View source for North Circular Road

{{Short description|Ring road around Central London}}
{{Redirect|A406|the motorway in France|A406 autoroute|the ship|RFA Hebe (A406)}}
{{Redirect|Angel Road|the closed railway station|Angel Road railway station}}
{{otheruses|North Circular Road (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = A
| route = 406
| alternate_name = North Circular Road
| map = {{switcher
 | [[File:London north-south circulars.svg|300px]]<br/>The North Circular Road in Greater London, <br/>with the [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular Road]] and [[Woolwich Ferry]].{{hr}}
 | Show static diagram map
 | {{maplink-road|from=North Circular Road.map}}<br/>{{legend-line|#00CC00 solid 3px|A406 road|inline=yes}} {{legend-line|#005500 solid 2px|Other A roads to [[Woolwich Ferry]]|inline=yes}}
 | Show interactive map
}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes =  
| length_mi = 25.7
| length_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.4918796,-0.2822138/51.5259713,0.0736238/@51.5436083,-0.0833519,12z/data=!4m2!4m1!5i1|title=Gunnersbury Avenue to North Circular Road, Barking|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref>
| maint = [[Transport for London]]
| direction_a = West
| terminus_a = [[Chiswick]] ([[M4 motorway|M4]] Junction 1)
| direction_b = East
| terminus_b = [[North Woolwich]]
| junction = {{unbulleted list|{{jct|country=GBR|A|205|name1=South Circular Road }}|{{jct|country=GBR|M|4|dab1=Great Britain}}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|4|name1=Great West Road}}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|40|name1=Western Avenue }}|{{jct|country=GBR|M|1|dab1=Great Britain}}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1|name1=Great North Way }}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|10|name1=Great Cambridge Road }}|{{jct|country=GBR|M|11|dab1=Great Britain}}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|12|name1=Eastern Avenue }}|{{jct|country=GBR|A|13|name1=East Ham and Barking Bypass }}|
{{jct|country=GBR|A|118|name1=gateway to Ilford/Manor park }}|
|[[File:uk roadsign ferry.svg|50px|absmiddle]]&nbsp;[[Woolwich Ferry]]}}
| history = Opened: 1910<br>Completed: c. 1930
}}

The '''North Circular Road''' (officially the '''A406''' and sometimes known as simply the '''North Circular''') is a {{convert|25.7|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} ring road around [[Central London]]. It runs from [[Chiswick]] in the west to [[North Woolwich]]  in the east via suburban north London, connecting various suburbs and other [[trunk road]]s in the region. 

Together with its counterpart, the [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular Road]], it mostly forms a ring road around central London, except for crossing of the [[River Thames]], which is done by the [[Woolwich Ferry]].

The road was constructed in the [[Interwar period]] to connect local industrial communities and by pass London. It was upgraded after [[World War II]], and was at one point planned to become a [[motorway]] as part of the controversial and ultimately cancelled [[London Ringways]] scheme. In the early 1990s, the road was extended to bypass [[Barking, London|Barking]] and meet the [[A13 road (England)|A13]] north of Woolwich, though without a direct link to the ferry.

The road's design varies from six-lane [[dual carriageway]] to urban streets; the latter, although short, cause [[traffic congestion]] in London and are regularly featured on local [[traffic report]]s, particularly at [[Bounds Green]]. The uncertainty of development has caused [[urban decay]] and property blight along its route, and led to criticism over its poor pollution record. Several London Borough Councils have set up regeneration projects to improve the environment for communities close to the road.

==Route==
The North Circular Road forms the northern part of a ring-road around [[Central London]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Nomads Under the Westway: Irish Travellers, Gypsies and Other Traders in West London|first=Christopher|last=Griffin|publisher=University of Hertfordshire Press|page=129|year=2008|isbn=978-1-902-80654-9}}</ref> It has seen substantially more investment than its counterpart, the [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular Road]], and consequently runs on more purpose-built road than urban streets, often coupled with demolition of existing houses and urban infrastructure.{{sfn|Weinreb|2008|p=591}}<ref name=ei>{{cite news|url=http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/4672139.A406_timeline__a_half_century_of_broken_promises/|title=A406 timeline: a half century of broken promises|newspaper=Enfield Independent|date=8 October 2009|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> Although the route has alternative names at some points, it is generally referred to as the North Circular throughout for route planning purposes. 

The route is mostly grade-separated [[dual carriageway]] from the [[A40 road|A40]] at [[Hanger Lane]] to the [[A13 road (England)|A13]] in [[Beckton]] except for the Drury Way/Brentfield Road junction, the Golders Green Road/Brent Street junction, [[Henlys Corner]] and the section from [[Bounds Green]] to Green Lanes.<ref name=driving/> In areas where improvements made slowest progress and upgrades are unlikely, the original names such as Gunnersbury Avenue and Bowes Road are used.<ref name=tflmap/>

===Gunnersbury, Hanger Lane and Brent Cross===
[[File:Hanger Lane geograph-3598317-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Hanger Lane gyratory]] on the North Circular is one of the most congested junctions in London, carrying over 10,000 vehicles per hour.]]
[[File:A406 North Circular Road. - geograph.org.uk - 428462.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Six-lane dual carriageway to the north of Hanger Lane gyratory, with an additional two-lane road west of it providing access to an industrial estate, [[superstore]]s and other commercial premises]]

The road begins in [[Gunnersbury]] at the [[Chiswick flyover]] (junction 1 of the [[M4 Motorway|M4]]), from which the South Circular Road (A205) heads south over Kew Bridge, and the [[A4 road (England)|A4]] heads east towards Chiswick and west towards Brentford. The first section runs along Gunnersbury Avenue through [[Gunnersbury Park]] to [[Ealing Common]], with a mix of single and dual carriageways, where it becomes [[Hanger Lane]]. 

The road crosses the [[Great Western Main Line]] west of [[Paddington railway station|Paddington]] to the [[Hanger Lane gyratory]] system, a large roundabout on top of the [[Western Avenue, London|Western Avenue]] (the [[A40 road|A40]]) with [[Hanger Lane tube station]]. This is one of the busiest junctions in London, used by 10,000 vehicles an hour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19769802|title=Ealing battles to get HS2 to go underground|first=Tom|last=Edwards|publisher=BBC News|date=1 October 2012|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

The A406 runs on purpose-built road to the north of the Hanger Lane Gyratory, and is referred to as "North Circular Road" on street signs. The road is a six-lane [[dual carriageway]] that connects the industrial estates in the area, and passes beneath the [[West Coast Main Line]] near [[Stonebridge Park station|Stonebridge Park]]. Beyond this, there is a junction with [[IKEA]] and the [[BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London|Neasden temple]] to the southeast, and the road runs alongside open land south of the [[Brent Reservoir|Welsh Harp Reservoir]].<ref name=commons51/> 

Beyond the reservoir, there is a large interchange with the [[Edgware Road]] ([[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]]) and junction 1 of the [[M1 motorway]] at [[Staples Corner]], and a junction for the [[Brent Cross Shopping Centre]] at the Brent Cross Interchange (joining the [[A41 road|A41]] from [[Finchley]]). This section of the North Circular was used for filming the car chasing sequences in ''[[Withnail and I]]''.<ref name=driving/>

[[File:Hendon North Circular Road from pedestrian footbridge 2.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Intersection of Brent Street and Golders Green Road, viewed from a footbridge in [[Hendon]]]]
Northeast of Brent Cross, at [[Henlys Corner]], the North Circular briefly shares carriageways with the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]], which joins it from the northwest and leaves it to the southeast to head into Central London. The junction complex also serves the [[Finchley Road]] and pedestrian traffic, and consequently is a major bottleneck on the route.<ref name="arriva">{{cite web|url=http://www.arrivalondon.com/news/185/slug:Ringing-the-changes-at-Henlys-Corner |title=Ringing the changes at Henlys Corner |publisher=[[Arriva London]] |date=1 August 2011 |access-date=3 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913094316/http://www.arrivalondon.com/news/185/slug%3ARinging-the-changes-at-Henlys-Corner |archive-date=13 September 2011 }}</ref> 

[[Transport for London]] have invested in the junction, including a special hands-free pedestrian crossing for the local Jewish community, who can then cross the road on the [[Sabbath]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mayor marks completion of improvements that have transformed Henlys Corner|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2012/01/mayor-marks-completion-of-improvements-that-have-transformed-henlys-corner|date=13 January 2012|publisher=Transport for London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151636/https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2012/01/mayor-marks-completion-of-improvements-that-have-transformed-henlys-corner|archive-date=2 April 2015|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> The road passes north of [[St Pancras and Islington Cemetery]] towards [[Friern Barnet]] and [[Muswell Hill]]. The road narrows to two-lane [[single carriageway]] to pass under the [[East Coast Main Line]], and continues as Telford Road towards [[Bounds Green]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2005/june/a406-north-circular-bounds-green--plans-revealed-and-public-exhibition-announced|title=A406 North Circular Bounds Green – plans revealed and public exhibition announced|publisher=[[Transport for London]]|date=1 June 2005|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>

===Southgate, Woodford and Beckton===
[[File:North Circular Road (A406), London N11.jpg|thumb|In [[Bounds Green]], the North Circular Road is reduced to single carriageway with a 90 degree turn at [[traffic light]]s, and it is one of the most congested roads in London.]]
Traffic on the North Circular Road must turn right from Telford Road into Bowes Road, which causes problems with [[heavy goods vehicle]]s.{{sfn|Enfield|2011|p=13}} The road continues past densely packed housing and business areas before widening at Green Lanes and assuming the North Circular Road name again.{{sfn|Enfield|2011|p=6}} At Great Cambridge Interchange, its most northerly point, the A406 crosses Great Cambridge Road ([[A10 road (England)|A10]]). The disused [[Angel Road railway station]] is partially located beneath the flyover at Angel Road, in an area marked for redevelopment known as [[Meridian Water]].<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/07@A4.pdf|title=Meridian Water in Central Leeside|work=Greater London Council|year=2013|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref> This leads onto the Lea Valley Viaduct that provides a safe crossing of the [[River Lea]]'s flood plain. The viaduct is part of the original construction and was one of the first of its kind to be built using [[reinforced concrete]].<ref name=driving/>

[[File:A406 North Circular Road in Ilford - geograph.org.uk - 547117.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The North Circular Road (South Woodford to Barking Relief Road) near Ilford]]

After the viaduct the road becomes Southend Road, passing north of [[Walthamstow]], and immediately before the Crooked Billet junction, the former site of [[Walthamstow Stadium]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/documents/no.2-planning-policy-statement.pdf|title=Former Walthamstow Stadium site|publisher=Waltham Forest Council|page=7|date=3 June 2011|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> It continues eastward, cutting through a southern section of [[Epping Forest]] and meeting the Woodford New Road at [[Waterworks Corner]], before an elevated junction with the [[M11 motorway]] and Southend Road heading to [[Gants Hill]].<ref name=tflmap>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/maps|title=Maps|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref> The South Woodford to Barking Relief Road (the section between the [[M11 motorway|M11]] and [[A13 road (England)|A13]]) opened in 1987.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/51149/page/15169|title=A406 South Woodford to Barking Relief Road (Link Roads from Redbridge Roundabout to M11 Motorway) (Restriction of Traffic) Order 1986 Revocation Order 1987|journal=[[The London Gazette]]|date=December 1987|access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref> Previously, the A406 extended along Southend Road and Woodford Avenue as far east as [[Gants Hill]].<ref>{{cite map|title=London NE (sheet 161)|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=51.58972,0.03766&map=NPEMap&zoom=14&layer=1&markers=51.58948,0.05011,|publisher=Ordnance Survey|date=1960}}</ref> The current route of the North Circular Road turns south, passing [[Eastern Avenue, London|Eastern Avenue]] ([[A12 road (Great Britain)|A12]]) on a flyover at the [[Redbridge, London|Redbridge roundabout]]. It passes Romford Road (the historic Roman Road from London to [[Colchester]]) to the west of [[Ilford]] and London Road, [[Barking, London|Barking]], and ends at a roundabout with the [[A13 road (England)|A13]] Newham Way/Alfred's Way in [[Beckton]].<ref name=tflmap/>

To reach the [[Woolwich Ferry]], traffic must follow local roads to the ferry terminal – the A1020 Royal Docks Road, and the A117 named successively as Woolwich Manor Way, Albert Road and Pier Road. The Woolwich Ferry leads across the [[River Thames]], connecting with the eastern end of the South Circular Road on the other side of the river. The junction with the A13 has been built to enable the North Circular to be continued across the junction to the [[Thames Gateway Bridge]] if and when it is built.<ref>{{cite book|title=Orbital Motorways|publisher=[[Institution of Civil Engineers]]|page=64|date=24 April 1990|isbn=978-0-7277-1591-3}}</ref>

==History==
===Early history===
Proposals for a route avoiding Central London arose during the early 20th century due to increasing levels of traffic. By 1910, the London Traffic Division of the Board of Trade had developed schemes for several new roads. This included what became the North Circular Road, which was designed to skirt the extent of urban development along suburbs.{{sfn|Hall|1982|pp=56–57}}

Actual construction of The North Circular Road was mostly started as an unemployment relief scheme following the [[First World War]]. Various manufacturing industries, including furniture production, had moved away from the [[East End of London|East End]] in the early 20th century and started to be based in areas on the fringes of outer London development. As well as a general bypass of Central London, it would connect the communities of [[Edmonton, London|Edmonton]], [[Tottenham]] and [[Walthamstow]], and allow former munitions factories to be reused for industrial purposes.{{sfn|Scott|2007|pp=150–1}} Further west, industrial work increased around [[Wembley]] to cater for the 1924 [[British Empire Exhibition]], while former military factories at [[Willesden]], [[Hendon]] and [[Acton, London|Acton]] would also benefit from being connected by the North Circular Road. The land used for the route was mostly cheap, which encouraged further works and factories to be built by the road.{{sfn|Scott|2007|pp=153}} Purpose-built sections were designed to [[dual carriageway]] standards, including a {{convert|27|ft|m|adj=on}} wide carriageway accompanied by {{convert|9|ft|m|adj=on}} verges.<ref name=commons51/>

The original route ran from [[Chiswick]] to [[Southgate, London|Southgate]], and was open to traffic by the 1930s. Although it mostly ran on newly built road, a section east of Southgate used existing streets.{{sfn|Weinreb|2008|p=591}} By the end of the decade, the area surrounding the [[Park Royal]] estate had become the largest industrial estate in the south of England, and the [[London Passenger Transport Board]] was receiving regular complaints about the excess traffic levels.<ref>{{cite book|title=Atlas of British Social and Economic History Since C.1700|editor1-first=Rex|editor1-last=Pope|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|page=112|isbn=978-1-134-93496-6}}</ref>

Due to laxer laws that allowed housing to be built on major roads, as London suburbs developed, residential properties were built on the North Circular Road. The original purpose-built road had been designed with no speed limit, as was typically the case in the 1920s, but by 1951 a 30&nbsp;mph speed limit was enforced along the route.<ref name=commons51>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1951/aug/01/north-circular-road-willesden|title=North Circular Road, Willesden|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=1 August 1951|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref>

In 1946 the North Circular Road became a [[trunk road]], funded from a national budget set by the [[Ministry of Transport (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Transport]] (MOT) rather than a local one.<ref name=commons78>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1978/dec/15/north-circular-road-ealing#S5CV0960P0_19781215_HOC_116|title=North Circular Road, Ealing|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=15 December 1978|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref>

===London Ringways===
[[File:A406 North Circular Road - geograph.org.uk - 580024.jpg|thumb|Since 1951, the North Circular has been subject to [[speed limit]]s along its route; these are now enforced with [[speed camera]]s.]]
After reviewing traffic conditions in 1961, the Ministry of Transport planned to increase the capacity of the North Circular Road, [[grade separation|grade separating]] as many junctions as possible, particularly those connecting with important arterial routes.<ref name=commons78/> In the 1960s the [[Greater London Council]] developed the [[London Ringways]] Plan to construct a series of circular and radial motorways throughout London with the hope of easing traffic congestion in the central area. Under this plan the North Circular Road was to be improved to dual-carriageway standard throughout the majority of its length by the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1969/feb/03/north-circular-road|title=North Circular Road|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=3 February 1969|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref>

The Ringway projects were extremely unpopular and caused widespread [[Road protest in the United Kingdom|protests]], which led to the cancellation of the plans in 1972, particularly after the [[Westway (London)|Westway]] had opened in the face of large-scale protest two years earlier.<ref>{{cite book|title=On Roads|first=Joe|last=Moran|page=204|publisher=Profile Books|year=2009|isbn=978-1-84668-052-6}}</ref> In 1974, the MOT scaled back plans to improve the North Circular Road, though by the end of the decade they had revised plans to improve the route to dual carriageway throughout without any property frontages.<ref name=commons78/> In 1979, the Ministry of Transport planned to improve the Great Cambridge Road Roundabout with a £17 million scheme that would have demolished over 100 houses and shops. This was cancelled and replaced with a straightforward underpass in 1983, costing £22.3 million.<ref name=ei/>

===South Woodford to Barking Relief Road===
The section of the North Circular south of Charlie Brown's Roundabout in [[South Woodford]] is the "South Woodford to [[Barking, London|Barking]] Relief Road".{{sfn|Weinreb|2008|p=591}} Prior to its opening, the signposted North Circular route from the Waterworks Roundabout to the Woolwich Ferry was on local roads via Whipps Cross, Wanstead, Manor Park and Beckton. As well as delays for the ferry, traffic could also be held due to closure of bridges in the [[Royal Albert Dock, London|Royal Albert]] and [[King George V Dock, London|King George V Docks]].<ref name=aa>{{cite book|title=Road Atlas of Britain|publisher=AA / W H Smith|date=May 1982|page=69|isbn=0-86145-095-7}}</ref> The road was originally planned to be a continuation of the M11, but the standard of road was decreased to a basic dual carriageway.<ref>{{cite book|title=The motorway achievement: Building the network|volume=3|first1=Ron|last1=Bridle|first2=William James|last2=McCoubrey|publisher=Thomas Telford|page=36|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7277-3198-2}}</ref> It was proposed to be built in the 1980s concurrently with the controversial [[M11 link road protest|M11 link road]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/oct/23/london-transport-bill-by-order|title=London Transport Bill, by Order|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=23 October 1979|access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref>

===Henlys Corner and Bounds Green improvements===
[[File:Shops on North Circular Road near Bowes Park - geograph.org.uk - 1110634.jpg|thumb|200px|A parade of shops near [[Bowes Park]], just to the east of the [[Bounds Green]] traffic lights]]
The North Circular Road ceased to be a trunk road in 2000, when control of all roads inside [[Greater London]] passed to [[Transport for London]] (TfL).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1117/contents/made|title=The GLA Roads Designation Order 2000|publisher=HM Government|year=2000|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> In 2004, [[Mayor of London]] [[Ken Livingstone]] promised limited improvements to the road, but received criticism for not approving earlier plans for widening the often heavily congested road at critical sections.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/10/20/kurt_community_feature.shtml|title=Your community needs you!|first=Kurt|last=Barling|publisher=BBC News|date=20 October 2008|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref> In 2009, it was announced that major works between the Bounds Green Road and Green Lanes junctions would finally go ahead, having been proposed for over 90 years, and was completed the following year.<ref name=ei/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7974373.stm|title=TfL budget heralds major works|publisher=BBC News|date=31 March 2009|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref> The work improved the carriageway between these junctions, widening Telford Road to two lanes and improving all of the junctions along the route. Improvements were also made to walkways and cycle paths along this route. However, unlike elsewhere on the North Circular, the new junctions are not grade-separated and have been designed with environmental concerns in mind.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2010/march/work-on-a406-bounds-green-improvement-scheme-to-begin-next-month|title=Work on A406 Bounds Green improvement scheme to begin next month|work=Transport for London|date=15 March 2010|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref> The opened scheme is a reduced specification from 1960s plans, which projected this section of the North Circular to be dual carriageway.<ref name=ei/>

In April 2011, after many years of proposals and delays, construction began on a major upgrade of the [[Henlys Corner]] interchange. An underpass was originally proposed but this was heavily criticised by local residents, and would have been very costly, and it was subsequently scrapped. The upgrade scheme improved on the current junction by adding extra lanes and allowing easier left and right turns, speeding up queue times. Cycle paths and safer pedestrian crossings were included.<ref>{{cite web|title=Work on Henlys Corner junction improvement scheme to begin in February 2011|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/18027.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414030758/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/18027.aspx|archive-date=14 April 2011|access-date=4 June 2011}}</ref>

In July 2013, a task force set up by the Mayor of London [[Boris Johnson]] proposed that long sections of the North Circular (as well as the [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular]]) should be put underground in road tunnels, freeing up space on the surface to provide public space, extensive cycle routes, and better links to existing communities currently severed by the road. [[Caroline Pidgeon]], deputy chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, responded, "It doesn't make sense and it won't add up – [there's a] £30bn estimate, but I'm sure it'll cost at least double that, and the reality is we'll lose homes around these roads and so on."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23250521|title=London roads £30bn plan unveiled|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=10 July 2013|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>

==Environment and safety==
[[File:Abandoned Houses - geograph.org.uk - 898956.jpg|thumb|[[urban decay|Blighted]] properties on the North Circular Road attract [[fly tipping]]. These houses have since been demolished.]]
The North Circular Road has received regular criticism over its poor safety record and piecemeal improvement schemes due to a lack of funding since it opened to traffic.<ref name=ei/> In 1989, [[Michael Portillo]], then a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Enfield Southgate (UK Parliament constituency)|Enfield Southgate]], complained that 367 houses were scheduled for demolition as part of improvements to the North Circular in his constituency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1989/mar/09/channel-tunnel-rail-link#S6CV0148P0_19890309_HOC_200|title=Channel Tunnel Rail Link|first=Michael|last=Portillo|date=9 March 1989|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> [[Friends of the Earth]] have complained about rising costs and delays to junction and safety improvements.<ref name=ei/> In 2003, environment cabinet member Terry Neville said that TfL's proposed improvements for improving the North Circular were "a sham" and that the local council wanted a six-lane motorway to properly solve congestion.<ref name=ei/>

The uncertainty over the future of the North Circular Road has blighted properties on and near it, particularly around Bounds Green.<ref name=bbc/> Around 1972, approximately 400 homes on the road were [[compulsory purchase|compulsorily purchased]] by the Greater London Council in conjunction with widening schemes that were then cancelled. The properties have suffered from a lack of long-term care.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/disused-properties-no-more-empty-promises-762887.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/disused-properties-no-more-empty-promises-762887.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Disused properties: No more empty promises|newspaper=The Independent|first=Helen|last=Brown|date=5 December 2007|access-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> Since TfL took responsibility for the road, land for future schemes has been left dormant, resulting in [[urban decay]] with derelict properties. Compulsorily purchased properties were let out to various short-term tenants, which led to them housing [[prostitute]]s and migrant workers living in increasing squalor.<ref name=bbc/> Pedestrians have become too frightened to use underpasses along the road, particularly to access [[North Middlesex Hospital]].<ref name=ei/> Areas close to the road, such as the alleys behind properties on the Telford Road section, have suffered from [[fly tipping]] and anti-social behaviour.{{sfn|Enfield|2011|p=27}}

In 2011, Enfield Borough Council proposed a North Circular Area Action Plan, which would regenerate the area immediately around Telford Road and Bowes Road, and encourage growth.{{sfn|Enfield|2011|p=7}} This includes new [[pedestrian crossings]] and improved access to existing open spaces, including [[Arnos Park]] and [[Broomfield Park, Palmers Green|Broomfield Park]].{{sfn|Enfield|2011|pp=25–26}}

In 2002, the North Circular was rated as Britain's noisiest road by the UK Noise Association.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1956693.stm|title=North Circular roars into first place|publisher=BBC News|date=29 April 2002|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> In 2013, the road was named in a BBC report as being the most polluted in London, including the highest surveyed levels of [[benzene]] and [[nitrogen dioxide]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23026982|title=North Circular named as London's most polluted road|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=24 June 2013|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> A report in the ''[[Sunday Times]]'', referring to the North Circular, said "if you want to pull back the lid of your convertible and drink in the fresh air, look elsewhere".<ref name=driving/> In 2019, a [[BBC News]] report said that the section between Chiswick and Hanger Lane was the most congested in Britain.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47175799|title=A406 North Circular Road 'most congested' in the UK|publisher=BBC News|date=12 February 2019|access-date=12 February 2019}}</ref>

==Junctions==
The North Circular Road has a wide variety of styles and standards of junctions connecting to other roads. These range from the complex, grade-separated design at [[Charlie Brown's Roundabout|Charlie Brown's]] near Woodford, to at-grade junctions with traffic lights. The original road contained entirely at-grade junctions; many of these were improved and grade separated during the late 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name=commons78/>

===Current junctions===
{| class=wikitable
!Name
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|[[Chiswick flyover]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|315|A|4|A|205|city1=Chiswick|city2=Kew|city3=Brentford|city4=Staines-upon-Thames}}, [[Hounslow]]
|
|-
|Gunnersbury Park
|{{jct|country=GBR|B|4491|A|4000|city1=South Ealing|city2=Shepherd's Bush}}, [[Acton, London|Acton]]
|
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|4020|city1=Ealing|city2=Southall}}, [[Acton, London|Acton]]
|The historic London – [[Oxford]] postal route at [[Ealing Common]]
|-
|[[Hanger Lane Gyratory]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|40|A|4005|city1=Greenford|city2=Perivale|city3=Alperton|city4=Park Royal}}, [[Acton, London|Acton]], [[Northolt]]
|
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|404|location1=[[Harrow, London|Harrow]]|city2=Wembley|city3=Harlesden}}<!--anything else signed eastbound?-->
|Near [[Stonebridge Park station]]
|-
|
|[[Brent Park, Neasden|Brent Park]], Superstores, [[Wembley Stadium]], Industrial Estate
|
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|4088|city1=Willesden|city2=Neasden|location3=[[Kingsbury, London|Kingsbury]]}}
|
|-
|[[Staples Corner]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|M|1|A|5|city1=The NORTH|city2=Watford|location3=[[Harrow, London|Harrow]]}}, [[Kilburn, London|Kilburn]], [[Cricklewood]], [[Edgware]], [[West Hendon]]
|A5 is the historic [[Watling Street]] from London to [[Wroxeter]]
|-
|[[Brent Cross]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|41|to2=to|A|1}} – [[Kilburn, London|Kilburn]], [[Cricklewood]], [[Hendon]], [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]]
|
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|502|to2=to|A|1|city1=Mill Hill|city2=Golders Green|city3=Hampstead}}
|
|-
|[[Henlys Corner]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1|to2=to|M|1|city1=The NORTH|city2=Watford|city3=Mill Hill|city4=Hendon}}
|West end of merge with the A1
|-
|Henlys Corner
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|598|city1=Finchley|city2=Golders Green}}
|A special pedestrian crossing for Jews to use on the [[Sabbath]] is located here<ref>{{cite web|title=Work on Henlys Corner junction improvement scheme to begin in February 2011|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/18027.html|date=28 January 2011|publisher=[[Transport for London]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417120537/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/18027.html|archive-date=17 April 2012|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref>
|-
|Henlys Corner
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1|city1=Central London|location2=[[Holloway, London|Holloway]]}}<!--anything else signed westbound?-->
|East end of merge with A1
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1000|city1=North Finchley|city2=East Finchley|city3=Chipping Barnet}}<!--anything else signed westbound?-->
|The historic [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]]
|-
|Colney Hatch Junction
|{{jct|country=GBR|B|550|city1=Muswell Hill|city2=Friern Barnet}}, Retail Park<!--anything else signed eastbound?-->
|
|-
|Hobart Corner
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|109|A|1004|city1=New Southgate}}, [[Whetstone, London|Whetstone]], [[Southgate, London|Southgate]]
|
|-
|Bounds Green interchange
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1110|B|1452|city1=New Southgate}}, [[Southgate, London|Southgate]]
|A regular congestion hotspot where traffic must narrow to single carriageway and perform a 90 degree turn.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/six_months_of_traffic_chaos_looms_as_works_reduce_wood_green_high_road_to_one_lane_1_3750165|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150228135200/http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/six_months_of_traffic_chaos_looms_as_works_reduce_wood_green_high_road_to_one_lane_1_3750165|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 February 2015|title=Six months of traffic chaos looms as works reduce Wood Green High Road to one lane|newspaper=Tottenham and Wood Green Journal|date=1 September 2014|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> [[Transport for London]] have earmarked the junction for improvement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/walking#on-this-page-4|title=Walking|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>
|-
|Clockhouse Junction
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|105|city1=Palmers Green|city2=Wood Green|city3=Hornsey}}
|
|-
|Great Cambridge Road Roundabout
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|10|to2=to|M|25|A|111|city1=Central London|city2=Dalston|city3=Hertford}}, [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], [[Potters Bar]], [[Ware, Hertfordshire|Ware]], [[Royston, Hertfordshire|Royston]], [[Cambridge]]
|
|-
|Cooks Ferry interchange
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1009|city1=Chingford|city2=Waltham Abbey}}, Industrial Estates
|Named after the former Cooks Ferry pub, demolished in the 1990s for the North Circular Road Widening Scheme
|-
|Crooked Billet Roundabout
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|112|city1=Chingford|city2=Walthamstow|city3=Highams Park}}
|
|-
|Waterworks
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|104|to2=to|A|503|M|11}} – [[Woodford, London|Woodford]], [[Leytonstone]], [[Walthamstow]]
|
|-
|[[Charlie Brown's Roundabout|Charlie Brown's]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|1400|A|113|city1=Gants Hill|city2=Chigwell}}
|Restricted access; eastbound exit and westbound entrance. The original Charlie Brown's was the roundabout underneath this junction. It was named after a pub next to the roundabout, which was demolished in 1972.<ref name="driving">{{cite news|last=Dunn|first=Joseph|date=7 April 2014|title=Great drives: The North Circular, London|work=Sunday Times Driving|url=http://www.driving.co.uk/news/great-drives-the-north-circular-london/|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/cbrown.html|title=Mystery of the Charlie Brown Roundabout|publisher=Go Britannia travel guide|access-date=2 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192101/http://www.britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/cbrown.html|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|Charlie Brown's
|{{jct|country=GBR|M|11|city1=Stansted|city2=Cambridge}}
|
|-
|Redbridge Roundabout
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|12|city1=Central London}}, [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], [[Chelmsford]], [[Romford]]
|Also the location of [[Redbridge tube station]]
|-
|lford gardens
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|118|location1=[[Manor Park, London|Manor Park]]|city2=Ilford}}
|The historic [[Roman Road]] from London to [[Colchester]]
|-
|
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|124|city1=East Ham|city2=Barking, London}}
|
|-
|Beckton Roundabout
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|13|A|1020|name2=North Circular|to3=to|M|25|A|117|city1=Tilbury|city2=Dartford Crossing|city3=Woolwich Ferry|city4=Central London}}, [[Blackwall Tunnel]]
|
|}

===Former junctions===
{| class=wikitable
!Name
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Waterworks Corner
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|104|A|503}}
|To avoid [[Epping Forest]], the original build of the North Circular met the A104 at a different location by a [[waterworks|water works]] northeast of [[Walthamstow]].<ref>{{cite map|title=The Times Road Map of London|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=51.59312,0.00620&map=LonMap&zoom=13&layer=2&markers=51.59414,0.01002|publisher=The Times|year=1926|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
|-
|[[Gants Hill]]
|{{jct|country=GBR|A|12|A|123}}
|[[Gants Hill tube station|Gants Hill Underground station]] is also at this location.
|}

==Public transport==
There are four [[London Buses|bus]] routes that largely serve their routes on the North Circular Road:
*[[London Buses route 34]]: between [[Arnos Grove]] and [[South Chingford]] (Crooked Billet Roundabout)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/34/|title=34 bus route|work=Transport for London|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>
*[[London Buses route 112]]: between [[North Ealing tube station]] and [[Finchley]] ([[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]]), serving [[Brent Cross Shopping Centre]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/112/|title=112 bus route|work=Transport for London|access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref>
*[[London Buses route 232]]: between [[Brent Park, Neasden|Brent Park]] and [[Palmers Green]] ([[Green Lanes (London)|Green Lanes]]), serving [[Brent Cross Shopping Centre]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/232/|title=232 bus route|work=Transport for London|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>
*[[London Buses route SL1]]: between [[Arnos Grove]] and [[South Chingford]] (Crooked Billet Roundabout)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/sl1/|title=SL1 bus route|work=Transport for London|access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
The North Circular Road is mentioned in the poet [[Louis MacNeice]]'s 1938 piece, ''[[Autumn Journal]]''. In it, he describes the features along the road, including factories, prefabricated buildings, bungalows and petrol pumps "like intransigent gangs of idols".{{sfn|Pope|2015|p=92}} [[Keith Moon]] played his first gig with [[The Who]] at a pub on the North Circular Road on 2 May 1964.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Andrew|last1=Neill|first2=Matthew|last2=Kent|title=Anyway Anyhow Anywhere – The Complete Chronicle of The Who|publisher=Virgin|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7535-1217-3|page=52}}</ref>

The original [[Ace Cafe]] was on the North Circular Road. Open 24 hours a day, it catered for late-night party-goers and boy racers. It was a popular place for cars to be [[hot-wiring|hot-wired]] and stolen, as drivers knew they could make a quick getaway.<ref>{{cite book|title=Will You Walk a Little Faster|first=Michael|last=Hanson|publisher=Trafford Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-1-412-00934-8|page=74}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=BMW Cafe Racers|first=Uli|last=Cloesen|publisher=Veloce Publishing Ltd|year=2013|isbn=978-1-845-84529-2|page=7}}</ref> [[IWG plc|IWG]] founder [[Mark Dixon (businessman)|Mark Dixon's]] first business on returning to Britain after an extended time abroad was a hot-dog stand on the North Circular Road, making his own buns. He grew the business into a full-time bakery which he sold in 1989 for £800,000 (now £{{inflation|UK|800000|1989|fmt=c|r=-4}}).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mark-dixon-ceo-of-regus-a-true-entrepreneur-back-on-the-expansion-trail-553437.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mark-dixon-ceo-of-regus-a-true-entrepreneur-back-on-the-expansion-trail-553437.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus: A true entrepreneur back on the expansion trail|newspaper=The Independent|date=16 July 2004|access-date=6 January 2016}}</ref>

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}
'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite report|title=North Circular Area Action Plan|url=http://www.enfield.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/5060/pre-submission_stage_report|publisher=Enfield Borough Council|date=November 2011|access-date=2 March 2015|ref={{harvid|Enfield|2011}}}}
* {{cite book|title=Reading London's Suburbs: From Charles Dickens to Zadie Smith|first=Ged|last=Pope|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-34246-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Asher|first=Wayne|title= Rings Around London – Orbital Motorways and The Battle For Homes Before Roads. |publisher=Capital History|year=2018|isbn=978-1-85414-421-8|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|title=Triumph of the South: A Regional Economic History of Early Twentieth Century Britain|first=Peter|last=Scott|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84014-613-4}}
* {{cite book|title=Great Planning Disasters|first=Peter Geoffrey|last=Hall|publisher=University of California Press|year=1982|isbn=978-0-520-04602-3}}
* {{cite book|title=The London Encyclopaedia|editor1-first=Ben|editor1-last=Weinreb|publisher=Pan Macmillan|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4050-4924-5}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|North Circular Road}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090331063940/http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/a406 A406] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092710/http://www.cbrd.co.uk/articles/ringways/ringway2/north.shtml Ringway 2 – North Circular] on CBRD
* [http://www.londontraffic.org/a406/ A406 traffic updates] on londontraffic.org

{{Roads in London}}
{{GB A road zone 4}}

{{coord|51.6161|-0.0952|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}} <!-- approximate midpoint -->

{{Good article}}

[[Category:Ring roads in London]]
[[Category:Roads in London]]
[[Category:Transport in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Barnet]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Brent]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Ealing]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Enfield]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:Transport in the London Borough of Redbridge]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Waltham Forest]]