Pedestrian priority programme
The City of London Corporation is developing a three-year Pedestrian Priority Programme, from 2021 to 2024, to enhance the comfort and safety of pedestrians in the Square Mile.
The Programme will directly help deliver targets for pedestrian priority and comfort levels in the Climate Action Strategy and Transport Strategy. It will initiate, develop, co-ordinate and deliver a number of pedestrian priority and pavement widening schemes on individual or groups of streets (subject to approval) over the three-year period.
The type of measures required on each street to provide pedestrian priority will vary depending on the type of street and level of change needed but could include several of the following:
- Pavement widening and carriageway narrowing
- Timed access restrictions for vehicles
- Bus and cycle gates/restriction of general traffic
- Changes to the street layout
- Changes to traffic flow/direction of traffic
- Retention and expansion of planters and parklets temporarily where these have already been relocated as part of the COVID-19 measures
Experimental Traffic Orders allowed temporary implementation of these measures on several streets last spring, detailed below. We are seeking feedback from businesses, residents and workers about them.
- Continue pedestrian priority interventions, where appropriate, that have been delivered as part of the COVID-19 transport response. These include running experimental traffic orders where temporary traffic orders have been in place and making pavement widening and other non-traffic measures permanent.
- Identify and deliver further experimental schemes to introduce pedestrian priority and improve pedestrian comfort levels.
- Provide an improved walking environment that provides adequate space for pedestrians which, along with improving the quality of the City streets and public realm, contributes to the continued success of the Square Mile as a global centre for business, place to live and visitor destination.
- Improve the safety of pedestrians by reducing conflicts with vehicles and making streets easier to cross.
- Create a more accessible Square Mile where everyone will feel more able and confident to walk on City streets
- Reduce the exposure of pedestrians to air pollution and contributing to overall emission reductions in the City.
- Introduce public realm enhancements to improve the look and feel of the City and introduce greening and seating where appropriate.
The type of measures required on each street to provide pedestrian priority will vary depending on the type of street and level of change required but could include several of the following:
- Pavement widening and carriageway narrowing
- Timed access restrictions for vehicles
- Bus and cycle gates/restriction of general traffic
- Changes to the street layout
- Changes to traffic flow/direction of traffic
- Retention and expansion of planters and parklets temporarily where these are already relocated as part of the COVID-19 measures
Some temporary measures were installed on several streets in summer 2020, (detailed below) and we are seeking the views of businesses and residents on their experience of these measures. Consideration will be given to continuing these measures under Experimental Traffic Orders so that the impacts and benefits can be measured as more normal working and traffic conditions return to the City.
A report seeking initiation of the project was approved by the City of London Corporation’s Streets and Walkways Sub (Planning and Transportation) Committee in April 2021 and Court of Common Council in June 2021.
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Experimental Scheme location |
Current measures - To be reviewed before implementation of any experimental traffic order |
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Cheapside east of Bread Street |
Point “no entry” (in both directions) except buses, cycles, emergency services vehicles and London Buses incident response unit. Planters and seating adjacent to point closure |
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Old Jewry |
Full closure (except for pedal cycles) on Old Jewry between Cheapside and Frederick’s Place Remainder of Old Jewry from Frederick’s Place to Gresham Street converted to two-way |
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King Street |
One way working, contra-flow cycling Footway widening Loading bay in Gresham Street |
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Chancery Lane between Carey Street and Southampton Buildings |
“No motor vehicles” restriction (Monday to Friday between 7am – 7pm) except emergency services, refuse collection and local authority service vehicles. Parking bay suspended in places Planters and parklets |
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King William Street and Abchurch Lane (south) |
“No motor vehicles” restriction (Monday to Friday between 7am – 7pm) except buses, loading, vehicles accessing off street premises, for refuse collection, emergency services, local authority service vehicles and London Buses incident response unit. Footway widening in locations |
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Threadneedle Street and Old Broad Street (south) |
One way working, contra-flow cycling Footway widening Loading bays |
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Coleman Street and King’s Arms Yard |
“No motor vehicles” restriction (Monday to Friday between 7am – 7pm) except buses, vehicles accessing off street premises, for refuse collection, emergency services and local authority service vehicles. Parking bays suspended in locations to enable location of parklets Pedestrian priority signage |
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Fleet Street, Ludgate Hill, St Pauls Churchyard and Cannon Street |
Footway widening (Fleet St) Provision of cycle lanes in one or both directions |
Contact the City Transportation Team