New Restrictions Aim To Reduce East Putney Rat Running

Putney Hill Lane and Rusholme Road residents complaining of excess traffic


Putney Hill junction with Putney Hill Lane. Picture: Google Streetview

Wandsworth Council is going to introduce a new access restriction designed to reduce the amount of traffic cutting through a residential area of East Putney.

In a pilot traffic scheme motor vehicles will no longer be able to turn left from Putney Hill into Putney Hill Lane or left from Putney Hill Lane onto Rushholme Road during the morning rush.

The proposed measures have been drawn up in response to requests from some residents of Putney Heath Lane and Rusholme Road. They say their roads are being used as a cut through between Putney Hill and West Hill.

To deter cut through traffic from impacting this neighbourhood, council highways engineers are proposing the introduction of a ban on traffic turning left from Putney hill onto Putney heath Lane during the morning rush hour – weekdays between 7am and 10am - and a similarly timed ban on traffic turning left from Putney Heath Lane into Rusholme Road.

The changes could be introduced as part of a pilot scheme if the consultation proposal is approved by councillors at this week’s strategic planning and transportation scrutiny committee. As part of the pre-consultation process, residents would be given the opportunity to support both measures, just one, or neither of them.

The proposals are designed to complement a similar scheme to deter cut through traffic from this part of East Putney, which was introduced as a pilot scheme earlier this year. This focused on Lytton Grove and has prevented vehicles from turning right at both ends of Lytton Grove – onto Putney hill and West Hill respectively.

The council’s transport spokesman Cllr John locker said, “It’s quite evident that residents living in this area suffer from excess traffic with motorists using these residential streets as a convenient cut through between Putney Hill and the busy A3 at West Hill.

“Residents have asked us to address this issue and we believe we have come up with an effective solution that should help tackle the problem. If the scheme is given the go-ahead we will introduce these changes for a trial period, monitor traffic flows to make sure it’s working - and if it is judged to be effective, look to make the changes permanent.”

November 4, 2020