'Radical Solution' Proposed for Town Centre Traffic
Crossing by Putney Bridge could be moved at a cost of £450,000
Change would reduce the wait time for vehicles turning left onto Putney Bridge
September 21, 2026
Wandsworth Council is preparing to spend £450,000 on what officers describe as a “radical solution” to ease the long-running congestion around Putney Bridge and Putney High Street. The proposal, due to go before councillors at the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee this Thursday (24 September), would see the pedestrian crossing by Putney Bridge moved to a new location in an attempt to give drivers on Lower Richmond Road more uninterrupted green time and reduce queues that regularly stretch back into the town centre.
The crossing, installed as part of the 2024 overhaul, has been repeatedly cited by residents as a key contributor to delays, particularly for traffic turning left from Lower Richmond Road. Council modelling suggests that relocating towards the bridge would prevent pedestrian demand from cutting the green signal time by around 40 per cent, allowing vehicles to pass through more efficiently. Officers say the change would restore acceptable capacity at the junction while retaining most of the improvements for pedestrians and cyclists delivered in the original scheme.
By moving it up the bridge, pedestrians will no longer directly interrupt the left -turn movement from Lower Richmond Road onto Putney Bridge. At present, whenever someone presses the button, the signal system cuts the green time for vehicles. Relocating the crossing means pedestrians shold still have a safe, formal crossing point, but the junction itself will no longer have to pause traffic every time it is activated.
In practical terms, the crossing will revert to the three -stage arrangement previously used on the bridge, rather than the newer configuration that directly interacts with the Lower Richmond Road signals. The modelling shows that once moved, left -turning vehicles will receive a consistent 42 seconds of green time instead of dropping to 25 seconds whenever pedestrians call the crossing.
The council intends to monitor the impact of the relocated crossing before deciding whether further measures are needed to tackle rat-running on nearby residential streets including Disraeli Road, Werter Road and Chelverton Road. These roads have seen increasing volumes of traffic during peak hours as drivers attempt to bypass queues on Putney Hill and Upper Richmond Road. Officers warn that restricting access to the high street could have wider unintended consequences, and want to observe the effects of the crossing relocation before considering additional interventions.
Proposed reconfiguration with new crossing points shown in orange. Picture: Wandsworth Council
The congestion issues stem from the redesign of the junctions of Putney High Street with Putney Bridge Road and Lower Richmond Road, a scheme first developed under the previous Conservative administration and implemented by Labour after it took control of the council in 2022. The modelling used to justify the changes was carried out in July 2021, just before the end of the Covid-19 lockdown, and assumed that Hammersmith Bridge would reopen by 2026 — an assumption that has since proved incorrect. With Albert Bridge also closed and restrictions in place on Wandsworth Bridge, traffic displaced from other river crossings has intensified pressure on Putney’s already constrained network.
The scheme was completed in December 2024 and quickly drew criticism from residents and businesses who said congestion had worsened significantly. The Labour administration worked with Transport for London throughout 2025 and early 2026 to adjust signal timings and make incremental improvements, but concerns persisted that the measures would not go far enough. Since taking control of the council in May, Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration has been developing additional changes aimed at reducing delays and improving traffic flow.
Alongside the proposal to move the pedestrian crossing, the council is considering making permanent the one-way trial on Weiss Road and removing the southbound bus lane on Putney High Street. Officers say recent changes — including reinstating two approach lanes on Putney Bridge Road, removing cycle wands, widening the carriageway outside TK Maxx and adjusting bus stop arrangements — are already helping traffic move more smoothly. Further improvements are scheduled for the coming months.
A Transport for London spokesperson said the organisation recognised the impact of congestion on residents and businesses and was continuing to work with the council to monitor the performance of the road network.
The council’s transport committee will discuss the plans on 24 September, with a final decision due to be made by cabinet on 12 October.
Written with contributions from Charlotte Lilywhite – Local Democracy Reporter
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |