Council Urged to Act on Wandsworth Bridge Road Closure
Fears raised that Spring event may cause traffic chaos in Putney
Congestion on Wandsworth Bridge during lane closures. Picture: HF Council
May 5, 2023
Concerns are being raised that a road closure for an event in Fulham later this month could result in traffic chaos in the Putney and Wandsworth areas.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has given permission for Wandsworth Bridge Road to be completely closed during the day on Sunday 21 May.
Conservative parliamentary spokesman for the Putney constituency, Lee Roberts, is calling on Wandsworth Council to object to the closure which he believes will cause traffic to tailback over Wandsworth Bridge into the borough.
He argues that the "Wandsworth Bridge Spring Fayre" could be held in a nearby park to avoid unnecessary disruption which is already being exacerbated by the continuing closure of Hammersmith Bridge. Mr Roberts claims this has been made worse by the restrictions on drivers from Wandsworth resulting from the implementation of the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood scheme.
Earlier this year traffic research company INRIX concluded that Putney High Street was on the most congested route in the UK.
The event on 21 May is organised by the Wandsworth Bridge Road Association and offers the chance for a car-free day once a year in the area. It is supported by the local council and the Mayor of London. It is expected that the road will be closed from 6am until 9pm with local diversions in place.
Lee Roberts by Hammersmith Bridge
Lane closures are also being implemented over Wandsworth Bridge from 15 May to 22 July to facilitate works to the bridge structure and there will be a complete closure of the bridge from 23 July for ten weeks.
Mr Roberts said, “We have suffered four years of Hammersmith Bridge being closed, making Putney High Street the most congested street in the UK, and four months of confusion caused by restrictions coming into effect banning non-Hammersmith and Fulham drivers from streets as part of the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood project. Now we have the effective closure of Wandsworth Bridge in May before weeks of closure in August. Why won’t the Labour Administration in Wandsworth stand up for its residents and oppose this madness to avert traffic chaos across the summer?”
We asked Wandsworth Council for a comment and await a response.
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