In the 1960s the Lane was widened to three lanes each way either side of a central reservation. This required the demolition of a number of houses at Hyde Park Corner. It claimed land previously in Hyde Park to make room for the multi-lane carriageway. The result was to diminish the appeal of Park Lane as a residential address, as it became one of the busiest and noisiest roads in central London. It has little or none of the countryside atmosphere that once made it popular. The widening of the road distanced the houses on the east side of Park Lane from Hyde Park itself, access to which is now by underpass.