and it isn’t lol , you expect to be sat in traffic for a while and find weight restrictions etc so just enjoy the views but on the other hand if you get stressed easily then it is a nightmare , a lot of impatient people won’t let you out etc the cyclists flying in and out of traffic etc …
You must have had a good day! I’ve lived and worked here for 30+ years. It doesn’t trouble me at all now but when I was new to the place it was a nightmare and still is for the inexperienced.
DrivingMissDaisy:
Smoggie89:
I didn’t think it was as bad as people make out , well it is and it isn’t lol , you expect to be sat in traffic for a while and find weight restrictions etc so just enjoy the views but on the other hand if you get stressed easily then it is a nightmare , a lot of impatient people won’t let you out etc the cyclists flying in and out of traffic etc …You must have had a good day! I’ve lived and worked here for 30+ years. It doesn’t trouble me at all now but when I was new to the place it was a nightmare and still is for the inexperienced.
I’ve only been a couple of time , the first time I got ■■■■■■ off because I got told to go down a street to delivery only to find a low bridge so had to reverse onto the main road , was a nightmare lol , after that I knew what to expect so just rolled through the centre looking about and it was nice weather so made it more enjoyable lol , if your on a tight schedule though you are nackerd lol
Once you’ve drove in london you’ll be able to drive anywhere
Keep your wits about you and don’t get rushed, was in there rush hour Friday. The amount of people who were driving like idiots took me a bit by surprise. My personal favourite was the stream of drivers using the left only lane at a roundabout to carry straight on, needless to say when I went through in the leftmost ahead lane they all had to stop 
Tramping doesn’t mean you have to go through London, I did it for a couple of years and never went inside the M25. When I have been through its been like any city, albeit a bit bigger, in as much as when you know where you’re going it’s easier.
Its the one place I avoid, up to now at least 
Give me a farm that doesn’t seem to exist on a map, up a tight country lane the width of the wagon any day 
There are two parts to London. Inside the north/south circular, and inside the congestion charge zone “the city”. For the first add 30 minutes to you’re time estimate. For the second you can double the journey time.
I’ve never worried about it too much about it because you are rarely moving fast enough to be overwhelmed by whatever is happening.
Get yourself a good trucker sat nav and keep it up to date with weight limits and bridges. Stick to the A roads and you’ll be fine. Most importantly take your time and if you need to pinch a bit of someone else’s lane then take more than you need. If you leave any kind of gap then some twonk will try and squeeze through it.
You just need to get in the mindset “it’ll get there when it gets there”, the second you start rushing in London is when you end up on the national news because you’ve squashed a cyclist.
Last tip is make sure you have a full 4.5 time left before you come inside the M25. Last thing you need is to be clock watching on top of everything else.
It really isn’t too terrible I swear 
Avoid anything wearing a helmet, or with Addisson Lee written on it.
I go in there most days, its not that bad to be honest, you just have to learn to drive defensively and to keep your eyes open, give them an inch and they will take a mile. as others have said give yourself plenty of time and you will do ok 
avoid anything wearing a helmet watch for traffic wardens and invest in a decent sat nav and do a bit of google map homework before going in helps you look for landmarks when you hit the ground makes things easier also means you can see if there are any restrictions around but most of all try not to get stressed thats when you get hot headed and things start to go ■■■■ up
Despite being a Northern lad,I used to know my way right through from one end to the other when you HAD to drive through it pre M25 (and sat nav days) talk about being chucked in at the deep end, and at 21year old,… just wondered how many would manage that today.
Later on while driving foreign reg trucks I just used to ignore the congestion toll ■■■■■■■■ (sorry if this offends the small minded foreign truck haters among you 
) but lately I hadn’t any need to go through it…until last Wednesday 
I went in on M11 A12 towards Stratford and Tower Hamlets to Isle of Dogs with the aid of my 1989 Ato Z, (which ended up in a bin at the next services )
I couldn’t believe how different it was. What struck me was where the hell do you park there now, or do you not bother going in unless you have more than 3 hours driving time left 
There used to be parks that I remember in Aldgate, Bishopgate, Sheperds Bush to name a few but all gone now.
Sounds fun I’ll some good tips in there I suppose its one of those untill you go you’ll never know to be honest most of our work is on industrial estates so might not be all that bad .
I think I must be the odd one out - I love driving through London even if occasionally it does get a bit tricky. Just take your time and keep your eyes open
London is ok when you get used to it. A lot of it for me is down to how I’m routed. I can only get into certain places at certain times, so if I’m bouncing all over the place, a slight bit of aggro will bugger my hours up
F-reds:
Last tip is make sure you have a full 4.5 time left before you come inside the M25. Last thing you need is to be clock watching on top of everything else.
Best piece of advice regarding Londres, ever.
Ken.
I agree with that, but only if you don’t know your drops. There are certain places that will let me kill off a 45 after I’ve tipped as long as I keep myself out of the way of anyone else that might turn up.
DrivingMissDaisy:
It’s a hell hole for newcomers, honestly.
London is no different to anywhere else i never had any trouble there,I found Birmingham worse.