please empty your brain below
The Bishops Avenue was free parking last time I was there.

Tetramesh | Homepage | 02.07.24 - 3:49 a.m. | #

I reckon you want to go south east from Trafalgar square to find the closest free parking spot. Somewhere in Walworth or Camberwell perhaps.

John | 02.07.24 - 7:23 a.m. | #

I live along the border of controlled vs free parking (around 8.5 miles from Trafalgar Square to the North East since you are asking!) and it is astonishing what a controversial topic it is. The CPZ consultations are almost continuous and every time residents fight it as if it is the worst thing that could happen and not something entirely normal for the 5 million or so Londoners who live more centrally.

That said it is quite handy not having to bother with a permit every time you get a plumber round.

Dan | 02.07.24 - 7:39 a.m. | #

The easternmost part of LB Southwark around South Bermondsey does not have a CPZ. I reckon somewhere like Stevenson Crescent may be closest to Trafalgar Square (3.2 miles).

Graham | 02.07.24 - 7:48 a.m. | #

I think if you headed south east, you might find some free parking before you got to Old Kent Road

Ian | 02.07.24 - 7:48 a.m. | #

I think you'd come across a goldmine subject, we haven't got a cpz round here, but that's because almost everyone has turned over their front gardens to car parking. My guess is that it depends on what percentage of houses are broken up into flats.

Still Anon | 02.07.24 - 8:05 a.m. | #

How appropriate that you can park in Park Avenue

Timbo | 02.07.24 - 8:10 a.m. | #

I doubt if these are nearer than 5.5 miles but you can park in the backstreets near Canons Park tube station. The same applies for Burnt Oak

dg writes: 10 miles. 9 miles.

Simon G | 02.07.24 - 8:17 a.m. | #

In the appyparking app (appyparking.com) under the zone view you should be able to see all the roads in London that are not in a CPZ. But not all of them have parking

Gabe | 02.07.24 - 8:36 a.m. | #

I did some work on CPZs when at TfL and I can confirm that of the Inner London boroughs Southwark has the most free parking. I’d agree with others the closest bit is somewhere off the Old Kent Road. Ironically LB Southwark promote “car free” development across the Borough even in places without a CPZ.

David | 02.07.24 - 9:20 a.m. | #

This is my (very rough) attempt at a CPZ map.



(just the central extent, not all the far flung nuclei, mini-exceptions and twiddles)

It spreads far further than I thought. I concur that Southwark does seems to have the most free parking closest to Trafalgar Square.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.07.24 - 9:34 a.m. | #

Here is a Google Maps picture of free parking on the red route A21 outside Lewisham hospital. There are only two spaces, and I have never seen either of them unoccupied, but somebody sufficiently motivated might be able to find more of these rare birds with a well-crafted FOI. Although they should probably just get outdoors for a bit instead.

HTFB | 02.07.24 - 9:45 a.m. | #

I am surprised it's so close, in walthamstow we are out to the north circular except for a few random streets. What people have found is that you really dont want to be the closest free street to anything as you'll have all the people from neighbouring boroughs or commuters dumping their cars there. One street here campaigned against the cpz as "everyone" has cars, "look how many local need to park" then once the cpz came in force so many of the cars evaporated as it turns out they were from hackney or other parts of the borough.

Alistair Twin | 02.07.24 - 10:19 a.m. | #

Regards THE bishops avenue... (ahem, sorry) it's also free on the road towards highgate there.. as seen by the random caravan and campervans parked there with covered up windows, which seem fairly regularly occupied. I assume the local millionaires love that.

Alistair Twin | 02.07.24 - 10:22 a.m. | #

York Way next to Kings Cross Station used to be free and I have taken advantage of this by parking my car there so I can take a train to Scotland. It became controlled parking in 2003 when the congestion zone was introdued.
If DG was doing this series then would it count as "free parking" given that it is just around the corner from Pentonville Road?

Roger P | 02.07.24 - 10:24 a.m. | #

Chuffed that I guessed 6 miles! I'm usually way out!

Cornish Cockney | 02.07.24 - 10:29 a.m. | #

Good map that. Areas like mine (Golders Green) are handy for motorway access (in this case the M1), so would be used by people driving in and parking for the tube station without a CPZ.

Mikey C | 02.07.24 - 10:39 a.m. | #

I pondered a couple of days ago how you were going to handle Free Parking in London and I must say I am not disappointed. As Parking fees are one of the few ways cash strapped councils can raise revenue I am amazed there is anywhere in London that you can park for free.

keith the Kraut | 02.07.24 - 10:45 a.m. | #

As a 16th century judge said, "the King's Highway is not a public stableyard".

Pedantic of Purley | 02.07.24 - 12:42 p.m. | #

There are areas of Dollis Hill with no parking restrictions of any sort and that's at least half a mile south of Park Avenue South.

dg writes: also 5½ miles from Trafalgar Square.

keenreader | 02.07.24 - 12:59 p.m. | #

My guess for the NW direction would have been in Barnet borough, which DG's map confirmed when I scrolled down. Still unlikely to be the closest though

MilesT | 02.07.24 - 1:02 p.m. | #

Go south instead of north (and cross just one borough boundary), and a shade under two miles will get you to South Lambeth Road, where there are stretches of completely unlimited free parking along the red route, despite all the surrounding borough controlled roads being in a CPZ.

Marek | 02.07.24 - 1:44 p.m. | #

Park your car for months at a time here in Burdett Road - many people do. Have a look at that maroon Saab, it's been there for years.

4.30 miles from Trafalgar Square according to Google Earth.

Dominic Sayers | 02.07.24 - 1:59 p.m. | #

Parking meters were introduced in the 1930s (Oklahoma City), to help merchants- discouragingly people parking outside their stores all day. Despite this, every time parking fees and restrictions are mentioned, they are the first to complain.

Michael Jones | 02.07.24 - 2:39 p.m. | #

When I lived in Hammersmith, I had a residential permit for one car, but I had 2 cars for a few days. I had to get rid of the old one which was not easy as it was not roadworthy.

So I parked the new one at Barnes station during the day and I drove it back home at night. Luckily I had to commute to Waterloo which was convenient from Barnes.

I've just measured the distance on Google Maps from Trafalgar Square, and it says 5.63 miles, which is pretty much the same as yours.

Greg S | 02.07.24 - 2:59 p.m. | #

There was, last time I checked, a parking bay on Berwick Street in Soho where the sign has been removed and so no parking restrictions are enforceable, which I make as 820m from Trafalgar Square.

John | 02.07.24 - 3:08 p.m. | #

Greg S - That wouldn't be so easy now, as Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor traffic for the past five years.

(I remember it was an election issue last time round!)

Timbo | 02.07.24 - 4:03 p.m. | #

I find it strange that people who own cars feel that they are entitled to a parking space whenever they use their car. In somewhere like a city with a good transport system they should leave the car at home. They can then travel on public transport like the rest of us who are trying to support the environment.

Tones | 02.07.24 - 4:51 p.m. | #

Wildwood Road NW11, at the southern end of the Hampstead Heath Extension next to Sandy Heath is 5.2 miles.

Richard | 02.07.24 - 5:18 p.m. | #

In theory parking restrictions can be enforced regardless ofthe absence of signs. Said absence could be used in mitigation, but the authorities would be able to argue that a driver should have used their common sense.

Malcolm of Kent | 02.07.24 - 7:30 p.m. | #

I wonder when parking metres all disappeared in London. I don't think I've ever run into one on a street. Bit odd, having lived in Hong Kong where they still are the only way to pay.

dg writes: 2009

matthieu1221 | 02.07.24 - 8:21 p.m. | #

One can find fairly substantial maps of parking restrictions for various (but not all) boroughs via traffweb.app, although it should be mentioned that these maps do not show restrictions that may apply on private roads (and do not indicate which roads are private).

anon | 03.07.24 - 12:19 a.m. | #











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