Further Restrictions for Traffic on Wandsworth Bridge / Wandsworth Bridge Road - A Nightmare for Wandsworth Residents? Post Reply

[Denwand]

Thanks all!

I must say my problems getting to my Mother are one thing but there must be many of us who cross the Wandsworth Bridge on a regular basis to get to North and West London - disregarding my Mother's trip I must do it at least weekly . So all of us that drive in London will take a massive hit due to these changes.

Does anyone know the reasoning behind getting rid of the turn right filter lane as you cross Wandsworth Bridge north to Townmead Road? I am baffled!

This has puzzled me too...I can only surmise that the council just wants to Social Engineer us out of our cars - pure and simple!...So they build-in a huge 24 hour traffic-jam to (in those weaselly words of inconsiderate bureaucrats who control our lives) ENCOURAGE us to use public transport...

Trouble is there is NO direct railway line from Wandsworth as an alternative - NO direct Tube line and NO direct bus route (we have to get a bus to Wandsworth Old Town and change to a 28 or 245)...

Oh yes we can CYCLE! Of course! ... Except if you are elderly, disabled or have mobility issues (or if you need to transport kids or anything bigger than a small bag of shopping then a cycle is USELESS!)

[Starr]

I also have an elderly frail parent over the river who I like to see at least once a week to help with shopping and to bring them over to me.

I avoid rush hour as it's insane already on that route north so I dread to think how much more worse it will get.

Cutting off access from the eastside was a huge shock to people in London from Kensington who work South and vice versa. There are luxury developments and I guess those super wealthy foreign residents get to have cars from other boroughs banned. It's stupid and now the West Side is demanding the same

I have always wondered why there isn't a bus to Fulham and North West/ West London from our part of town?

Threre are so many buses north of the river and people own less cars. Why don't we have more in the South?

[Bluemonday]

Interestingly rumour has it that Hurligham Club members will be exempt from these restriction !

Whilst ideologically its a lovely idea which will reduce traffic in the side street - it has been really poorly thought of. Millions of £ going towards camera installations and so much more traffic blocking the main roads and causing more pollution. The public transport from wandsworth to Fulham / Parsons Green is not good enough !

Labour bringing London to a standstill (the City also being completely gridlocked by ridiculous new restrictions !)

[Starr]

So Hammersmith and Fulham is Labour but the wealthy wards are Tory and those are the ones getting restrictions to protect their residents from pollution. What the hell is going on? What a joke to hear Hurlingham Club members get exemption. How corrupt is that.

[readysteadycook]

The Labour controlled Hammersmith council is out of control. First camera on Imperial way, now this.

With the now single lane Northbound over Wandsworth bridge, combined with the new restrictions on 1st Dec, we can all expect our roads to Wandsworth bridge roundabout to be clogged up. 

What give these anti car councils the right to turn the roads private ? Its all paid for by tax payers money - I used to live in Fulham, surely I still have a right.

Roads only work well in London when they are all working - like the arteries in our body, block a few off and the pressure builds all over.

What makes we laugh most is that Wandsworth council have tried to speak to LB Hammersmith about this and they get no response.

Perhaps its time we just cover our number plates and drive through... 

[readysteadycook]

This is the website for more information :-

https://thetrafficcameraconsultinggroup.co.uk

Here is a petition to sign (6400 people so far) :-

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-traff ... nsultation
 

[dimelda]

To:  Headshrinker:  ‘… a very very long walk’ … What?  No buses?  No trains?   As for your elderly parents .. who's suggesting that they cycle?!  Nobody is.  Your post said, & I quote ‘… to visit my parents’.  And if you’re visiting them, you can get to them by public transport, with which Fulham is well served.  I’m sorry, I don’t buy your argument at all for having to drive to your parents, no matter where you live.  I’ve lived in London over 40 years, with an infant, then child &, with public transport everywhere, not once have I needed to own a car.   On the odd occasions that I had no choice but to get somewhere by road, then I took a taxi.    Read & understand the excellent post on this thread by ‘Thinking to the Future’.  The whole idea is not only to make car journeys more difficult for people (& hooray for that), but it’s to get them out of their cars for good.  But, with the British selfishly wedded to their cars, I’ll believe it when I see it.

[Denwand]

Of course some people will approve since they do not have a car or cycle and say these restrictions are to cut pollution but;

1) These restrictions also punish Electric cars - fined like everyone one else AND stuck in jams just the same as petrol ones. Electric Cars NOT EXCEMPT

2) Pollution caused by massive traffic jams from Wandsworth roundabout, over the bridge and up Wandsworth bridge Road will be massive - and affecting the poorest in order to give the £5 million homeowners South of the New Kings Road an effective "Gated Community"

3) All vehicles will have the choice to a 6 to 10 mile diversion around Putney or Battersea Bridges - extra miles in already congested traffic = lots more pollution

4) "Take a cab" ... Also stuck in traffic and Uber and Minicabs NOT EXEMPT from charge and now refuse to drive anywhere near existing Camera Charge-Points - will only drop off hundreds of metres from your destination = Dangerous for lone women or girls late at night

5) "Stop small Fulham-Wandsworth journeys" I know cyclists have a limited range and don't consider this but Wandsworth Bridge and W.B. Road is THE route to North London and access to the A4, A40, M4 ,M40 Heathrow M1 etc etc - it is a MAIN route! Traffic going to Sainsbury's is only a small part of it

6) Ableism at it's worse since more than 30% of Wandsworth residents are either elderly, disabled or have mobility problems and their cars are their lifeline

7) Even for the healthy bicycles are not the answer - they have a tiny practical range, can carry hardly any luggage or goods and cannot carry passengers nor children (more than a few miles in Cargo bikes)...Also in heavy rain, snow, ice or heavy winds they become dangerous and very uncomfortable. I cycle to work and on warm summer days there are scores of cyclist- commuters who join me - these evaporate away once the rain starts and on cold, wet winter evenings they almost totally disappear.
In surveys people say the reason they don't cycle is that they're "scared of dangerous traffic" but I suspect they are ashamed of the real reason, that it's a) inconvenient, b) too much effort c) too uncomfortable as it's cold , wet and miserable and finally d) they cannot be bothered!

[troubs]

The Labour controlled Hammersmith council is out of control. First camera on Imperial way, now this.

With the now single lane Northbound over Wandsworth bridge, combined with the new restrictions on 1st Dec, we can all expect our roads to Wandsworth bridge roundabout to be clogged up. 

What give these anti car councils the right to turn the roads private ? Its all paid for by tax payers money - I used to live in Fulham, surely I still have a right.

Roads only work well in London when they are all working - like the arteries in our body, block a few off and the pressure builds all over.

What makes we laugh most is that Wandsworth council have tried to speak to LB Hammersmith about this and they get no response.

Perhaps its time we just cover our number plates and drive through... 

Wow- they didn't even respond to concerns from Wandsworth council? Maybe the quicker way to get a response is to bring in a similar 'borough only' access point onto Smuggler's Way near the Smuggler's Way recycling centre. I imagine the large number of out of borough residents, including those from Hammersmith and Fulham may find they are upset at being fined every time they go there and may be contacting their councillors for alternatives!

In fairness, I understand the desire for locals on the west to want a similar cleaner air policy as their neighbours on the east, but I do think it is unacceptable to not take on board the views of those who will be disproportionately affected by the tailback of traffic, including those just south of the river.
 

[Denwand]

For reference;

What it this map DOESN'T show is the planned narrowing of Wandsworth Bridge down to one lane thus meaning all traffic for Fulham will be held up by traffic up front turning right into Townmead Road... a vicious and spiteful addition that is solely designed to restrict traffic flow and cause huge polluting jams over the bridge and around the Wandsworth Roundabout... This will cause further jams for traffic going and returning East-West along York Road and those on Trinity Road.

What right have Hammersmith & Fulham Council to cause HUGE polluting jams on the MAIN "A" roads of another borough - especially when Wandsworth Residents CAN'T Vote the them OUT???

[BettyJones]

You can turn right off the bridge to visit Sainsbury’s you just can’t take that route to drive through Fulham to head north, I.E it cannot be used as a throughroute. Just don’t pass the rough the camera on Imperial Road but access anywhere either side of the camera as required.

[BettyJones]

The scheme is aiming to make the junction at the north of the bridge safer for cyclists and pedestrians - the junction has been really dangerous with the wide mouth of the bridge allowing cars to swing left at speed cutting up cyclists that are going straight on. So the cycle lane has been extended up to the junction to protect cyclists all the way up to the junction and emphasis that cyclists going straight ahead have priority.

[BeaG]

I travel between Wandsworth and Fulham at least twice a day every day so take the bridge 4 times per days - the reallocation of space to pedestrians and cyclists is a huge improvement. After 2 long years of dirty refurbishment works it is quite literally a breath of fresh air to allow the full pavement to pedestrians and cyclists having allocated space on the road. Great job Wandsworth Borough Council for prioritising pedestrians and cyclists over private cars. My kids (8 & 10 years old) are loving cycling themselves to school over the bridge, when can we have a protected cycle lane southbound too to keep them off the pavement on that side??

[Pemberley]

What if every borough in London did this? Imagine what the A roads would be like? I see it as a violation of my freedom to move.

Until such time that they invest in public transport, better bus, rail, links, making safer for women to walk alone at night, I think this is an ill thought out scheme.

Do you know how difficult it is to get from Wandsworth to Heathrow on the tube/train/bus, with kids, luggage etc. can’t afford black cabs and so I have no option but to sit in long traffic rammed streets because I am not climate conscious?

Look at the whole area as one and not piece meal by Borough - offer viable alternatives to people who work in west London. Use this as a way for people to get greener vehicles. Etc.

[Denwand]

You can turn right off the bridge to visit Sainsbury’s you just can’t take that route to drive through Fulham to head north, I.E it cannot be used as a throughroute. Just don’t pass the rough the camera on Imperial Road but access anywhere either side of the camera as required.

Yes it has always been like that - l/h lane to turn left up Cranworth Road and right hand filter lane to turn right up Townmead Road.

The new proposal is to reduce that to ONE lane for all l/h, r/h and straight ahead BUT that means all traffic will have to wait for traffic turning right before they can turn left or go straight on.

As far as I know there was no proposal to ban right hand turns into Townmead Road (Sainsbury's would be very upset!) but the delay caused by all traffic sharing one lane north would be considerable.