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Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly, London, W1B 4DY

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Access Guide

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COVID-19 Information

  • The information in this section was taken in October 2020.
  • Some of the businesses in the area have barriers on the pavement to create external queuing areas.
  • There are hand sanitiser points attached to posts.
  • There are signs to remind visitors about social distancing.
  • Temporary barriers have been installed so that part of the road can be used as extra pavement space to allow for social distancing.

Overview (Key Accessibility Information)

  • This Access Guide covers the section of Piccadilly Circus between Regent Street/Piccadilly and Leicester Square/Swiss Court.
    The changing nature of the West End may mean that the on-street conditions are different to the description in this Access Guide.
    This Access Guide was updated in October 2020.
    For detailed information about Piccadilly Circus itself please click here (new tab).
    Major businesses such as Boots (new tab), Body Worlds (new tab), Picturehouse Central (new tab), ODEON (new tab), McDonald’s (new tab), Bubba Gump Shrimp (new tab), The Prince of Wales Theatre (new tab), Rainforest Café (new tab) Lillywhites, Piccadilly Institute and Trocadero are located in Piccadilly Circus.
    This Access Guide also includes the side roads:
    - Glasshouse Street, leading to Regent Street (new tab)
    - Coventry Street, leading to Leicester Square (new tab).
  • Leicester Square, Regent Street, Carnaby, Bond Street and Oxford Circus are all covered in separate Access Guides.
  • Piccadilly Circus and the roads which cross it are extremely busy.
    The pavements and pedestrian crossings are all level and wide, however they can be very congested at peak times, which could be daunting for some people.
    Peak times are from 12:00 until around 19:00, and peak months are July - August and December.
    The majority of the paths are stone paving.
  • The Piccadilly Circus advertising screens are always on.
    They are very bright and constantly changing, which could be disturbing for some people.
  • There can be a lot of noise from the open doors of some shops and musicians performing on the street.
    There is no seating around Piccadilly Circus, however the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain ("Eros") steps are generally used as a resting area.
    Legible London wayfinding signs are available at intervals throughout Piccadilly Circus, near to the underground access points.
    All of the main crossroads have pedestrian-controlled crossings apart from the side roads Glasshouse Street with Air Street, Brewer Street and Warwick Street and Coventry Street with Oxendon Street and Rupert Street.
  • The main ways to get to Piccadilly Circus include; tube, bus or taxi.
    The nearest tube station is Piccadilly Circus, with 7 stepped access points.
    The nearest bus stops are located on Regent Street/St James's Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Coventry Street and Haymarket.
    The nearest taxi ranks are located on Regent Street/St James's Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket, Jermyn Street, Air Street, Coventry Street, Oxendon Street, Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street.
  • Parking in the area is very limited and visitors are encouraged to use public transport.
    The nearest available on street Blue Badge parking is located on Whitcomb Street and Jermyn Street.
    There are a number of standard on-street parking bays in various side streets around Piccadilly Circus.
    The nearest available public car parks are Q-Park – Leicester Square (new tab) and NCP – Brewers Street.
    Q-Park – Leicester Square has Blue Badge parking bays available.
  • There is only 1 'accessible' toilet in area, located within the Piccadilly Circus Underground Station (Regent Street - east side).
    This toilet is accessed by steps only and may not be suitable for some disabled people.
    Some of the restaurants located around Piccadilly Circus have accessible toilets available.
    There are also male and female public standard toilets located at the north east and north west corners of Leicester Square Gardens.

Related West End Venues

  • The following venues are located around Piccadilly Circus.

Getting Here (Piccadilly Circus)

On Street Parking

  • On Street Blue Badge Parking View
    • There is a/are clearly signed and/or marked on street Blue Badge parking bay(s) available.
    • The on street Blue Badge parking bay(s) is/are located on Whitcomb Street (photograph 1) and Jermyn Street (photograph 2).
    • The dimensions of the on street Blue Badge parking bays vary in size.
    • There are not parking charges for the on street Blue Badge parking bay(s).
    • Parking is free for Blue Badge holders.
  • On Street Standard Parking View
    • Standard on street parking is available.
    • The on street standard parking bay(s) is/are located on various side streets around Piccadilly Circus.
  • Comments View
    • Parking in the area is very limited and visitors are encouraged to use public transport, however for information about the Blue Badge Scheme and parking in London please click here (new tab).

General Accessibility (Piccadilly Circus)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • There is step-free access throughout Piccadilly Circus.
      The paths have flagstone paving (photographs 1 - 4).
      The path is uneven in places with some slight slopes.
      Piccadilly Circus has many busy crossing points.
    • All of the main crossroads have pedestrian-controlled crossings apart from the side roads; Glasshouse Street with Air Street, Brewer Street and Warwick Street and Coventry Street with Oxendon Street and Rupert Street.
      There are also pedestrian-controlled points to cross Piccadilly Circus between the crossroad junctions.
      Some of these crossing points can become congested and give limited time to cross.
    • There is pedestrian-only access from Piccadilly Circus to some side streets.
      Glasshouse Street is on the east side.
      Shaver’s Place is on the west side, off Coventry Street.
      The following main streets/roads are located off Piccadilly Circus; Regent Street/St James's Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Glasshouse Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Coventry Street, Great Windmill Street and Haymarket.
      Regent Street/St James's Street has a slight gradient.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is no seating within Piccadilly Circus, however the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain ("Eros") steps are generally used as a resting area (photographs 5 and 6).
      Access to the top of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain ("Eros") is via 9 steps.
      The steps are not clearly marked and there are no handrails.
    • There are some waste bins throughout Piccadilly Circus.
      There are no cycle racks within the main Piccadilly Circus area.
    • There are some kiosks on the pavement which may cause congestion in the area.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are Legible London wayfinding signs located within approximately 20m of the access points to the Underground Stations; outside Lillywhites, on Regent Street/St James's Street, on Piccadilly, on Regent Street and on Coventry Street (photographs 7 and 8).
    • There are no Legible London wayfinding signs outside the Regent Street West Underground Station access point (Glasshouse Street).
  • Public Transport View
    • The nearest bus stops are located on; Regent Street/St James's Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Coventry Street and Haymarket.
    • The nearest taxi ranks are located on Regent Street/St James's Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket, Jermyn Street, Air Street, Coventry Street, Oxendon Street, Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street.
    • There are 7 access points for Piccadilly Circus Underground Station, all within the central Piccadilly Circus area.
    • All the station access points have steps.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly Circus (from Piccadilly))

  • There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is two-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 98cm and 110cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly Circus (from Regent Street))

  • There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • This crossing leads from/to the central island at the Regent Street crossing point.
    The central island surface consists of grey flagstone paving.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is two-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 100cm and 108cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly Circus (from Shaftesbury Avenue))

  • There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is one-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 100cm and 105cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Regent Street/St James's Street (North))

  • This crossing point is located to the north end of Regent Street/St James's Street, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is one-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 102cm and 106cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly (East))

  • This crossing point is located to the east end of Piccadilly, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • There is a small central island at this crossing with tactile paving.
    The refuge has a flush surface with the road.
    Despite the refuge, the crossing is intended to be crossed in one go.
  • The road surface at the crossing is grey tarmac.
  • There is two-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 100cm and 106cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Regent Street (South))

  • This crossing point is located to the south end of Regent Street, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • There is a large central island at this crossing.
    The central island surface consists of flagstone paving.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at each side of the central island.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is two-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 98cm and 108cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Shaftesbury Avenue (South))

  • This crossing point is located to the south end of Shaftesbury Avenue, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
  • There is a small waiting point in the centre of the road crossing.
  • The road surface at the crossing is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac road.
  • There is one-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 101cm and 105cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Junction - Piccadilly Circus with Coventry Street/Haymarket)

  • There are 2 crossing points from Piccadilly Circus over Coventry Street/Haymarket.
    Coventry Street crossing point is shown in photographs 1 - 6.
    Haymarket crossing point is shown in photographs 7 - 12.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving on both sides of the road at each crossing point.
  • The road surface at the crossings is grey tarmac.
  • There is one-way traffic at these crossings.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic at the Haymarket crossing point only.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at these crossing points.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 98cm and 103cm.
    At the Coventry Street crossing point there is 1 push button box (Great Windmill Street side), with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.
    At the Haymarket crossing point there is at least 1 push button box either side of the road, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Side Street Crossings (Great Windmill Street)

  • There is a dedicated crossing point for Great Windmill Street, located between Piccadilly Circus and Coventry Street.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at either side of the road.
    The tactile paving on the Coventry Street side (Leicester Square side) of the crossing is very worn and is flush with the pavement.
    The road surface is grey tarmac.
    There is one-way traffic at this crossing.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
    There are visual indicators at this crossing point.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 100cm and 102cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road (right side), with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.

General Accessibility (Glasshouse Street (Piccadilly Circus - Regent Street))

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Glasshouse Street runs between Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street.
      There is step-free access throughout Glasshouse Street.
      The pavement is flagstones and concrete block paving (photographs 1 - 7).
      The paths are level throughout.
    • Glasshouse Street is pedestrianised between Piccadilly Circus and Air Street.
      Some areas of Glasshouse Street are opened to vehicles for deliveries.
      The pedestrianised roads have a patterned block paving surface.
    • Glasshouse Street crosses Air Street and Brewer Street/Warwick Street (if required).
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are no public seating/resting areas along Glasshouse Street.
      There are restaurant outdoor seating areas and menu boards in some of the pedestrianised areas.
    • There are no waste disposal bins located along Glasshouse Street.
      There are a number of large planters located along the pedestrianised parts of Glasshouse Street (photograph 8).
      There are some cycle racks located at the junction with Brewers Street.
    • There are bollards on the pedestrianised part of the road, at the Air Street crossing point and Brewer Street crossing point (photographs 9 - 12).
      The bollards contrast with the pavement.
      The width between the bollards is over 150cm.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are no Legible London wayfinding signs located along Glasshouse Street.
    • The nearest Legible London wayfinding signs are located outside the access point for Piccadilly Circus Underground Station (Regent Street East), within the main Piccadilly Circus area.
  • Public Transport View
    • The nearest bus stops are located on Regent Street.
    • The nearest taxi ranks are located on Air Street and Regent Street.
    • The nearest underground station is Piccadilly Circus.

Side Street Crossings (along Glasshouse Street (Air Street, Brewer Street, Warwick Street))

  • There is no dedicated crossing point for Air Street.
    The recommended crossing point is where the path is level with the road (photographs 1 - 3).
    There is no tactile paving.
    There is one-way traffic but no written floor signage to indicate the traffic direction.
    There are bollards on the Piccadilly Circus side of this crossing point.
  • There is no dedicated crossing point for Brewer Street.
    The recommended crossing point is where the path is level with the road, outside The Warwick (photograph 4).
    There is no tactile paving either side of the road.
    There is one-way traffic at this crossing with no written floor signage to indicate the traffic direction.
    There are no signals to indicate when it is safe to cross.
  • There is no dedicated crossing point for Warwick Street.
    The recommended crossing point is where the path is level with the road, outside The Leicester Arms (photographs 6 and 6).
    There is no tactile paving.
    There is one-way traffic but no written floor signage to indicate the traffic direction.
    .

General Accessibility (Coventry Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Coventry Street runs between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.
      There is step-free access throughout Coventry Street.
      The pavement is stone and concrete slabs (photographs 1 - 3).
      They are uneven in places with some very slight slopes.
    • The paths can become very congested during busy periods throughout the day.
      .
    • There is a crossing point for Coventry Street located next to Shaver's Place.
      There are dropped kerbs on both sides of the road with no tactile paving.
      There are no signals to indicate when it is safe to cross.
      The following streets are off Coventry Street; Oxendon Street, Rupert Street, Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • The nearest seating is located in Leicester Square.
    • There are a number of waste disposal bins.
      There is a red telephone box on the south side of Coventry Street which narrows the width of the path.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are no Legible London wayfinding signs located along Coventry Street.
    • The nearest Legible London wayfinding signs are located outside the access point for Piccadilly Circus Underground Station (Coventry Street) or on Swiss Court, outside M&M World.
  • Public Transport View
    • There is a bus stop located on the north side of Coventry Street, outside Grosvenor Casino.
      The bus stop is called Coventry Street/Leicester Square.
      The bus stop is not sheltered and has no seating available.
    • There is a taxi rank located on the north side of Coventry Street, outside Bubba Gump Shrimp.
    • There are also taxi ranks on Oxendon Street, Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street.
    • The nearest underground station is Piccadilly Circus.

Side Street Crossings (along Coventry Street (Oxendon Street, Rupert Street))

  • Oxendon Street crossing point has dropped kerbs but no tactile paving on either side of the road (photographs 1 and 2).
    There are no signals to indicate when it is safe to cross.
    There is one-way traffic with floor signage to indicate the direction.
  • Rupert Street crossing point has dropped kerbs but no tactile paving on either side of the road (photographs 3 and 4).
    There are no signals to indicate when it is safe to cross.
    There is one-way traffic but there is no floor signage to indicate the direction.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Junction - Coventry Street with Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street)

  • There are 3 crossing points at this junction; Coventry Street, Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street.
    Whitcomb Street and Wardour Street crossings connect with Leicester Square (Swiss Court).
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving on all sides of the road at this junction.
  • The road surface is tarmac throughout.
  • There is one-way traffic at all crossings with floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
  • There are visual but not audible indicators at all the crossing points.
    The visual indicators are activated by push buttons, between the heights of 95cm and 104cm.
    There is at least 1 push button box either side of the road at each crossing, with a rotating cone to indicate when it is safe to cross.