Residents protest against council scheme that fines out-of-town drivers

By Alicia Curry, Local Democracy Reporter

West London residents have lambasted an air pollution traffic scheme, as shops claim they are losing business.

The Clean Air Neighbourhood (CAN) scheme, which fines out-of-town drivers for using roads in the area as a “rat-run”, has come under fire from tradespeople who claim that customers are being driven away by the cameras.

Protesters gathered on Wandsworth Bridge Road on Monday to plead that a suspension of the CAN project should be implemented during the 10-week closure of Wandsworth Bridge for repairs, in an attempt to re-boost footfall.

But Hammersmith and Fulham council claims it already offers support to the local economy by offering business visitor access permits to enable shoppers, deliveries and staff to drive through the CAN cameras un-fined.

Lauren Clark, 20, works for her partner, who owns Randall’s Butchers in Wandsworth Bridge Road and has hit back at the council and said that the high street will be a ghost town in a matter of months.

“We’ve lost about 40 per cent of our trade,” she said. “So many of our customers came from out of the borough and we’ve had people email and call us and tell us they view the area as a no-go zone now and won’t make the trip.”

“On a daily basis, we put dozens of people on the Ringo app, but not everyone knows how it works and they then get fined and it puts them off coming back.”

A council spokesperson added that they are aware of the disruption from the bridge closure but that measures are being taken to mitigate the impact.

They said: “We have also suspended the traffic camera in southbound Imperial Road to make it easier for visitors to get to shops and businesses in Wandsworth Bridge Road.

“Opening up the roads to all traffic during the closure would result in sat-nav systems re-routing drivers into residential streets and bringing gridlock.

“This would cause more chaos and inconvenience to residents and businesses and generate more pollution.”

David Tarsh, a resident of the borough, slammed the council for ‘greenwashing’ and blasted the scheme as a ‘money-making activity’ that benefits few.

He added: “The council is not listening, we’re seeing the impact on business and it’s really bad. This will make the council millions in fines and charges which is why we believe they won’t give in on it and they’re using the green agenda as cover when it’s nothing to do with that.”

The council argues that since the CAN scheme was implemented, it has reduced the number of vehicles in the area by approximately 7,000 per day, which it states has removed just under 1 tonne of carbon dioxide and about 0.6 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide every day from the air.

Pictured top: Lauren Clark, 20, says her boyfriend has seen a 40 per cent collapse in custom since the scheme has been implemented (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)