South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about the Clean Air Neighbourhood (South Fulham West) project

Frequently asked questions about the Clean Air Neighbourhood (South Fulham East) project

  • How does the clean air neighbourhood project work?

    Unlike traffic projects in other places that close streets, our pioneering project keeps streets open and dedicates them to residents and their visitors.

    It uses the latest smart camera technology to ensure that residents can allow visitors, deliveries and contractors to access all areas freely. Road signs indicate where out-of-borough drivers are not allowed to go. Ninety-nine per cent of the area remains accessible without crossing any camera control points.

  • Has the project reduced traffic?

    Yes, it has already reduced the amount of non-borough traffic using streets to the east by 75% and by 12% in Wandsworth Bridge Road. Overall traffic is down by 23% across South Fulham.

  • What effect has it had on air pollution?

    We installed 56 air quality monitors across South Fulham - the highest density of aqms anywhere in Europe. The data shows the project has removed one tonne of CO2 per day from the area.

  • Why was this project introduced?

    This project was introduced to reduce traffic, congestion and air pollution and make our roads safer and more pleasant. The project aims to enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses by stopping out-of-borough traffic using side streets as cut-throughs. Ninety per cent of traffic in H&F was from out-of-borough. This projects reduces out-of-borough traffic and reduces congestion, noise, air pollution and carbon emissions in keeping with the council's climate emergency strategy.

  • The project has been in place since August 2020. What changes have been made in that time?

    Following feedback from residents, we have been making improvements to the current project to the east of Wandsworth Bridge Road. This has already hugely discouraged out-of-borough drivers from cutting through these streets. These include:

    • enhancing the signage
    • clarifying how visitors and delivery vehicles can get free visitor access permits via RingGo up to midnight on the day
    • clarifying how visitors, delivery vehicles and hire cars can enter the whole area without needing an access permit or incurring a fine
    • clarifying who beside residents can drive through control points without incurring a fine, including health and care workers visiting local residents, volunteers delivering food to residents, London black cabs and local minicab firms
    • In another first, we are working developing an app giving residents a one-stop shop to register and book their visitors in
    • working with RingGo to give residents the option to allow access to visitors through the zone without buying a parking session
    • with Uber on a technological solution to ensure that its drivers won't incur fines for journeys booked by borough residents and will continue servicing the controlled area for pick-ups and drop-offs.

    In December 2021 H&F approved the making of a permanent traffic management order for the South Fulham East project; approved an exper-imental traffic order to extend the project to the West following further resident engagement, agreed to introduce 20mph speed limits on Wandsworth Bridge Road and New Kings Road, and agreed to develop further traffic mitigation measures for Wandsworth Bridge Road.

  • Which permitted vehicles can pass the control points without being penalised?
    • H&F residents with a residents parking permit
    • H&F residents whose vehicle is registered at the DVLA to an address in the borough
    • Visitors, with an activated visitor permit session
    • Carers who register for an access permit exemption. You can email us at enquiries@lbhfparking.com
    • Business parking permit holders
    • Black taxis and local taxi firms who have applied to be registered
    • Buses and coaches
    • Royal Mail postal vehicles
    • Council services and contractors (e.g. refuse and recycling, housing repairs, social care)
    • Emergency services.
  • What is the plan for other taxi services like Uber?

    Ninety-nine per cent of all areas within the project zone are still accessible without crossing the access control points.

    See map on main clean air neighbourhood page

    Taxis that choose not to drive around the access points, to pick up or, drop off a resident, can ask the resident to apply for an access permit. If you do not have an access permit, you will get a penalty.

    Local taxi firms who have applied to be registered can drive through all points to pick up and drop off passengers.

    Residents tell us some Uber drivers are reluctant to enter the project zone because they don't realise they can access streets without going through a camera.

    We have raised resident concerns with Uber and they have updated their navigation systems and worked to educate drivers at the request of council engineers.

  • Who automatically qualifies for an access permit?
    • If you have a valid parking permit, you don't need to register – we automatically create a free access permit on our system so you can drive through the control points, at any time, without penalty.
    • Vehicles registered to an H&F address who are non-permit holders, do not need to register, we will automatically detect this so you can drive through without penalty.
    • Business Permit Holders don't need to register – we automatically create a free access permit on our system so you can drive through the control points at any time, without penalty.
    • If you use a car club vehicle with an H&F permit, we automatically create a free access permit on our system so you can drive through the control points
  • Who must register for a borough access permit?

    If you are a resident but your vehicle is not registered to an H&F address or you do not need a residents parking permit (for example company, hire and courtesy cars or you live in car-free accommodation), please register for the project using the online form: Apply for a borough access permit

    A borough access permit will allow you to access the area without penalty. Please note that this is not a residents parking permit and does not provide you with residential parking.

    For those car club vehicles without an H&F permit, please email us at parkingpermits@lbhf.gov.uk for more information.

  • Do visitors need access permits outside of parking control hours?

    To support the project, the new access controls are different from parking controls and apply 24/7. This means that visitor permits are required even outside controlled parking hours.

    If a visitor chooses to reach you by driving through control points (bearing in mind that 99% of the area can be reached without driving through the control points), you must apply for a visitor permit for them by midnight so they receive permission to drive through the control points on the day.

    You must apply for a visitor permit for all your visitors that drive through the control points. There is a charge per hour for on-street visitor permits at times when parking is controlled. There is no charge when parking is free but they must still have a visitor permit

    Even if your visitor intends to park on your driveway or a private car park, and not the street, you will still need to supply them with visitor access permit on the RingGo app or website. This will be free.

    Motorcycles can still park on the street for free, but they will now require a free visitor permit to drive through a control point without being penalised.

    For more information, read about visitor permits.

  • Is it possible to avoid the cameras and control points?

    Yes. Ninety-nine per cent of the area remains accessible without driving through one of the control points. The aim is to stop non-H&F residents using residential streets as a cut through, reducing congestion and pollution.

  • What if I am visiting a resident and drive through a control?

    All visitors who plan to drive though a control point on arrival or departure, even if they don't park in a bay, must have a visitor permit. The resident you are visiting will have up to midnight on the day you visit to apply for a visitor permit for you.

  • What if you go through a control point but then pay for parking?

    Non-H&F residents will receive a penalty charge notice if they drive through the control points at any time, even if they then use a pay and display facilities available on street. If you are visiting a resident, they will have up to midnight on the day you visit to apply for a visitor permit for you.

  • Why is the traffic so bad in Fulham?

    Ninety per cent of traffic is from outside H&F, largely coming from south of the river and the west. Wandsworth Bridge Road has been at full capacity for many years.

    The recent closures of Hammersmith, Vauxhall, London and Tower bridges mean that satellite navigation and smart devices are diverting traffic across Wandsworth Bridge and encouraging out-of-borough motorists to use residential side streets to cut through the borough.

    Also, driver behaviour has changed during Covid-19, and people are travelling during different hours of the day, creating longer peak traffic hours.

  • What is causing the congestion west of Wandsworth Bridge Road?

    We are sympathetic to residents on the west of Wandsworth Bridge Road who have suffered congestion in their streets. This has been caused by a triple whammy of traffic issues: recent severe lane restrictions on Wandsworth Bridge, the closure of four London bridges, and changing driver behaviour through Covid-19. The data shows that the project has reduced traffic across south Fulham and we do not believe it is a significant factor in causing congestion to the west. We have installed a camera to monitor this and will also use automatic traffic counters.

  • How about reducing traffic west of Wandsworth Bridge Road?

    In December 2021 we approved an experimental traffic order to extend the project to the West following further resident engagement. Residents, highways engineers and ward councillors to the west of Wandsworth Bridge Road are in discussions about the placement of cameras during the trial.

  • How are you monitoring the success of the project?

    We developed measurements for traffic volume, congestion and air pollution with residents. We have installed a network of 56 air quality monitors in South Fulham, the largest concentration of air quality monitors anywhere in Europe.

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