A petition demanding urgent action to address severe congestion on Putney Bridge Road during major roadworks was one of eight formally investigated by Wandsworth Council over the past year and ultimately dismissed—despite being submitted while the works were ongoing and meeting all criteria for consideration.
Submitted in October 2025, the petition focused on disruption caused by the council’s public realm improvement scheme at the junction of Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road. The works—carried out across late 2024 and early 2025—included resurfacing, upgraded traffic signals, and new pedestrian facilities. But rather than easing travel, many residents said the changes made congestion significantly worse, with tailbacks stretching across Putney Bridge and into residential areas.
The petition was launched after months of delays and rising frustration, particularly during peak hours when queues frequently blocked the bridge, High Street, and surrounding roads. Local campaigners gathered more than the required 51% support from affected residents, qualifying the petition for formal assessment under the council’s traffic and engineering policy.
What the petition asked for
The petition called on the council to:
- Pause or reconsider the final phase of the works
- Introduce additional traffic management during peak hours
- Publish a post-completion traffic impact review
- Re-phase traffic lights to improve flow and reduce idling
Petitioners argued that without intervention, the scheme would entrench congestion problems and worsen air quality in the heart of Putney. The changes coincided with other disruptions across the area, including ongoing bus route changes and cycle infrastructure works nearby.
What the council did
Wandsworth Council’s position was that no further action was needed in response to the Putney Bridge Roadworks petition, as the project was already underway and existing traffic management measures were deemed sufficient.
The council responded by providing the scheduled timeline of works and outlining steps already taken to minimise disruption, but made no changes to the scheme, introduced no new mitigations, and did not commit to a post-completion traffic review—effectively allowing the works to proceed unchanged despite residents’ concerns.
In short, the project went ahead exactly as planned. The petition was acknowledged but ignored.
The issue has continued to spark frustration. Traffic levels on Putney Bridge Road remain high, with long queues still common. Despite this, the Cabinet Member for Transport recently claimed there was “nothing she could have done” about the petition or the scheme—despite having been in post for more than two years and receiving the petition while the works were ongoing.
A wider pattern of dismissal
The Putney Bridge Road petition was one of eight submissions that were formally investigated between June 2024 and May 2025 [pdf]. While two resulted in clear success for residents, the majority were either rejected, only partially addressed, or deferred to future reviews.
Summary of outcomes:
Successful (2)
- Honeywell School crossings (Northcote and Webb’s Road): A new pedestrian crossing design was approved and is due to be installed in 2025.
- Fawe Park Road: A traffic-calming chicane was replaced with a zebra crossing in December 2024 following resident demands.
Partially successful (3)
- Dover House Road: A petition against double yellow lines was rejected, but layout changes were made to preserve parking space.
- Althorp, Broderick and Nottingham Roads: The council reviewed and repaired parking signage, but no policy changes were made.
- Heythorp and Elsenham Streets: A request for controlled parking was included in a future CPZ review—no immediate action taken.
Not successful (3)
- Putney Bridge Roadworks: Ignored. Project continued unchanged.
- Aslett Street speeding concerns: Dismissed. Traffic speeds did not meet the threshold for intervention.
- Sleaford Street / Thessaly Road mopeds: Rejected. Land is privately owned, and pedestrian access had to remain open.
Overview of all petitions received
The council received a total of 23 petitions during the reporting period.
- 13 were excluded for not meeting the required support threshold (less than 51% of residents in the affected area)
- 2 were duplicates or not related to highways matters
- 1 related to general highway maintenance and was addressed separately through existing maintenance programmes
- 8 were formally investigated and are summarised in the report’s appendix
Despite the existence of a formal petition system, the report reveals a council that frequently chooses not to act on valid concerns—even when disruption is widespread and ongoing. For many Putney residents, the lack of meaningful response to the gridlock petition suggests that consultation remains a box-ticking exercise, not a path to real change.
