Wandsworth Council Unveils £450k Plan to Fix Putney Traffic Blunder 2026

Key Points

• The Wandsworth Council will now spend £450,000 on the new plan designed to fix the problem of serious traffic jams in Putney town center.
• The situation got worse due to the earlier £1 million improvement of two significant intersections of the town, together with changes in traffic lights timing and creation of a new pedestrian crossing.
• These improvements include moving a pedestrian crossing from Putney Bridge, providing the cars leaving Lower Richmond Road 17 extra seconds of green light.
• First, the council is planning to test the success of this solution for the junctions before implementing other measures for the side residential streets.
• The congestion has caused serious “rat-running” on the nearby residential roads, such as Disraeli Road, Werter Road, and Chelverton Road.
• There are also some problems related to traffic in the area caused by regional traffic issues, like the closure of Hammersmith Bridge.

Putney (South London News) September 21, 2026 — A South London local authority is preparing to spend £450,000 on what it describes as a “radical solution” to tackle persistent traffic gridlock in Putney town centre. The severe congestion was previously exacerbated by a £1 million overhaul of two major junctions, which introduced layout modifications and altered signal timings that local motorists say triggered widespread delays. Under the newly unveiled scheme, Wandsworth Council plans to relocate a pedestrian crossing on Putney Bridge, a layout feature identified by residents and technical reviews as a primary contributor to local traffic queues. The move is designed to grant drivers turning left out of Lower Richmond Road an additional 17 seconds to pass through the junction during each signal cycle. Town hall officials intend to assess the initial results of these modifications before determining whether further physical or operational interventions will be required to curb traffic on surrounding residential bypass roads.

What Is the Cause of Putney’s Gridlock and What Does the £450k Proposal Involve?

As reported by Noah Vickers of local news outlets covering South London infrastructure, Wandsworth Council’s latest engineering proposal aims to resolve months of operational disruption along the Putney High Street corridor. The core of the £450,000 plan relies on re-engineering the signalised pedestrian infrastructure on Putney Bridge. By shifting the position of the pedestrian crossing further along the bridge approach, transport planners can alter signal phasing to give traffic exiting Lower Richmond Road a longer window of green signal time. Transport assessments indicate that gaining 17 extra seconds of signal time per cycle will substantially increase overall throughput at the junction, given that standard traffic light cycles in the area run for approximately 100 seconds.

The multi-phase intervention comes following feedback from local resident associations, business representatives, and technical reviews of South London’s arterial road networks. Alongside shifting the crossing, the council’s wider strategy incorporates several additional physical road adjustments to free up vehicular movement. These proposals include removing a traffic island on Putney High Street near Snappy Snaps, narrowing specific cycle lane infrastructure to widen the carriageway, widening the road surface outside TK Maxx to prevent stopped buses from blocking through-traffic, and reinstating two dedicated exit lanes leading from Putney Bridge Road onto Putney High Street. Furthermore, operational hours for the peak-period bus lane on Putney Bridge Road are planned to revert to restricted times rather than full-time enforcement, striking a balance between bus transit efficiency and local motorist access.

How Has the Junction Overhaul Affected Local Residential Side Streets?

As reported by local transport correspondents, the severe tailbacks created at the main junction hubs have systematically diverted traffic flow onto adjacent residential streets. Drivers attempting to bypass the queues on Lower Richmond Road and Putney High Street frequently utilize residential side roads—most notably Disraeli Road, Werter Road, and Chelverton Road—as “rat-runs”. Local residents have reported that these narrow streets, which feature high levels of parked cars and pedestrian traffic, frequently become completely blocked during morning and evening rush hours.

Wandsworth Council has stated that its primary operational objective is to clear main-road traffic jams first, thereby removing the incentive for motorists to cut through quiet residential neighborhood streets. To further protect residential roads, the town hall is introducing enhanced enforcement measures, including new closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along Putney Embankment between Rotherwood Road and Glendarvon Street to enforce existing access restrictions. Officials confirmed that secondary traffic-calming measures or restrictions on roads like Disraeli Road, Werter Road, and Chelverton Road will remain under consideration while transport teams measure the performance of the main junction alterations on Putney Bridge.

What Statements Have Local Officials and Transport Authorities Issued?

As reported by municipal reporters covering Wandsworth Borough Council proceedings, Cabinet Member for Transport Councillor Daniel Hamilton stated that:

“From my very first day in this job, I promised to listen to residents and businesses. They’re rightly incredibly frustrated at the traffic congestion here in Putney and repeatedly tell us that some streets have been turned into a car park at certain times of day. It’s time to tackle the gridlock”.

Councillor Daniel Hamilton further explained that:

“Traffic congestion here has been exacerbated by a combination of changes to traffic signal timings and a new pedestrian crossing on Putney Bridge, the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge and Albert Bridge, traffic restrictions in neighbouring boroughs and of course increasing traffic demand across the area”.

Addressing the authority’s strategy for restoring local movement, Councillor Daniel Hamilton added that:

“Since we took office, I’ve been in many complex discussions about what can be done to change this situation for Putney residents. Our priority is to get Wandsworth moving again and reduce rat-running through residential streets. As such, we have carefully drawn up a list of practical changes that we can get started on as soon as possible”.

Regarding the feasibility of reverting entirely to previous street design layouts, council officials clarified in formal documentation that:

“Fully reinstating the previous road layout does not conform with Transport for London requirements and would not fully resolve Putney’s traffic problems. Additionally, it would not be viable based on current design standards and would carry substantial cost to taxpayers”.

Major elements of the proposed modifications, including signal phasing and highway mark-ups, remain subject to formal review and sign-off by Transport for London (TfL).

Background of the Putney Traffic Development

The ongoing highway and traffic management issues in Putney stem from a series of infrastructure interventions implemented over recent years as part of local and London-wide active travel and environmental initiatives. Prior to the current £450,000 scheme, a £1 million highway overhaul was executed across major Putney junctions. That project sought to enhance pedestrian safety, build cycle lanes, and prioritize public transport access. However, the inclusion of a redesigned pedestrian crossing on Putney Bridge, combined with narrowed vehicular lanes and altered signal timings, dramatically reduced overall motor vehicle capacity at critical choke points.

The local issue has been compounded by wider regional infrastructure challenges across West and South-West London. The continued closure of nearby Hammersmith Bridge to motor traffic—following structural micro-fractures identified in 2019—has diverted thousands of daily vehicular journeys toward Putney Bridge, placing pressure on the borough’s road network. Subsequent temporary restrictions and maintenance works on other Thames river crossings, such as Wandsworth Bridge and Albert Bridge, have further concentrated cross-river traffic onto Putney High Street and Lower Richmond Road. The resulting delays sparked extensive campaigns from local business groups, community organizations, and political representatives pushing the local authority to re-evaluate its street layout strategy.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Local Residents, Businesses, and Commuters

The implementation of the £450,000 traffic proposal is expected to bring direct operational changes for several specific user groups in the Putney area:

• Local Residents on Side Roads: For households located on Disraeli Road, Werter Road, Chelverton Road, and Putney Embankment, the combination of improved junction throughput and CCTV enforcement could reduce the volume of shortcut-seeking vehicles. If successful, this would lower street noise, decrease localized emissions, and restore easier driveway access during peak commuting hours. However, if the main junction adjustments fail to clear queues completely, driver detour behaviors may persist until secondary traffic-calming measures are formally introduced.
• Motorists and Commuters: Drivers using Lower Richmond Road, Putney High Street, and Putney Bridge Road are likely to experience shorter wait times at red lights once the signal timings are updated to grant an additional 17 seconds of green time. Reinstating two exit lanes from Putney Bridge Road and removing bottleneck obstacles like the Snappy Snaps traffic island will improve road capacity, potentially cutting journey times across the Thames river crossing.
• High Street Businesses: Commercial traders along Putney High Street could see improved conditions for deliveries and customer access. Road widening outside major retail outlets like TK Maxx will help prevent delivery vehicles and stopped buses from causing immediate traffic blockages, encouraging higher footfall and easier logistics.
• Pedestrians and Cyclists: Pedestrians will experience relocated crossing points on Putney Bridge, which may slightly alter walking routes to cross the river approach. Cyclists will see modifications to existing infrastructure, such as narrowed cycle lanes on certain stretches of the High Street and the removal of cycle wands on Putney Bridge Road, making it necessary for non-motorized road users to share carriageway space more closely with vehicular traffic.