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Piccadilly, St James's Street and Jermyn Street

Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HS

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Access Guide

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Overview (Key Accessibility Information)

  • This Access Guide covers the area between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street from St James's Street in the west to Regent Street St James's in the east.
    It also covers St James's Street and some of the side roads off it.
    The changing nature of the West End may mean that the on-street conditions are different to the description in this Access Guide.
  • Regent Street, Regent Street St James's, Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall, Leicester Square, Carnaby Street, Bond Street and Oxford Street are all covered in separate Access Guides.
  • Piccadilly and St James's Street and the roads that cross them can be busy.
    The pavements and pedestrian crossings are all wide, but they can be congested at peak times, which could be daunting for some people.
    The crossings of the main road are signal controlled pedestrian crossings or zebra crossings.
    Some of the side road crossings are not controlled.
  • Jermyn Street has lighter, one-way traffic.
    In some sections, the pavement is level with the road or there are raised crossing points.
    There are 4 pedestrian routes and covered arcades connecting Jermyn Street with Piccadilly.
    Piccadilly Arcade is not step-free.
    Many other side roads also have one-way traffic that can be busy.
  • There are Legible London wayfinding signs available at intervals on Piccadilly and St James's Street.
    There is no on-street public seating in the area.
  • The main ways to get to the Piccadilly and St James's Street areas include; train, tube, bus or taxi.
    There are many bus route along Piccadilly and 2 bus stops on each side in this area.
    There are no bus routes along St James's Street, Jermyn Street or any of the side roads.
    There are north-bound bus routes on Regent Street St James's to the east of the area.
    The nearest accessible step-free tube station is Green Park, on Piccadilly west of St James's Street.
  • Parking in the area is very limited and visitors are encouraged to use public transport.
    There are a small number of Blue Badge bays in Jermyn Street, and single bays on St James's Street and the side road Ryder Street.
    There are also short-stay pay by phone bays in these areas.
    The nearest available car park is attached to The Cavendish Hotel, off Duke Street St James's.
  • There are public toilets within Piccadilly Underground Station, accessed by steps only.
    Many of the larger shops and restaurants have accessible and standard toilets and baby change facilities for customers.
  • To view the Access Guide for Regent Street St James's and Haymarket Area please click here (new tab)..
  • To view the Access Guide for Regent Street please click here (new tab)..
  • To view the Access Guide for Pall Mall, Carlton House Terrace and The Mall please click here (new tab)..

Getting Here

General Accessibility (Piccadilly)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • There is step-free access throughout Piccadilly.
      The flagstone pavements are mostly level, wide and even.
      Near Piccadilly Circus, some of the pavement has been extended with resin-bound gravel which is firm and smooth (photographs 1-4).
    • All of the main crossings over Piccadilly are pedestrian controlled.
      On the south side of Piccadilly, all the side street crossings have pedestrian controlled crossings.
      On the north side, only Albemarle Street and Old Bond Street have pedestrian controlled crossings whilst other side roads are not controlled.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are no public seats in Piccadilly.
      There are a number of waste disposal bins along both sides of the street.
      There are potential obstructions from shop/restaurant signage boards and external seating, post boxes and free newspaper stands in various places along Piccadilly (photographs 5 and 6).
    • There are a very small number of cycle hoops attached to signposts.
      There may be bikes chained to lampposts and street signage posts.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are Legible London map signs on the north side of Piccadilly, near to Piccadilly Circus, Swallow Street and the Royal Academy (photographs 7 and 8).
      On the south side, there is a sign at the corner with St James's Street.
  • Public Transport View
    • There are 2 bus stops on the north side and 2 on the south side of Piccadilly (photograph 9).
      All bus stops are sheltered and have perch seating available.
      Some of the shelters have displays of the services due.
    • There are taxi ranks outside Le Meridien Hotel on the north side of Piccadilly and at the Fortnum and Mason's department store on the south side, although it is likely to be easy to hail a taxi in any location.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly)

  • There are signal controlled pedestrian crossings near the junctions with Piccadilly Circus and St James's Street.
    There are a further 4 pedestrian crossings between them, 100m apart or less.
  • All the crossings have a central refuge.
    At some crossings this is staggered, and each side of the road is crossed separately, with separate signals.
    All the crossing points and refuges have dropped kerbs with tactile paving (photographs 1-4).
  • The road surface is tarmac.
    At the crossing near to St James's Street, part of the crossing surface has a painted floor pattern (photograph 5).
  • There is two-way traffic in Piccadilly.
    The traffic direction is shown by painted floor signage at each crossing point.

Side Street Crossings (Piccadilly)

  • On the south side of Piccadilly, there is a push-button controlled pedestrian crossing at the junction with Duke Street St James's (photograph 1).
    There is one-way traffic turning into Duke Street St James's, shown by painted floor signage.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving.
    There are visual signals but no audible signal.
    There is a rotating cone on the underside of the control box.
  • On the north side of Piccadilly, there is a push-button controlled pedestrian crossing at the junction with Albemarle Street.
    There is one-way traffic turning into Albemarle Street, shown by painted floor signage.
    There are dropped kerbs, but the tactile paving is worn smooth and could be hard to detect.
    There is a similar crossing where one-way traffic joins Piccadilly from Old Bond Street.
    Here the tactile surface is formed of metal studs.
    Both crossings have visual signals but no audible signal.
    There is a rotating cone on the underside of the control box.
  • On the north side of Piccadilly there are junctions without controlled crossings at Air Street, Swallow Street and Sackville Street (photographs 2-4).
    Each junction has one-way traffic turning in from Piccadilly, but only the crossing at Sackville Street has painted floor signage to show the direction.
    There are dropped kerbs or the road is raised level with the pavement, but there is no tactile paving at the crossings.
  • On the north side of Piccadilly there are two-way vehicle access points into Albany Courtyard and to the forecourt of the Royal Academy (photographs 5 and 6).
    The roads are raised flush with the pavement and there is no tactile paving.

General Accessibility (Jermyn Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • This section of Jermyn Street connects St James's Street with Regent Street St James's and is south of Piccadilly.
      The area is known for high-end retailers, particularly men's tailoring, and restaurants.
      Most of the businesses have step-free access (photographs 1 and 2).
    • There is step-free access throughout Jermyn Street.
      The flagstone pavements are level and mostly even.
      In some areas there are parking or loading bays of block paving that are level with the pavement and extend the pavement when the bays are not in use (photographs 3-5).
    • In some sections, the road is level with the pavement (photograph 6).
      The road surface is dark grey block paving and the painted double yellow lines help to show the kerb line.
      The side road crossings are not signal controlled.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is no public seating on Jermyn Street.
      Pavement seating outside restaurants generally has clear barriers around it (photograph 7).
    • There are potential obstructions from shop/restaurant signage boards or street kiosks (photograph 8).
    • There are rows of cycle racks near the edge of the pavement (photographs 9 and 10).
      There may also be bikes chained to lampposts and street signage posts.
  • Public Transport View
    • There is a taxi rank near to Princes Arcade that operates in the evenings only.
      It is likely to be easy to hail a taxi at other times.

Side Street Crossings (Jermyn Street)

  • Jermyn Street has a single lane of one-way traffic heading westbound, towards St James's Street.
    At the junctions with Babmaes Street and Duke of York Street there is two-way traffic connecting with Jermyn Street.
    The road surfaces in this area and in all of Babmaes Street are raised level with the pavement.
    There is no tactile paving (photographs 1-2).
  • At the crossroads with Duke Street St James's there is one-way traffic heading south.
    At this junction, and the section of Duke Street St James's connecting with Piccadilly, the road is level with the pavement.
    There is no tactile paving at the flush kerbs (photographs 3 and 4).
  • At the junction with Bury Street, there is one-way traffic joining Jermyn Street from the south.
    The road surface is raised flush with the pavement (photographs 5 and 6).
    There is no tactile paving.
    Vehicles may be queuing across the crossing point.

General Accessibility (Eagle Place and Church Place)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Eagle Place and Church Place are pedestrian-only routes connecting Jermyn Street and Piccadilly.
      The routes are wide and evenly paved in flagstones or blockwork (photographs 1-4).
    • There are long uphill slopes with no resting places from Jermyn Street towards Piccadilly.

General Accessibility (Princes Arcade and Piccadilly Arcade)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Princes Arcade and Piccadilly Arcade are historic covered shopping areas connecting Jermyn Street with Piccadilly.
      Businesses are mainly high-end fashion and accessories.
      There are open walkways with no doors at each end of the arcades.
      The arcades are closed by gates overnight when the shops are closed.
    • Princes Arcade is step-free, with a long uphill slope towards Piccadilly.
      Flooring is smooth tiles.
      Lighting is low in some areas, but shop entrances are highlighted with spot lighting.
      Shops have at least 1 tapered step at their entrance (photographs 1-4).
    • Piccadilly Arcade also has a long uphill slope towards Piccadilly.
      Close to the Jermyn Street entrance there are also 3 steps across the walkway, with no means to bypass them.
      The edges of the steps are marked but there are no handrails.
      Flooring in the arcade is smooth tiles.
      All the shops have at least 1 step or raised threshold at their entrance (photographs 5-10).

General Accessibility (St James's Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • St James's Street connects Piccadilly in the north with Pall Mall to the south.
      There are hotels, restaurants and traditional high-end retailers in this area.
      St James's Palace is at the south end of the street.
    • The road has a long uphill slope towards Piccadilly (about 350m).
      The flagstone pavements are mostly wide and even (photographs 1-4).
    • St James's Street has busy two-way traffic, with 2 lanes in each direction.
      There are 2 signal-controlled crossings and 2 zebra crossings to cross the street.
      All crossings have dropped kerbs and tactile paving.
      Side road crossings are not controlled.
      There are some side roads on the west side of St James's Street that do not have dropped kerbs.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are potential obstructions from shop/restaurant signage boards, post boxes and free newspaper stands in various places along St James's Street.
      Pavement dining areas are not contained within clear boundaries and may be near the kerb edge as well as next to buildings (photographs 5 and 6).
    • There are rows of cycle racks near the edge of the pavement.
      There may also be bikes chained to lampposts and street signage posts (photographs 7 and 8).
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There is a Legible London wayfinding sign on the east side of St James's Street, near the corner with Piccadilly.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (St James's Street)

  • There is a signal-controlled crossing on St James's Street near the junction with Piccadilly.
    This crossing is often very congested.
    There is a similar crossing south of the junction with Jermyn Street (photographs 1 and 2).
    There are zebra crossings near the junction with King Street and Pall Mall (photographs 3 and 4).
  • All the crossings have central refuges.
    This allows the zebra crossings to be crossed in 2 phases.
    The signal-controlled crossings are timed to be crossed in 1 phase.
    All the crossings have dropped kerbs with tactile paving.
  • The road surface is tarmac.
  • The road is busy and there are generally 2 lanes of traffic in each direction.
    Most of the crossing points have painted floor signage to show the traffic direction.

Side Street Crossings (St James's Street)

  • On the east side of St James's Street, there is one-way traffic joining from Jermyn Street.
    The road surface is raised level with the pavement.
    There is no tactile paving (photograph 1).
    There is a similar junction where vehicles turn into Ryder Street.
  • At the junction with King Street, there is one-way traffic joining St James's Street.
    The pavements have been built out and there are dropped kerbs with no tactile paving (photograph 2).
  • On the west side, there is a wide junction with Cleveland Row.
    The road surface is raised level with the pavement, with no tactile paving (photograph 3).
  • At the junction with Little St James's Street, there are steep dropped kerbs with uneven surfaces and no tactile paving (photograph 4).
  • The junction with Park Place has dropped kerbs with no tactile paving (photograph 5).
  • The junctions with St James's Place and Bennet Street have no dropped kerbs on the north side of the crossing and uneven dropped kerbs on the south side (photographs 6 and 7).
    There are also no dropped kerbs at the vehicle access to Blue Ball Yard (photograph 8).

General Accessibility (Bury Street, Duke Street St James's, Ryder Street and King Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Bury Street and Duke Street St James's connect Jermyn Street with King Street.
      Both streets have a long uphill slope towards Jermyn Street.
      Bury Street has one-way traffic northbound towards Jermyn Street (photographs 1 and 2).
      Duke Street St James's has one-way traffic southbound.
      There are some vehicle access points on both sides of the road that do not have dropped kerbs.
      Some shops also have projecting steps in front (photographs 3-6).
    • Ryder Street and King Street connect St James's Street with Duke Street St James's, crossing Bury Street.
      Ryder Street has one-way traffic eastbound.
      On the south side, near to Duke Street St James's, there are no dropped kerbs at the vehicle access to Christie's (photographs 7 and 8).
      King Street has one-way traffic westbound (photographs 9 and 10).
      The streets are generally level.
    • Pavements are a combination of stone and concrete paving slabs, block pavers, tarmac and asphalt, but are generally even.
      Road junctions all have dropped kerbs, but these are uneven in areas and none have tactile paving (photographs 11 and 12).
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are potential obstructions in the form of shop/restaurant signage boards and external seating (photographs 13 and 14).
    • There are rows of cycle racks near the edge of the pavement and next to the buildings in Bury Street (photographs 15 and 16).
      There may also be bikes chained to lampposts and street signage posts.

Access To (Smythson Plaza from St James's Street and Bury Street)

  • Smythson Plaza is an elevated terrace between St James's Street and Bury Street.
    It gives access to some office blocks, bars and restaurants.
    There is also some planting and bench seating (photographs 1-4).
  • The wide, stone ramp gives access to Smythson Plaza from St James's Street.
    On the left-hand side of the ramp going up, there is a band of ventilation grills (photographs 5 and 6).
  • The gradient of the ramp/slope is steep.
  • There is not a/are not handrail(s) at the ramp.
  • The ramp/slope does bypass the step(s).
  • There are stairs from St James's Street to Smythson Plaza on the right of the ramp (photographs 7 and 8).
    The bottom step is tapered and there is a drainage channel in front of it.
  • There are 11 steps .
  • The height of the step(s) is/are not between the recommended 15cm and 18cm.
  • The height of the step(s) is/are 14cm.
  • The depth of the step(s) is/are not between the recommended 30cm and 45cm.
  • The steps are not clearly marked.
  • There is not a/are not handrail(s) at the step(s).
  • Comments View
    • There are also 11 similar steps from Bury Street to the plaza, but there is no ramp in this location.
    • These steps are also not clearly marked.
    • The steps have handrails to both sides that are easy to grip but do not cover the full flight of steps.

General Accessibility (Cleveland Row and Little St James's Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Cleveland Row connects with St James's Street and Pall Mall.
      The flagstone pavements are generally wide and level.
      On the south side of the street, there are vehicle access points into St James's Palace that have cobbled surfaces and no dropped kerbs (photographs 1-4).
    • Little St James's Street is a narrow road with one-way traffic connecting St James's Street with Cleveland Row.
      Pavements are narrow and in some areas blocked by lampposts and bollards.
      There are also vehicle access points with no dropped kerbs on both sides of the street (photographs 5-8).
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is a level paved area where Cleveland Row meets Little St James's Street.
      There are cycle racks but no seating in this area (photographs 9 and 10).

General Accessibility (Crown Passage)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Crown Passage is a narrow alley connecting King Street and Pall Mall.
      There are arched openings with no doors or gates at each end.
      There are historic inns, along with restaurants and takeaway food outlets.
      The area may be congested with cyclists and pedestrians.
      Most premises have at least 1 step at their entrance.
    • Floor surfaces are tarmac or asphalt and generally even.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are some potential obstructions from signs and planters outside premises.