TfL Claims Zebra Crossings Plan Could Impact Buses
View differs from council’s on impact of Wandsworth Bridge Road changes
A bus on Wandsworth Bridge Road. Picture: LDRS
February 13, 2026
Transport for London (TfL) warned Hammersmith and Fulham Council that planned works to Wandsworth Bridge Road could cause delays to bus journeys, new information has revealed.
In feedback provided to the council in October, since released to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) under Freedom of Information (FoI) laws, TfL wrote it had “concerns about the impact on bus journey times” due to the proposed installation of four new raised zebra crossings.
The LDRS asked TfL on several occasions whether there have been any significant developments since the feedback was provided to the council though was not provided with a direct response.
It is understood TfL has yet to do a full assessment of the proposals and that discussions between the two parties are ongoing. However, it did raise the aforementioned concerns.
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said its own engineers believe the proposals “will help rather than hinder bus journey times” and that it is in the process of carrying out a review of technical assessments for the crossings upgrade.
Last summer Hammersmith and Fulham Council announced it would begin the next stage of its redesign of Wandsworth Bridge Road in the week commencing August 18, to last roughly a month.
They were to involve the installation of four raised zebra crossings, new cycle hire parking bays, replacing the existing parklet at the Ryecroft/Bovingdon crossing with an extended kerb featuring communal seating, greenery and planters, and designated loading bays for businesses.
The changes were designed to function as part of the wider South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood (CAN), a scheme which has also seen cameras erected on streets to the east and west of Wandsworth Bridge Road to prevent out-of-borough drivers rat-running.
But construction was delayed by several weeks due to the “volume of correspondence” received during consultation, with the expectation that work may have begun in September.
The works were then pushed back further after it emerged that TfL, a statutory consultee, was not included in the consultation and design process for the scheme.
In an FoI response provided to the LDRS before Christmas, correspondence was revealed in which TfL noted concerns about the potential impacts on bus times.
In an undated letter appearing to have been sent to the council, TfL wrote: “TfL buses have raised concerns regarding existing bus performance and have ongoing questions pertaining to the design and potential for further erosion of bus speeds on Wandsworth Bridge Road.”
The LDRS subsequently requested TfL’s feedback to Hammersmith and Fulham Council on the proposed scheme, and among other documents was emailed a table dated October 31, outlining the responses regarding buses.
A series of comments and areas of concern are listed, most of which were accepted by the council, with a rating also given on the likely ‘scheme impact’.
Two are noted as considered to have a ‘high’ impact, including one of the planned ‘build outs’ along the road, and two ‘medium’. The remaining 10 items are rated ‘low’.
However, only one comment was rejected in its entirety by the council, in which TfL requested a refuge be added to a proposed zebra crossing at Cresford Road and Stokenchurch Street to “aid bus journey times”.
A refuge, or island, is a stop in the middle of the road at which pedestrians can pause and monitor traffic in the second lane.
It also splits a zebra crossing in two, meaning drivers do not have to wait as long before continuing on their journey.
In response the council wrote: “While refuges would assist pedestrians by providing a safe waiting space, inclusion would erode the footway gains at each side of the crossings – one of the primary pedestrian safety issues we are seeking to resolve. The existing footway is sub-standard in width in multiple locations – particularly where trees are present and the clear footway is often narrowed to sub 1.8m in width. Moreover, the presence of trees results in significant visibility issues.”
TfL came back writing it continued to have “concerns about the impact on bus journey times as a result of buses having to stop potentially at numerous zebras as they travel along the road”.
It added it would still like to see a refuge added to the planned Cresford Road and Stokenchurch Street crossing.
When asked if any progress has been made since the comments were submitted to the council, a TfL spokesperson directed the LDRS to a line in the FoI response stating it is “engaged in ongoing dialogue with Hammersmith and Fulham to determine the next steps on this project”.
In a separate FoI response, published on TfL’s website on January 29, the transport authority revealed it had yet to carry out a full assessment on the scheme’s impact on bus times.
The response however continues to note that congestion does occur on Wandsworth Bridge Road and that “there is potential for these proposals to increase congestion which may also negatively impact bus performance”.
Cllr Jose Afonso, Leader of the Conservative opposition, said: “The Labour farce on the Wandsworth Bridge Road continues into its eighth month. Last July Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham announced it would ram through a series of works on the Wandsworth Bridge Road with no consultation and no public support.
“The Cabinet member bragged in a letter that the Labour council has consulted in excess of all requirements. It turned out, they hadn’t even consulted TfL.
“Months have passed, and TfL remains rightly concerned about the impact on bus journey times. Our message is clear, we will remove the dangerous parklets from the Wandsworth Bridge Road on day one, scrap plans for dangerous build outs and work with residents to deliver safer crossings so that all modes of transport are respected on the Wandsworth Bridge Road.”
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said: “Transport for London has made no assessment of how our proposals for Wandsworth Bridge Road will impact bus journey times. However it is our engineers’ view that the proposals will help rather than hinder bus journey times.
“We are currently undertaking a review of technical assessments for the safety crossings upgrade and working with Transport for London to agree a revised programme of works as soon as possible.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with our residents and businesses, through consultation and engagement, to transform Wandsworth Bridge Road from a highway into a high street that is vibrant and more accessible – a place of which we can all be proud.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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