Forum Topic

Hammersmith Bridge Rally.

Having lived in Putney from the turn of the century and as a pedestrian who shops on the High Street most every day after retirement some 10 years ago, I've never known the terrible traffic congestion as we are now experiencing upon the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles. Irrespective of one's political leaning I firmly believe it is important to support our MP in her efforts to show her government the level of upset their lacklustre response thus far is having.Lest we forget the same MP successfully petitioned the mayor of London when the 14 bus route was threatened. Congregate at 24.01.26 at 14.00hrs Barnes entrance to Hammersmith Bridge to demonstrate your support.

David Sean Robinson ● 22d16 Comments

Yes, but I visit but I rarely come by car now.  I hope you've got your visa for coming north of the river now Barbara!  Or maybe you'll need to get a passport first?

Philippa Bond ● 19d

Just to enlarge on my note earlier about one unpleasant aspect of Fleur’s rally: it needs to be made clear that the damaging of an opposing banner was not an isolated incident: although most of the people there there were reportedly polite and well-behaved, there was a significant fringe who were most definitely not.- Some, middle-aged men in particular, were physically and verbally aggressive towards those who wanted to keep things as they were, using foul and abusive language, one shouting the C word (and it wasn't ‘cyclist’);- Others freely abused women in particular;- One middle-aged man made a point of physically shoving a couple of younger female members of the opposing group.And more on the man who attacked the ‘Hammersmith Bridge Is Open’ banner: he yanked it from the side of the bridge where it was displayed and dragged it deliberately through the spiky decorative side of the bridge, clearly relishing in the damage he was causing.I hope Fleur Anderson will make it clear that she deplores this kind of behaviour: the two sides in this debate strongly disagree with each other, but poor behaviour like some at the rally must be disavowed: at least we can agree to disagree in a civilised manner

Richard Carter ● 19d

Again, you are completely wrong. I made no claim about the relative sizes of the two rallies, I simply posted a photograph to show, as I said, that not everyone agreed with the pressure to reopen the bridge to motor traffic. Is that so difficult to grasp? More widely on events on the day, there were ugly scenes when one individual deliberately grasped the Hammersmith Bridge Is Open banner and spitefully damaged it, and others abused two women who were there: not a great example of behaviour. If these brutes can't make their point in a civilised manner,  it doesn't say much for the protests.  And neither does the way Wandsworth, and Hogg in particular,  cherry-pick data to support their cause.

Richard Carter ● 20d

Don't bother your pretty little head Philippa, you don't live here get over it.

Barbara Stevens ● 20d

Once you have a car it is seems easier to drive everywhere until you find you can't.  We walked miles during the pandemic and now walk a lot more and use public transport more - this is so long as it is accessible and pavements aren't too dangerous.Obviously it is different for every family depending on their journeys and where their families, friends and work commitments etc are.  We are so much more spread out thannwe used to be.  Change has to come when all infrastructure seems to be so old and so much is inaccessible and we can't all fit cars for our personal journeys on the roads. It is a shame that www.fixmytransport.com no longer exists because it was then easier to see where everyone wanted to go and highlighted areas.  It is horrible having to go right into London just in order to out again which is what happens so often on trains.  The sooner more stations are accessible the better and I hope residents will also support their MPs in working on this too.Meanwhile please try using new technology to keep in touch with families and friends and see and know how new routes are opening up and how and where you CAN travel step-free by public transport.  The TfL website  www.tfl.gov.uk will give you alternative and stepfree routes.  I've now heard arguments on both sides on how accessible Southfields station is!!  So many young people nowadays no longer aspire to own a car.  It is surprising how little time they have been popular compared to the homes many of us are still living in.  Life has changed and it isn't all negative!

Philippa Bond ● 20d

Ive made my point and I'm happy to standby it.The photograph was disingenuous. There was scant support for counter-demonstration, your posting suggested otherwise. As I say whilst risking becoming repetitive, not great Richard.

David Sean Robinson ● 20d

Perhaps the congestion along Putney High St could be eliminated by closing Putney Bridge to cars.

Steven Rose ● 20d

 Completely wrong, David: there is no "selective use of photographs" as I posted one only, of the counter-demonstration, in order to show that not everyone favours reopening the bridge to motor traffic. Your case is not helped by posting demonstrably wrong statements.

Richard Carter ● 20d

Selective use of photos showing perhaps 30 demonstrating for the bridge to remain closed to motorists whilst ignoring the (at a guess 300+) demonstrating for reopening. Not great Richard.

David Sean Robinson ● 20d

Perceptions can mislead.  The congestion problem is caused by the junction redesign but it is not higher traffic volumes.See also this report https://www.bridged2050.com/p/traffic-over-putney-kew-and-chiswick which sets out the stats on which Richard's graphic is based.I don't recommend you always trust what Google AI tells you but this is what it says about bridge crossings:Traffic volumes on London bridges vary by location, with Central London bridges, notably Vauxhall, carrying high volumes of cyclists (\(>9,000\)/day), while suburban bridges like Twickenham and Chiswick carry high motor traffic (\(>30,000\)/day). While central traffic has decreased over the long term, key crossings like London Bridge see significant, high-volume,, active travel, with around 5,000-6,000 cyclists daily. Key Findings on London Bridge Traffic Volumes: Highest Cycling Flows: Vauxhall Bridge is a top cyclist route with 9,172 cyclists per day, followed by Battersea Bridge (4,160).Suburban Vehicle Volumes: Twickenham (35,424) and Chiswick (33,366) bridges carry high daily motor vehicle traffic, comparable to central bridges.Central London Trends: London Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, and Southwark Bridge have shown a significant, long-term reduction in motor traffic since 1999 (over 55% reduction in the City).Cyclist Growth: Cycling on London Bridge has risen to around 5,000–6,000 per day as of 2022/2023.West London Trends: Traffic on Putney, Kew, and Chiswick bridges has generally fallen or remained stable compared to 2018 levels.Tunnel Traffic: The Blackwall and new Silvertown tunnels together handle roughly 88,000–100,000 vehicles per day. Key Bridge Traffic Data (Various Recent Years): Vauxhall Bridge: ~9,172 cyclists/day.Twickenham Bridge: ~35,424 vehicles/day.Chiswick Bridge: ~33,366 vehicles/day.London Bridge: ~5,000–6,000 cyclists/day.Putney Bridge: Lower in 2024 than in 2018.  Putney Bridge: Traffic volumes in 2024–2026 are lower than 2018 levels, despite concerns of displacement from Hammersmith. However, congestion and delays remain high due to local junction redesigns.

Jonathan Callaway ● 20d

I don’t believe it!  Where is all the traffic going that needs to reach Heathrow, the M25 and the M40?  Most of it will be using the alternatives of Kew and Putney Bridges.

Martine Guy ● 21d

 No, not completely empty, but it is quiet.

Richard Carter ● 21d

And yet, from another source.....

Richard Carter ● 21d

I do not believe the banner that says “traffic down on local bridges”.  Hammersmith Bridge was the river crossing we used when we were going to the West Midlands, ie to reach the M25 and then the M40.  Now we use Kew Bridge and the traffic seems very heavy through Kew.

Martine Guy ● 21d

What is Castelnau like now the bridge is closed?  Is it completely empty?  

Martine Guy ● 21d

Richard Carter ● 21d