Wandsworth town centre could be transformed with better facilities for walking, cycling and bus journeys.
Transport for London (TfL) is proposing changes it says will improve bus services, make walking and cycling safer and tackle long-standing transport difficulties in the area.
The changes include new pedestrian crossings, upgraded bus infrastructure and extra cycling facilities. They are proposed for key routes within and around Wandsworth High Street, East Hill and the town centre’s notorious one-way traffic system.
It comes after TfL confirmed last year it was not moving ahead with a scheme to remove the congested one-way traffic system, which had been hanging in the balance since it was announced in 2014, due to high costs. The authority said it was instead investigating “viable options” to improve the town centre.
TfL’s new proposals for Wandsworth High Street include adding two new pedestrian crossings, widening bus stop waiting areas outside the King’s Arms and Wandsworth Town Hall and extending the bus lane to Buckhold Road.
Some carriageway bays in bus lanes and near bus stops would be scrapped, changed or moved, while advanced stop lines would be added at signal-controlled junctions to give cyclists a head start.
At the Buckhold Road junction, the waiting island, a footway and pedestrian crossings would be widened. A northbound cycle lane would be introduced, along with a northbound bus lane near Southside Shopping Centre.
At the Garratt Lane junction, the waiting island, a footway and pedestrian crossings would also be widened, while the northbound bus route would be separated into Ram Street.
East Hill and Huguenot Place would see some carriageway bays scrapped or moved, bus lanes widened and an eastbound cycle lane added. The pedestrian crossing would also be widened over Geraldine Road.
New bus lanes would be introduced along Swandon Way and Armoury Way, traffic lanes would be narrowed and the pedestrian island and crossings at the Old York Road junction would be widened.
Fairfield Street would get a new bus lane, wider bus waiting areas and pavements and a new pedestrian crossing. The Fairfield Drive pedestrian crossing would also be widened.
Some carriageway bays along Ram Street and Wandsworth Plain would also be scrapped or moved, while bus lanes would be widened.
TfL’s consultation page for the plans says they aim to improve walking, cycling and bus journeys while “providing a stepping stone towards longer-term ambitions for the area and future improvements to the town centre transport network”.
The page adds: “We are proposing improvements in different locations across these roads to address local transport and safety issues. Our proposals aim to improve bus passenger experience and access as well as bus journey time reliability.
“We also want to make it easier to walk and wheel in the town centre by widening and enhancing pedestrian crossings and waiting areas and provide targeted improvements for cycling connectivity across the town centre.”
The online consultation closes on November 6.
TfL will decide whether to move ahead with the proposals after reviewing feedback given during the consultation.
