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Regent Street St James's and Haymarket Area

Regent Street St James's, London, W1

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Access Guide

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Overview (Key Accessibility Information)

  • This Access Guide covers the section of Regent Street St James's between Piccadilly Circus and Pall Mall, Haymarket, Charles II Street and connected areas. This includes the east section of Jermyn Street, the St James's Market area and Royal Opera Arcade.
    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 August 2022.
    The length of this section of Regent Street St James's is approximately 350m (0.2 miles).
    The width of road has been reduced, shortening the crossing distances.
    The pavements have been widened (over 5,000 sq m of additional footway space added between All Souls Church and Charles II Street).
    Seating has been introduced along Regent Street St James's for the first time.
  • The Piccadilly and Pall Mall areas, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Carnaby Street, Bond Street and Regent Street to the north are all covered in separate Access Guides.
  • Regent Street St James's, Haymarket and the roads that cross them can be busy.
    The pavements and pedestrian crossings are all wide, however they can be congested at peak times, which could be daunting for some people.
  • There are Legible London wayfinding signs available at intervals on both sides of Regent Street St James's and on Haymarket.
    There is seating available at intervals along Regent Street St James's and in St Alban's Street in the St James's Market area.
  • All of the crossings over Regent Street St James's have pedestrian controlled crossings with the exception of the junction at Waterloo Place near Pall Mall.
    All the crossings of Haymarket are also pedestrian controlled.
    Most of the side roads do not have controlled crossing points.
  • The main ways to get to the Regent Street St James's and Haymarket area include; train, tube, bus or taxi.
    There is a taxi rank on the east side of Regent Street St James's, on the east side of Haymarket and on Jermyn Street.
    There are 2 bus stops on Regent Street St James's, (northbound), Haymarket (southbound), and Charles II Street (westbound).
    There are access points for Piccadilly Circus underground station at the north end of this section of Regent Street St James's.
    The nearest accessible step-free tube station is Green Park.
  • Parking in the area is very limited and visitors are encouraged to use public transport.
    There is a single Blue Badge bay in Waterloo Place north of Pall Mall, 5 Blue Badge bays in the section of Waterloo Place south of Pall Mall, and 4 in Charles II Street.
    The nearest available car park is in Old Burlington Street, west of Regent Street, off Vigo Street; Q-Park - Burlington Street (new tab).
    Q-Park - Burlington Street has no Blue Badge parking bays available.
    There are 2 other car parks available nearby that have lift access and Blue Badge parking bays; NCP - London Soho Brewer Street, located off Glasshouse Street and Q-Park – Soho, located in Poland Street.
  • There are standard and accessible public toilets in Trafalgar Square.
    There are public toilets within Piccadilly Underground Station, accessed by steps only.
    Additional standard toilet facilities are available within Q-Park in Old Burlington Street.
    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 - Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus please click here (new tab)..
  • To view the Access Guide for Piccadilly, St James's Street and Jermyn 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 (Regent Street St James's and Haymarket Area)

General Accessibility (Regent Street St James's - Piccadilly Circus to Pall Mall)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • There is step-free access throughout Regent Street St James's.
      The flagstone pavements are mostly even and have been extended with resin-bound gravel (photographs 1-8).
      The taxi rank is on a tarmac surface.
      The pavements have a long uphill slope from Pall Mall towards Piccadilly Circus.
    • All of the main crossings over Regent Street St James's have pedestrian controlled crossings, except for the crossing at Waterloo Place near to Pall Mall.
      The side street crossings, except for Jermyn Street, do not have pedestrian controlled crossings.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is seating available at intervals along Regents Street St James's (photographs 9-11).
      Most of the seats are benches with backrests and a central armrest.
      There are also a small number of stools without backrests.
      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 (photographs 12-14).
    • There are rows of cycle racks near the edge of the pavement or original pavement, where it meets the extended area (photographs 15 and 16).
      There may also be bikes chained to lampposts and street signage posts.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are Legible London wayfinding signs in Piccadilly Circus, close to the access points into the underground station.
      There is also a Legible London wayfinding sign close on the west side of Regent Street St James's, just north of Charles II street (photograph 17).
  • Public Transport View
    • There are 2 bus stops on the west side of Regent Street St James's (photographs 18 and 19).
      Both bus stops are sheltered and have perch seating available.
      The bus shelters may be up to 15m from the bus stopping point.
      The perch seating is between 55cm and 65cm high.
      The shelters have displays of the services due.
    • There is a taxi rank on the east side of Regent Street, south of Jermyn Street (photograph 20).
      The taxi rank is flush with the pavement.
    • There are 2 access points for Piccadilly Circus Underground Station located at the north end of Regent Street St James's (photograph 21).
      All the station access points are by steps only.

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

  • This crossing point is located to the north end of Regent Street St James's, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
    As the pavement has been extended, the crossing controls are set back from the pavement edge.
  • 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.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Piccadilly (East)

  • This crossing point is located at the east end of Piccadilly, at the junction with Piccadilly Circus.
    There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving at both sides of the road.
    At the pavements have been extended, the crossing controls are set back from the pavement edge.
  • There is a small central island at this crossing.
    The central island has a flush surface with the road, with no tactile paving.
    Despite the central island, 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.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Junction - Regent Street St James's with Jermyn Street)

  • There are dropped kerbs and tactile paving at the crossing on Regent Street St James's.
    As the pavement has been temporarily extended, the kerb edge is some distance from the push button.
    There are dropped kerbs and tactile paving at both the east and west Jermyn Street crossings.
  • The road surface at the Jermyn Street crossings is buff-coloured tarmac which contrasts with the grey road.
    The Regent Street St James's crossing has grey tarmac with painted white markings.
  • There is one-way traffic northbound on Regent Street St James's.
    There is one-way traffic turning into the west side of Jermyn Street from Regent Street St James's.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic at both crossings. There is one-way vehicle traffic turning into the east side of Jermyn Street from Regent Street St James's.
    There is also a contra-flow cycle lane joining Regent Street St James's from Jermyn Street.
    There is no written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Junction - Regent Street St James's with Charles II Street)

  • There are dropped kerbs and tactile paving at the crossing on Regent Street St James's just south of Charles II Street.
    There are flush kerbs without tactile paving at both the east and west Charles II Street junctions.
  • The crossing on Regent Street St James's has a central island with a flush surface marked by tactile paving.
    The road can be crossed in 2 phases.
  • The road surface at the Regent Street St James's crossing is grey tarmac marked with painted white dots.
    The junction at the west side of Charles II Street is unmarked grey tarmac.
    The junction at the east side of Charles II Street is buff tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac.
  • There is two-way traffic at the crossing on Regent Street St James's.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
    There is one-way traffic turning northwards into Regent Street St James's from the west side of Charles II Street.
    There is one-way traffic turning both north and southwards into Regent Street St James's from the east side of Charles II Street.
    There is no floor signage at the Charles II Street junctions.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Junction - Regent Street St James's (Waterloo Place) with Pall Mall)

  • The lower end of Regent Street St James's is known as Waterloo Place.
    There are large central islands with monuments in both sections of Waterloo Place, north and south of the junction with Pall Mall.
    There are dropped or flush kerbs without tactile paving on both sides of Waterloo Place and at the central islands (photographs 1-6).
    There are dropped kerbs and tactile paving at the crossings over Pall Mall to the east and west of the junction with Waterloo Place (photographs 7-12).
    Some of the dropped kerbs are steep.
  • The Pall Mall crossings have central islands with a flush surface which is not marked by tactile paving.
    Despite the islands, the crossings are intended to be crossed in one go.
  • The road surface at the Waterloo Place crossings is grey tarmac.
    The Pall Mall crossings have buff coloured tarmac but it is very worn which reduces the contrast with the grey road surface.
    There are also painted white markings.
  • There is one-way traffic on each side of the central islands on Waterloo Place.
    There is no floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic.
    There is two-way traffic on Pall Mall.
    There is written floor signage to indicate the direction of traffic at both Pall Mall crossings.

Side Street Crossings (Regent Street St James's - Carlton Street)

  • Carlton Street joins the east side of Regent Street St James's, between Charles II Street and Jermyn Street.
    There are flush kerbs with no tactile paving at the crossing.
    The surface at the crossing is buff-coloured tarmac to contrast with the grey tarmac and block paving of the road.
    There are no visible signals or traffic lights at the junction.
    There is two-way traffic in Carlton Street but, as it is a cul-de-sac, traffic movements are generally low.

General Accessibility (Haymarket)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • Her Majesty's Theatre, the Theatre Royal and the Empire Cinema are in Haymarket along with some cafés and restaurants.
      There is step-free access throughout Haymarket and the side roads.
      The flagstone pavements are mostly wide and even (photographs 1-4).
      The pavements have a long uphill slope from Pall Mall towards Coventry Street and Piccadilly Circus.
    • All of the crossings over Haymarket are pedestrian controlled.
      The side streets do not have pedestrian controlled crossings.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is no seating in Haymarket.
      There are potential obstructions from shop/restaurant signage boards and external seating, bins, post boxes and free newspaper stands in various places along Haymarket (photographs 5-8).
    • 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.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are Legible London wayfinding signs on the east side of Haymarket, near to Panton Street and Coventry Street, and on the west side near to Charles II Street (photographs 11 and 12).
  • Public Transport View
    • There are 2 bus stops on the east side of Haymarket for southbound bus services towards Trafalgar Square.
      The bus stops have shelters with perching seats but there are no displays of bus arrival information (photographs 13 and 14).
    • There is a taxi rank on the east side of Haymarket, just south of the junction with Orange Street, near to Haymarket Theatre.

Main Pedestrian Crossing(s) (Haymarket)

  • Haymarket has 3 or 4 lanes of one-way traffic heading south towards Pall Mall.
    The road is busy and likely to be difficult to cross other than at the pedestrian crossings.
    Where Haymarket meets Coventry Street and Great Windmill Street there are pedestrian crossings at all of the junctions (photographs 1 and 2).
    There are also pedestrian crossings on Haymarket near to Panton Street and Charles II Street (photographs 3 and 4) and Pall Mall (photographs 5 and 6).
  • All the crossings have dropped kerbs with tactile paving.
    The crossing near Pall Mall has a central island, but all the crossings are timed to be crossed in 1 phase.
  • The road surface is tarmac.
    Some crossings have a slightly contrasting buff coloured surface.
  • There is one-way traffic at all crossings.
    All crossings, except the one near to Charles II Street, have painted floor signage to show the direction of traffic.

Side Street Crossings (Haymarket)

  • On the east side of Haymarket, there is an uncontrolled crossing at the junction with Suffolk Place (photograph 1).
    There is one-way traffic joining Haymarket.
    There is a similar junction with Panton Street, but this junction also has a cycle lane turning into Panton Street (photograph 2).
    The road surfaces are raised flush with the pavement but there is no tactile paving.
  • The junction with Orange Street is also raised flush with the pavement (photograph 3).
    This is a busy junction, with one-way traffic turning into Orange Street from Haymarket that may be moving at speed.
  • On the west side of Haymarket the junction with Jermyn Street has vehicles one-way joining Haymarket, but cycles in both directions (photograph 4).
    The junction with St James's Market also has vehicles joining Haymarket (photograph 5).
    This road is pedestrianised for part of the day, but there may be cycles in both directions at all times.
    The road surfaces are flush with the pavement, but there is no tactile paving.
  • The junction with Charles II Street is wide and may have 2 lanes of traffic turning into the street at speed from Haymarket (photographs 6 and 7).
    The kerbs are shallow (about 2cm) but not dropped.
    The safest time to cross the junction with Charles II Street is when all traffic on Haymarket has been stopped by the nearby pedestrian crossing.

General Accessibility (Jermyn Street - East)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • This section of Jermyn Street connects Regent Street St James's with Haymarket.
      On the south side of the street, the pavements are wide and level (photographs 1 and 2).
    • On the north side of the street, the step-free route is using the covered arcade (photographs 3-7).
      Lighting levels in the arcade are very low in places.
      The arcade route crosses a service vehicle access point.
      There are also 2 ramped sections, each about 4m long.
      The ramps do not have handrails.
    • There is a pavement on the north side of Jermyn Street, outside of the covered arcade (photographs 8-11).
      Where the pavement is crossed by the service vehicle access point there is no dropped kerb.
      A bollard in the pavement reduces the width to 65cm.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • Other than near the service vehicle access point, bollards are near to the kerb and have good contrast with the pavement.
    • At the end of the arcade, near Regent Street St James's, there may be signboards within the walkway (photograph 12).
    • At the Haymarket end of Jermyn Street, there may be café seating on the pavement (photographs 13 and 14).
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are no Legible London map signs in this section of Jermyn Street.
      The nearest Legible London signs are on Regent Street St James's, near to Piccadilly Circus.
  • Public Transport View
    • There are no bus stops on Jermyn Street.
      The nearest bus stops are on Regent Street St James's (northbound services) and Haymarket (southbound services).
    • There is a taxi rank towards the eastern (Haymarket) end of Jermyn Street (photographs 15 and 16).
      The taxi rank is on the north side of the street, outside of the arcade.
      There is a temporary tarmac ramp between the road level and the arcade level.
    • The nearest tube stations are Green Park on Piccadilly (step-free access) and Piccadilly Circus (stepped access only).

Side Street Crossings (Jermyn Street)

  • St James's Market joins the south side of Jermyn Street.
    There are flush kerbs without tactile paving at the junction and generally in St James's Market.
    There is some contrast between the stone paving slabs and the blockwork road surface.
    St James's Market is pedestrian-only 10:00 - 00:00, and is closed by bollards to vehicles during this time.
    When open to vehicles, traffic is one-way, southbound.
    There are fixed bollards at the edge of the pavement on the east side of St James' Market.
    The gap between the bollards and the building is 69cm.
    The bollards have good contrast with the road.

General Accessibility (St James's Market Area)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • The area known as St James's Market includes the street of the same name, along with Norris Street and St Albans Street.
      St James's Market and Norris Street connect with Haymarket to the east.
      St Albans Street connects St James's Market to the north with Charles II Street to the south.
      On some maps, the northern section of St James's Market is shown as part of St Alban's Street.
      Most of this area is fully pedestrianised, but St James's Market between Jermyn Street and Haymarket has vehicle access permitted between 00:00 and 10:00.
      The area has a slope downhill from north to south (Jermyn Street towards Charles II Street).
      St James's Market has a block paved road surface which is flush with the pavement (photographs 1-3).
    • Carlton Street connects Regent Street to the west with St Albans Street.
      Carlton Street is a cul-de-sac for access only and vehicles are permitted at all times.
      The street has wide and level pavements (photograph 4).
      Where Carlton Street meets St Albans Street, the road surface is raised flush with the pavement and the area widens to allow vehicles to turn (photographs 5-8).
    • Other areas of St Albans Street are fully paved and pedestrianised (photographs 9-13).
      Norris Street is also fully paved and pedestrianised (photographs 14-16).
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There are bench seats with backrests but not armrests in the pedestrianised sections of St Albans Street (photographs 17 and 18).
      As the seats are on sloping ground with a variety of seat heights.
    • In areas where vehicles are sometimes permitted, there are bollards between the pavement and the road area.
      The bollards have good contrast with the road and pavement.
      In St James's Market, there are also some cycle racks between the bollards (photograph 19).
      There is a line of trees along the centre of Norris Street (photographs 20 and 21).
      There is a recess in the pavement around the tree trunks.
      There are several restaurants and bars in St Albans Street and Norris Street which have outside dining areas (photograph 22).
    • At the corner of St Albans Street and Norris Street is the St James's Market Pavilion, a sheltered area for changing art displays and performances (photographs 23-26).
      There is a step up into the pavilion on its 2 open sides.
      The step varies in height between 10cm and 38cm.
      There is an intercom to the left of the pavilion on Norris Street to contact security staff who can provide a portable ramp to overcome the step.
  • Maps and Signage View
    • There are no Legible London map signs in the St James's Market area.
      The nearest Legible London signs are on Regent Street St James's, near to Piccadilly Circus.
  • Public Transport View
    • There are no bus stops within the St James's Market area.
      The nearest bus stops are on Regent Street St James's (northbound services) and Haymarket (southbound services).
      There is also a bus stop on Charles II Street, at the Regent Street St James's end.
    • The nearest taxi ranks are on Jermyn Street, near to Haymarket or Regent Street St James's, between Carlton Street and Jermyn Street.
    • The nearest step-free tube station is Green Park, off Piccadilly.
      Piccadilly Circus Station, at the northern end of Regent Street St James's, is accessed by steps only.

General Accessibility (Charles II Street)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • This section describes Charles II Street between Regent Street St James's and Haymarket.
      Flagstone pavements are generally wide and level (photographs 1-4).
    • The road is wide, often with 2 lanes of traffic westbound.
      There are no controlled crossing points.
  • Street Furniture and Features View
    • There is no seating in Charles II Street.
      The nearest seats are in the pedestrianised area of St James's Market to the north.
    • There are potential obstructions from shop/restaurant signage boards and barriers around external seating (photographs 5 and 6).
    • There are some cycle racks near the edge of the pavement, but most are in the carriageway.
  • Public Transport View
    • There is a bus stop on the south side of the street, near to Regent Street St James's.
      There is no shelter at the bus stop.
      There are also bus stands and drop-off points on the south side that may be used for tourist buses and coaches.

Side Street Crossings (Charles II Street - St James's Market Area to Royal Opera Arcade)

  • The southern end of St Albans Street is pedestrianised.
    Where it meets Charles II Street, there are bollards at the boundary.
    Between this location and The Royal Opera Arcade on the south side of Charles II Street, the road surface is raised flush with the pavement and is block paved to contrast with the tarmac road.
    There is no tactile paving to highlight the edge of the pavement.
    This suggests a crossing point, but there is one-way traffic westbound (towards Regent Street St James's on Charles II Street).
    There are also likely to be parked cars on the north side of the street and standing buses on the south side which could limit visibility.

General Accessibility (Royal Opera Arcade)

  • Paths and Pavements View
    • The Royal Opera Arcade is the oldest of London's shopping arcades.
      It connects Charles II Street and Pall Mall
      There are open archways at each end.
      These may be closed by gates overnight or when the businesses are closed.
    • The stone paving is smooth and even.
      There is a downhill slope towards Pall Mall.
      Lighting is bright.
      There may be some café furniture in the walkway.
    • All the shops have a shallow step up at their entrances.