Emma Gaydon, RMP Project Manager for TfL writes

I am emailing to update you about the City of London’s closure of Tower Bridge. To make sure you have information to plan ahead, please find attached an up to date diversion route map; a map of the mitigations TfL is putting in place to keep traffic moving and an up to date traffic impact map.

The closure extends from the junction of Tower Bridge Road and Queen Elizabeth Street on the south side to the traffic lights by the A100 Tower Bridge Road and A1203 East Smithfield junction on the north side.

Tower Bridge is currently on the boundary route of the Congestion Charging Zone and vehicles crossing the bridge do not incur the charge. Clear ‘charge free’ signage will be in place to guide vehicles. Not using the signed route during charging hours (Mon-Fri 07:00 to 18:00) without paying the daily charge may incur a significant penalty.

The two diversion routes in place are:

·         Northbound - crossing over London Bridge from Borough High Street to Monument and east onto East Cheap Street or Fenchurch Street

·         Southbound - crossing over Southwark Bridge from Upper Thames Street, to Southwark Bridge Road/Marshalsea Road and onto Great Dover Street.

Traffic on the diversion routes will be heavier, with journey times impacted. We would encourage deliveries to customers to be outside peak times as much as possible. Our on street enforcement teams will be actively monitoring the area to ensure vehicles are not stopping illegally on the diversion routes and the London Transport Control Centre (LSTCC) will be monitoring all roads and changing light phasing on key routes to help manage traffic. Additional ANPR cameras are also being installed.

The Freight and Fleet team have been out visiting businesses in the impact area but we suggest you also contact your clients as well to discuss retiming deliveries.

More details at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/towerbridgeclosure

Remember we have live updates on road disruption and delays at www.tfl.gov.uk/traffic/status

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport for TfL comments,

Ian was a key player in the development of the original London Freight Plan and led the freight team during the 2012 Olympics, ensuring the success of both the freight industry and London during the Games. The fact that all of this year's Mayoral candidates included freight policies in their manifestos is a testament to Ian and the work of his team to ensure that the lessons from the Games were captured and developed upon. Ian will remain in post until after the Freight Forum on 21 October where we will provide an update as to how our Freight Programme will be managed in the future.

In the interim, the main contacts for the Freight team remain as:

-Tim Ward, Engagement Manager for Freight Communications
-Stephen Steele, Programme Manager for Efficient Deliveries
-Hannah White, Programme Manager for Safety & Environment
-Paul Strang, Senior Strategy & Planning Manager for Freight Strategy

Prudential RideLondon - Friday 29 to Sunday 31 July

The Prudential RideLondon cycling events return on the weekend of Friday 29 July. Races will be taking place on closed roads and a revised route in London and Surrey. There will be extensive road closures from Friday 29 July until the early hours of Monday 1 August. Information about road closures at the links below:

Friday 29 July - road closures in central London

Saturday 30 July - road closures in London

Sunday 31 July - road closures in London and Surrey

A200 Tower Bridge closure - Saturday 1 October to Friday 30 December 2016

The City of London Corporation is planning essential major works to Tower Bridge. The works will require a full closure of the bridge to all vehicle traffic from Saturday 1 October until Friday 30 December 2016.

The closure of Tower Bridge extends from the junction of Tower Bridge Road and Queen Elizabeth Street on the south side to the traffic lights by the A100 Tower Bridge Road and A1203 East Smithfield junction on the north side. There are two diversion routes in place, depending on the direction of travel:

-         Northbound: Crossing over London Bridge from Borough High Street to Monument and east onto East Cheap Street or Fenchurch Street

-         Southbound: Crossing over Southwark Bridge from Upper Thames Street to Southwark Bridge Road/Marshalsea Road and onto Great Dover Street

Tower Bridge is currently on the boundary route for the Congestion Charging zone - vehicles crossing Tower Bridge do not incur the Congestion Charge. During the closure, 'charge free' signs will be in place to guide drivers through the diversions. Deviating from the signed route during charging hours (Monday-Friday 07:00-18:00) without paying the daily charge may incur a penalty charge. For more information, please click here

London Bridge

To facilitate Network Rail's work at London Bridge station, A200 Tooley Street is closed to eastbound traffic from Borough High Street to Bermondsey Street until February 2018. A signed diversion route is in place via Borough High Street, Great Dover Street and Tower Bridge Road.

From 01:00 Saturday 27 August until 05:00 Tuesday 30 August, Tooley Street will also be closed to traffic from Borough High Street to Bermondsey Street. Controlled entry will be maintained for deliveries. For more information and travel advice for drivers, please click here

Ardleigh Green Bridge (LB Havering) - Saturday 23 July to December 2017

As part of our Road Modernisation Plan, we are replacing the Ardleigh Green Bridge, which carries the A127 Southend arterial road over the East Anglia Railway. From Sunday 24 July, only two lanes of traffic will be operational (one lane in each direction). The Essex-bound carriageway will close completely and two-way traffic will operate on the other side of the road, with a contraflow in place from Gallows Corner to Squirrels Heath Road, until December 2017.

To put the contraflow in place, there is an overnight closure on the A127 from 20:00 Saturday 23 until 08:00 Sunday 24 July. This full road closure will be from Gallows Corner to the Ardleigh Green Road/Squirrels Heath Road junction.

Access to the A127 from Bryant Avenue will also be closed until May 2017 while demolition and replacement of the eastern half (the Essex-bound carriageway) takes place. Access into Bryant Avenue from the A127 will be available during this time, apart from specific dates that will be publicised nearer to the time. For more information, please click here

Hammersmith flyover

A short programme of repair works for the flyover is being currently being planned, but we anticipate that there will be either westbound closures or a contraflow in place for two weekends:

-        Friday 12 until Monday 15 August

-        Friday 20 until Monday 23 August

We should be able to confirm timings and details next week.

Air quality in London: Friday 29 July is deadline for your responses

0n 5 July, the Mayor of London launched the first of a series of consultations to ask Londoners about their views on proposals to improve air quality in the Capital. You can share what you think of his plans through an online survey that is open until Friday 29 July. This feedback will help shape the Mayor's policies and inform detailed consultations in the autumn. For more details and to have your say, please click here

Network Rail has pulled some of the work at Tooley St. There will no longer be nine consecutive evening closures Monday 25 July to Tuesday 2 August.

The overnight closure of Tooley Street from Borough High Street to Bermondsey Street on 01:00 Saturday 27 August to 05:00 Tuesday 30 August is still going ahead however.

TfL, Fergus Worthy reports to IOC.

Today, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, launched a series of consultations to ask Londoners about their views on proposals to improve air quality in the Capital, some of which may be of interest to fellows and members of the IOC.

Air quality is the biggest environmental challenge to face London. We are currently breaching our legal limits of nitrogen dioxide, which alongside other pollutant causes the equivalent of 9,400 deaths of Londoners every year. London’s air quality has improved significantly in recent years but much more needs to be done to protect the health of Londoners.

‘An electric centric audience’ -  Full house, standing room only, Southwark  Bridge Road, tech folk alongside operators and the TfL team to talk clean air solutions for Van in London.

Carl Lomas opened with clarity on the exploding numbers of home deliveries that were driving white vans into London. TfL Glen Davies had detailed 59% of white vans were in private registration. It is a challenge to communicate to these drivers. Sarah Wixey explained the present research for LoCity on various tech issues between fuels from hydrogen to gas, light and heavy, mixed fuel vehicles and electric. Lomas outlined the most eco-friendly cargo machine, cargo bikes, electric, assist and pedal. Venn Chesterton TTR set working tables to talk around the issues of what is a van, size, weight, purpose and job. How should it be defined to the wider commercial user. Operators asked for strong network time, Lomas extended the timescales to see tech folk talk to operators and exchanged best practice.