King-sized: 263 miles of English roads closed for Charles III's coronation

Street parties would stretch further than New York to Washington, DC (if USA had a king)
By Adam Hill May 5, 2023 Read time: 3 mins
This is one street that won't be closed: the new king needs to use it to get home (© Jessica Girvan | Dreamstime.com)

One.network typically uses its platform to help transport authorities and other agencies to communicate with the travelling public.

But it has put the technology to a different use this weekend to work out that the coronation of the UK's King Charles III will result in the closures of 263 miles of England's roads.

This is to allow for street parties, where residents will brave the English weather to celebrate with their neighbours.

It has found 3,087 official street closure plans registered across 75 county councils in England.

This means that royal revellers are planning parties which would stretch from London's Westminster Abbey to Lands’ End in Cornwall - or, for US royal watchers, further than the distance between New York and Washington, DC.

"It would take nearly three days to walk down just one side of the table, without stopping for cake," the company helpfully points out.

Hampshire and Kent are paired in first place as the most celebratory counties, with 251 street official plans submitted each.

BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) and West Sussex tie for second place with 180 each.

Devon, with 146 plans, is not far behind them.

According to One.network’s data, the most popular celebration day of the coronation weekend will be Sunday (when 62% of parties) will be taking place, followed by Saturday (the day of the coronation itself with 27%) and Monday (11%). 

“Organising a street party is hard enough, but local councils should be given a huge hand for their great efforts in facilitating this country-wide celebration," says James Harris, CEO of One.network.

"With their hard work approving and managing road closures the country can party safely, whilst minimising disruption for road users.” 

What are the top 10 English counties for King Charles coronation street closures?

       Highway Authority Name    Number of Plans
1     Hampshire County Council                     251
2     Kent County Council                               251
3     Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole   180
4     West Sussex County Council                  180
5     Devon County Council                            146
6     Leicestershire County Council                141
7     Surrey County Council                            141
8     Essex County Council                             139
9     Northamptonshire County Council          125
10   Oxfordshire County Council                     91

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Highway safety inspection delivers safer roads, cost savings
    January 30, 2012
    Last year, the County of Lancashire, in the north-west of England, repaired a total of 15,000 potholes on its network of roads. In 2010, that number is likely to significantly increase as Lancashire, along with local authorities throughout the UK, deals with the after-effects of a record cold spell in December and January with prolonged snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures.
    Read More
  • ITS instrumental in reducing Texan congestion
    September 4, 2018
    ITS projects in the Houston area have seen costs crunched – and even a system failure has proved valuable in analysing performance. David Crawford reports on developments in the Lone Star state Savings by Texan public agencies are major factors in the recent ITS Texas awards, recognising beneficial initiatives in bridge strike prevention and traffic intersection control. In the first, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s Houston District, covering the state’s most populous city and its surround
    Read More
  • The inside story of how traffic chaos was avoided after I-95 collapse
    August 23, 2023
    June’s collapse of major US roadway I-95 in Pennsylvania could have caused lengthy traffic chaos. But - relatively speaking at least - it didn’t and gridlock was avoided. Alan Dron finds out why
    Read More
  • Small toll agency adopts big city thinking
    December 5, 2014
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a novel option for new toll road authorities. While somewhat politically controversial, outsourcing has gained traction in the business world as a model worth investigating for its efficiency and cost saving benefits. Lean start-ups tend to employ independent contractors instead of full-time employees in an effort to remain flexible and avoid costs associated with pensions, retirement places, health insurance, office space and benefit packages.
    Read More

Highlighted Content