Putney Braces for Wandsworth Bridge Closure

Traffic conditions already described as a 'solid line of cars'

Congestion on the High Street already a problem. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

July 17, 2023

Putney High Street has been described as having a “solid line of cars” and plagued by noise and fumes, with residents fearing traffic will become even more of a “nightmare” when another bridge over the River Thames shuts to cars. The road sits on the route named as the most congested in the capital in 2022, according to a report published by traffic researchers INRIX in January.

The report identified the Fulham Road to Morden Hall Road stretch of the A219 southbound, including Putney High Street, as London’s “most congested” route in 2022. Drivers spent an average of 47 hours a year sitting in traffic on the stretch, it added.

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the High Street, residents claimed the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motor traffic had increased congestion. They raised concerns this will get worse when Wandsworth Bridge closes to vehicles for around 10 weeks, for essential repairs, from July 24.

Visiting Putney from Roehampton, Nora, who did not wish to give her surname, is “always glad to get home” because of the “fumes and the traffic”. The 83-year-old said the High Street is “always congested” which can make it “difficult” to cross. She said, “It’s worse at certain times of the day and sometimes it takes a long time on a bus to get through the High Street. You’re quicker walking.”

She thinks people avoid the area because of the issues. “I think people feel that Putney has gone down a bit, somebody said the other day there’s nothing much left in Putney,” she said. “Even the shopping centre down here, somebody said it’s not great. I think it’s the noise and the congestion and [it’s] difficult to get around.”

Nora, 83, said she is ‘always glad to get home’ after visiting Putney High Street. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

Local Renee Roemmele, 61, said the High Street is usually “just a solid line of cars” which is “really frustrating”. She thinks there is so much traffic because it sits on a main route into Central London. She said, “It’s [people] trying to get into Central London, there are limited crossings, Kew Bridge as well has gotten crazy, and it’s because Hammersmith Bridge is closed and now with Wandsworth Bridge closing, it’s going to be a nightmare, this is going to be the only way in this [part] of London [to get into the city centre], unless you go all the way over to Chelsea.”

Her partner Douglas Hawkins, 63, also said traffic will be a “nightmare” with the temporary closure of Wandsworth Bridge. He does not think the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which already covers the High Street, has had any impact on local congestion.

He said, “People who really need to drive for their work, delivery people, workmen, whatever, if they don’t have a ULEZ-compliant vehicle right now, they’re either going to not be working in this area and they’re going to be unemployed all of a sudden, or they’re going to get a compliant vehicle and they’re going to be on the road.”

Ms Roemmele added, “I think there are smarter ways of going about it – encourage electric vehicles, encourage people to take public transport, but there has to be the realisation that cars are not going to go away.”

Out of the public transport options available, she said travelling around the area is “limited mainly to buses”. She said, “There’s a lot of buses, they’re really good, and you’ve got the District line and the trains. I think, as you head towards Richmond, there are areas that are somewhat underserved on rail – but you’ve got Richmond Park, you can’t fit a Tube station there.” She added, “I think that’s kind of understandable, in this area, that you’re limited mainly to buses.”

Marina Van Leyden volunteers at a charity shop on the High Street. She thinks closing Hammersmith Bridge to motor traffic, introduced in 2019, has added to congestion and predicted it will get worse with the temporary closure of Wandsworth Bridge. The 61-year-old said, “I do drive but I would never voluntarily come up and down the High Street or over Putney Bridge because it’s just so slow.”

She thinks the traffic can be dangerous “in areas where people congregate round bus stops and things, I often end up just walking in the road… because there’s just too many people loitering at bus stops”.

Ms Van Leyden has lived in Putney on-and-off for the last 50 years and said traffic “has always been a bit of an issue, but it’s definitely also got worse”. She said, “The pollution’s definitely worse and I don’t know that this congestion charge is going to make one iota of difference there. If people need to drive, they’ll drive.”

The local thinks Putney used to be “quite a good shopping area” but it has “gone downhill considerably”. She said, “There’s so many empty shops in the High Street now, there’s a gambling place, I’ve never been in there, and it’s just a bit naff.”

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said it had recently met with landlords of empty shops on the High Street to explore how to bring them back into use, including discussing setting affordable rents. Participants agreed to continue talking to meet their shared goal of creating a more vibrant high street.

The spokesperson said, “The A219 is a busy main road that links Harlesden in North West London with South Wimbledon – crossing the Thames at Putney Bridge. As one of only a limited number of river crossings in London, Putney High Street suffers high levels of traffic. We’ve taken a number of steps to reduce traffic, improve air quality, create a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists and support local businesses.

“These measures include investing millions of pounds in improving the road layout at the key junction of Putney Bridge, the High Street and the Lower Richmond Road, accelerating the introduction of cleaner and greener buses that serve the High Street and widening pavements to give pedestrians more room. This has led to significant improvements in air quality, with nitrogen dioxide levels having halved since 2016.

“The council will continue to take active measures to improve the High Street and support residents and businesses. We recently met with the Business Improvement District and high street landlords who reported an encouraging number of recent new shop openings.”

A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said it had commissioned Foster + Partners with COWI to present their planning proposal to install a temporary bridge to facilitate the full strengthening and restoration of Hammersmith Bridge. They said, “It will allow the river crossing to reopen to cars, buses and motorcyclists earlier than previously planned and while the restoration of the bridge takes place.”

Carl Eddleston, TfL’s director of network management and resilience, said: “We want to make sure Londoners can move around the capital as safely, sustainably and efficiently as possible and we’re working closely with the boroughs to ensure the capital’s road network plays a vital role in this.

“Our investment in walking, cycling and public transport has made it easier to choose sustainable ways of travelling that make more efficient use of road space and will help to cut congestion. We’re determined to reduce congestion, tackle the climate emergency and clean up the capital’s toxic air and will continue to work with the Mayor to do this, including by expanding ULEZ to cover the whole capital by August 2023.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London added: “The Mayor is committed to tackling the triple challenges of toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion. That’s why he’s continuing to improve public transport in London and making it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle.

“The Mayor froze public transport fares for five years – making transport fares 12 per cent cheaper now than they would have been. He’s introduced the Hopper bus far, which allows Londoners to travel on unlimited busses and trams within the space of an hour.

“He’s increased protected cycle routes fivefold since 2016 and introduced policies that have led to a huge boost in the number of people walking and cycling in London. He’s delivered the new Elizabeth Line. And he’s increasing bus routes, including the Superloop, a game-changing new network of express buses that will add over four million additional kilometres to our bus network.

“The Mayor is also taking world-leading action to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions, including the ULEZ, which has already been transformational. It’s reduced air pollution by nearly half in central London and by over a fifth in inner London. By taking the difficult decision to expand ULEZ London-wide, five million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air, protecting the health of Londoners and preventing children growing up with stunted lungs and developing asthma.”

Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter