TfL issues advice for how to get home safely in London on New Year’s Eve 2014
Planning to hit central London for New Year’s Eve? Now that you’ve no doubt sorted out your plans for the party, you also need to work out how you’ll get there and back.
Transport for London has once again said it will provide free travel between 23:45 on the big night and 4:30am on January 1 across the Tube and buses, and while they are running the London Overground, Tramlink and DLR.
But for those hitting the roads it has warned of diversions and closures, advising travellers to check before they venture out.
Roads in central London will start closing to traffic from 2pm tomorrow to prepare for the sold-out firework display and other celebrations. All closures will be in place from 8pm until 6am the next day, with some roads re-opening earlier “if it's safe to do so”.
TfL said public transport would be “the best way to get around London”, urging revellers to use these various means rather than drive. It did note that some buses “will be on diversion or finish early due to the road closures”.
People choosing to take a taxi home are advised to “use a black cab or pre-booked minicab to ensure that their journey is safe and legal”. No mention was made of Uber…
London’s Transport Commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy, said: “London has had another wonderful year and I know that many people will be out in the capital welcoming the New Year in. Our priority is that passengers travelling on New Year’s Eve get home safely and plan ahead for their journey home. They can do this by either using the free travel that we are providing on our services or with a licensed taxi or a pre-booked private hire vehicle.”
On New Year’s Day, roads around Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and Whitehall will be closed from 4am until after the annual parade finishes.
As part of the New Year’s Day Parade this year, the Barclays Cycle Hire team will be giving spectators a free ride on the cycle hire bikes.
The promotion includes one 24-hour bike access to be used any day in January and all rides under 30 minutes are completely free.