Dining al fresco continental-style could soon become a regular attraction along Brick Lane with traffic bans at weekends.
Parts of the iconic thoroughfare, famous for its East End curry houses and Sunday street market, are set to be closed to traffic all day Saturday and Sunday and two weekday evenings to give restaurants a shot in the arm after the pandemic.
The ban will operate from 11am to 11pm on weekends and bank holidays and 5.30pm to 11pm Thursdays and Fridays.
The restrictions, enforced with cameras, planned by Tower Hamlets Council aim to get 18,000 visitors a day back to Brick Lane.
Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs stopped off at a pavement café to see how his scheme might work.
“Many businesses have suffered a tough 18 months in Brick Lane,” he said. “The road closures are experimental. There is often a mixed response when changes happen and the pavement dining could continue without the roads being closed.”
The restrictions won’t include the side streets, which are remaining open seven days a week to allow deliveries and disabled parking.
Cllr Motin Uz-Zaman said: “Businesses have faced a really tough time throughout the pandemic and need support.”
The plans, which will be in place for 18 months, also include creating pedestrian routes from Whitechapel to Spitalfields City Farm and Allen Gardens.
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