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James Street runs north from the Piazza to Long Acre, linking Covent Garden's central square with the shopping streets beyond. It is one of the district's busiest pedestrian routes, carrying much of the visitor footfall that arrives at Covent Garden Underground station, which sits at the street's northern end. The station is one of the deepest on the network and relies on lifts rather than escalators, a detail that shapes the flow of people along the street at peak times. James Street is largely pedestrianised, and its width and straight line give an open view down to the market building and the Piazza. The frontages carry a run of shops, cafes and eating places, and street performers and buskers often gather along its length as people move between the station and the market. The buildings are mainly of several storeys with retail at ground level and offices or flats above. Its position makes it one of the main approaches into the market and Piazza, and it is heavily used throughout the day and into the evening as theatre and restaurant trade picks up. The short walk it offers between transport and the market keeps it consistently active.
