A13 Traffic Live: Cameras & Congestion Today
Live cameras, peak hour guide, congestion hotspots and route planning tips — updated for 2026.
The A13 Commercial Road is one of East London's most important freight and commuter routes, running from Aldgate in the City of London through Stepney, Limehouse, Poplar, Barking and Dagenham to the Thurrock area. It serves as a key lorry route to London Gateway container port, the DFDS Tilbury ferry terminal and the industrial areas of the Thames estuary. The A13 also carries large volumes of commuter traffic from East London and Essex, making it heavily used throughout the day.
The A13's worst congestion occurs at the Canning Town flyover interchange (A13/A1011/A117) where multiple routes converge near the Blackwall Tunnel approach. This junction backs up severely during incidents and during peak hours. The Commercial Road section through Stepney and Limehouse is persistently slow, carrying heavy volumes of lorries, buses and local traffic in both directions. The approach to the A13/A406 (Beckton) junction is another regular bottleneck, particularly for westbound morning traffic.
Morning peak: 07:30–09:30 · Evening peak: 16:30–19:00
Outside these windows, the A13 typically flows much more freely. Saturdays can be busy between 11:00–15:00.
These TfL JamCam feeds cover the A13 across London. Each image updates every 5 minutes — click any camera to see the full live feed and nearby cameras.
Typical congestion levels on the A13 by hour. Green = free-flowing, red/orange = heavy delays.
| 00–05 | 05–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 | 09–10 | 10–12 | 12–14 | 14–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 | 19–21 | 21–24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon–Thu | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
| Friday | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
| Saturday | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
| Sunday | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
The A13 carries substantial HGV traffic throughout the day to and from the Thames ports — congestion is more evenly spread here than on most London roads.
A13 westbound builds from around 07:00 due to shift workers at Tilbury and Gateway — earlier than most London roads.
For Stratford and Hackney destinations, the A12 via the Bow interchange avoids the A13 Limehouse section.
The Canning Town junction cameras give the best early warning of A13 conditions — incidents here can back traffic up for miles.
If the A13 is heavily congested, these alternatives are worth considering:
The entire A13 within Greater London is inside the ULEZ. Parts of the western end (Commercial Road/Whitechapel) are close to or inside the Congestion Charge Zone boundary. Check your specific journey at tfl.gov.uk. Non-compliant vehicles pay £12.50 per day ULEZ charge. Check at tfl.gov.uk/ulez.
The A13 is one of East London's busiest arterial roads, connecting the City with Dagenham, Thurrock and Tilbury Docks. It is heavily used by freight traffic serving the Port of Tilbury and the Thames Gateway industrial areas. Chronic congestion occurs at: Aldgate (A11/A1202 junction), Limehouse Causeway (A1206 merge), Canning Town/Barking bypass (A406 interchange), Alfreds Way Roundabout in Barking, and Dagenham Dock. Check live cameras for current conditions.
The A13 has varying speed limits along its length. The urban sections (Commercial Road, East India Dock Road) are typically 30 mph. The dual carriageway sections from Barking onwards rise to 50 mph or 70 mph in places. Average speed cameras operate on multiple sections. Always observe road signs.
The A13 runs from Aldgate in the City of London (where it begins as Commercial Road/East India Dock Road) eastwards through Limehouse, Poplar, Canning Town, Barking, Dagenham and Thurrock, eventually joining the M25 near Lakeside and continuing to Shoeburyness in Essex. The London section ends approximately at the M25 junction.
Yes — TfL operates JamCam cameras on the A13 in Barking, including at Alfreds Way roundabout and the A406/A13 Beckton junction. View the A13/A406 Beckton roundabout camera and other nearby feeds on JamCams.co.uk.
The A13 in Dagenham serves as a key route for HGV traffic accessing Ford's Dagenham operations, Amazon distribution centres, and the Thames Gateway industrial estates. The merge with the A406 (Barking bypass) creates regular bottlenecks, especially during morning (07:00–09:30) and evening (16:30–19:00) rush hours, and around shift changes at major factories.