Safer school crossing part of borough’s £5m public realm renewal scheme

The designs have been submitted to Transport for London who will need to implement the scheme as it involves traffic signals. Councils in London are not permitted to install, maintain or repair any of the capital’s traffic lights. Only TfL engineers are authorised to do this work.

The proposed new crossing, costing around £100,000, will be sited on Garratt Lane near the junction with Wardley Street.

There are also plans to introduce new push button crossings on the Lower Richmond Road in Putney close to the Oasis Academy and also by the shops next to Roskell Road. The council is also actively pursuing TfL to install a traffic signal-controlled crossing on their road network south of Battersea Bridge.

These installations are part of Wandsworth Council’s ongoing public realm renewal project that will see a series of refurbishments and improvements to Wandsworth’s streets, green spaces and infrastructure.

Between now and the end of the current financial year on April 1, a total of £5m is being invested in renewing pavements and road surfaces, upgrading footpaths in parks and commons, improving street lighting, cleaning up bridges, investing in high streets and shopping parades, planting more street trees, and removing unnecessary street clutter.

This public realm improvement fund is additional money over and above existing budgets.

This newly created fund will invest in the following areas:

• More pavement and road resurfacing - £2m
• Improvements to local shopping parades - £500,000
• River promenade upgrades - £500,000
• Rail bridge underpass lighting projects - £500,000
• Road Safety – Additional pedestrian crossings and compliance measures -£750,000
• Green spaces footpaths and railings - £500,000
• Contingency fund - £250,000.

Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said: “This investment is designed to help boost Wandsworth’s recovery from the pandemic.

“We all saw how working practices, socialising and travel habits changed dramatically during the pandemic. People spent more time in local parks, open spaces and in their neighbourhoods. As a council we want to ensure this public realm is as good as it can be with well-maintained roads and pavements, better lighting and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

“We want make sure that Wandsworth is not only the Brighter Borough but the smarter and more attractive borough too.”