Riverside walks being made smarter and safer with £500k investment

A programme of river promenade upgrades forms a key element of the council’s £5m public realm renewal project which is in the midst of delivering a series of refurbishments and improvements to Wandsworth’s streets, green spaces and travel infrastructure.

Between November 2020 and the end of March this year £5m will have been 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 and removing unnecessary street clutter.

As part of the riverside improvements, new and better street lighting has already been installed in Smuggler’s Way, in the first phase of a more extensive lighting upgrade project there, while further lighting upgrades are planned for Battersea Bridge Square, bridges at Wandsworth Riverside Quarter and the footbridge near Battersea Heliport.

Other pedestrian safety enhancements include wall mirrors being installed on Thames Path blind corners. These will be installed at Jews Row and Vicarage Gardens.

Other planned improvements include upgrades to paving, planting and public benches at various points along the promenade.

Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said: “The Thames and its riverside path are hugely important and valuable to local people offering great walks and green spaces, bars and restaurants and iconic architecture on both sides of the river.

“It saw a big increase in visitor numbers during the pandemic and the council wants to ensure that these spaces can continue to be enjoyed by our residents, which is why we’ve unveiled this comprehensive package of improvements.

“It includes investment in improving lighting to enhance safety levels for visitors after dark.”

The borough’s £5m public realm improvement fund includes investment in the following key areas:

• More pavement and road resurfacing - £2.05m
• Improvements to local shopping parades - £580,000
• River promenade upgrades - £440,000
• Rail bridge underpass lighting projects - £540,000
• Road safety – additional pedestrian crossings and compliance measures - £890,000
• Green spaces footpaths and railings - £500,000