Earlham Street Experimental Road Closure

Overview

Camden is working with the Seven Dials’ Trust to make the Seven Dials area more attractive for residents and businesses as well as encouraging more people to walk and cycle.

Taxis and other vehicles use Monmouth Street, Earlham Street and Shorts Gardens as a short cut to avoid traffic queues on Shaftesbury Avenue. Therefore these streets are often busy with traffic which makes the area less pleasant for residents and businesses.

The Council would like to undertake a trial closure of Earlham Street at the junction with Shaftesbury Avenue (the closure would not apply to cyclists). In addition, it is proposed to change the direction of traffic in Tower Street to one-way eastbound (from Earlham Street to Monmouth Street). Therefore, traffic on Earlham Street would be able to exit Seven Dials via Tower Street and Monmouth Street (south). Traffic would also be able to access Shaftesbury Avenue via Mercer Street (west).

The closure would reduce traffic on Earlham Street and Monmouth Street (north) making these streets more attractive as well as encouraging people to walk and cycle. The closure is likely to lead to an increase in traffic on Mercer Street (west); however this route may not be as attractive to use as a short cut. The closure should also help to reduce congestion on Shaftesbury Avenue as currently vehicles turning out of Earlham Street block other traffic approaching the traffic lights.