Chigwell to Vauxhall routes?

For reasons involving multiple vicars, porn stars, art and techno I
need to drive from Essex into London on Friday morning.

What's the best route? Any particular bits to avoid?

 

Kinda depends whereabouts in Essex and whereabouts in London. They are
contiguous, you know.

 

Heh, YTC.

 

I blame the plague

 

I never read subject lines, just hit N for next post and read the
content.

 

Can't use the tube, I'm transporting stuff that's not tube friendly.

I had a horrible feeling this would be the case.

 

I'll just add another to the 'YTC look at the header' posts.

 

Yep, there simply isn't a best route, particularly on a Friday evening.
However, you might wish to consider taking the A113 until you meet the A12
at the Green Man Roundabout. Then the A12 all the way to its junction with
the A13, then following the A13 into London until the Rotherhithe Tunnel
turnoff. Through the tunnel then head for the Elephant and Castle and on
from there to Vauxhall (use google maps or sat nav for details). Well under
an hour on a good day - **** knows on a Friday evening.

 

I hadn't even thought about that. I need to get to Nine Elms Lane (bet
there aren't) SW8 5.

 

Oops - I just noticed that you are travelling in the morning, not evening -
leave it until after 9.30 and it shouldn't be too bad.

 

Good point but might be difficult, given that some parts of Vauxhall are in
the charging zone.

 

If you can avoid Gants Hill at present be sure to do so, some horrible
road works until Sept 2010.

Brian

 

<reads thread>

Don't start from Chigwell ;-)

 

oops - wasn't aware of that - haven't been down that way for a while.

 

Ta very much.

 

This was a brilliant route, thank you.

On the Edgeware road heading down to marble arch there was a short
section with C on the road - should I check if I've strayed into the
charging zone? I take it I just put my registration number in
somewhere and they tell me?

The only problem I had was once over the bridge I got in the wrong
lane and had to double back.

 

Was it in a turning-off-in-a-minute lane? The Edgeware Road itself is not
in the CC zone - but the roads on either side are, and the turn-lanes
will warn you you're about to enter.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/congestioncharge/whereandwhen/assets/
DetailMapECCZ.pdf

Would it were so simple?

No, there's no way of telling if you've been "caught in". You have a
choice, pay-in-case or hope.

 

Roughly an hour and a half, think I set off about 10.30 and was there
around midday. I had Leonard Cohen on the CD player to soothe me
through the traffic but it was actually fine, just had to be careful
to sit at 30mph. I was flashed going through Chigwell (blimey the bit
where my friend's parents live is posh, apparently Alan Sugar is 400
yards down the road) and sure enough Essex police had a camera van
just ahead. I gave them a cheery wave.

Techno was involved, extra Es come as standard with that lot.

I did indeed.

I'll chance it as there's not an easy way of checking. How much is the
penalty anyway?

 

Could have been, I just saw the C and thought, oh bollocks.

Surely it could be, if they wanted.

Hope is the one thing we've got on our side, hope can be salvaged when
all else has died.

 

£120, or £60 if you pay in 14 days...