Mayor of London outlines reasons AGAINST reopening Trafalgar Square bus lane route to taxis
- Perry Richardson
- Oct 21
- 2 min read
The Mayor of London has confirmed that significant operational issues would arise if licensed taxis were once again permitted to enter Trafalgar Square coming from Piccadilly via Pall Mall East despite the reduction of licensed black cabs.
The comments came in response to a written question from Reform UK Assembly Member Alex Wilson as part of the Mayor’s Question Time session on 9 October. Wilson asked for details of the “significant operational concerns” identified in an earlier TfL review, particularly in light of the taxi fleet now standing at a historic low of around 14,000 vehicles.
In a written reply dated 14 October, the Mayor explained that Trafalgar Square operates as a five-arm signalised roundabout with limited traffic capacity. The layout and the large number of pedestrian crossings mean green light phases must be kept short to maintain movement around the junction.
According to the Mayor, allowing taxis to enter from Piccadilly would disrupt this balance. The additional flow from Pall Mall East would risk overloading the northern section by Nelson’s Column, where space is already constrained. There was a warning that such a change would lead to longer red light times for both taxis and buses, causing additional delays for passengers compared to the current setup.
The Mayor of London said: “Trafalgar Square is a five-arm signalised roundabout with a low design capacity for traffic. This is due to its physical layout and the frequent pedestrian crossing opportunities required to accommodate the high volume of pedestrians here.
“To help maintain traffic flow through the roundabout, green signal phases for vehicles entering from Piccadilly via Pall Mall (east) are carefully timed in short intervals. This is to avoid overwhelming the section of road on the northern side of the roundabout by Nelson’s Column. While taxi licensing figures have reduced, taxi traffic through this area remains high as it is a popular destination and thoroughfare.
“Opening Cockspur Street would overwhelm this capacity and require taxis and buses to be held at red lights for longer – resulting in additional delays to their passengers compared to the current arrangement.”
