
01Section
Cordons, barriers and roads that close
Whitehall is fitted with hostile-vehicle barriers along its length and the entrance to Downing Street is permanently gated. Bridge Street, Parliament Street and the roads immediately around the Palace of Westminster can be closed within minutes when circumstances require it, and there is rarely any warning to the public.
Ceremonial days follow a published pattern even when the closures do not. Remembrance Sunday shuts Whitehall entirely, the state opening and major processions close the route in both directions, and the summer parade season affects The Mall and Horse Guards. Where a client has a fixed appointment on one of those days, the collection point is moved rather than the timing.
Demonstrations are the recurring variable. Parliament Square is the default assembly point for marches arriving from Embankment or Park Lane, and when one is in progress the square becomes impassable while the surrounding streets fill. The chauffeur approaches from the Victoria Street side on those days and sets down west of the cordon.
- Whitehall: barriered, no stopping, Downing Street permanently gated
- Parliament Square: assembly point for marches, frequently impassable
- Ceremonial closures on Whitehall and The Mall at fixed points in the year
- Approach from Victoria Street when the eastern side is closed









