Three years ago, the iconic West London landmark of Hammersmith Bridge was closed to motor traffic after micro-fractures were discovered in its cast-iron pedestals.
The bridge was never designed to carry car traffic, and due its listed status and Victorian construction and materials, it soon became clear this was the most expensive bridge in Britain to fix. A bitter political row between the local council, the London mayor and the government over who should pick up the ~£150m repair bill has been rumbling ever since.
Now multi-million pound ‘stabilisation’ works have finally begun to make the bridge safe for walking and cycling (and river traffic passing beneath) in perpetuity. But the local council still seems adamant on finding a way to reopen the bridge to cars asap. Possible is asking the question - what if it didn’t?
Thanks to the utility of bridges they regularly become bottlenecks for motor traffic, exacerbating emissions and traffic in local areas. If we only let climate-friendly travel on the bridge, imagine how much cleaner the air would be and how much healthier the population. Perhaps most importantly, if London is to meet its net zero targets by 2030, then we need to reduce car vehicle kilometres on our streets by 27%.
This target will not be met by doing the same things we have always done; traffic levels in London have not fallen for ten years (except during the pandemic). Honouring our climate commitments demands bold - and politically courageous - new thinking. Therefore, we all need to be asking ourselves - what if Hammersmith Bridge remained closed to motor traffic forever?
Our Bridging the Future event has imagined just that and on Saturday 9 April, we were in Barnes Farmers Market to show the local residents the fantastic possibilities that could be in store for West London if Hammersmith Bridge closed to motor traffic for good.
Bikes, cargo bikes, e-scooters and autonomous pods for those with mobility issues - all of these could put Hammersmith and Barnes on the right path to a healthier, climate-friendly future.
This event was a chance for residents to tell us their opinions on our draft proposals. We know that West London’s traffic woes extend well beyond Barnes and Hammersmith, so we have worked hard to develop a holistic plan which can sustainably meet the mobility needs of all West Londoners. The feedback will now help inform our final proposal that we will present to the relevant authorities as a climate and people-friendly alternative to spending vast sums of public money to invite 25,000 motor vehicles back across the Thames every day.
(Alt-text) Cyclists going down a cycle lane and an autonomous mobility pod on a reimagined Hammersmith Bridge.