Part III: Breakthrough and Progress (2017-2020)
The game-changer: new hybrid buses
In 2017, the new Mayor delivered on his Putney promise. TfL introduced a fleet of brand-new hybrid buses on many of the Putney High Street routes, representing a step-change from the retrofits that had preceded them.
The impact was immediate and dramatic: a further 40% reduction in pollution levels from the already-improved 2016 baseline.
For the first time, the transformation was visible not just in the data but in residents’ lived experience. The constant heavy diesel rumble that had characterised Putney High Street began to diminish.
The data told the story:
- 2016: 125 μg/m³ (most polluted high street in the UK)
- 2017: 76 μg/m³ (a 39% reduction in one year)
It was the single largest year-on-year improvement in the entire monitoring period.
Significantly, 2017 also marked a change in the hourly exceedances. The kerbside monitoring station in Putney High Street recorded only 76 exceedances of the 200 μg/m³ hourly limit: down from 2,740 in 2012 and 1,272 in 2016. This represented a 97% reduction in extreme pollution episodes between 2012 and 2017.
Complementary measures
The bus improvements were accompanied by a range of supporting actions:
Delivery restrictions: In January 2016, the council had already introduced delivery restrictions in Putney High Street between 7am and 7pm, reducing congestion and stop-start driving conditions.
Public realm improvements: In 2018, Phase 1 of the Putney Improvement Plan was approved, costing up to £640,000. This included:
- Road-narrowing schemes to widen pavements
- Junction improvements at Putney Bridge Road and Lacy Road
- Installation of public art and ‘green wall’ on the cinema façade
- Trial ‘Copenhagen Crossings’ to make the High Street easier to cross
- Removing unnecessary guardrails
- Planting trees and installing planters
- Reducing the speed limit to 20mph
- Trial cycle lane contra-flow
- Improved cycle parking
Clean air village: Putney became a ‘Clean Air Village’ with measures to help local businesses tackle pollution, including the use of cargo bikes for deliveries. This pilot project, delivered in partnership with Cross River Partnership, was later expanded.
School interventions: The Mayor of London’s School Air Quality Audits initiative examined measures at Putney schools. School streets were introduced to prevent vehicles from driving past school entrances during drop-off and pick-up times.
City Tree: A City Tree was installed to filter particulate matter and fine dust out of the surrounding air while purifying and cooling it, though its effectiveness in the street environment proved limited compared to the more substantial interventions.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone
The expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include Putney in October 2021 represented another major intervention. The zone required vehicles to meet Euro 6/VI emissions standards or pay a daily charge.
The impact was clear in the data:
- 2021: 62 μg/m³
- 2022: (limited data recorded)
- 2023: 35 μg/m³ (a 27 μg/m³ reduction)
For the first time since systematic monitoring began, Putney High Street achieved concentrations below the UK legal limit of 40 μg/m³.
COVID-19 interlude
The pandemic year of 2020 saw a significant drop to 58 μg/m³ as lockdowns drastically reduced vehicle movements. However, this artificial reduction proved temporary as traffic volumes recovered. More importantly, it demonstrated what truly clean air could look like and reinforced the health argument for permanent changes.
Next page > Part IV: Electric revolution and recent challenges (2021-2025)
The best piece of journalism I have ever read about Putney. And the most positive. Now we tackle traffic jams.