Drive to take the show off the road

The National Gallery's 20-year-old dream of removing the noisy stream of traffic which runs between its entrance and Trafalgar Square could finally become a reality.

The gallery's new chairman, Philip Hughes, said he now understood that John Gummer, the Secretary of State for the Environment, was hoping to set the project in train during his period in office.

The "incredibly difficult circumstances" caused by the traffic running in front of its main entrance and exacerbating overcrowding on a narrow pavement thronged by tourists were apparent every day of the summer.

But at last it appeared that the powers-that-be were minded to take action.

"Not only Whitehall, but Westminster council, seem to be on our side. Hopefully for the first time in over 20 years a decision will be taken to allow the whole Trafalgar Square area to be recaptured."

Last month, Westminster council applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for pounds 125,000, half the cost of producing a study on the implications of improving access to Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and Whitehall.

"The whole thrust of the new study is to remove traffic from the front of the National Gallery," said Malcolm Murray-Clark, assistant director of transportation for Westminster council.

"What we need to look at very carefully is how best to manage the space which would be created in urban design terms, and in traffic and transportation terms, so that road users do not lose out as a result."

The study, which was supported by English Heritage, will also consider banning traffic from the road between St Margaret's church and Parliament Square.

Mr Hughes said: "The most exciting thing is that the road would be absolutely closed except for cyclists and pedestrians, so we could completely rethink the whole way people go into the gallery.

"At the moment it's a very inelegant way to enter one of the world's major galleries."

The National Gallery has already taken steps to improve another form of access for the public - its opening hours, which have now been extended to 8pm on Wednesdays and from noon to 6pm every Sunday.