Residents in Wallington are mocking plans to use a new traffic calming measure because they believe it would bring back the contentious LTNs in Sutton.
In an attempt to lessen cut-through traffic and enhance air quality, two roads—dubbed a “Highway Scheme” by Sutton Council—would be blocked to all non-emergency and public service vehicles.
According to the plans, which are presently undergoing public consultation, the council would close Ross and Elgin Road, which is located just off Wallington High Street, for six months.
The Council has also said that because they have access to alternate routes, homeowners would not be excluded from these new measures.
The following closures are suggested:
a restriction on cars’ ability to enter and exit Ross Road (the western arm) close to the Clyde Road intersection.
a restriction on cars’ ability to enter and exit Elgin Road close to the intersection of Stafford Road.
These designs have been presented by Sutton Council in response to complaints from locals who felt that their residential roads were being utilised as a shortcut when traffic on the heavily trafficked Stafford Road became too heavy.
Locals reported that periodically, this led to car damage and near misses.
According to the current plans, two cameras will be installed at the two locations, which will fine any car hoping to cut between Stafford and Ross Road.
While exemptions will be given to emergency and public service vehicles, residents have been left out due to them always being able to leave the area from one direction.
On the consultation website, Sutton Council said: “We are proposing to introduce a trial scheme in the area.
“It is anticipated that the measures will result in a reduction in the number of motor vehicles using the roads in the area which will reduce the risk and severity of accidents and improve air quality.
“This would provide a safer environment for all road users and would make it easier for people to walk and cycle in the area if they wish to.”
However, road users have expressed concern that this measure will only add to the traffic already seen on Stafford Road and worsen journeys for motorists.
The policies, which have generated a lot of controversy in Sutton, have even been dubbed the borough’s newest low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) by some.
Elliot Colburn, a Conservative MP for Wallington and Carshalton, has expressed strong opposition to the plans and urged locals to participate in the consultation process in order to “have their say.”
“I am worried that the Lib Dem-run Council seem to be trying to mislead people by calling this a ‘traffic scheme’ – it’s an LTN,” he said in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
“If this is what the locals desire, then fair enough, but a number of them have contacted me to express concern about the effects this will have on them and the surrounding roads, particularly Stafford Road traffic, which is bad enough!
“The council shouldn’t ram it through like they did with their LTNs a few years ago; resident voices should be the ones making the decision here if they say no.”
Sutton’s record with LTNs hasn’t always been good.
In order to reduce traffic, the Lib Dem Council introduced an LTN plan on Worcester Park roads in 2021, even though there were worries that it would cause excessive disruption to other road users.
Furthermore, detractors claimed that before the plan was implemented, a meaningful public consultation was not held. A local campaign group was created as a result, calling for its removal.
The LTNs were ultimately ordered to be removed by the Council as a result of a high court decision in February 2021.
“In the future, the council will do things very differently – the Sutton way – for any area traffic improvements,” declared Manuel Abellan, the Transport Chair for Sutton at the time.
“Before schemes are launched, there will be full consultation of the affected residents and businesses with support for any ideas or schemes,” he continued.
Some drivers worry that Sutton Council would disregard their concerns once more, despite the council’s promotion of the new programme on its citizen space website. Many worried drivers have expressed their worries on social media.
“We should be able to drive down all of these public roads as they’re not private roads,” remarked one commenter, Jason Thorn. “How about sorting out the traffic signals to help traffic flow instead of forcing us onto main roads with badly phased lights to cause traffic jams.”
“These road closures cause more problems than they solve; sometimes you come across them without warning and have to reverse an HGV out of a tight spot, mainly without a co-driver,” stated Mark Hancock, an HGV driver. How are people meant to receive deliveries down there if they need them?
Sutton Council has declared that “there would be adequate advanced signing installed and a warning period before any fines were issued” in response to these visibility-related issues.
The proposals are also in line with the Council’s sustainable transport policy, which attempts to persuade the people of the borough to adopt greener transport practices.
The Council believes that initiatives like these will contribute to the borough’s goal of being a “better place to live, work, and travel,” as stated on the consultation page.
“We are asking residents if they would like us to trial a scheme to reduce the amount of traffic down these roads in response to concerns from local residents about the level of through traffic using Ross, Clyde, and Elgin Roads as a cut-through,” said Councillor Barry Lewis, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, in a speech to the LDRS.
“The consultation just inquires as to the inhabitants’ desire for the trial to proceed. It’s as simple as that: if residents decide they don’t want it, we won’t proceed with the trial.
“This is not a’money earning scheme’ at all. In response to resident complaints, we are making their living environment safer.
March 24 is the cutoff date for responding to the consultation.
A six- to eighteen-month trial will be conducted after the consultation so that the local authorities can evaluate its effects.
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