1. Introduction. Hammersmith Bridge is the only River Thames crossing between Putney Bridge and Chiswick Bridge and forms part of the road link between Barnes and Hammersmith. Traffic on the Bridge, which is the responsibility of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, has been restricted to 7.5 tonne for some years because of the weak nature of the structure. On 3rd February 1997, the Bridge was closed to all vehicles except buses, emergency service vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, due to overstressing of key elements of the structure which was discovered whilst the Bridge was undergoing structural assessment of its load carrying capacity.

2. Currently, a temporary Closure order applies which prevents cars from using the Bridge. This temporary Traffic Order will automatically expire on completion of the repair work- and the previous permanent traffic arrangements allowing all vehicles up to 7.5 tonne, will then apply from that date unless Hammersmith and Fulham Council propose a new Order. Wandsworth Council would be a statutory consultee under Part II of the Local Authority Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996, if a new Closure Order were progressed.

3. Last year, apparently in response to local pressure, Hammersmith and Fulham Council decided to seek the opinion of the public on whether the Bridge should remain restricted as at present, or be reopened to all classes of traffic as before, once the repairs have been completed. That Council resolved not to give any opinion on their preference at that stage. The repairs, financed by central Government funds, are underway at present and are due to be completed in Autumn 1999.

4. Traffic-Counts. Traffic counts are taken annually throughout London on all the Thames bridges. Results since 1992 are given in the Appendix to this report. Since the closure of Hammersmith Bridge in February last year, counts on all the bridges between Lambeth Bridge and Twickenham Bridge (inclusive) have been taken in March as well as October. The March 1997 count indicated that traffic flows over Putney Bridge had increased from an average in previous counts of around 55,000 vehicles per day to over 70,000.

5. The data is collected by automatic traffic counters and is able to be analysed in detail. Further analysis of the latest count indicates that travel times have changed, with the peak times starting earlier in the morning and finishing later in the evening as drivers have elected to stagger their journeys to cope with the congestion. However, it is difficult to draw precise conclusions from the traffic counts as the comparable data before the closure can be affected by changes such as lane closures due to bridge works and data collection being carried out at different times of the year.

6. A report on the effects on traffic volumes produced for London Transport and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has been widely misquoted in the popular press as demonstrating that traffic simply disappears if a road or bridge is closed, The report, which includes Hammersmith Bridge as the subject of one of 49 studies, does not come to this simplistic conclusion. It is clear that traffic can reduce in the immediate area because some drivers will change to public transport, but the bulk of the traffic, in nearly every case, moves to the nearest appropriate alternative depending on the origin and destination of the journey.

7. There is a group monitoring traffic in a wide area around the Bridge, following the Hammersmith Bridge closure which is - co-ordinated by the Traffic Director for London. The group, which comprises the relevant Local Authorities; London Transport; bus companies, the Police and the Highways Agency, is collecting relevant data and survey results. Unfortunately, because the Bridge was closed so suddenly, there is little information available about journey times and pollution levels prior to the closure, Accordingly, not all the before and after comparisons that are desirable to prove the disruption that has been caused to adjacent bridges can be made.

9. In January 1998, (-Paper No. 98/14), the Technical Services Committee approved public consultation within Putney and Roehampton on the future use of the Bridge. This was to seek the views of residents and businesses as to whether, upon completion of the repairs, programmed for September 1999, the Bridge should be re-opened to cars at its former 7.5 tonne capacity or whether it should remain restricted to public transport, cyclists, specially licensed taxis, emergency services and pedestrians, but excluding cars.

10. Around 26,000 leaflets were delivered to all properties in Putney and Roehampton bounded by the River Wandle in the east, the A3 in the south and the Borough boundary in the west. A further 3,000 copies were placed in West Hill, SW15 (East Putney) and Putney, SW15 (Thamesfield) Libraries; the Putney Leisure Centre, SW15 (Thamesfield) and the Town Hall One Stop Counter. There were also exhibitions in the Libraries.

11. An overwhelming majority of 4,225 (83% of those who responded) voted in favour of re-opening the Bridge to its former operating capacity. Many also sent accompanying letters stressing their support for cars being permitted to use the bridge and describing how increased congestion had caused increased journey times and pollution especially in the Lower Richmond Road, SW15 (Thamesfield) area. Only 846 (17%) votes were received in support of keeping the Bridge closed to cars. Around 60 of these were from outside the Putney and Roehampton area and a high proportion were from quiet residential areas such as Arabella Drive, Fontley Way and Woking Close, SW15 (Roehampton) on the extremities of the consultation area.

12. Conclusion- The consultation results and the associated correspondence received shows that there is clear support from local residents and businesses to return the Bridge to its former operating capacity. Many people consider that Putney has suffered significantly from increased congestion and pollution levels as a result of the Hammersmith Bridge closure to cars-

13. Recommendation- The Committee are recommended to note the results of the consultation and to approve a response to Hammersmith and Fulham Council in the following terms:-