LIVE UPDATES: Daily London taxi driver demand bulletin - events, tips and road closures

London Driver Demand Bulletin: Sunday 26 July

Overall demand: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Strong from late morning through late evening.

Sunday will be another busy day across London, with several large festivals continuing, exhibitions, Royal Albert Hall performances and the London Triathlon affecting travel across east and central London. Demand is expected to build from late morning and remain strong into the evening, although road closures will make some journeys significantly longer.

Morning (06:00 to 11:00)

Hotel departures, airport transfers and mainline station journeys should provide a steady start.

From 4:30am until 6:30pm, the London Triathlon will bring extensive road closures through east and central London. The route runs from the ExCeL Centre via Royal Albert Way, Silvertown Tunnel, Lower Lea Crossing, East India Dock Road, Limehouse Link Tunnel, The Highway, Tower Hill, Upper and Lower Thames Street and Victoria Embankment. Expect widespread delays, bus diversions and longer journey times across much of central and east London.

Olympia London opens at 10:00am, while the first Royal Albert Hall performance begins at 11:00am, generating early visitor demand.

Daytime (11:00 to 16:00)

Demand should remain steady as visitors travel to Olympia London, Ealing Common, Walpole Park, Boston Manor Park, Blackheath Common and Copthall Playing Field.

The triathlon road closures are likely to have the greatest impact on traffic conditions, particularly around Canary Wharf, Tower Hill, Embankment and the eastern approaches into central London. Drivers should avoid unnecessary trips through the affected route where practical.

Evening (16:00 onwards)

The strongest demand is expected from late afternoon into the evening as festival-goers begin leaving venues and visitors attend the evening Royal Albert Hall performance.

The Royal Albert Hall performance is expected to finish around 10:00pm, while festivals across Ealing, Brentford, Blackheath and Barnet continue until 10:00pm or later.

West End restaurants, theatres, hotels and entertainment venues should provide additional work into the late evening once the main event departures begin.

Best departure times

• 5:00pm – Olympia London exhibition

• 10:00pm – Royal Albert Hall evening performance

• 10:00pm – Boston Manor Park and Blackheath Common festivals

• 10:00pm – Walpole Park festival

Driver tips

• Expect significant delays across east and central London because of the London Triathlon. Check live traffic before committing to cross-river journeys.

• Around Olympia, move towards Kensington, Earl’s Court and nearby hotels after the exhibition closes rather than remaining outside the venue.

• Position near festival sites around 30 minutes before expected finishing times, but work surrounding stations and hotels instead of joining busy pick-up areas.

• The westbound A40 Westway closure remains in force, so allow extra time when travelling across west London.

• Ongoing roadworks at the A10 Cambridge Gardens junction continue to cause weekday delays, but are not scheduled to affect Sunday traffic.

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Best working period: 2:00pm to 10:00pm.