A406 Traffic Live: North Circular Cameras & Congestion
Live cameras, peak hour guide, congestion hotspots and route planning tips — updated for 2026.
The A406 North Circular Road is one of London's most important and consistently congested roads. Running from Chiswick in the west to Beckton in the east, it forms an inner orbital route carrying traffic between West, North and East London without entering central London. The North Circular is infamous for its complexity — a patchwork of dual carriageway, roundabout, gyratory and traffic-light-controlled sections that reflects decades of incremental improvement rather than coherent design. It passes through three of London's worst bottlenecks: Hanger Lane, Brent Cross and Staples Corner.
The A406 has multiple severe congestion zones. Hanger Lane gyratory (A406/A40) consistently ranks among London's worst junctions — queues begin forming from 07:15 and can extend for miles in all directions by 08:00. Brent Cross (A406/A41) is the second major bottleneck, particularly eastbound in the morning and westbound in the evening. Staples Corner (A406/A5 near the M1) handles the highest HGV volumes of any London junction and backs up correspondingly. The eastern section through Edmonton and Beckton is significantly better than the western section, though it still experiences regular delays.
Morning peak: 07:30–09:30 · Evening peak: 16:30–19:00
Outside these windows, the A406 typically flows much more freely. Saturdays can be busy between 11:00–15:00.
These TfL JamCam feeds cover the A406 across London. Each image updates every 5 minutes — click any camera to see the full live feed and nearby cameras.
Showing 8 of 33 A406 cameras. Browse all cameras →
Typical congestion levels on the A406 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 | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ | ▓ |
There is no practical shortcut past Hanger Lane — if you need to cross the A406/A40 junction, plan your time around it rather than trying to route around it.
The North Circular peaks more sharply than most London roads — 07:45–09:15 is the absolute worst window. Before 07:15 or after 20:00 is dramatically different.
For trips covering more than a quarter of the orbital, the M25 is almost always faster than the A406, despite the longer distance.
If Hanger Lane cameras show stationary traffic, assume the whole western A406 is affected. Check Brent Cross and Staples Corner cameras separately.
If the A406 is heavily congested, these alternatives are worth considering:
The entire A406 is inside the ULEZ. There is no Congestion Charge on the A406. ULEZ operates 24/7 with no time restrictions. Non-compliant vehicles pay £12.50 per day. Check at tfl.gov.uk/ulez.
The A406 North Circular carries over 100,000 vehicles daily and is one of the most congested roads in the UK. Traffic builds at several chronic bottlenecks — Hanger Lane Gyratory (where the A40 crosses), Henlys Corner (A1/Finchley Road), Staples Corner (near the M1), and the Bounds Green interchange. Any incident, roadworks or signal failure on these sections causes queuing for miles. Check the live cameras above before setting off.
Peak congestion on the A406 is Monday to Friday during:
Saturday around midday (11:00–14:00) can be heavy near Brent Cross Shopping Centre. The quietest times are early morning (before 07:00) and late evening (after 20:00).
The five worst bottlenecks on the A406 are:
Yes. The A406 is the official road number for the North Circular Road (often abbreviated to NCR). It runs approximately 25 miles in a semi-circle from the A4 in Chiswick (west) to the A13 in Barking (east), covering North and East London. The name "North Circular" distinguishes it from the South Circular (A205), which is a less formal route through South London.