H&F council back car-free future for Hammersmith Bridge
Story 228: Will the UK government support their new plans?
Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) council has formally abandoned its ambition of restoring motor traffic to Hammersmith Bridge.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting on Monday 6 July after councillors accepted officers’ recommendation not to seek government funding for a scheme that would enable this.
Instead, the council will bid for funding to repair the Bridge for people walking, wheeling and cycling.
You can watch the Cabinet discussion below
Significant policy change
Much of the 40 minute discussion revisited the arguments set out in the officers’ paper.
Council leader Stephen Cowan argued that successive governments had failed to maintain the Bridge properly before responsibility passed to H&F council. He reserved his strongest criticism for recent Conservative governments and local Conservative politicians.
H&F council has not ‘washed their hands of the Bridge’, as the campaign group Hammersmith Bridge SOS suggested. Instead the council it has clearly ring-fenced its responsibilities.
Councillor Cowan said the council would continue to meet its legal responsibility as the highway authority and invest substantially in maintaining the structure.
The council leader was clear who he thinks should be funding a solution. The Bridge
.. is a straight asset that should be fixed by other strategic authorities.
Another theme, Councillor Cowan returned to several times was who benefited from this crossing? Why should the third smallest borough in London pay for a Bridge
.. largely to the benefit of people who live south of the river.
The decision marks an important change in direction. Rather than pursuing the restoration of general motor traffic, H&F is now asking the Government to fund a future centred on active travel.
Richmond Liberal Democrats wanted more ambition
The first public speaker in the meeting was Richmond Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Alexander Ehmann. Much of his analysis remains unchanged from that offered on the Double Demo day earlier this year. The H&F council proposal was
.. the embodiment of civic failure.
The question tonight is not whether the Bridge can be restored. It is whether the there is the fight to restore it.
Councillor Ehmann argued that the proposal lacked ambition and questioned why a Labour-controlled local authority, working alongside a Labour Mayor and Labour Government, could not secure greater investment.
Where is the co-operation?
He suggested this was the wrong moment to retreat from a more ambitious solution, particularly with a Prime Minister who has signalled support for infrastructure investment.
When asked directly if Richmond council’s desire came with funding, Councillor Ehmann replied simply,
No.
Traffic data
The Cabinet also heard from transport consultant John Galsworthy, who summarised how travel patterns have evolved since the bridge closed to motor traffic.
He said the original modelling predicted that most displaced traffic would simply move to neighbouring river crossings. In practice, apart from Kew Bridge, that largely did not happen. He also noted that traffic levels across London have been falling since 2017, while changes to bus services make longer-term comparisons more complex.
Notes and thoughts
Barnes2050 shares Councillor Ehmann’s concern for residents who genuinely struggle without motor access across the bridge. That is why this journal has consistently supported a pod trial, similar to the proposal now being promoted by Barnes’ newest campaign group.
The obvious question is, why has Richmond council not done something about this in the last seven years?
Data, not dogma
Barnes2050 believes the debate needs better evidence. Local, regional and national authorities should regularly publish traffic data for this corner of south-west London so decisions can be based on what is actually happening, rather than assumptions about what might be happening.
What next?
The Cabinet meeting also underlined how fragile the Bridge remains.
Councillor Cowan told the meeting, ‘every part of Bridge needs restored or replaced.’ H&F council estimate it will cost £128m to repair a Bridge for people walkers, wheelers and cyclists.
The final bid to the UK government must be made by Monday 3 August. The final decision will be made this autumn.
As the officers’ report makes clear, however, there is no guarantee that the Government will provide all - or any - of that funding.
If funding is not secured, the council has agreed to develop a Plan B, including what the report describes as an ‘exit strategy’. Exactly what that means remains unclear and was not discussed during the meeting.
Tonight’s decision settles one important question locally. H&F council has chosen the future it wants for Hammersmith Bridge.
The next decision now belongs to the Government.
Will ministers back that vision?
Hammersmith Bridge is about far more than a river crossing. It is a question about the future of Barnes. At its heart sit questions of climate, community, transport and health. Explore Barnes2050’s wider analysis here.