Rush hour traffic in Croydon

[u/No-State-2962]

I have to be at Shirley Oaks hospital at 9am on a weekday morning this week.

I live in Wales, so have booked a hotel for the night before. It’s the Grand Sapphire, 45 Imperial Way.

I don’t want to be late and have no idea how bad Croydon morning traffic is. Should I allow an hour for the hotel - hospital journey?

Thanks.

[u/ryan_peay]

The only issue is the number of schools between the hotel and hospital, and level crossings for Trams depending on which way you go. But if you are comfortable being early, you’ll be fine giving yourself an hour. With no traffic this drive is only Use Waze and it’ll point you in the right direction.

[u/No-State-2962 → u/ryan_peay]

Thank you, that’s so helpful. An hour it is 👍

[u/EpicEpicnessTheEpic → u/No-State-2962]

Have a good look at Google Maps traffic before you set off. There are temporary traffic lights on the Wickham Road just after the Shirley Road roundabout - they will hipefully be gone by then but if not, they will add a substantial delay at that time of the morning. If you see traffic there, you can go down to Primrose Lane - further north along Shirley Road and follow it to the hospital.

[u/Spiritual-Peach-4032]

I’d give yourself an hour - traffic in Croydon during school rush hour can be brutal.

[u/Spiritual-Peach-4032 → u/Spiritual-Peach-4032]

It took me an hour to not get from Addiscombe to West Wickham on a Friday evening (I turned around and went home after an hour as I’d missed the appointment)- that should be 10 mins. Leave loads of time.

[u/Dave-the-Flamingo]

I think an Hour is plenty!!
Cannot speak for traffic near your hotel but I live near Shirley Oaks hospital.

There are 3 big schools (Trinity, coloma, and Shirley High school) and traffic can get quite bad on the roundabouts in the mornings near Addiscombe Road and Shirley Road. I would probably avoid going down Oaks road as this ca get blocked by people dropping off at Coloma school.

[u/EpicEpicnessTheEpic → u/Dave-the-Flamingo]

Four - St Johns CofE Primary as well and many more of their parents turn up to drop kids off adding to the chaos.

[u/emmjaybeeyoukay]

Remember to also allow yourself a good 1/4 hour to find parking at the hospital, and also to go from the parking area to whereever you need to be in the hospital buildings. Not sure how big Shirley Oaks is, but if comparable to the Mayday then you can spend 15 minutes walking across the campus.

[u/No-State-2962 → u/emmjaybeeyoukay]

Thank you.

[u/kinygos → u/No-State-2962]

Shirley Oaks has a car park, and is tiny compared to Mayday. An hour should be long enough, but I travel in the opposite direction in the mornings. As someone else suggested, avoid Oaks Road. I suggest approaching the hospital from Primrose Lane (off the north end of Shirley Road) rather than Shirley Oaks Road (off Wickham Road). That route will help you avoid Coloma and St John’s school.

[u/Proud_East_2913]

Google maps is pretty good at estimating on the day so you could check at 8am tomorrow and the next few days, but I'd guess that half an hour would be enough for that at rush hour (four and a half miles!)

I'd allow an extra 15 at least for parking at the hospital and checking in, including registering your car for the car park.

[u/Gloomy_Video9793]

Give yourself an hour to be on the safe side.

[u/montstar22]

Personally I wouldn’t risk half an hour, they have refreshments there so you can always make yourself a coffee or tea as long as you’re not having a procedure

There are a few major traffic areas you need to go through / past / round so better safe than sorry

[u/No-State-2962 → u/montstar22]

Thank you. The replies have been so helpful, it’s a great sub.

I’m allowing myself at least an hour, maybe even slightly more, as I’d rather be there in plenty of time.

[u/Design-my-life]

An hour is more than fine. School traffic will impact you but that’s more than enough time, plus the schools stagger their start times to smooth the congestion.

[u/1northfield]

It can be about half an hour when the traffic is at its worst so give yourself 40 minutes and it will be fine. The Grand Sapphire is on an industrial estate next to a large scrap metal merchants so can be a bit noisy in the day if you plan on recovering at the hotel later just for information.

[u/No-State-2962 → u/1northfield]

Thank you. No it’s just a small procedure and I’ll drive home after.

Just didn’t fancy a 5am start before it.

[u/friends-waffles-work → u/No-State-2962]

And you’re only about 5 minutes away from the drive through McDonalds on Wickham Road if you need a pick-me-up afterwards!

[u/TastyPenguin]

An hours probably a bit excessive for a 20~ min drive. Id probably give yourself 40ish mins so you can drive & find parking / the right ward etc at the other end :). Worth checking Waze / Google Maps on Monday morning at a similar time to get an accurate idea of traffic.