There's no two ways about it, parking in London has become something of a nightmare! The situation has improved slightly since the introduction of the congestion charge which has cut down the amount of vehicles in central London (and I don't care how many people complain about it- something needed to be done!).
But despite Ken and Boris' best efforts, Londoners are still being forced to come up with ever more creative ways of dealing with the lack of space to park their four-wheeled friends.
Park my car at your house?
One of the funniest solutions I've come across to the parking problem in London is the website Park At My House.
You may laugh at the idea, but judging by the 'traffic' the site seems to be receiving, these guys could be on to a honking good idea (ok, enough auto-mobile puns).
Users can access this website to arrange the rental of someone's driveway or parking space at an affordable daily rate. At a quick glance, there's spaces on offer from Kings Cross to Stockwell going for just over a tenner, and each parking space advert comes with a brief description and space for users to leave reviews and comments of their past experiences!
Parking ideas for London commuters
One idea that seems to prove quite popular with commuters is to drive into London and then leave your vehicle parked close to a tube station on the outskirts.
The plus side of this method is that you'll usually be able to find free parking around a tube station like Morden (at the southern end of the Northern Line). On the down side you'll still have to endure a time-consuming tube commute which (especially from zones 4 and beyond) might cost just as much as paying for parking.
Parking space finders on the internet
One internet parking tool that I use loads is park-up.com. It's a pretty straightforward site to use: You type in your desired postcode or address and the website comes up with a map detailing all the pay and display zones and the private and public car parks in the area. The site is really handy because it also gives you all sorts of extra information on tariffs, opening times etc., as well as data about things to watch out for like car theft statistics and council clamping fines.
