Highbury Grove is closed for a water main until 2 November and Pentonville Road has a contraflow until 30 November. Plus the local driving rules that catch people out.

Islington is two miles across at its widest point and almost entirely built up, so there are no spare routes. When one of the borough’s half-dozen main roads closes, the traffic goes onto residential streets that were deliberately made harder to drive through, and everyone notices.

This page puts the current works at the top and the permanent rules underneath, because the permanent rules are what most people are actually searching for.

What is dug up right now

Checked against Transport for London’s live road disruption feed on 9 August 2026. TfL manages the red routes and the borough’s biggest roads; Islington Council manages the rest.

Current works on Islington's main roads, from the TfL road disruption feed, 9 August 2026
RoadWhereWhatUntil
A1201 Highbury GroveBoth directions, between Aberdeen Lane and Baalbec Road, N5Road closure for water main replacement2 November 2026
A501 Pentonville RoadBoth directions at the junction of Penton Street, N1Contraflow for Thames Water works30 November 2026
A1200 New North RoadAll directions at the junction of Mintern Street, N1Temporary signals and lane reductions for UK Power Networks18 August 2026
A503 Seven Sisters RoadEastbound at the junction of Berriman Road, N7Lane closure for Thames Water works11 August 2026

The Highbury Grove closure is the one to plan around. It is a full closure of a section of the A1201 for a water main replacement, it started on 20 July and it runs to 2 November, so it will still be there when the schools go back. TfL’s advice is to use an alternative route and to expect delays on the diversion. Highbury Grove is the direct link between Highbury Corner and the Highbury Park and Blackstock Road end of the borough, and the realistic alternatives are Blackstock Road to the east or Holloway Road to the west, both of which are busier.

Pentonville Road at Penton Street matters out of proportion to its size. The A501 is the Inner Ring Road, and a contraflow on it, running to 30 November, touches every journey between King’s Cross and Angel. Started 18 May, so this one has been in place for nearly three months already.

Just outside the borough but worth knowing: TfL has lane restrictions on Seven Sisters Road between Green Lanes and Amhurst Park until 24 October 2026, with Woodberry Grove closed both ways at the junction. That is the Hackney and Haringey stretch, and it backs up traffic through Finsbury Park.

For anything smaller than these, the council publishes roadworks and planned closures for Islington, and TfL’s live traffic status updates through the day.

The roads that carry the borough

Only a handful of roads cross Islington, and knowing which is which saves a lot of guesswork when one of them shuts.

The main road routes through Islington and what they connect Schematic diagram of Islington's main roads. The A1 runs north to south through the borough as Archway Road, Holloway Road, Upper Street and Goswell Road. The A501 Pentonville Road and City Road forms the southern boundary as the Inner Ring Road. The A503 Camden Road and Seven Sisters Road crosses east to west across the north. The A5203 Caledonian Road and the A1201 Highbury Grove run north to south either side of the A1. Current works are marked on Highbury Grove and Pentonville Road. Six roads carry almost all of Islington's traffic Schematic, not to scale. North at the top. Red marks the two long-running works as at 9 August 2026. A1 Archway Road A1 Holloway Road A1 Upper Street A1 Goswell Road A5203 Caledonian Rd A1201 Highbury Grove Blackstock Road A503 Camden Rd Seven Sisters Rd A501 Pentonville Rd City Road closed to 2 Nov contraflow to 30 Nov The A1 is the spine. The A503 crosses the north, the A501 forms the southern edge, and there is very little else.
The A1 runs the length of the borough under four different names. Everything else either crosses it or feeds it.
  • The A1 is the spine, changing name as it goes: Archway Road, Holloway Road, Upper Street, then Goswell Road down to the City. Whatever closes, this is where the traffic ends up.
  • The A501 along Pentonville Road and City Road is the Inner Ring Road and the borough’s southern edge. It is the busiest thing in Islington and the least avoidable.
  • The A503, Camden Road becoming Seven Sisters Road, is the only east-west route across the north of the borough.
  • The A5203 Caledonian Road and the A1201 Highbury Grove run parallel to the A1 on either side, and both are the standard diversion when it blocks.

The local rules that catch people out

Islington has more restrictions per square mile than almost anywhere else in Britain, and three of them are not obvious from the car.

Ultra low emission streets. This is an Islington and Hackney scheme, and it is not the same thing as the London-wide ULEZ. On Tabernacle Street, Cowper Street, Singer Street, Paul Street, Willow Street, Ravey Street and Blackall Street in the Bunhill area, plus Charlotte Road and Rivington Street on the Hackney side, the streets are closed to anything emitting more than 75g/km of CO2 between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 16:00 and 19:00, Monday to Friday. That excludes most petrol and diesel cars and older hybrids. Outside those hours the streets are open to everyone. Residents with an on-street parking permit are exempt automatically; if you park off-street or ride a motorbike you have to apply for an exemption (Islington Council).

Low traffic neighbourhoods. The council installed its people-friendly streets neighbourhoods between 2020 and 2022, first as 18-month trials, then permanently after consultation. Bollards and camera-enforced filters mean you can still reach any address and take deliveries, but you usually cannot cut from one main road to the next through the back streets. Satnav routes that were valid five years ago are not now, which is the single most common reason for a penalty notice here (Islington Council).

School Streets. There are 36 School Streets covering 37 primary schools across the borough, each closed to through traffic at the start and end of the school day (Islington Council).

Congestion Charge and ULEZ

The whole borough is inside the ULEZ, along with every other London borough. If your vehicle does not meet the emissions standard it is £12.50 a day, and the zone runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day (TfL).

The Congestion Charge zone reaches into the south of the borough, around Clerkenwell and Bunhill, while the rest of Islington sits outside it. The charge is £18 a day, or £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day after travel, and it applies 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, with no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year bank holiday. Because the boundary runs through streets rather than around postcodes, check the address you are driving to on TfL’s postcode checker rather than assuming (TfL).

Parking, and why there is no park and ride

Islington has no park and ride and effectively no station car parks. Every station in the borough is a Tube, Overground or inner-suburban stop with street access only, so the drive-and-park commute that works in the outer boroughs does not exist here.

On-street parking is controlled almost everywhere, in Controlled Parking Zones with their own hours zone by zone, signed on each street. Residents buy a permit for their own zone; everyone else pays. There are about 6,500 short-stay bays in the borough and you can only pay for them by phone, through RingGo or Pay by Phone, or at a PayPoint shop. Blue Badge holders can use a short-stay bay for an unlimited time (Islington Council).

On Arsenal home match days, extra controls apply in the zones around the Emirates Stadium, with their own hours. Residents and business permit holders and Blue Badge holders park as normal; everyone else should not try (Islington Council).

Frequently asked questions

Is Highbury Grove closed?

Yes. The A1201 Highbury Grove is closed in both directions between Aberdeen Lane and Baalbec Road until 2 November 2026 for a water main replacement. Use Blackstock Road or Holloway Road instead and expect delays on the diversion.

Is Islington in the Congestion Charge zone?

Only partly. The zone reaches into the Clerkenwell and Bunhill end of the borough; most of Islington is outside it. The whole borough is inside the ULEZ. Check a specific address on TfL’s postcode checker.

How much is the Congestion Charge in 2026?

£18 a day if you pay on the day or in advance, or £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day after travel. It runs 07:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and bank holidays.

Can I drive through Islington’s low traffic neighbourhoods?

You can always reach an address and receive deliveries, but you generally cannot drive straight through from one main road to another. The filters are enforced by camera, so an old satnav route will produce a penalty charge notice rather than a barrier.

Where can I park in Islington?

In a short-stay bay, paid for by phone. There are about 6,500 of them across the borough and no cash meters. Everything else on street is permit-controlled during that zone’s operating hours.

Is there a park and ride for Islington?

No. There is no park and ride and no station parking. The practical alternative is to park at an outer-London station on your own line and come in by train.

Related

Sources

Roadworks move and end dates slip. Check the live TfL feed before you set off.