Plans to grade-separate the remaining sections of the North Circular with flat junctions - Henlys Corner, Bounds Green & Golders Green Rd - have been dropped in favour of smaller improvement schemes.
Road Projects
The last single carriageway section of the main route between Woolwich and the M25 will be dualled.
The A206 Thames Road in Crayford (LB Bexley) will be dualled, half funded by Transport for London and half funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Work is scheduled to start in June 2005 for completion by 2007.
Bishop's Bridge, which carries the A4206 over the rail approach into Paddington and the Grand Union Canal's Paddington Arm, was replaced with a wider, stronger structure.
Bishop's Bridge is an important link for road traffic and pedestrians in the Paddington area, especially given regeneration projects in the area. The old bridge was weight-restricted and quite narrow; it was not strong enough to take buses, and got congested at peak times.
Safety in the 108-year-old northbound Blackwall Tunnel will be improved during a proposed refurbishment, following completion of current southbound refurbishment
Refurbishment of the southbound tunnel has been underway since March 2002 and was due for completion in April 2004; that date has since been pushed back to June 2005, although TfL are pressing the contractor for an earlier finish date.
Changes are planned for the world's largest congestion charging scheme, including a price increase, expansion and smart vehicle tagging.
London is the world's largest city to introduce a congestion charging scheme, and did so on 17 February 2003. The scheme has been running successfully for two-and-a-half years and has reduced traffic by 15% within the zone, emissions reductions (both carbon and nitrogen dioxides and particulates) and bus delays.
Extension of the congestion charge zone into Kensington & Chelsea to the west.
A westward extension of the current congestion charge scheme came into operation on 19 February 2007.
The central zone has simply been extended to an area comprising all of the City of Westminster and virtually all of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The extended boundary is:
Exhibition Road will be redesigned as part of a ã25m project to improve the ambience around the South Kensington institutions.
Ove Arup and Dixon Jones architects have been appointed by the GLA and RB Kensington & Chelsea (RB K&C) for the ã35m redesign of Exhibition Road and its ageing Victorian subway. This is one of ten pilot projects in the Mayor's 100 Public Spaces programme, which aims to improve the quality of public spaces in London.
Congestion charging is being considered at Heathrow to raise money for public transport improvements and reduce emissions.
Congestion charging is being considered as part of a move by government to reduce pollution at Heathrow and improve public transport.
The congestion charge will be waived for the cleanest vehicles and raised to ã25 per day for the most polluting, including those owned by charge zone residents.
A pilot scheme to trial motorway lanes dedicated to cars with 2 or more occupants in the morning rush hour.
This plan was announced by the Transport Secretary Alastair Darling after a visit to the US where "HOV" lanes are common on routes into cities such as Los Angeles and Washington DC.
A Low Emission Zone means charging vehicles not meeting minimum emissions standards for entering Greater London.
This is a manifesto commitment for Mayor Ken Livingstone's second term from 2004-2008. Feasibility studies were originally carried out by AEA Technologies (on behalf of the Mayor, the GLA, the DfT and various other bodies) into making London a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), an air pollution management system already used in Sweden.
The majority of remaining 3-lane sections of the M25 would be widened under a ã1.6bn scheme proposed to start in 2006.
Under this ã1.6bn scheme which would take up to ten years to complete, the following sections of the M25 would be widened to four lanes in each direction:
The M1 will be widened to four lanes between the M25 (J6A) and Milton Keynes South (J13) in two stages, starting with the M25 to Luton (J10).
This 10-mile section carries around 160,000 vehicles per day; when first constructed with two lanes in 1959 in was designed to carry 13,000.
Some sections are currently four lanes (J6A-7 & J9-10 northbound) but the others are three lanes.
Slip roads onto the roundabout at South Mimms have been widened from two to three lanes.
Widening of the M25 between the M4 (J15) and the M3 (J12) (Heathrow section) to give it 6 lanes in each direction.
The M25 western section near Heathrow airport is one of the busiest roads in Europe, catering for over 200,000 vehicles per day. (The AA states that the figure is 250,000 vehicles per day, which is twice the design capacity of this section). Widening is intended to relieve some of the endemic congestion.
This Highways Agency plan aims to improve the M4 - in London it is considering various strategies including extending the bus lane or tolls.
There are several options under consideration, of which one has already been ruled out.
The Highways Agency (HA) did consider a ã2 toll for the London section of the motorway, but this was ruled out by transport secretary Alastair Darling recently.
The DfT is investigating a satellite-based scheme which charges motorists based on the time of day they drive and the roads they drive on.
A river crossing is proposed from West Silvertown to North Greenwich, to supplement the Blackwall crossing.
This new crossing has been proposed by TfL and is supported in principle by the Mayor who has expressed a preference for a tunnel. See a map of the area.
Kensington & Chelsea are consulting on a redesign of Sloane Square to provide more pedestrian space.
The plan that RB Kensington & Chelsea are proposing is to remove the gyratory system and replace it with a staggered crossroads.
View a PDF plan of the proposed changes.
A new bridge with 2 lanes in each direction for private vehicles, a cycle/footway and two public transport lanes, from Beckton across the Thames to Thamesmead.
The bridge will connect the A406 North Circular at its A13 Alfreds Way junction, to the A2016 Western Way in Thamesmead. An original plan to continue to the A2 has been rejected on environmental grounds, since it would heavily damage Oxleas Wood.
