Proposed traffic changes by LB Hammersmith & Fulham will “greatly inconvenience Chiswick residents”

Weltje Road, Hammersmith; Google Street view

Proposal to stop non Hammersmith & Fulham residents driving through Weltje Rd will displace more than 2,000 cars onto Chiswick Lane or Hammersmith Broadway, critics argue

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is considering introducing a traffic restriction which will displace traffic onto one of Chiswick’s busiest roads, say opponents.

Weltje Road, a residential road which joins King Street and the A4, is the only street between Chiswick Lane and Hammersmith roundabout which is not closed off, allowing traffic to access the A4 eastbound.

A spokesperson for the Council told The Chiswick Calendar:

“Over 2,000 vehicles – over 90% of which are from outside the borough – use Weltje Road as a cut-through every day. For many months, residents on Weltje Road have been asking for action to make their street safer for walkers and cyclists, less congested and less polluted for the families who live there.

“We are considering introducing a trial scheme to make this residential road safer – not a cut-through – and a nicer place to live. No decision has yet been made.”

Weltje Road, Hammersmith; Google Street view

Council plays “Beggar my neighbour”

They have not clarified what exactly the trial scheme will be, but it is believed they are considering putting in ANPR cameras which will enable them to identify the number plates of LB Hammersmith & Fulham residents and fine anyone else who drives down the road.

A local resident who raised the issue with Andy Slaughter MP says:

“Weltje Road is the sole remaining road allowing access to the eastbound A4 between Chiswick Lane and Hammersmith Broadway. Every other access road has already been shut – some 14 roads in total.

“If Weltje is closed, this will greatly inconvenience Chiswick residents by forcing us either to use Chiswick Lane, which is already at full capacity, or to add to the burden of traffic not only on Hammersmith Broadway but in Paddenswick and Glenthorne Road. Local Hammersmith residents in the Ravenscourt Park area will be similarly inconvenienced by Weltje’s closure”.

The resident, who prefers not to be named, continues:

“Chiswick Lane has already been forced to take extra traffic by Hammersmith Council’s action in closing the adjacent Rivercourt Road to traffic exiting the A4, which it has forced into Chiswick High Road. Now Chiswick Lane will have to take additional traffic that wishes to access the A4 before the Broadway.

“This is a ‘beggar my neighbour’ action by Hammersmith Council. It is shifting traffic onto other people’s roads … Weltje Road is not a rat-run for traffic going longer distances. It is a conduit for local traffic”.

Google map showing position of Weltje Road, midway between Chiswick Lane and Hammersmith Broadway

Traffic restrictions “Long overdue” says Hounslow Cycling – the junction of Weltje Rd and King Street is an accident black spot

The Co-ordinator Hounslow Cycling has also written to the MP supporting the traffic restriction on safety grounds.

Michael Robinson told The Chiswick Calendar:

“I don’t know why LBHF have taken so long to address known safety issues at Weltje Rd but it is good news they are now taking action to restrict traffic. This should be welcomed by anyone concerned about road safety”.

He points out the Junction of Weltje Road and King Street, where traffic crosses the cycle lane to enter the side street, has an “appalling” safety record and there has been an “unacceptable” number of collisions involving cyclists there.

The London Cycling Campaign “Dangerous Junctions” tool lists the junction with Weltje as the 5th most dangerous in London.

For comparison, he gives the accidents stats for the whole of Cycleway 9 along Chiswick High Rd, which was fully upgraded from the initial temporary design in January 2023.

During 2023 and 2024, there were six cyclist casualties (all slight) recorded along Cycleway 9 on Chiswick High Rd. During the same time period, there were ten cyclist casualties (seven slight, three serious) just at Weltje Rd.

“One junction at Weltje Rd therefore had 66% more casualties (including three that were serious) than 12 junctions along 1.2km of Cycleway 9 on Chiswick High Rd”.

Petition opposes introduction of ANPR cameras

Regardless of the accident stats, Tim Janman, an officer in Hammersmith & Chiswick Conservative association, has organised a petition against the introduction of ANPR cameras, which the Conservatives say has been signed by 44 Weltje Road residents.

The petition reads:

‘We do not think there is a problem with traffic on Weltje Road and there are certainly no issues around safety, noise or pollution. We think that ANPR cameras on Weltje Road would:

1) Create unnecessary bureaucratic hassle for visitors and residents.

2) Prevent our close neighbours in Chiswick and Acton etc. from driving down Weltje Road, for no good reason.

3) Displace over 2,000 cars a day, causing even worse congestion in central Hammersmith and Eastern Chiswick (especially Chiswick Lane).

4) Catalyse the same sort of dangerous manoeuvres (as seen at the A4 end of Rivercourt Road) at the King Street end of Weltje Road (and this over a two-way cycle lane).

‘We are also concerned about the issue of Uber drivers believing they will get fined and refusing to pick up (we already suffer from this because of the ANPR cameras on Rivercourt Road) …

‘The simple fact is that Weltje Road residents by a substantial majority, do not want (or see the need) for ANPR filter cameras to be installed on our road.

‘Accordingly, we request that LBHF will cease any further work on putting ANPR on Weltje Road’.

The paper petition was submitted at the end of July. The Council is expected to make an emergency traffic order to start the trial in September.