Tour De France cyclists. Photo: Flickr

The Tour de France will be passing though Tower Hamlets next month, and already the Council and Transport for London (TfL) are preparing residents for the road closures and bus route disruptions that will occur during the event.

The race takes place on July 7, 2014 and will have roughly 200 world athletes cycling from Cambridge to Essex, before finally making their way to London where the race will finish against the spectacular backdrop of The Mall. The council is expecting thousands of Londoners to line the streets in support of the competition.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “The Tour de France will be a fantastic spectacle and celebration of cycling to be enjoyed in the borough. But it will bring with it travel disruption. I urge everyone to think about their travel requirements and journeys on July 7 and plan in advance.”

To make way for the cyclists, road closures in Tower Hamlets will include the A1261 Aspen Way and the A1203 Limehouse Link/The Highway past Poplar, Shadwell and Wapping.

The closures will begin at 10:00 BST or earlier if barriers need to be set up, and will be reopen at 18:00 BST when the race has finished. The streets surrounding the route may also be restricted, though local traffic will be allowed to pass through for as long as possible.

To prepare residents for the disruptions, the TFL warns: “road closures will result in displaced traffic and make other parts of London busier than usual.” Subsequently, they are advising the public to plan accordingly and to consider walking, cycling or taking public transportation as an alternative means for getting around the city on the day of the race.

For more information on the closures and how the roads are operating, visit the TfL website. The TFL will also be tweeting updates about road closures via their twitter page. Follow them here