Weltje Road traffic restrictions to begin in October

Hammersmith & Fulham is to use ANPR cameras to target cut through traffic, despite concerns about the impact on roads in Chiswick

Traffic restrictions aimed at stopping drivers from outside Hammersmith & Fulham using Weltje Road as a cut through to the A4 will begin in October.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has confirmed that an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera will be installed at the King Street end of the road as part of a trial lasting up to 18 months.

The council says the scheme follows concerns about accidents and near misses involving pedestrians, schoolchildren and cyclists. More than 2,000 vehicles use Weltje Road each day, it says, with more than 90 per cent driven by motorists from outside the borough.

The King Street junction has also been named the fifth most dangerous in London by the London Cycling Campaign, according to the council.

How the camera will work

Weltje Road will remain one way, with the camera targeting non Hammersmith & Fulham drivers using it as a cut through.

Residents of Weltje Road, their visitors and deliveries will be automatically exempt from fines. Residents in neighbouring Hammersmith & Fulham streets will be able to arrange visitor access through RingGo if they have a Resident Visitor Permit.

Black cabs and private taxi operators including Uber, Bolt, Addison Lee and Wheely will also be exempt when picking up or dropping off passengers.

Drivers using the road as a cut through will receive warning notices during the first few weeks before fines are introduced.

Concerns in Hounslow

The plans have prompted opposition among some motorists and campaigners in neighbouring Hounslow, concerned that traffic will be displaced onto surrounding roads including Chiswick Lane.

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

A petition organised by the Hounslow Conservatives is calling for the scheme to be scrapped. It argues that Weltje Road is an important route for drivers from Chiswick, Acton and Ealing travelling towards the eastbound A4, and warns that restrictions could increase congestion on other local roads.

More changes planned at King Street

The camera scheme is the first phase of Hammersmith & Fulham’s plans for the road.

A second phase, planned for later this year, will narrow the King Street junction and add rain gardens. The two way cycle lane will be realigned to improve visibility, with a mini chicane to slow cyclists through the junction.

The informal crossing on King Street will also be relocated to reduce conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

The council says a similar scheme on nearby Rivercourt Road reduced daily traffic by 75 per cent.

Local businesses will be able to apply for a Business Visitor Permit so their customers, staff and deliveries can continue to access Weltje Road.

The council says the programme follows two years of engagement with residents and local schools. The trial will run for up to 18 months, after which views gathered during the trial will inform a decision on whether to amend, abandon or make it permanent.