Fulham residents deliver their verdicts on roads banning borough outsiders
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
Residents in one of London’s longstanding clear air neighbourhoods are split – with some claiming that living in the area has become a “nightmare” since the scheme came into force.
Elanor Donoghue, 71, who lives in Imperial Square, said everyday drivers are being caught out by the scheme, which was introduced by Hammersmith and Fulham council in December 2021 to reduce rat-runs and improve air quality.
She said drivers are often oblivious to the scheme when they turn into Imperial Road and perform dangerous U-turns to avoid a £65 fine.
A driver was seen coming close to being rammed by a van when he stopped suddenly and performed a three-point turn to leave the street.
Elanor said: “It’s a nightmare. People who don’t know what’s up ahead get caught out. How can they turn around? It feels like entrapment.”
Others were less critical. Sam, who walks his young nephew home from school twice a week, said any initiative which reduces the number of cars on London’s road was a positive. He said: “From what I’m seeing, the traffic isn’t that high. Having low traffic neighbourhoods is important.
“I’m always worried about crossing the road so fewer cars are better. If it gets fewer cars on the road, the better.”
Otis, who has lived behind Imperial Road for 20 years, said he liked the scheme. He said: “I think it’s the way forward. Everything is blatantly better now it’s in place, from the air to traffic.”
According to Hammersmith and Fulham council, the scheme has seen 15,000 fewer cars per day using residential streets as cut-throughs in South Fulham.
The local authority also credits the scheme for an estimated two-tonne reduction in climate-damaging carbon emissions and 1.4 tonnes of deadly nitrogen oxide every day.
Out-of-borough motorists are fined between £65 and £130 if driving inside both areas of the South Fulham Clear Air Neighbourhood. The eastern leg covers traffic between Wandsworth Bridge Road and Imperial Road while the western leg, which was introduced in March 2024, covers large swathes of Hurlingham.
Residents can travel freely within the zone while exemptions are made for visitors, tradespeople as well as Uber and Bolt drivers.
A Hammersmith and Fulham council spokesman said: “Since the recent clean air trial began, fines have tumbled by more than 80 per cent, as predicted, and pollution from congestion has become a thing of the past in residential streets, which are now quieter, cleaner and safer.
“Any surplus from the fines goes into our ambitious programme of hundreds more trees, new safe cycle routes, better flood drainage and green landscaping, and encouraging play streets and cafe culture.”
All residents in Hammersmith and Fulham can give free access through the cameras to as many visitors a day as they want using a Residents Visitor Permit, a council website shows. Tradespeople can use RingGo while Uber and Bolt private hire drivers can go through the cameras to pick-up and drop-off passengers in the area.
The scheme used the latest Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology. Last year, the council made almost £12 million from its Clean Air Neighbourhoods in south Fulham.
Pictured top: Elanor Donoghue, who called the scheme ‘a joke’ (Picture: LDRS)
