Pedestrian footfall falls for King Charles' coronation

VivaCity data shows less than half as much movement as for Queen's Jubilee last year
By Adam Hill May 10, 2023 Read time: 2 mins
Coronation data: less walking this time (© Andrew Sutherland | Dreamstime.com)

VivaCity has unlocked some intriguing findings from monitoring people movement in London, UK, last Saturday.

It found that pedestrian footfall along the route of King Charles III's coronation procession in the UK capital was under half of that seen at the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in the city.

While pedestrian footfall was up 77% compared to the average Saturday, it was 42% lower footfall than the than for the Queen’s celebration in 2022.
 
Gathered anonymously by AI-powered sensors, the information came from popular London locations Westminster and Constitution Hill: the sensors recorded a peak of 4,250 pedestrians for last weekend's celebrations, compared to 10,000 people at the event last year.

The peak last Saturday came during the King's procession to the palace from Westminster Abbey. 

There was a spike in pedestrian traffic from 6-8am, coinciding with the opening of viewing areas to see the procession - with movement picking up again to its highest level at 2pm when crowds made their way to Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the Royals on the balcony.

VivaCity says footfall in areas surrounding Buckingham Palace was twice as high when the Royal Family appeared on the balcony during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee event, compared to the King's coronation ceremony on Saturday.

Compared to average data from January to May this year, the coronation saw car usage down by 85% compared to typical use on a Saturday, with a 77% increase in pedestrian activity near the possession route recorded. 

Classification & Data Collection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Verizon and Honda work on 5G at Mcity
    April 14, 2021
    Companies team up with University of Michigan on mobile edge computing and 5G
    Read More
  • Paris air pollution: back with a vengeance
    June 30, 2020
    Analysis of French capital's air quality finds it worsening quickly post-lockdown
    Read More
  • The UK’s busiest crossing adopts free flow charging
    April 30, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at the transition to free-flow charging on the Dartford Crossing, a notorious congestion blackspot on the UK motorway network. The Dartford Crossing, where London’s orbital M25 motorway crosses the lower reaches of the River Thames 32km (20 miles) to the east of Central London, has long been a major source of congestion. Now, to alleviate the congestion caused by some 50 million crossings per year, the Highways Agency has adopted a free-flow charging system - but the Crossing’s location a
    Read More
  • HS2 ‘crucial to Britain’s future transport needs’
    October 30, 2013
    Britain cannot meet its future transport needs without HS2, according to new evidence published by the government. Even with over US$80 billion of planned transport investment over the next six years the country’s railways will be overwhelmed. The strategic case for HS2 sets out in detail the need for a new railway line to provide the vitally needed extra capacity. Central to the case is new data that reveals the true extent of the crisis facing the UK rail network and the impact alternatives to buildin
    Read More

Highlighted Content