Officials told the Guardian that work was commencing in mid-May and would take six weeks. However, responding to a request for clarification, TfL stated that plans are still being finalised and they cannot yet confirm the detail or provide a map.  No information has been sent to the affected residents and businesses.

 

TfL announced new ‘car-free zones’ in London in a press release in 15 May: https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/car-free-zones-in-london-as-cc-and-ulez-reinstated

 

The press release states that, as lockdown is eased, TfL believes it can promote social distancing by:

• discouraging people from using public transport – it must be used only ‘as a last resort’

• encouraging more walking and cycling

• discouraging the use of cars, and is therefore making several major roads vehicle-free.

 

Although the press release states there will be car-free zones, what is in fact being introduced is a series of vehicle-free streets, which cuts off most vehicle access to the Bloomsbury area.

​

The likely wider geographical extent of the closures is shown in the map below.  But for the east Bloomsbury and Holborn area what we do know is that:

 

• The entire north-south route (Upper Woburn Place/Southampton Row/Kingsway/Aldwych), between Euston Road and Waterloo Bridge will be closed*

• The entire east-west route of Theobalds Road and Clerkenwell Road, between Southampton Row and Farringon Road will be closed*

• Most or all (the press release is unclear) of the Farringdon Road/Kings Cross Road, between Clerkenwell Road and Kings Cross will be closed*.

 

*Closed to all vehicles except buses and emergency vehicles. 

 

So the only entry points to will be:

 

(Streets marked in red (below) are not suitable or wide enough for lorries.)

 

• from the south: via Gray’s Inn Road (which is to be narrowed to two single vehicle lanes), then entering from the east (via Sidmouth Street).

• from the east: from Gray’s Inn Road at Guilford Street (but then only via the very narrow Herbrand Street as Lansdowne Terrace has also been permanently closed during the lockdown) or Sidmouth Street.

• from the west: Tavistock Place via Gower Street (which has been narrowed; it is currently southbound only but will become two-way and absorb all the traffic from Tottenham Court Road, which is also to be vehicle-free – apart from buses)

• from the north: the very narrow Duke's Road *, which can be accessed from the east from Euston Road or from the north on Church Way (there is no entry from the west on Euston Road).