A20 Old Kent Road Traffic: Live Cameras & South-East London Guide | JamCams
Live cameras, peak hour guide, congestion hotspots and route planning tips — updated 2026-03-02.
The A20 runs from the Elephant and Castle in central London through Old Kent Road, New Cross, Lee, Sidcup and Swanley to Folkestone, where it connects to the Channel Tunnel terminal. Within Greater London, the A20 carries a mix of local South-East London traffic, commuters from Kent and a significant volume of lorries heading to and from the Channel Tunnel and Channel ports. The Old Kent Road section in particular has a strong character as a historic market and high street road.
The A20's busiest section in London is the Old Kent Road, which runs through a dense urban environment with continuous junctions, bus stops and pedestrian crossings. New Cross is another consistent bottleneck, particularly at the A2/A20 interchange near New Cross Gate station. Further south-east, the Sidcup bypass section is generally faster but backs up near the A20/A2 junction and during incidents on the M25 Dartford Crossing, which sends diverted traffic onto both the A20 and A2.
Morning peak: 07:30–09:30 · Evening peak: 16:30–19:00
Outside these windows, the A20 typically flows much more freely. Saturdays can be busy between 11:00–15:00.
These TfL JamCam feeds cover the A20 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 A20 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 | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
Unlike many London roads, the Old Kent Road is slow throughout much of the day — market traffic, deliveries and local journeys mean peaks are less distinct.
M25 Dartford Crossing incidents immediately flood the A20 and A2 with diverted HGV traffic — check tunnel/crossing status before heading to Kent.
For Bexley and North Kent destinations, the A2 Rochester Way Relief Road is often a faster option than the A20 Sidcup bypass.
Cameras at the New Cross Gate area show the clearest picture of A20 congestion — slow there usually means slow all the way to the Elephant.
If the A20 is heavily congested, these alternatives are worth considering:
The entire A20 within Greater London is inside the ULEZ. The northern end near the Elephant and Castle approaches the Congestion Charge Zone — check your route at tfl.gov.uk. Non-compliant vehicles pay £12.50 per day. Check at tfl.gov.uk/ulez.
The Old Kent Road itself is outside the Congestion Charge Zone, but the northern end at the Elephant and Castle roundabout approaches the CCZ boundary. Traffic continuing north from the Elephant towards Waterloo or the City will enter the CCZ. The A20 itself — from Elephant and Castle southwards — is outside the CCZ.
Yes — the A20 is the main surface road route from London to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. After the M25, the A20 connects to the M20 motorway, which continues directly to the Eurotunnel terminal. For Le Shuttle and Eurostar journeys, follow signs for Junction 11A from the M20.
Old Kent Road is one of London's oldest roads, following a Roman route, and is famous as the cheapest property on the classic UK Monopoly board. It has historically been a working-class area with a strong market culture. The road is undergoing significant regeneration, with major residential and commercial development planned or underway along its length.
The Old Kent Road does not have a sharp peak and trough like more typical commuter routes. It's generally slow from about 07:30 until around 10:00, then moderately busy through the day until about 19:00. It tends to be at its busiest between 17:30 and 18:30 for the evening commute.