Council Rejects Calls to Postpone Putney Bridge Roadworks

Opposition says project should be delayed until holidays

Congestion on Putney Bridge Road since the works started. Picture: Putney Conservatives

October 4, 2024

Wandsworth Council has rejected calls for the ongoing roadworks close to Putney Bridge to be postponed.

The opposition Conservative group on the council are saying that the current level of congestion is too high and want the project at Putney Bridge Road, Lower Richmond Road, and Putney High Street to be carried out during a quieter period to minimise disruption.

They say that the works, which are currently scheduled to end on 20 December, are not urgent and shouldn’t be taking place just as the schools have returned. They are calling for ‘sensible plans to mitigate the impact’ to be in place before work resumes suggesting the scheme could be completed outside the school term with works also taking place at the evening and the weekend with contractors working double shifts. Some nighttime work is already taking place.

The Conservatives have launched a petition for people who support their proposal to sign which they will present to Wandsworth Council’s traffic team.

The centre of Putney has been experiencing high levels of congestion since the closure of Hammersmith Bridge and some blame measures implemented by Hammersmith & Fulham Council on the northern side of the bridge for exacerbating the situation but recently traffic in the area has been consistently worse.

The project consists of three key elements: installing upgraded traffic lights at the junction of Putney High Street, Putney Bridge and Lower Richmond Road; removing some pedestrian islands; and introducing a new segregated northbound cycle lane from the Putney Bridge Road junction up to the crossing. It will then connect with the existing cycle lane already on the bridge

When the work was originally announced, the council did say that traffic was likely to increase but anticipated that driving patterns would settle after a couple of weeks once more people became aware of the delays in the area.

The council is insistent that a high degree of planning went into the scheduling of these works including liaising with Transport for London (TfL) for the temporary traffic management arrangements. It claims that the temporary signals on site at present are the most effective system on the market and are linked to TfL’s Urban Control Centre, which enables them to adjust signal timings to keep traffic moving efficiently, as they do with permanent traffic signals.

Councillor Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “Wandsworth Council is committed to making roads safer for all residents, and the upgrades taking place on Putney Bridge will make a notoriously difficult junction safer and easier to navigate for all.

“Updated traffic signals will mean it will take less time for pedestrians to cross the road, while a new segregated cycle lane will improve safety through the junction and on to the bridge. The new design has been carefully planned to maintain the flow of traffic so it will not have a negative impact on drivers and buses.

“The Council has listened to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers who are keen to see improvements, and as a local resident, I know how difficult it is to cross this junction. I’m really pleased that these changes will make it safer for pedestrians.”