Two major routes through southwest London will see reduced speed limits in the coming weeks as Transport for London’s safety programme reaches its third phase.
Roehampton Lane will drop from 30mph to 20mph between Upper Richmond Road and Kingston Road, while the A316 corridor will reduce from 40mph to 30mph between St Margarets Roundabout and Old Deer Park. Works are scheduled to start in “early 2026”.
TfL says the changes are part of its Vision Zero programme to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads. The authority points to Phase 1 results showing a 25% reduction in collisions and a 24% fall in people killed or seriously injured. A separate study of borough roads between 1989 and 2013 found a 34% reduction in casualties where 20mph limits were introduced.
The works will involve new signage and road relining, carried out mostly as “mobile works” with minimal disruption to drivers. This means crews will work while traffic continues flowing, using temporary traffic management rather than full road closures. In some cases carriageway or footway closures may be needed with diversions in place.
The red route Roehampton Lane has faced repeated disruption in recent weeks from burst water mains. It is managed by TfL despite running through a built-up residential area.
But the speed reductions arrive against a backdrop of growing concern about congestion. London was named the world’s slowest capital city for the third year running in January, with a typical six-mile journey now taking 35 minutes at an average speed of just over 10mph.
Traffic expert Andy Marchant from TomTom said average speeds are “heavily shaped by static factors such as the widespread 20mph limits” alongside street design and high traffic volumes. The Route 14 bus through Putney now averages just 5.7mph, making it the slowest in the TfL network.
The changes form part of a wider rollout affecting nine locations across London in Phase 3. TfL says 267km of its road network is already subject to 20mph limits, with over half of London’s roads now at that speed. The authority implemented Phase 1 in central London’s Congestion Charging Zone in 2020.
But 20mph limits remain contested policy. Our investigation into transport task and finish groups last year found critics calling a Warwickshire review of 20mph schemes “riddled with holes”, showing the policy is not settled science despite TfL’s collision data.
TfL’s consultation on the changes closed in late January. Works will begin in the coming weeks.
