From driving everywhere to not at all!

This all depends on where you work, I think.  If you live in Richmond and work in London, then I wouldn't bother with a car.  If you live in Richmond and work elsewhere in Surrey or surrounding areas, then, IMO,you would want a car.

My husband will be working in Brentford right near the Gunnersbury station, so it's not a very far walk for him.  I won't have a job, so it'll mostly be logistics for getting my kids to and from school.  From the sounds of it though, the bus should fit our needs just fine .  Assuming I can follow the "Just Do It" directions! 

The tube does run to Chiswick, Kew and Richmond - all three towns are on the far reaches of the District line.  The tube in this area is fine for local hops but I wouldn't recommend it for getting into London.  It takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  The fast train to London Waterloo (stopping only at Clapham) takes about 20 minutes - can't do better than that!

I stand corrected! thanks

I don't think I would miss the transit side of driving, because as everyone says, you can get around beautifully most places in the UK on public transportation. What I would miss is that feeling of being in control that you get when driving. I like to just drive around for the heck of it sometimes. And you wouldn't just ride around on the buses for the heck of it -- well, I wouldn't!
But that said, I would never dream of driving in London and environs.

That's definitely one of the things I miss -- the control.  At home, if I want to make a quick detour, I just do it.  Here, I have to consider whether the detour is feasable -- it's always doable, but sometimes just not practical.  What I really miss MOST is being able to leave the house, hop in the car and do 7 different errands; retrieving stuff from or chucking stuff into the backseat as I go, without the need to head back home to dump off an armload of whatever is now too heavy and cumbersome.

That said, I'm not spending on gas and stuff, so I don't feel guilty for taking the occasional taxi when I'm just too weighted down.

I love not having to jockey for parking or do the daily ding inspection to see what damage was done to my street-parked car overnight (things I don't miss about Boston).

I live in a city outside of Glasgow and my DH told me time and time again I'll get on fine with the public transport.  There are buses every 10 min or so, and a train right into Glasgow.

Yea well I don't know how to get to the train station without catching 3 busses to do so, and by the time a bus actually comes you've missed everything you've wanted to do.  The final straw for me was when I went out to the bus stop 25 min in advanced to a dentist appointment.   My dentist being only 5 min away driving.  And was 10 min late due to the busses and lost my appointment.  We went out car shopping after I came home crying that I hated mass transport.  I still stand by word.  The busses are great if you have no time frame of where you're going, and if you don't have cute shoes you would mind getting rained on.  They're also fine for getting around East Kilbride (my city) and to and from Glasgow.  But the moment I want to step outside of EK and venture say up to Loch Lomond it's impossible. 

Even my hubby loves it now.  He doesn't have a liscense so I'm the one driving all the time but I'm not that bothered I personally LOVE to drive.

Even my hubby loves it now.  He doesn't have a liscense so I'm the one driving all the time but I'm not that bothered I personally LOVE to drive.

How do you do it with no one to show you how to drive

Where there's a will...

I miss my car so much, I can't tell you how many times i've been stuck outside in the rain. The buses in Brighton tend to be late and once you miss one its 10 minutes until the next one. I like walking and I like that you aren't considered a loser if you ride the bus or walk. I was walking the other day and there were so many people doing the same thing. I walked everywhere and took the bus in Fort Worth and it was so scary. I hate not having the option, and getting groceries is a pain also. All that said, its not so bad once you get used to it, it will just require a little patience and organization. I can live without a car, but i'm nearly dying without a dryer and a bathtub lol. What part of Texas are you from? 

What part of Texas are you from? 

I am in Dallas.  I fly out on New Years Eve for my big move!!!!  Luckily at our flat we have a dryer and bathtub, with shower adapter.  Fiance got a dryer just for me, since I said I refuse to have crunchy bath towels hehe    I am nervous about being out walking in the cold, as I am very warm natured. I easily get cold..so I am going shopping this weekend for a good jacket, tights, boots..and warm fuzzy socks! Im not used to walking anywhere, but I think I will find it refreshing once I get used to it...except for the cold part that is...

How do you do it with no one to show you how to drive

Haha, I know right?  I'm the luckiest female driver.  I Discourage him to learn how to drive as my sense of peace will fly out the window with it

You know it's strange. I was really upset when I first moved here (over six years ago) because I wouldn't be able to drive. Then when my license in the States expired, I felt totally lost. Now, that I know I will be able to get my bus pass on my next birthday, I'm rather excited.

My DH does all the grocery shopping on Sunday mornings, while I get to stay home and read the paper; we go together to do errands, rather than me on my own (which can be quite interesting sometimes); and I don't tend to spend the money like crazy when I used to be able to "hop in my car" anytime I wanted. Now, I have to plan: walking or scheduling for buses, where I want to go, etc; however, now an "outing on my own" has become rather an adventure, rather than a chore.

I lived in Kingston for a year and worked near Oxford Circus in London. We didn't have a car. We just walked everywhere... the mile ot the train station, the nearly 2 miles to daycare, the less than a mile to the city centre. I got a monthly pass so all my transportation was prepaid. I am back in Atlanta now and we really miss the walking (and the lower body weight!). My 4 year old is telling me alot now that he misses London.