Car in London

Is it really essential to have a car if you live in zone 2?  I've lived in New York and you in no way needed a car, if anything it was more of a headache to have one.
I'm not sure of the area we'll be living, but I want to find a place that I will not have to drive.  I want to be able to do everything using public transport...and even more so by foot!  Is that possible or am I dreaming?  Whenever I look at a map it doesn't seem possible...hmmm...
Sue

I don't think it is essential to have a car in you live zone 2.  We live in zone 4 and only use the car when going to visit my husband's parents in Buckinghamshire and for grocery shopping because I'm lazy.   The tube is a wonderful thing, even if it's a pain in the butt at times.  I don't think you are dreaming at all, it is definitely possible to live in London without a car.  Lots of people do.

June

i don't think you'll need a car. although the public transportation can be a pain, many/most people do alright without one. in fact car insurance, gas, parking, c-charge make owning a car really expensive.

i don't think you'll need a car. although the public transportation can be a pain, many/most people do alright without one. in fact car insurance, gas, parking, c-charge make owning a car really expensive.

i suppose the only thing i would say is that if you have kids you might want a car. i never needed a car but had a baby 6 months ago and now can't imagine not having one.

A car isn't necessary in zone 2.  Of course, if you're in a pocket of East London without good tube service, it can be a pain not to have a car.  But it's a lot easier to live without one than deal with petrol, congestion charges, parking, insurance. 

I am in Zone 4 and spent my first 4 months without a car. One reason I bought one was that there is only 1 bus line that goes to my job, and it could be a bit dodgy, especially for the nights I have to cover the later shift.

I'd say wait and see where you end up. You may be happy with public transport and you may not.

I live in zone 5 and the bus and overland train take me just about anywhere I need to go for work and play. A car would be easier but a lot more stressful at time too... a trade really.

We're in Zone 2 (Hampstead/Belsize Park area) with no car.  Ironically, we chose this area precisely so that we COULD have a car.  But it got put off because we had so much else to do at first, and as time goes on, it's looking less and less likely that we'll actually get one.  My groceries are delivered, my kids' school is within walking distance as are 3 different High Streets, and it's easy to take public transportation around the area or into central London.  Quite honestly, the reason that we haven't gotten a car yet is that as time passes and I get more and more accustomed to using my feet, public transportation and the odd taxi, the less I'm sure when I'd actually *use* a car (traffic is unbelievable and parking is so horrific that driving to do errands, etc. is actually LESS convenient than walking or taking public transportation most of the time).

The one thing that's making this all possible is the fact that my kids' school is 4 blocks away.  We picked this home precisely because of its proximity to the school, even though we'd seen "nicer" places.  If you're really serious about forgoing a car, I'd make sure that you'll have an easy school run (don't know how old your kids are, but presumably this will be an issue eventually, if not now).

One other thing -- there are a couple of services here where you can reserve "shared" cars parked in central locations -- either for a few hours or a few days.  We've been looking into this as an option for larger shopping trips and trips out of town.  You may want to investigate as well... they seem like a great inexpensive, convenient option for occasional car use.  Check out Whizz Go and Street Car (don't know urls, but I'm sure you can Google...).

Good luck!

Good luck!

Like others have said, it's entirely possible to not have a car in London in zone and 2. We live in zone 2, and have one, but we use it almost exclusively to drive up to my husband's parents in the country, which we do about once a month, or to do a big grocery run. We try to avoid using it otherwise, because it is particularly costly to make short journeys (petrol is very expensive here) and I prefer to walk and use the bus/tube.

That said, I am amazed at how easy it is to have a car where we live. I had been living in Brooklyn Heights, and used to keep my car at my Mom's in New Jersey, but the few times I had it in the city with me, it was always a complete nightmare. I could very well spend 60-90 minutes driving around in circles looking for a spot. Or cough up the money and put it in a garage. And then of course, there was alternate side street parking to worry about! Here we have residence parking (which costs maybe 100 pounds a year?) and there are plenty of spots. You do have to watch out for theft and vandalism, but really having a car here has been very easy.

I agree that it's totally possible not to have a car.  It really is a great feeling to be able to walk everywhere you need to go!  It's more that you have to get used to not having a car.

But I also agree that it depends exactly on where you are, what's around you, and what you need to get to.  If either of your children are still in a stroller, it can be a major pain to carry it and your child up and down the tube stations that only have stairs~ and there are many of them. 

I think, though, that the problems with having a car in the city would probably outweigh the benefits.  You can always rent a car if you need to.  And you would probably need to be willing to pay for taxis at times (realizing how much you're still saving by not having a car).

I saw an ad while I was on the bus today for 'City Car Club' http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/default.htm that will allow you to rent a car by the hour.  I suppose that would work well if you were looking for something to do a big grocery shop or Christmas shopping or something similar, but find that public transport usually suits your day-to-day needs...

Along those lines, my brother just sent me a link that Zipcar is going to be starting up in London.

http://www.zipcar.com/press/

Thanks for all of the great info, I feel better now.  To be honest, I hate driving in the traffic of North NJ.  I am not to thrilled of the idea driving in a city with even more traffic and on the other side! 
I told my husband that if he wants a car he can drive it b/c I won't.  After a long discussion, we are going to try our hardest to find a place where I won't need a car for the day to day stuff.  I'll just need to find a place that's close to some stores and parks for the kids (ages 2 & 3).  Love the idea of grocery delivery!
I won't be working.  My husband hopes to take the tube to work.
Sue

I used City Car club and it was fab.  On those days I wanted to just drive around or hit up Ikea, Tesco or whatever at Brent Cross, it was so much easier than the bus that took almost 2 hours.  Besides, I liked learning how to get around by car sometimes because it made me feel more like London was home.  But a car was never necessary.  It was nice to have and the car club meant I didn't have to worry about parking, petrol or insurance.

I live in zone 2/3 and don't need a car.  My fiance has one but he only uses it cause he likes to.  I'd say NW or N London zone 2 has lots of great transportation links (it's where my friends and I live)...if you ever have questions about areas, just ask as someone will probably know about it!