Traffic management in Stepney

Tower Hamlets Council is the highway authority for Stepney: the borough runs local roads, while Transport for London runs the red routes. Red routes, the main roads on the Transport for London Road Network, need TfL's agreement instead. Trunk roads are managed by National Highways.

Almost every English highway authority now runs a permit scheme under the Traffic Management Act 2004, so works on the road need a permit, applied for through the government's Street Manager service. Minor works usually need 3 working days' notice, standard works 10 and major works 3 months.

In and around Stepney, the A1, A2, A3, A10, A11 and A12 carry most of the through traffic. Work on or next to these roads usually needs signals or a lane closure rather than simple cones, and often off-peak or night working.

Around 16,000 people live in Stepney. On busier streets, keeping footways open and queues short matters as much as the works themselves.