Data Suggests Traffic Light Changes Have Eased Congestion
Further measures planned to improve traffic flow in centre of Putney
Fleur Anderson explaining the changes in the town centre
February 17, 2026
A council report presented to councillor recently is claiming that changes made in October to traffic light phases in the centre of Putney have succeeded in reducing congestion at key junctions.
However, it was admitted at the borough’s transport committee last Wednesday (11 February) that the redesign of the junctions at the south end of Putney Bridge, drawn up during the pandemic, were projected to have no impact on traffic because the assumption had been made that Hammersmith Bridge would have been reopened by now.
Council officers at the meeting were pressed on what progress had been made to tackle traffic that had been pushed onto residential side streets as drivers tried to avoid the congestion.
Conservative councillor John Locker said members had received a flurry of emails from residents ahead of the meeting stressing there were “still problems with the scheme”. He said residents were expecting feedback on measures being designed to cut through traffic on their streets, while he wanted to see more streets included for consideration.
Henry Cheung, the council’s assistant director of engineering, said officers aimed to sit down with Putney Action Group to discuss possible measures to cut rat-running traffic, which could then be finalised for potential public consultation. He said officers were not prioritising certain streets yet, like Chelverton Road and Disraeli Road, but more information would be shared on potential measures for them in due course.
The redesign was first put forward under the council’s old Conservative administration and adopted by Labour when it took control of the authority in 2022.
The data used to model the redesign was collected just before the end of the Covid-19 lockdown in July 2021 and incorrectly assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen by 2026.
The works saw a new cycle lane and bus lane added, new traffic lights installed to allow cyclists to cross a few seconds before vehicles, some pedestrian islands removed and others made bigger. The approach from Lower Richmond Road to the bridge was reduced from two lanes to one, while only one lane of traffic can turn onto the bridge from Putney Bridge Road.
Figures form Wandsworth Council showing changes in junction journey times
While the changes were meant to have a neutral impact on traffic, a council report admitted in November they had resulted in unexpected congestion, following an independent review, which had left the authority “extremely concerned”.
The report revealed the council had already spent £100,000 on top of the approved £835,000 budget for the redesign, and expected to fork out another £250,000 on adjusting it.
The report also said there was evidence queues had improved on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road since the authority made changes to traffic light timings in October, with further changes to the lights at Putney Bridge Road in January. It said the authority was continuing to work on measures to ease congestion, which would be delivered in the coming months.
The conclusions of the report were afterwards hailed by local MP Fleur Anderson who says she has been working with TfL and Wandsworth Council on the issue and that there is now more green time at the lights for movements around Putney Bridge Road to Putney High Street. There is also more green time for traffic on Lower Richmond Road moving towards Putney Bridge.
She published data from the report which showed that congestion has fallen significantly at some junctions between June and November following the changes made in October.
The reassignment of lanes on the high street to reduce delays caused by stationary buses is due to be completed this month, along with works to realign the kerb opposite TK Maxx to allow larger vehicles to pass buses.
Mr Cheung said the council was also pressing TfL on reviewing bus stop locations and driver changeovers.
He added the authority planned to remove the central traffic island outside Snappy Snaps and KFC to aid traffic flow, but this might not be completed until October.
The report said the council would continue to explore further options to improve traffic flow and monitor congestion.
Councillor Locker, who is not standing for re-election in May, urged the authority to “continue to talk to the residents, continue to talk about schemes that can help their individual roads to avoid rat running and all of those sorts of things, continue to put the pressure on TfL”.
He added, “I would stress this has had a real impact on the quality of lives of the residents of my ward. It hasn’t had the intended outcomes that we had hoped for when the various designs were put in front of us.
“I’m really pleased to see council officers have been engaging, particularly in recent months, with residents to try and make improvements. I appreciate every improvement that has been made. Please continue that.”
Labour councillor Annamarie Critchard said, “I appreciate for the residents it is very frustrating and it is slow, but we all need to remember, and I hope colleagues on both sides will agree, this was a scheme that was there to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. We’re trying to minimise road deaths and we have had people die on our roads.”
She added, “We are doing our best. We need to see everything because if we try and make a change while we don’t know what the results of all the other changes are, we’ll probably just make it even worse.”
A TfL spokesperson confirmed it recognised the impact of congestion on residents and businesses, and was working with the council to monitor performance of the road network.
The spokesperson said: “Through weekly working groups, the team has used their collective expertise to design and deliver efficiency improvements that have resulted in shorter queues on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road, with further changes planned to improve the flow of traffic on Putney High Street by TK Maxx. Our priority remains keeping people safe and ensuring the transport network operates reliably for everyone who uses it.”
Additional pressure on local roads including around Putney Bridge is expected following the unexpected closure of Albert Bridge by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC).
RBKC took the decision to close the bridge after a routine safety check identified a cast iron component had cracked at one of the bridge abutments. The bridge has been closed as a precaution while engineers and bridge experts are checking to ensure there is not any other damage and establish why the crack has occurred.
Wandsworth Council says, “We recognise how heavily local people rely on Albert Bridge as a key route in and out of the borough, particularly at a time when travel is already strained by the long ‑ term closure of Hammersmith Bridge. We are taking steps to reduce disruption as much as possible.
“The council is arranging clearer diversion signage south of the river to help road users in Wandsworth navigate alternative routes. Discussions are also under way with Transport for London (TfL) about installing temporary traffic lights at key junctions to help keep traffic moving.
Cllr Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport at Wandsworth Council, said: “We know how frustrating and disruptive this sudden closure of Albert Bridge is for residents and businesses.
“Essential safety checks must be carried out to ensure public safety, as communicated by the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and we will do everything within our power to ease the impact locally.
“We’re in close contact with Kensington and Chelsea, TfL and with our own teams to keep residents informed and minimise disruption caused by the bridge closure wherever possible.”
RBKC expects to complete initial checks by Friday 20 February and be able to provide further information on a timeline for repairs after the results have been analysed, within the next fortnight.
Written with contributions from Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter
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