Since it became impossible for car drivers to cross the bridge, much of Barnes has become a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), almost by accident:
Motor traffic in the green area above has been hugely reduced, making life more pleasant for everyone. Of course, traffic hasn't disappeared altogether, but - importantly - Barnes is no longer choked with through traffic passing through, queuing along the relatively narrow Rocks Lane and Castelnau to cross the river at the even narrower bridge.
The through traffic of the past wasn't just inconvenient for those who found themselves a part of it. It also used to delay bus journeys from Hammersmith into Barnes, where no bus lane was available. Many of us know how it felt to sit, surrounded by cars, for up to 20 minutes or more to complete a bus journey that now takes a few minutes.
And let's not forget the amount of pollution being produced by the slow-moving traffic, poisoning the air for everyone in the area.
So let's not bring it back. Let's not return to the choking traffic queues of the past. Let's not let the traffic cross Hammersmith Bridge again.
Next: Displaced traffic →
