Black cab drivers have blocked Tottenham Court Road in the ninth day of a protest over plans to close the road to cars, lorries and taxis.
Under the £35m West End project, taxis and other general traffic will be stopped from travelling along some parts of Tottenham Court Road.
Protesters are arguing against the plans.
The demonstrations are now in their ninth day with protesters vowing to continue until there is a resolution.
Images from Tottenham Court Road show taxis lining the street for as far as the eye can see.
According to TfL Traffic News, the protests have closed off Tottenham Court Road, Charing Cross Road north of Cambridge Circus and St Giles High Street.
Buses have been diverted due to the demonstration.
Camden council says the changes will improve road safety and air quality and lead to a change in fortunes for an “unloved” street. Drivers who breach the restrictions face a £130 fine.
But the taxi industry, which lost a High Court challenge against the way the draft plans were consulted upon in 2015, fears the move will worsen congestion and increase pollution in surrounding streets.
The council is midway into a two-year project that, by March 2020, will also switch nearby Gower Street to two-way traffic, with segregated cycle lanes along its length. All buses will move from Gower Street/Bloomsbury Street to Tottenham Court Road in March while Alfred Place, which runs parallel, will be closed to create a “linear” park.
Tottenham Court Road’s pavements are also being widened and a piazza has been created between the Tube station and Centre Point, ahead of the delayed opening of Crossrail.
