Tour de France road closures and bus diversions in Tower Hamlets

• Road closures in Tower Hamlets on Monday 7 July from 10am
• More information available at local drop in sessions in St Paul's Shadwell on 19 June and Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre on 25 June
• Details of road closures and bus diversions are available at tfl.gov.uk/tourdefrance  

With less than a month to go until the world's largest annual sporting event comes to Tower Hamlets, Transport for London (TfL) is holding a local information session to keep Londoners informed about the event.

The iconic Tour de France will roll onto the streets of London on Monday 7 July bringing out hundreds of thousands of Londoners and visitors to see this spectacle.  

On the day, a large number of road closures around the route will be in place so people are advised to plan their travel in advance. Road closures for the event will begin after the morning peak at 10:00, with roads reopening as quickly as possible once the Tour has passed through and it is safe to do so. TfL anticipates that all roads will be reopened by 18:00.

Pedestrians will be able to cross the route at key crossing points and we are working with local businesses close to the route to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Tower, Southwark and Westminster Bridges will be closed for much of the day but there are no planned closures on any other major river crossings in central London. Bus services around the route will be affected.

An extensive programme of public engagement and communication around the arrival of the Tour de France in the capital is now underway similar to that developed during the London 2012 Olympics, to help businesses and the public plan and get around on the day and make the most of the return of the prestigious event.   Residents of Tower Hamlets are invited to attend public information sessions at St Paul's Shadwell on 19 June between 1600 and 1900 and Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre on 25 June between 1100 and 1400 which will allow members of the community to talk through the event and its impact on the local area with representatives from TfL.

Tower Hamlets will be well and truly open for business, and people are encouraged to enjoy the atmosphere that the riders and the publicity caravanne bring and a chance to see the Tour de France on their own roads.  

The borough will be a great place to see the world's best riders as they race along the roads surrounding Canary Wharf, St Katharine Docks and Billingsgate Market.   It will also pass through the site of Team GB's 2012 triumph, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP), where spectators will be able to catch the action in the TfL spectator hub. It will feature a wide range of different activities such as live racing on the big screen, a French-style food market, interactive cycling activities and live music.

The Tour de France - the world's largest annual sporting event - comes to London on Monday 7 July after the first two stages in Yorkshire. Around 200 elite cyclists will travel from Cambridge, through Essex, into London before a spectacular finish on The Mall.  

The Tour de France will draw people onto the streets of London from near and far, and help to inspire more people to take up cycling. Hosting world renowned events such as the Tour reinforces London's reputation as a world-class host of cultural, sporting and business events. Visitors, both domestic and overseas, are brought to the capital by major events, delivering direct and indirect economic benefits, and showcasing London to a much wider audience.  

Garrett Emmerson, Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport at TfL, said: "We've been working long and hard to plan for the return of the Tour to the capital and now we are asking Londoners to start their planning too.  

"We will keep the capital moving, and roads around the race route will, of course, be extremely busy.  So we're asking people to plan ahead and preferably use public transport to make the most of what I'm sure will be an amazing day, helping to  cement London's growing reputation as a major cycling city and encourage more Londoners to travel by bike."   

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: "The Tour de France will be a fantastic spectacle and celebration of cycling to be enjoyed in the borough. But it will bring with it travel disruption. I urge everyone to think about their travel requirements and journeys on July 7 and plan in advance."  

Affected bus routes include: 15, 25, 100, 108, 277, 339, D3 and D8. Some stops may also be temporarily relocated or suspended.  

Full details of road closures are available at tfl.gov.uk/tourdefrance.

Drivers are urged to plan ahead or to consider re-timing their journey to avoid disruption, particularly if people are planning to travel to or from airports or to a special event.  

Full details can be found at tfl.gov.uk/tourdefrance  

• Session addresses are Lower Room, St Paul's Shadwell, 302 The Highway, E1N 3DH and Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, 235a Westferry Rd, E14 3QS
• The detailed Tour de France route is available on the TfL website at tfl.gov.uk/tourdefrance. To avoid delays drivers are advised to, wherever possible, avoid areas near the event routes in the affected parts of Cambridgeshire, Essex and London. For up to date information on how transport services are operating, check before you travel at tfl.gov.uk and follow @TfLTravelAlerts (Tube, DLR and London Overground), @TfLTrafficNews (roads) and @TfLBusAlerts (bus).  
• Tube and Rail will be the best way to get around the affected areas of London, with the vast majority of services in central London running as normal. The Circle and District lines are expected to be extremely busy as will stations along the route, particularly in Zone 1 from midday until around 18:00
• The Tour de France will kick off a spectacular summer of cycling in London, with the exciting event followed by Prudential RideLondon on the 9 and 10 August and then the Tour of Britain, which finishes in the capital on 14 September
• The Tour de France is the world's largest annual sporting event and covers approximately 3,500kms. A worldwide television audience of 3.5billion people watch the event annually. There will be 190 countries broadcasting the Tour de France and there are 5,000 hours of TV coverage annually. The last time the Tour visited England was in 2007 when London hosted the Grand Départ, which is the opening of the race
• This summer's cycling events are likely to inspire thousands more Londoners to take to two wheels, building on the Mayor's ambition for cycling to be an integral part of the transport network. As part of his cycling vision, the Mayor is already engaging in a vast £1billion programme of improvements  - creating a series of enhanced cycling superhighways, urban 'quietways' for more cautious cyclists, and turning some outer boroughs into mini-Hollands
• For more information on the Mayor's Vision for Cycling visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/vision-for-cycling
• The Mayor is committed to ensuring London retains its status as the world capital of sport, and has recently set up the Major Events Oversight Board. The board is chaired by Sir Edward Lister, and comprises of TfL, the emergency services and other key partner agencies. It provides strategic direction and advice to the Mayor on the approach to bidding, staging and evaluating major events in London. The board ensures that all major road events continue to be carefully considered and tightly managed to ensure everyone gets full benefit from the event without undue impact on Londoners and London's transport. The board also looks at ways to ensure the major events programme is effectively communicated with Londoners, visitors, businesses and stakeholders to allow sufficient notice and forward planning for everyone.