City Streets: Transport COVID-19 response update

Covid-19 City Streets update:
This is an update of the next phase of work that will be delivered by the City of London Corporation as part of the Covid-19 City Streets project. Temporary changes to streets have been implemented over the summer. These provide safer spaces for people walking and cycling, queuing outside shops and offices to socially distance, and support businesses in their return to work.
The next phase of work will be delivered over September/October and will provide temporary seating and greening to support food and beverage businesses and create an attractive environment for residents, workers and visitors. These measures will be installed in the following locations:

Locations of upcoming changes:*

• West Smithfield (Rotunda)
• Cheapside
• Chancery Lane (Carey Street to Southampton Buildings)
• Cursitor Street
• Carter Lane (Creed Lane to Ludgate Broadway)
• Coleman Street (Great Bell Alley to Coleman Street Buildings)
• Creechurch Lane (City Cluster area)
• Long Lane (Aldersgate Street to Lindsey Street)
• Middlesex Street
• Eastcheap

*Some sites may be changed or added in the near future

Key benefits of the changes:

• Provide greening and seating to allow those who live, work and visit to enjoy public spaces across the City.
• Provide facilities to all including users of food and beverage businesses. This will also support businesses in adapting to social distancing requirements by providing outdoor seating space.
• Facilitate the use of public spaces in a safe manner.

Full detail of the changes can be seen in the Phase 3 Committee Report and our website will continue to be updated throughout this period.  

Additional temporary cycle parking
The City Corporation is also aiming to provide up to 700 new temporary cycle parking spaces across the Square Mile as part of our transport response to Covid-19. Installation of these spaces is set to take place over the autumn.

Guidance for managing deliveries and servicing
Please find a link to our Covid-19: City Streets Guidance for managing deliveries and servicing.
This guidance note has been produced to help City businesses understand the measures that can be taken to minimise the impact of their deliveries and servicing on the City’s streets. The guidance has been tailored for each type of business and is broken down into delivery, waste and servicing sections. In the short term these actions will help support safe social distancing as people return to the Square Mile, in the long term the changes will help to deliver safer, healthier streets in line with the aims and objectives in the City Corporation’s Transport Strategy.

Have your say
An online survey is available here for street users to comment on the street changes. The above measures will be added to the survey once they have been implemented on-street. If you have any questions please email citytransportation@cityoflondon.gov.uk.  

Update from Transport for London (TfL) – A10 Bishopsgate corridor and London Bridge update
On Wednesday 16 September 2020 TfL will be extending the closure of London Bridge following essential maintenance works undertaken by the City of London Corporation. Those works excluded all traffic except buses, licensed taxis, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians on a 24/7 basis to enable the works. TfL’s new proposals retain the same arrangements for excluding other traffic, but amend the hours so that general traffic would be prevented from crossing the bridge between 7am-7pm Monday to Friday.
The below maps set out the temporary changes in detail:

This extended closure forms part of TfL’s wider Streetspace programme which aims to create more space for people to safely walk or cycle which is required as London emerges from the coronavirus lockdown and as people begin to return to work and travel more frequently.  It will address footway congestion on London Bridge and at key junctions, enable safer and more attractive cycling, and improve bus progression along the corridor.  TfL anticipate an increase in customers arriving at London Bridge station wanting to continue their onward journeys around London by foot or bicycle as lockdown measures are eased and limited public transport capacity is utilised by those who need it most.
As part of the essential maintenance works on London Bridge, resurfacing work has been carried out and a segregated cycleway, bus lane and general traffic lane has been provided in each direction.

Once completed, the new Streetspace scheme on London Bridge will provide the following benefits:

• Address the public health issues raised by the return of substantial numbers moving between London Bridge Station and the borough area and the City
• Improved conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers to avoid an increase in car use
• Improved conditions around Borough High Street, Southwark Street and Tooley Street (LB Southwark) due to traffic reduction.
• Improved journey times and journey time reliability for bus passengers
• Less through traffic should result in reduced air and noise pollution
• Improved journey times for customers travelling in taxis

This scheme is the second phase of the Shoreditch High Street to London Bridge corridor, which was activated earlier this week. For detail please see here – Bishopsgate.

Next steps
Although TfL are not undertaking a formal consultation on this scheme, they will be monitoring the effects of the Streetspace programme over the coming months and hope many of the schemes they’re introducing could become permanent additions to London’s walking and cycling network.

 If you have any comments or suggestions for changes and improvements that TfL might make, please email TfL at streetspacelondon@tfl.gov.uk