Essex Road Bus Priority

Have your say on proposed bus priority measures on Essex Road

We are holding a public consultation on proposed bus priority measures on Essex Road from Monday 12 January to Sunday 8 February 2026. On this page, you will find details on the proposals, and how to share your feedback.

We are proposing new bus priority measures on Essex Road to help improve journey times and reduce delays for northeast-bound buses at two key points. These changes aim to make bus journey times more reliable, encourage greater use of public transport and contribute to a greener, healthier Islington.

What we're proposing

1. Bus lane relocation

We propose relocating the existing bus lane south of the junction of Essex Road with St Paul’s Road/ Balls Pond Road from the southwest-bound side to the northeast-bound side. This change aims to help northeast bound buses bypass traffic on the approach to the junction. This will include:

• Introducing a new 104-metre bus lane on the northeast-bound side from north of Mitchison Road to near Marquess Road (north end). The bus lane will be in operation Monday to Saturday, 7am - 7pm.
• Removing the 126-metre existing bus lane on the southwest-bound side along the same stretch of Essex Road (between Dove Road and Marquess Road).
• Adjusting traffic lane positions to enable the revised bus lane layout. The southwest-bound bus stop (CG) will remain in its current location, which will be within the general traffic lane.
• Removing two pay-by-phone parking spaces on the southwest-bound side outside Mercers House, which is necessary to support the relocation of the bus lane.
• Making associated changes to kerbsides, signage and road markings.

You can download the PDF of the design here.

• Installing a 21 metre-long timed loading bay, partially inset into the footway and partially overhanging the road. The northeast-bound traffic lane adjacent to the loading bay will be widened from 3.3 metres to 3.7 metres while the southwest-bound general traffic lane will be reduced from 3.7 to 3.3 metres wide.
• Reducing the footway adjacent to the new loading bay from 4.2 to 2.8 metres-wide, which is necessary to accommodate the partial inset of the loading bay.
• Retaining the existing 3 metre-wide southwest-bound bus lane.
• Making associated changes to kerbside, signage and road markings.

You can download the PDF of the design here.

Map showing indicative locations of proposed bus priority measures

We want to hear from you

We welcome feedback from residents, businesses and other members of the local community on these bus priority proposals for Essex Road.

Please submit your comments by Sunday 8 February 2026 by completing the online survey. Once the consultation period has closed, we will review all feedback to help inform the next steps for the project.

You can pick up paper copies of the proposals and the survey, and return completed surveys, at Islington Town Hall (Upper St, London N1 2UD) or Islington South Library (115-117 Essex Road, N1 2SL). You can also email us photo of your completed survey or return it by post.

Email: essexroadbus@islington.gov.uk
Postal address: Environment, 1 Cottage Road, Islington, N7 8TY.