Actually I do think they smelt the coffee. They’ve obviously had a load of angry emails from residents and the mood in the room was very clear - people are genuinely very angry and frustrated. And the high turnout was almost entirely down to the traffic problems. Fleur can only do so much - forcefully bringing messages to those with the power to decide, lobbying for action etc. but she can’t make the changes herself. I thought she sounded just as frustrated as everybody else. Simon Hogg gets it too. But the problem is money, or the apparent lack of it, and the inertia and apparent indifference of TfL, who disgracefully failed to show up although they had been invited to send someone. The council has to follow due process and that at best is going to be slow., probably painfully so. And the status quo ante is not an option - road safety considerations preclude restoring the exact previous junction layout. This will impact voting intentions next May because I doubt it will be fixed by then, even if a few baby steps are taken before then. The Putney problem is that only 2 out of 9 local councillors are Labour so if they do get voted out of the town hall it won’t be the mood in Putney alone that swings it. We’ve all got to keep up the pressure and make as much noise as possible. The Putney Action Group have made a significant start with their petition (over 1,000 respondents) and both they and the Putney Society have had meetings on the traffic issue with council officials and councillors. Incidentally another non-appearance was Cllr Jenny Yates who is the cabinet member for transport. Also, no Leonie Cooper, our elected LMA representative. She has offered to facilitate meetings with TfL, none of which has happened as far as I know.
Jonathan Callaway ● 7d