Transport in London comprises of rail, road, air and water transport. It is the heart of the United Kingdom economic and social livelihood and has one of the busiest airports in the world that is the London Heathrow Airport. The local government of London implements the transport strategies in London as well as manages transport services across London through a body called Transport for London (TFL).
The rail transport has two railway systems that is the London underground and the Docklands Light Railway which are not part of the national railway network. The London underground which is also known as The Tube is the larger railway system. The London air transport has one of the busiest air traffic in the world. There are five major airports in London, London Heathrow airport being the busiest. Heathrow is also the focal point of the nation’s flag carrier that is the British Airways. The other airports include the London Gatwick airport, London Stansted airport, London Luton airport, London City airport as well as the London Southend Airport. The London Gatwick airport has a lot of traffic and offers low – cost short haul flights whereas the London Stansted airport hubs the Ryanair. London Luton airport also provides low cost short haul flights in most cases and the London City Airport is the tiniest as well as most central airport.
In London the road network is normally congested, since most of the streets were laid out even before cars had been invented. Even after some recent roads were constructed in the 20th century there has been no difference in the congestion. These roads are the Victoria Embankment, Western Avenue, Shaftesbury Avenue as well as the Kingsway among a few others. Also to reduce the congestion the TFL introduced a congestion charge whereby drivers are charged £8 for driving in the areas designated. Because of the charges and the congestion people have preferred bicycles as an alternative means of transport. However, the inner London transport has public transport while outer London transport is mostly by car. The water transport in London is not very busy as compared to the other means of transport. The River Thames mostly has leisure cruises and is navigable by ocean vessels up to the London Bridge. In the past the River Thames was the main transport artery being used in London. The London port is located in the east London Docklands.