Page 377 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

GE T TING AROUND L ONDON  375

DIRECTORY
Transport for London
Tel 0343 222 1234 (info), 0845
900 1234 (Congestion Charge).
Congestion Charge payable in
advance online, by text message,
by phone or by post. A Penalty
Charge Notice (PCN) will be
issued should you not pay
in time.
∑ tfl.gov.uk
A pedestrian zebra crossing
Cycling
Cycling
vehicles entering the charging
The TfL website’s cycling page zone (roughly: the City, the West London Bicycle Tour
Company
is invaluable for those cycling End, and Mayfair in the west; Tel 020 7928 6838.
around the city, including and south as far as Elephant & ∑ londonbicycle.com
useful information about the Castle) between 7am and 6pm
Cycle Superhighway – safe, Monday to Friday. If you are London Cycling
designated cycle routes determined to drive, remember Campaign
Tel 020 7234 9310.
throughout London. Cycle to drive on the left. ∑ lcc.org.uk
routes are signposted around All the well-known car-rental
the city. Santander Cycle Hire, firms, such as Europcar, Auto Santander Cycle Hire
London’s bike hire scheme, has Europe and Hertz, operate in Tel 0343 222 6666.
6,000 bikes available at docking London. Renting in advance or ∑ tfl.gov.uk
terminals across the city. The as an add-on with your flight will Green Travel
London Bicycle Tour Company get the best rates. To drive out of
delivers and collects bikes to central London takes about an Green Tomato Cars
and from your location. With hour in any direction; if you want Tel 020 7107 0777.
your rented bike, you should to tour the countryside, it can be ∑ greentomatocars.com
be given a helmet, lock and easier to take a train to a city
other accessories. outside London and rent there. Driving
Auto Europe
Green Travel Parking Tel 1 888 223 5555 (USA),
0800 358 1229 (UK).
Travelling around by foot, Tube, Parking is prohibited at all times ∑ autoeurope.com
bus, train or riverbus is more wherever the street is marked
energy-efficient than driving or with red or double yellow lines Europcar
taking a taxi. London’s Conges- by the kerb. If there is a single Tel 0871 384 9900 (UK).
tion Charge helps discourage yell ow line, parking is normally ∑ europcar.com
driv ing in the city centre. The allow ed from 6:30pm to 8am Hertz Rent a Car
distance between some Tube Mon day to Saturday and all day Tel 1 800 654 3001 (USA),
stations can be covered on foot Sunday, but exact hours vary, so 0870 841 5161 (UK).
in less time than it takes to go always check the signs along ∑ hertz.com
underground. London continues each street. Where there is no
to invest in improved condit ions line at all, parking is free at all
for cyclists, and this can be the times, but this is rare in central
fastest way to get around the city. Lon don. Rental car drivers are
There are several “green” minicab still liable for parking fines.
companies, using hybrid or alter-
native fuel vehicles, but the most
prominent is Green Tomato Cars.
Driving in London
Driving is usually the worst way
of getting around town. Traffic
moves at an average of 11 mph
(18 kmh) for much of the day,
parking is scarce and expen sive,
and in central London, there is
the added cost of the Congestion
Charge – a £11.50-a-day fee
paid in advance for private A cycle path in one of London’s parks

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