Global study ranks the A219 as the worst for delays

Congestion on Putney High Street. Picture: Google Streetview

January 11, 2023

A study of traffic in over 1,000 cities across the world has ranked the road that runs through the centre of Putney as the most congested.

A report by transport research company INRIX has concluded that the A219 which runs from Harlesden to South Wimbledon, passing along Putney High Street and Putney Hill, is responsible the highest amount of time spent in traffic for motorists. The section of the road southbound between A304 Fulham Road to A297 Morden Hall Road was identified as suffering from the worst delays. The report cites the closure of Hammersmith Bridge as a reason for the consistently high level of congestion.
The excess journey time on the road travelling south in the evening peak at 5pm was 12 minutes meaning that 47 hours a year would be spent queueing for anyone driving on the route in rush hour on a daily basis.

The A24 southbound travelling south from Clapham towards Wimbledon was ranked as the fourth most congested road with peak time journeys being delayed by an average of 10 minutes with 38 hours lost over a year.

London ranked top globally for the number of hours lost in traffic in 2022 for the second year in a row at an annual cost estimated at £5.7billion. This has increased by 5% from 2021 and pre-Covid levels and ‘last mile’ driving speeds in the capital have fallen to 10mph. A person driving in London every day during peak hours would spend 156 hours in traffic over a year according to the study.

Fleur Anderson MP said, “It’s a shocking finding that the A219 – which includes Putney High St and Putney Hill – is top of the global league table for congestion. The closure of Hammersmith Bridge is undoubtedly a major factor and this must be a wake-up call for Government.

“I have led debates in Parliament and thousands of local people have joined my campaign to call on the Government to fund this major transport route. I have written to the Secretary of State for Transport with these findings and asked the Government to finally take action.

“The Bridge has been closed for years and the Government have not taken action. They could have funded the restoration of the Bridge in full in 2019 and it could be reopened by now. Instead, Hammersmith and Fulham Council have front-loaded the funding of stabilisation works and been forced to submit a proposal for restoration funded by a toll. This would leave too much traffic still going through Putney.”

Fleur Anderson MP campaigning to reopen Hammersmith Bridge

A recent report by Dr Richard Carter of the Putney Society showed that on multiple locations along the High Street, Putney’s air pollution is exceeding legal limits.

Ms Anderson added, “It’s important to note that congestion isn’t only a nightmare for drivers in Putney. It has a horrendous impact on our air quality and on the lungs of residents – particularly children and the medically vulnerable. The green buses have made a significant difference to our air quality and I support this being extended to all bus routes.

“I am extremely pleased that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is taking real action on this issue and I welcome his move to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone. This will reduce the number of the most polluting vehicles. Now we need to see that our Government takes this critical issue as seriously as City Hall does.”