About This Camera
Camera Location & Hazard Overview
The A40 Western Avenue meets Long Lane on the Ickenham side of Hillingdon, and this camera has become a key gauge for commuters deciding between the fast-moving dual carriageway and the slower local roads running alongside it. Sitting just east of the busier Swakeleys Roundabout, the junction serves drivers heading towards Central London on one side and out towards High Wycombe and the M40 on the other, making it a useful early indicator for both directions of travel.
Traffic Pattern & Congestion Trends
Inbound traffic builds heavily from around 7am, often backing up from the Polish War Memorial roundabout further towards town, with the compression typically reaching Long Lane itself by 7:30am on a busy weekday, a merge point where hesitant lane changes are a genuine trigger for a car accident claim if contact does occur. In the evening the pattern reverses entirely, with westbound congestion building as commuters head out towards Ruislip and Uxbridge, frequently extending back past this junction by 5:30pm during term time.
Traffic Fines & Camera Enforcement
The A40 here operates average speed cameras enforcing the 50mph limit across this dual-carriageway stretch, with continuous monitoring rather than fixed-point checks. Long Lane's junction carries a yellow box to keep the slip road clear at all times, monitored via camera to prevent gridlock spilling back onto the main carriageway during the busiest parts of the day. Ickenham's tight merge has produced enough minor bumps over the years to be locally associated with the odd claim for accident injury among regular commuters.
Road Closures & Alternative Routes
Long Lane itself provides a route down into Ickenham village if the A40 is blocked ahead, connecting through to the A4180 for drivers willing to accept a slower, more residential alternative. It's genuinely useful for local journeys into Ickenham or Hillingdon itself, though it isn't really suited to longer through-traffic given the number of junctions and lower speed limits along the way.
Driver Safety & Local Tips
Ickenham underground station sits a short walk from this junction, and commuters do sometimes park informally on nearby streets rather than pay for the station car park — watch for pedestrians crossing towards the station entrance during the busiest part of the morning rush, particularly between 7:45am and 8:30am.
ULEZ & Emissions
The London Borough of Hillingdon operates entirely within the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), active 24/7. Non-compliant vehicles face a £12.50 daily charge. Note that Heathrow Airport also operates a separate £5 terminal drop-off charge. Check your vehicle compliance at tfl.gov.uk.
Parking near A40 Western Ave/Long Lane, North London
Long Lane and the surrounding Ickenham streets offer a mix of free residential parking and some resident-permit bays closer to Ickenham station — Hillingdon's CPZs typically run Monday to Friday, roughly 9am to 5pm, with anyone free to park outside those hours or with a valid Blue Badge at any time. Pay-and-display bays are limited on this stretch itself; nearby Ickenham has no large public car park, so on-street is really the only option. Single yellow lines near the A40 junction restrict daytime parking on weekdays specifically. Always check the sign for the exact zone code before leaving your car, since Hillingdon suspends some restrictions on bank holidays but not universally. Full details sit on hillingdon.gov.uk/resident-parking.
If on-street parking is hard to find, apps like JustPark and YourParkingSpace let you pre-book a private driveway or car park nearby — typically from around £2–£6 per hour or £10–£25 per day depending on how central the location is.
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