Keep these streets in Soho traffic-free

Good news - Westminster City Council is consulting on keeping streets traffic-free around the new Tottenham Court Road station in Soho. They have been closed for construction since 2009 and were due to reopen to motor traffic. This would be both unnecessary and dangerous. Please support this scheme and take two minutes now to fill in the survey, or read on to find out more.

The proposals

The restrictions will apply to Great Chapel Street, Dean Street and Fareham Street. There has been a huge increase of footfall due to the Elizabeth line opening and the area needs to be safe for people walking, wheeling or cycling on these narrow streets. On Fareham Street there is now no differentiation between pavement and carriageway, leaving nowhere for pedestrians to take refuge.

Why this matters for cycling

A traffic-free Great Chapel Street would be crucial for cycling. It’s on the opposite side of Oxford Street to Newman Street, so the proposed southbound cycle route along Cleveland Street and Newman Street naturally flows into it. If this street is not available for cycling, the nearest parallel streets are Wardour Street and Dean Street. Wardour Street is northbound-only and Dean Street is unsuitable for cycling because of the high pedestrian flow from the Elizabeth Line station.

Options

Here’s our take on the different options.

· Orange area - we support a full traffic restriction
· Green area - we support a full traffic restriction
· Purple area – we support partial restriction with timed vehicle access, as it is a wider street.

We would also like to see greenery, seating and cycle parking added where space allows.

Our response to the consultation can be found here.