Camden High Street Made Permanently Pedestrian-Only After Trial
Camden Council has confirmed that the traffic-free section of Camden High Street will become permanent, following a trial that showed reduced pollution and no collisions.
Camden High Street will be permanently closed to motor vehicles after an 18-month trial that began in May 2025. The pedestrian-only stretch runs from Britannia Junction to the junction with Jamestown Road and Hawley Crescent.
The decision follows a public consultation held this summer, in which 57% of respondents supported making the ban permanent. Councillor James Slater, Camden Council’s cabinet member for planning, said the area is a major shopping and transport hub that attracts visitors from across London, the United Kingdom and abroad. He added that the trial was launched in response to concerns about vehicle dominance, pedestrian overflow onto the pavement and air-quality issues.
According to the council, the trial has not affected local business spending and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels fell by 14.4% at monitoring sites. No traffic collisions were recorded on the street during the nine months of the trial. Permanent barriers are scheduled for installation in early 2027.
A separate bus-lane trial on nearby Kentish Town Road aims to improve northbound bus journeys and limit disruption to bus services. The move comes shortly after Oxford Street began a partial pedestrianisation, closing the section between Selfridges and Ikea to vehicles from 7 a.m. to midnight daily.