London Marathon Road Closures and Taxi Planning
The route runs from Blackheath to the Mall and crosses the river at Tower Bridge. For one day, that turns a twenty six mile line into a wall through the middle of your journey.
A line across the city behaves very differently to a closed area
Most London closures are a shape. Carnival is a grid, Pride is a corridor, a stadium is a point. The marathon is a line, and a line is worse, because it is continuous. You cannot drive through a twenty six mile route at any point along it while runners are on it, so the only question that matters is whether your journey needs to cross the line at all.
The route typically starts around Blackheath and Greenwich Park, runs east to Woolwich, back west through Greenwich town centre, around the Isle of Dogs and Surrey Quays, over Tower Bridge at roughly halfway, out to Canary Wharf and Limehouse, then along the Highway and Embankment to finish on the Mall. Closures build from early morning and lift progressively through the afternoon and into the evening, with the central finish area among the last to reopen.
The consequence for anybody in south east or east London is that the obvious river crossings disappear at the same time. Tower Bridge is on the course. Rotherhithe Tunnel sits inside the affected area. Greenwich town centre is closed around the Cutty Sark. If your normal route to anywhere north or west involves any of those, your normal route does not exist that day.
The good news is that this is the most predictable disruption in the London calendar. The date is known months ahead, the route barely changes, and the closure list is published. Marathon Sunday only catches people who did not know it was happening, which is a solvable problem.
Crossings and routes on marathon Sunday
Indicative guidance based on the usual route. Closure times and the exact list vary each year and are published in advance. Always check the official closure information for your date.
| Route or crossing | Typical status | Practical alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Tower Bridge | Closed, it is on the course | Blackwall Tunnel, or cross well to the west |
| Rotherhithe Tunnel | Closed or heavily restricted | Blackwall Tunnel |
| Greenwich town centre | Closed around the Cutty Sark | Approach from Blackheath or the A2 side |
| Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf estate roads | Partly closed | Aspen Way and the A13 |
| The Highway and Embankment | Closed for much of the day | Northern routes via Commercial Road and Holborn |
| The Mall, Whitehall, Birdcage Walk | Closed until the evening | Victoria, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Park Lane |
| Blackwall Tunnel | Normally open | The main reliable east crossing |
| Dartford Crossing | Normally open | The far eastern option for long journeys |
If you have a flight on marathon Sunday
This is the situation that turns an inconvenience into a missed departure.
Check which side of the route you are on
If your pickup and your airport are on the same side, you may barely notice. If the route sits between you and the airport, you need a different plan, not a bigger buffer.
Add sixty to ninety minutes, and mean it
Displaced traffic concentrates onto the crossings that remain, so the alternatives are themselves much busier than usual. This is the one day of the year where a generous buffer is not over-cautious.
Ask for the route to go around, not through
A driver who knows the closure list will plan an approach that never touches the course. Tell the operator it is marathon day when you book so the routing is decided in advance rather than improvised at a barrier.
Move an early flight to an earlier pickup
Closures build through the morning. A pickup at half past five is a normal journey. A pickup at nine is a different city. If you have any flexibility, take the earlier slot.
Avoid the finish area entirely in the afternoon
The Mall, Whitehall and the surrounding streets are the last to reopen and are dense with spectators long after the runners finish. Anything with a central London pickup that afternoon should start from a station or a hotel outside the cordon.
If you are spectating or running
Different problem, same geography.
Runners need the start, not the road
Vehicle access to the Blackheath and Greenwich Park assembly areas is closed early. Plan a drop-off on the outer edge and walk in, and allow far more time than the distance suggests because of the crowd volume.
Spectators should pick one point and stay
The route folds back on itself, which tempts people to chase the runner to a second spot. On closed roads with dense crowds that rarely works. Choose a single viewing point with a workable pickup edge nearby.
Book the return before you leave home
Late afternoon in south east and central London is the peak of both spectator dispersal and delayed reopening. Arranging the return in advance, from a named point, avoids the worst hour.
Bags, medals and tired legs need a bigger car
Runners finish with kit bags and, frequently, company. A saloon that was fine on the way in is often the wrong size on the way home. Size the return leg separately.
Related closure and event guides
Other days when the London road network is not itself.
London road closure guides
All the closure day guides plus a calendar of the dates worth planning around.
London Marathon transfers
Transfer coverage and service options for marathon weekend.
Notting Hill Carnival closures
The west London cordon and where cars can actually meet you.
London river crossings compared
Tolls, charges and which crossing suits which journey.
Bad weather airport transfers
The other main cause of a plan that needs rebuilding rather than padding.