Travel and transport

Transport for London is in charge of all London’s public transport networks. It sets fares and routes and makes sure that the capital has an excellent integrated public transport system. You will find that it is easy to get almost anywhere in London by bus, tram, train or Underground. For information, see www.tfl.gov.uk

You must have a valid ticket or pass to travel on public transport in London. Inspectors may ask to see your ticket, and you will be charged up to £50 if you don’t have a valid ticket or pass.

You can buy single tickets for any journey, but it is often better value to buy a Travelcard or Oyster Card.

Travelcards

There are one day, seven day and one month Travelcards, which allow you unlimited travel during that time on buses, trains, trams and the Underground in the Zones you pay for – and buses in ALL zones. Most central London attractions are in Zone 1; Twickenham is in Zone 5. You can buy Travelcards at Underground stations from ticket offices or machines, and from railway stations. You should show your Travelcard to bus drivers, and use it to open ticket barriers at Underground and railway stations.

Oyster Cards

An Oyster Card is a pre-paid travel card which is more flexible than a standard Travelcard. You can buy an Oyster Card and top it up with money and use its “pay as you go” facility, which means that you can buy single bus, train or tube tickets for less than the price you would pay if you paid in cash. You can also buy weekly or monthly Travelcards and store them on your Oyster Card.

You need to touch your Oyster Card on the yellow, round readers when you enter and leave Underground and railway stations - if you do not swipe your card when you leave, you will be charged the maximum fare for one day. If you travel by bus, only swipe your card when you board, not when you leave the bus.

You can buy and top-up Oyster Cards at all Underground stations and some railway stations, and at Oyster Ticket Stops - the nearest to LAL London is JKS News, opposite the school.

The London Underground, widely known as the ‘Tube’, is the world’s oldest underground rail network (it's so old that it originally used steam engines!) - but quite a lot runs in the open air. It’s the easiest way to get around central London. The nearest Tube station to Twickenham is Kew Gardens, but it is generally quicker to take a train to Waterloo, then change onto the Underground if you are travelling into central London. There are maps at all stations and on all Tube trains, and also at Reception at LAL London.

There are a few rules for the Tube:

• you must have a ticket to travel on the Tube
• make sure you stand on the right on escalators
• don’t talk to other passengers or make eye contact
• don’t try to walk between coaches
• don’t take lots of luggage
• stand clear of the doors
• and mind the gap - which means beware of the space between the train and platform.

If you have brought your own car or want to hire a car in London, you must keep to the law (see below) and be prepared for some odd features on our roads. Be aware that the roads in London can be very busy, and parking is often extremely difficult and very expensive - plus you need to pay the Congestion Charge in central London (see below).

You must have an appropriate driving licence to drive in Britain. If you come from EU or European Economic Area countries, you can drive any vehicle which is permitted by your licence AND which is shown on your licence.

If you are from any other country, your licence or permit must be valid for at least 12 months from the date you arrive in Britain. You can only drive on a foreign licence for up to 12 months, and cannot drive any vehicle with more than 8 seats.

Britain’s roads are governed by the Highway Code, and you should buy a copy from any bookshop if you intend to drive in Britain. The following are important points to note:

Britain drives on the LEFT. This also means that you must only overtake on the right, and go clockwise round roundabouts.

You MUST wear a seat belt in vehicles.

The legal alcohol limit is 80mg alcohol in 100ml blood. If you drive while over this limit you can be sent to prison, fined £5,000 and banned from driving. That’s if you don’t kill yourself first. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

You MUST NOT use a mobile telephone while you are driving.

If you have an accident, you must report it to the Police and give your details to any other drivers involved in the accident.

All road signs give distances in miles and yards and speeds in miles per hour. 1 mile = 1.6km. 1 yard is about 1 metre.

A white circle with a thick black diagonal line means that the ‘National Speed Limit’ applies  to the road.

The National Speed Limits for cars, unless signs say otherwise, are as follows:

• 30 mph (48km/h) in towns and villages
• 60 mph (96km/h) on other single-carriage roads
• 70 mph (112 km/h) on roads with two or more lanes in BOTH directions (dual carriageways and motorways).

You MUST stop at Zebra pedestrian crossings (which have black-and-white stripes on the road and flashing orange lamps on striped posts) if pedestrians are crossing or waiting to cross.

Blue circular signs with red borders and diagonal red lines, and/or yellow lines by the side of the road, mean you must not park there. You must not stop on red lines.

Central London is covered by the Congestion Charge  zone. Cars are subject to the Congestion Charge if driven within the charging zone between 07:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday.

You do not have to pay the charge on weekends, English public holidays, designated non-charging days, or between 18:00 and 07:00.

You will need to pay the charge (£8) on or before the day of travel, by phone, at a shop or on the internet. Ask at Reception or see www.cclondon.com.