London’s Tottenham Court Road will be out of bounds for use by cars, lorries and taxis in peak times from March – and motorists who breach the ban face heavy fines.
The one-way street will be converted to two-way use in March. Between 8am and 7pm Monday to Saturday, only buses and bikes will be allowed to use it.
Camden council is investing £35 million to transform the street as part of plans to improve air quality and road safety.
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Motorists who use Tottenham Court Road when restrictions are in place face a £130 fine.
Cabbies have already slammed the new scheme. Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licenced Taxi Drivers’ Association, called it an “ill thought out scheme.
“The major arteries of London are just that,” he told the Evening Standard. “They are the main method of London’s lifeblood moving around.
Camden council’s Adam Harrison countered by saying “not having taxis in the daytime will lead to 25 percent less traffic, with all the benefits for air quality and congestion that go along with it”.
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The taxi industry insists that congestion and pollution will instead worsen on surrounding roads.
Other changes on Tottenham Court Road, a key road in London’s West End, include wider pavements and bigger pedestrian crossings.
The six bus routes that use Tottenham Court Road will also benefit from improved timetabling, allowing up to 114 buses an hour to use the street during peak times.
People use these roads because the have to eg delivery drivers. There won’t be less traffic just more traffic jams in the adjacent roads, increasing pollution.
London is now full of empty bike lanes.
You can’t deliver large amounts of items on a bike.
It is scarily obvious the people who make these rules are totally out of touch with reality 😡
you are 100% correct – you only need to look at the effect in the surrounding roads to know what a stupid decision this has been by people how really don’t care about the people who have to live and work in London. Their competence really has to be questioned. Instead of driving to where I need to be quickly and efficiently, I now drive an extra 10 – 15 mins in the surrounding roads – does that reduce polution?
There are no signs from Oxford Street turning left and only one vague graphic when you’ve actually entered Tottenham Court Road. How is anyone supposed to know?