Travel to and around London with a disability

daniel-2412

Hi, i am travelling to London within the next two days, I have a Motability car and blue badge, i am coming from norwich and was wondering if anyone could help me plan my journey. i am guessing it would be cheaper to park outside london, park at their car park and catch a tube in? where would be the best place to park (cheapest) and what would be the cheapest cost for the underground please. i do not have a wheelchair and i am coming with two family members who are not disabled. thank you for any help.

Indigo_and_Violet

Do you know what you're planning to do in London? We'll be able to give better advice about the best place to park if we know where your final destination is. Also, how are you with stairs? There may be some tube stations you might want to avoid if stairs are tricky. 

lisyloo

What are you planning on doing?
Do you have restrictions on walking? I've been in London for 7 years and you can end up doing a LOT of walking for example at green park station there is a tube station interchange that's called the "mile of gloom", I'm not sure it's a mile but you can certainly walk some distance.
If there are 3 of you then you could consider uber if you're not on a tight budget.
Most people park outside the congestion charge zone and some cars also don't escape the ULEZ charge as well. There is a checker when you can put your car reg in to see if you'd have to pay one or both charges. Or for one day you could consider just paying it depending on how tight your budget is.
I use "justpark" for parking and there is a place I use near earls court that is as low as £5 per 24 hours.
NCP car parks sometimes have good offers on a selection of car parks.
Please give more info on where you are going and we'll be able to make some suggestions, but if you're not on a tight budget I would definitely recommend uber for convenience and you'll probably be able to find a discount code if you google. it's not that much more if you'll be paying 3 fares on the tube.

[Deleted User]

I often drive from the west of London and park at an industrial park near a tube station that I know has no parking charges, but you said you're coming from Norwich so this wouldn't work for you. Possibly someone who drives in regularly from your direction will be able to give you some better tips.

However, if you have a blue badge then it's worth saying you're entitled to drive into the congestion zone without paying (this is the link with information on how you do this) and to park for free when you're in London in a designated disabled bay (link to a map of these here). A lot of people instinctively think driving in London is horrendous and must never be done at all costs, but it can still be more convenient in some cases if you're going to a specific place. The tube is sometimes the better option, but it is not that disabled friendly - there are many stations that don't have step free access and the attitude of some other tube users can be quite difficult at times with people barging past anyone moving slowly, treating you like a nuisance and so on. I've travelled with an elderly relative into London on a few occasions and we just drove because of this.

daniel-2412

thank you all for your help

Arthurarthur52

We used to park at the ncp Greenwich £12 a day and on the jubilee line. Ideal for weekends. Never tried mid week. We have also bought a book may have been on Amazon of disabled parking spaces in london but remember you still have to register your car for not paying congestion if your going central london. Enjoy your day and stay safe. 

daniel-2412

I looked on the London official website and it says if your car/car tax is free/registered as disabled Then you are exempt from the congestion charge and don't need to do anything, though you still need to be the emissions tax.

Emmia

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes/rules-of-red-routes/blue-badge-disabled-parking