Deptford is well connected for people without a car, and most households here don't have one. There are trains, and at peak a bus every couple of minutes. The GP and the food shop are each a short walk away. Getting to hospital takes longest, and the main roads are noisy.
The railway through Deptford was London's first suburban line, opened in the 1830s to run between London Bridge and Greenwich, and Deptford station is still on it. St Johns station serves the south of the area, and New Cross is just over the border. Only about 7% of working residents took the train to work at the 2021 Census, and about 10% took the bus. There are 163 bus stops in and around Deptford. The line was built to carry commuters, but by 2021 hardly any of Deptford's workers used it.
At the 2021 Census about 47% of working residents worked from home, which made home working the most common commute by a long way. About 10% drove, about 5% walked and about 4% cycled, helped by the Cycleway routes along Evelyn Street and the riverfront. About 63% of households had no car at all, and only about 6% had two or more. A household with a car is unusual here. A household with two is very rare.
The Department for Transport's modelled journey-time statistics put the nearest town centre about 8 minutes away by car, 12 by public transport, 9 by bike and 12 on foot. Walking takes the same time as the bus, which shows how close everything is.
The same Department for Transport figures put a GP about 6 minutes' walk away, or about 7 minutes by car. A food store is about 5 minutes on foot. A hospital is about 16 minutes by car and about 25 by public transport. A place of employment is under 6 minutes by car and about 15 by public transport. These are modelled averages for the area. The distances don't change, but the public-transport times date from 2019 and services have been cut since, so those times are the least reliable. Even so, without a car the hospital is the only trip here that takes real planning.
The buses are a proper service. Deptford's stops average about 486 scheduled weekday departures each and about 24 buses an hour at peak, and every stop has a weekend service. The bus figures come from current timetables, so they are more up to date than the modelled journey times.
Gigabit broadband reaches about 88% of premises in Deptford, and superfast about 98%. No premises fall below the legal minimum service. Every mobile network covers the whole area with 4G or 5G, so anyone working from home has what they need.
The cost is noise. About 43% of postcodes are near or above 65 decibels of road noise, the level at which official noise mapping counts traffic as significant, and the loudest band recorded reaches 75 decibels. Rail noise is a separate source, with about 6% of postcodes near or above 65 decibels and the loudest band also reaching 75. Before choosing a flat, find out which side the bedroom faces. On Evelyn Street or Creek Road, that can make more difference than the floor plan.
There are 43 public charge points in the area, with 65 connectors between them, and 4 of those are rapid. With so few rapid units, most drivers will plan their charging. Few will manage a full charge during a quick shop.
Deptford is well connected for anyone who walks, takes the bus or works from home. It is less convenient if you need a quiet road or a quick drive to hospital.