TfL unveils ambitious five-year plan to cut congestion and transform London’s road network for the future

Transport for London (TfL) has announced a bold new plan to revolutionise how the capital’s streets operate over the next five years. The first-ever pan-city roadworks plan will focus on using innovation to deliver safer, healthier, and more efficient journeys for millions of Londoners. There will be a particular focus on improving the capital’s bus network - one of the most accessible and affordable ways of travelling in London. TfL’s 2030 vision is for a better, safer street network that prioritises sustainable transport and reduces congestion, creating a greener and more reliable capital.

TfL works closely with London’s boroughs to manage one of the world’s busiest and most complex road networks, including a network of 6,400 automated traffic signal junctions and pedestrian crossings, one of Europe's largest. London's road network plays a vital role in enabling billions of journeys per year and new infrastructure and technology are central to TfL’s work to manage this network as safely and efficiently as possible.

Building on London’s reputation for having one of the most technologically advanced road networks in the world, the plan will see TfL complete the rollout of cutting-edge systems and infrastructure upgrades to optimise traffic flow, improve safety, and support sustainable travel.

This year, TfL will also be expanding its pioneering lane rental scheme from red routes to borough roads. The scheme charges utility companies and others a fee to dig up the busiest roads at the busiest times, reducing congestion and providing funds for innovative new ways to reduce delays on the roads. This has been proven to reduce congestion, improve journeys and enhance air quality. TfL is working with the London boroughs to expand our lane rental scheme and its associated benefits onto borough roads. As of January 2026, four boroughs have already received approval for schemes by the Department for Transport. These are Camden, Enfield, Lambeth and Merton, with a further 22 boroughs progressing towards making applications.

The Government is also in the process of devolving authority to the Mayor to approve lane rental schemes, which will allow for more schemes to come forward with consistency across London.

Key innovations and measures that TfL has committed to as part of the plan include:

• Improvements to London's world-leading FUSION traffic control system. Already one of the world's most innovative traffic control systems, FUSION will allow TfL to use more data and greater computing power to ensure that traffic signals can react faster and smarter, avoiding congestion and helping people to move around the city better than ever. The system will be updated to analyse a broader range of data when making decisions about signal timings and can be upgraded in future to take advantage of artificial intelligence sensors. The changes could reduce delays by up to 14 per cent and deliver £1 billion in benefits through reduced journey times

• TfL is expanding the use of Vivacity cameras across London to better understand how people and vehicles move through the city. Unlike traditional monitoring systems, Vivacity technology uses AI to distinguish between different modes of travel including walking, cycling, wheelchair use, taxis, and heavy goods vehicles. This will provide more inclusive data and will support smarter decisions around things such as pedestrian crossing times. TfL is working closely with boroughs on a data-sharing agreement, which will give access to insights from over 1,000 cameras, highlighting the importance of collaboration in shaping London’s future mobility

• Accelerating bus priority measures to improve bus speeds for millions of customers. A total of 2,080 traffic signals are now equipped with bus priority technology. Utilising new technology, TfL has ambitious plans to expand this to all 3,500 signals which buses pass through by 2030

• Carrying out signal timing reviews of entire bus routes instead of specific areas for the first time. Comprehensive reviews of signal timings across entire bus routes will ensure that buses and the millions of people who rely on them can move across the road network efficiently as possible

• Expanding the use of BusSense, a partnership with boroughs that reduces the impact of high-impact roadworks on bus routes through better coordination. Early results showed a 3.5 per cent improvement in bus journey times where it has been deployed, and TfL is planning to partner with all boroughs by this autumn

• Working with the boroughs to rollout vital new roads infrastructure to tackle road danger across London and trialling the use of new technology to reduce road danger, such as near miss detection cameras

• Since 2019, TfL has made significant progress in improving safety and sustainability across the road network, with the number of people killed or seriously injured at the lowest level on record outside of the pandemic-affected years. During the same period, there has been a 43 per cent increase in cycling journeys, achieved with minimal impact on bus journey times compared to pre-pandemic levels. TfL’s new five-year plan will build on this progress and ensure that an even safer and more efficient road network can deliver for Londoners’ health and the economy.  The plan will closely align with TfL's forthcoming Vision Zero Action Plan 2, due to be published in the coming months, strengthening the citywide efforts to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m committed to making London’s transport network as safe, efficient, and sustainable as possible. Congestion is annoying for everyone, and it costs our economy millions of pounds a year. This innovative new strategy will tackle the causes of congestion head on.

“This bold new approach to managing the capital’s streets will ensure they work for everyone: harnessing cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to reduce congestion, keep Londoners safe, and speed up journey times on London’s bus network.

“These improvements are vital to achieving my ambition for 80 per cent of journeys to be made by walking, cycling or public transport, as we continue building a greener and better London for everyone.”

Carl Eddleston, TfL’s Director of Streets and Network Operations, said: "We’re determined to ensure London’s road network is amongst the best in the world and the new London on the move plan marks a major step forward in how we manage London’s streets. By harnessing data, technology and the benefits of new infrastructure, our 2030 vision will see a better, safer street network that is better suited to the needs of Londoners today and tomorrow. We’ll continue to work with London’s boroughs and our other partners as we work to deliver this plan over the next five years."

TfL continues to work closely with boroughs across the capital to invest in the walking and cycling infrastructure needed to boost active travel and keep people walking and cycling safe. Streets are carrying more journeys than ever before. Last year, TfL confirmed £87m of funding for London's boroughs this year ringfenced to boost investment in safer streets. Subject to funding in future years, over the next three years this investment could help to deliver up to more lower speeds, reduce people walking and cycling's exposure to motor traffic, fix dangerous junctions and deliver 95km of new cycle routes across the capital as part of a continued expansion of London's network of high-quality Cycleways. Recent expansion through both borough and TfL delivered routes means that 29 per cent of Londoners now live within 400m of the strategic cycle network. The network has more than quadrupled in size since 2016, to more than 431km in length.

TfL also continues to work on a number of major programmes with its partners to make London's roads and the vehicles using them safer. TfL's world-first Direct Vision Standard, which reduces lethal blind spots on lorries, is already helping to save lives, on average six a year, and prevent many more life-changing injuries. In 2024, TfL enhanced DVS requirements, with all HGVs over 12 tonnes required to have a three-star rating or fit Progressive Safe System measures to operate in Greater London. TfL has also continued to work on its Safer Junctions programme to make life-saving changes at some of the capital's most dangerous and intimidating junctions. TfL has so far completed work at 46 junctions across London as part of the programme.