Forum Topic

putney house prices, congestion and pollution article

http://www.putneysw15.com/default.asp?section=property&page=stats2105.htma friend if mine drove to putney yesterday coming down from Milton Keynes and messaged me asking how on earth do we cope with this awful congestion.I appreciate that Hammersmith bridge is partly responsible but it's an almost perfect storm with road widening and dreadful traffic light phasing. I hate my street now as it is a total rat run and even crossing the road is hazardous. I think I'm having a Saturday afternoon grump :-/

Maxine Campbell ● 1282d23 Comments

Nick, they used to live in London so the area isn't new to them. They have family in putney and are noting a marked difference in how the traffic has increased

Maxine Campbell ● 1279d

Matt. That's neat. Didn't realise they'd actually got robot deliveries beyond proff of concept :-)

Michael Ixer ● 1280d

Paul Rolink: I had to read your tirade 3 or 4 times to make sense of it...try using punctuation marks! Incidentially, it's "squEal".By the way, How do you know what people can or can't afford?

Simon Knight ● 1280d

but you do get your Sainsburies delivies come by robot!https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/delivery-robots-ease-shopping-in-uk-town-2551429

Matt Palmer ● 1280d

And concrete cows!

Philippa Bond ● 1281d

I laughed at this thread when I saw that the person complaining about Putney had travelled from Milton Keynes!I suspect they could only dream of living in Putney. Let’s face it Milton Keynes is one of the most soulless places in the UK. It’s famous for its roundabouts.

Nick Gulliford ● 1281d

Spot on. I'll tell you what take your polluting pieces of tin & go live in the sticks. You'll not be missed. But you don't do you  because you can't afford it so you squeel away when the rest of us fight back. Selfish little brats just about covers it.

Paul Rolink ● 1281d

Yes I’m not getting many miles to the gallon when I am constantly in low gear lol. However I noticed that on the occasions when everyone is sticking to the speed limit the traffic flows better including giving people turning from side roads to join the traffic sufficient time to flow in. However even the bus drivers go Sterling Moss style up the hill and ignore the limit.

Maxine Campbell ● 1281d

In desperation to disagree, you're just nitpicking. The point is that as road capacity increases, so does the traffic on them, and whether done by wider roads or rejigged traffic lights is irrelevant.Incidentally, I agree that improving junctions for pedestrians and cyclists is a good thing. One idea is the provision of traffic lights specifically designed to give an early start for cyclists so that they can get clear before motorised vehicles set off, as installed by a number of inner-city London boroughs (but not Wandsworth, of course). This is an example from York: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/early-release-for-cyclists-at-traffic-signals-micklegate-york.Oh, and like you I always stop at red lights; I hope this thread won't be hijacked by the usual knee-jerk anti-cyclists

Richard Carter ● 1281d

Richard interstate highways tend not to have pedestrian crossing or junctions. The other paper is concerned with building bigger roads.Both seem irrelevant to the subject of improving crossings and junctions for pedestrians and vehicles.However there is a chapter on "Managing traffic to reduce carbon emissions and tackle congestion" which mentions "Better design and management of local roads, including improvements in signalling" sorry less wild west and more invest.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3890/making-sustainable-local-transport-happen-whitepaper.pdf

Ed Robinson ● 1281d

20 mph is pathetic, if your so old you don't trust yourself driving any faster then you shouldn't be driving anyway. You hardly get out of 2nd gear. Perhaps 20 down side roads, but on other roads it's stupid.

Barbara Stevens ● 1281d

Ed, there is a vast amount of material on this in the literature: here are two papers (both from the US but the principle is the same wherever):https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/andhttps://www.nber.org/papers/w15376

Richard Carter ● 1281d

Richard there is no evidence that improving junctions and crossings adds to congestion that I know of. You shall have to provide some evidence for this.

Ed Robinson ● 1281d

The reason there is a lot of traffic is also everybody who's car doesn't comply is avoiding going into the new ULEZ zone. Upper Richmond Road isn't in the zone. All the ULEZ has also done is stop people who's cars don't comply going into the roads on the right hand side of Upper Richmond Road. All any resident has to do is park in Gwendoline, or in Sheen, Gilpin Ave. etc. The roads on the right in Sheen are only side roads it's pathetic they are only small side roads, so they can't go home, all they have to do is park the other side of the main road.

Barbara Stevens ● 1281d

"Good junctions and crossings should be part of the measures to reduce congestion"NO!!! The problem is that they do not reduce congestion: because demand is elastic, freeing the roads simply induces more cars onto the road, producing the same level (if not worse) of congestion - as I tried to explain earlier.

Richard Carter ● 1281d

Richard on my cycle yesterday to Barnes via the South Circular I was held up by poor designed crossings and junctions more than traffic, which was very slow and I could pass with ease mostly.Of course less cars would be nice but it is no excuse to have poor junctions and crossings that server vehicles and pedestrians badly.Good junctions and crossings should be part of the measures to reduce congestion.A recent study also indicated that increasing average bus speeds would save hundreds of millions of pounds.

Ed Robinson ● 1281d

Wrong even the Bus garage have been moaning about traffic lights in our road. Then you get the traffic jam as only about 2 vehicles let out at a time.

Barbara Stevens ● 1281d

Ed, you seem to have fallen for the familiar "make the traffic flow freely" myth. Making it flow freely by, for example, changing the timing of traffic lights, only works in the short term. Improve the flow, speed up the traffic and what happens? More cars/vans etc are attracted onto the roads and the level of congestion reaches the same point again - except that there are now more vehicles and this more pollution.

Richard Carter ● 1281d

Richard, bicycles and lorries also have to stop at junctions and crossings. Improving these would be a win win well for us cyclists that actually stop.

Ed Robinson ● 1281d

It's obvious, really, but sometimes it's necessary to state the obvious: congestion is caused by TOO MANY CARS on the road.As Henry Mance says in a balanced piece in the weekend FT (https://www.ft.com/content/56929d0a-2375-40a1-872c-b7fb94d9003f, but it's behind their paywall): "Car users don’t have an inalienable right to occupy public space - Quiet residential streets and clean air should not be treated as luxuries."

Richard Carter ● 1281d

Yesterday afternoon traffic on the south circular towards Richmond was dreadful - very slow moving.I suspect more cars are staying out of the ULEZ. Traffic light phasing is very poor IMO and some of the junctions, neglected for years - desperately need rethinking.Pedestrian crossings are so slow to respond pedestrians have often given up and crossed already leaving vehicles minutes later with red lights and no pedestrians in sight.TFL do not appear to take any responsibility for Red Routes unless it is to collect the fines that is. It will only get worse.

Ed Robinson ● 1282d

Where's Nick when we need reassuring that Putney is The Best Place On Earth To Live (© Nick Gulliford)?

Richard Carter ● 1282d

Hammersmith Bridge closure has a huge impact on Putney, Sheen, Mortlake etc. Meanwhile some are calling for Hammersmith bridge to never carry cars again :-/ The impact is not only financial, but also mental & physical well-being for 10,000’s of people. This cost is way more than the £100m+ for the works.I understand the political impasse whilst we have a mayor & government of diff parties, but really the solution surely is to pay for the replacement/repair with a toll? So frustrating that people can’t their act together.

Richard Phipps ● 1282d