By: Giuliana Marocchi

Giuliana Marocchi — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:58:00 +0000

What are people’s views on the proposed Broadwater Road Traffic reduction scheme?
Having read the cabinet paper, I am horrified that no consideration has been made of the impact this will have on the main Tooting Broadway junction. According to the paper, an extra 2 million car journeys a year will be forced through this junction plus the same from the Totterdown Road proposals. This is madness – the whole area is already at a standstill for much of the day, and the whole of South Wandsworth will become permanently blocked. Commerce and the quality of local peoples lives will be blighted.

I live in Fishponds Road, and don’t get me wrong, I would love a traffic free road. But I am also a Tooting resident, and it is not in my interest to have the whole area gridlocked – that would be far worse than having cars going up and down the road. We do live in London after all, and some traffic is expected. As to road accidents, the figures sited are very low considering the volume of traffic, and moving them onto the upper Tooting Road and Tooting High Street is hardly a solution. I promise you, the that the current traffic problem is not so bad and no worse than it ever was.

Take into account also, that it was tried several years ago to close off the through route, when they originally changed the one way system to Garratt Lane. They soon had to change it back again because the main roads could not take the extra traffic – the whole area became gridlocked.

Wandsworth already has some of the most congested roads in London with knock on effects with pollution, accidents and areas blighted by constant gridlock. Commerce and local residents suffer immensely. This proposal (apart from wasting money in such a difficult climate) will make things worse and is completely against the ethos of the “Brighter Borough”. Instead it is pandering to the “Not in my back yard” brigade who want a traffic free street (wouldn’t we all) with no regards to the rest of Wandsworth. Please do not take this proposal further.

Many thanks

Giuliana Marocchi

Comments on: Tooting Together and BATCA

By: Giuliana Marocchi