On Jun 10, 10:54*am, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
02:09:42 on Wed, 10 Jun 2009, David F remarked:

I have a flight at Gatwick at midday tomorrow, which I am planning to
drive to from Islington, N1. My worry is that the tube strike will
make the roads hell. I think I've got 3 options - drive through the
middle of town, which is the most direct route. Or, go out the A13
then around the M25 ... or, finally, go out on the M4 and around the
M25 the other way.

I presume the flight is actually at midday, in which case we're
looking at a 10am-ish arrival at Gatwick, though maybe not if it's a
business class or whatever ticket.


Walk to Kings Cross, then get the train.

Absolutely agreed - and this would certainly be the way to go even if
there wasn't a strike! If luggage is a significant issue, get the bus
(leave plenty of time and don't necessarily count on getting the first
one), or get a lift, or get a minicab (and book it now!). But
otherwise walk - bags on wheels are a neat invention.

For the sake of clarity, the train operated by First Capital Connect,
it's the Thameslink route you want, and this goes from *St Pancras*
station as opposed to the adjacent King's Cross. Make sure you take a
train that's heading to Brighton as opposed to Wimbledon or Sutton (or
indeed Luton or Bedford or wherever!). No doubt it will be busy - but
it's still the best choice. Once you get past London Bridge, I'd think
the bulk of the passengers will have got off the train - so it's just
the central stretch that would be a jam.

(Actually, if there's more space on them then you could take a
Wimbledon or Sutton train as far as Blackfriars, then change for a
Brighton-bound train - that might avoid some of the crush, though I
imagine there will be other commuters who are also changing at
Blackfriars for the short hop to London Bridge.)


If you are driving I'd allow at least 3 hours, and probably go via
A12/M11/M25.

Don't even try it would I think be the best advice!

Nonetheless, I'll entertain the notion for a moment. In general I'm of
the mindset that going round the M25 for journeys such as this is
somewhat absurd - "journeys such as this" being those that - broadly
speaking - start or finish in 'inner London'.

However, with regards to this specific journey - and more generally
journeys to Gatwick - the major impediment is the trek through south
London on the A23 (Brixton, Streatham, Thornton Heath, Purley etc) -
this is fairly slow going at the best of times, during the rush hours
it's always bad, and on a strike day it'll just be worse.

So maybe the A12/M11/M25 route would be preferable. Another route is
the A12 then south through the Blackwall Tunnel, A102 which then turns
into the A2, then out to the M25 at junction 2 near Dartford. A
variation on teh above would be switching from the A2 to the A20 a
short while after the Blackwall Tunnel, then out to the M25 at
junction 3 near Swanley.

Of course the Blackwall Tunnel is busy during the rush hours, though
the predominant traffic flow in the morning is in the northbound
direction so you'd be going the other way (plus ever since the tidal
flow system was abandoned in the Tunnel southbound traffic gets both
lanes on the southbound/eastern bore).

On the A2 and A20, again the predominant traffic flow is into central
London whilst you'd be heading the other way. And again I think the
predominant flow on the southeastern side of the M25 is in the
northbound direction.

So this Blackwall Tunnel route might be a viable-ish alternative to
heading out on the M11.

All that said, I'm no expert on driving conditions during the rush
hours - I avoid doing it if at all possible! Others may well have more
relevant experience. And anyway, it'd be a bit barmy to drive this
when you can just get the train.