Speed enforcement on Fawe Park Road over the weekend has won praise from residents for its proportionate approach – using warnings before fines for drivers exceeding 25mph on the narrow cut-through road.
A Putney resident who lives on the street, which runs between Putney Bridge Road and Upper Richmond Road, welcomed the enforcement despite supporting its use as a relief route.
“I am very happy for people to use it as a cut through – it eases congestion elsewhere,” they said. “But the road is narrow and there is a school and we have people doing 50mph+ down it which is noisy and dangerous. I don’t want prosecutions, just warnings and education.”
The enforcement targeted speeds of 25mph and above with two warnings before issuing fines – an approach the resident described as “enlightened and exactly what’s needed to fix the problem without being too heavy handed.”
Roadworks compound junction problems
The proportionate response stands in contrast to continuing disruption elsewhere in Putney, where residents are documenting daily chaos from a combination of roadworks and the unresolved Putney Bridge junction problems.
Over the weekend and continuing this week, High Street roadworks and temporary traffic lights near the former EE shop and Chelverton Road have created what one resident described as “non-moving” traffic for extended periods.
“AVOID the High St, roadworks and temp lights near the metro / old EE shop bit – Chelverton Road has been non-moving for quite some time,” one resident warned on Saturday.
Residents acknowledge the Thames Water maintenance work is essential but it compounds existing traffic problems. “The traffic over the next couple of days is going to be awful but Thames Water do need to do these works, so we will have to wait and see,” one noted.
‘I wish I’d bought somewhere else’
The roadworks are intensifying problems that residents say have persisted since junction changes earlier this year.
This story is part of Putney in Motion, our community-driven campaign asking residents to be our “eyes and ears on the ground” – sharing their traffic experiences, frustrations, and crucially, moments when things actually work. Multiple residents have responded, describing the varied toll on daily life.
A Roehampton resident who bought a property opposite the golf club in 2023 now faces a stark reality: the only way to reach Putney Bridge tube station in reasonable time is to walk – 42 minutes.
“In the morning rush hour, the 265 now stops just before Barnes station leaving no access at all to Putney Bridge station,” the resident said. “Do the council know they are stopping people getting to work? I’m left wishing I’d bought somewhere else.”
The former teacher and Roehampton University graduate described feeling “extremely isolated behind a tail of gridlocked traffic” and offered to volunteer time “in whatever capacity might be helpful” to address the problems.
Real-time disruption continues
Yesterday afternoon, passengers on the 230 bus reported the driver announcing a 10-minute hold before being allowed to proceed into Putney High Street. Other residents described District Line disruptions and taxis declining Putney destinations.
“A friend was coming for lunch – then discovered no District Line. So frustrating. Taxis not wanting to come to Putney either,” one resident said.
Another noted: “No tube today either – or tomorrow,” referring to ongoing District Line service problems compounding the road chaos.
Bus queues have extended “all the way to Rocks Lane” on the Lower Richmond Road, with side streets creating additional tailbacks. One resident observed: “Felsham Rd a car park and Biggs Row shut so it’s all backed up. LRR queues all the way to Rocks Lane.”
‘They have created a pinch point’
A cyclist who has crossed Putney Bridge most mornings for at least a decade – and weekends for 30 years before that – expressed disbelief at the junction design creating what they see as an obvious bottleneck.
“How anyone could state that this would improve traffic flows when you were changing it from two lanes turning left across the bridge to one lane is beyond me,” they said. “They have created a pinch point – that’s why the traffic is backed up, plain and simple.”
The cyclist described current conditions as more dangerous than any time in three decades, with “frustrated dangerous driving along the back roads” and cyclists navigating “a mile of queues.”
They noted the enlarged pedestrian island at the junction “was changed almost immediately as it was making it dangerous for cyclists and impossible for cyclists to advance to the cyclist box at the front of the junction.”
The cyclist added: “[The changes] made riding bikes far more dangerous. I believe these changes were made deliberately to encourage congestion and against cars.”
Half-term warning
Multiple residents warned that current conditions reflect suppressed traffic during school holidays. “London is dead right now due to people being away for half term,” one observed. “How can it be even worse? Clearly suspending the bus stop on LRR as well has not helped.”
The implication: conditions could deteriorate further when families return and normal commuting patterns resume next week.
Community takes documentation into own hands
Frustrated residents are taking documentation into their own hands, sharing real-time updates and coordinating responses through community groups.
The Putney Action Group is attempting to arrange walkabouts with councillors and Transport for London representatives, though residents emphasized they want “engineers and TfL there too, and it not to be used as just a photo opportunity.”
One resident reflected on earlier council engagement: “What still really gets me is if you listen back to that Council meeting where [Cllr Ethan Brooks] raised all of this and was completely silenced and told it was a fuss about nothing. You only need to see Putney High Street today to know this is not normal and cannot continue.”
Timeline slippage continues
In October, the council acknowledged junction problems and promised signal timing adjustments by the end of the month. Those signal changes should be implemented this week; it’s unclear how long the rest will take.
A recent hand-delivered letter from council officials prompted one resident to observe it “does nothing to reassure anyone and where the hell are TfL in all of this?”
Another resident expressed frustration at the pattern: “They must be covering up for someone or something to let this disaster continue even after the atmosphere of the marvellous ‘Listening to You’ meeting.”
Resident questions
Residents have raised several questions that we will try to answer as they come up:
Air quality monitoring: Some residents report new air quality monitors on Disraeli Road and Chelverton Road were not disclosed at recent Environment Committee meetings. “We weren’t told they would be permanent at environment committee. Or about them at all for that matter, so I don’t think they’re part of a long term monitoring plan,” one noted, questioning: “Would be good to get info on exact date they went up and for how long (if they are temp) and exactly where they are placed.”
Answer: The monitors are an expansion of the Putney Society’s longstanding air quality programme carried out in partnership with the council to reach down side roads and check air pollution levels off the High Street. Read more here.
Junction approval timing: One resident asked: “A simple question that we just can’t get an answer to was: were the junction plans approved or amended based on pre or post-Hammersmith bridge closure car data.”
Answer: The council’s says the junction was designed having considered post-Hammersmith and post-COVID traffic data.
Alternative routes: Questions persist about why other potential relief routes haven’t been explored: “What about Werter Road, Felsham Road etc etc?”
Share your experience
Putney in Motion continues – if you’re affected by roadworks, junction changes, or other transport issues, use the “Send Your Story” button above to share your experience.
As a local resident, this yet another absolute travesty of planning and coordination in a long list! A shameful example of sheer incompetence, particularly during rush hour, and an abject failure. To be stuck for over an hour to travel for one mile is completely unacceptable. This is the 5th year now, since the bridge closed.
The failure to coordinate should be penalised by a “Three Strikes and Out” rule, and up to five figures penalty and a six months ban of the contracting company, end-to-end roadworks permits must be submitted including the exact start / finished times, with a penalty-backed clause and for the council to appoint a dedicated “Traffic Flow Czar”. Mandated 24/7 working should be the default requirement, not the exception.