Abbey Road disruption

· by · in Statements, Traffic and Highways, Transport. ·

A spokesperson for Merton Council said: “We’re aware that a member of a public has climbed a lamp column in protest at the Abbey Road traffic scheme.

“This has resulted in a large response from the emergency services, with numerous staff and vehicles in attendance and the closure of the road. Not only is this incredibly disruptive for large numbers of residents but is also a huge drain on the resources of our hardworking emergency services.

“This latest action comes after a week during which council staff have been harassed and public property damaged. We continue to work with the police to take action against those responsible.

“We welcome feedback and a robust debate over the new scheme, but we will not tolerate abuse or vandalism.”

FAQs on the scheme are here:

Side one of the leaflet, reading: Merton Council has introduced trial road closures at the junctions of: • Pincott Road and High Path • Abbey Road and Station Road. The intention is to reduce rat-running between Merantun Way and Merton High Street; improve road safety; and encourage more walking and cycling. The closures are not physical, instead they are enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. People living in these roads can still access their homes through alternate routes. Access for the emergency services is unrestricted. You can view the full scheme here: merton.gov.uk/AbbeyLTN Why have we closed the roads? Many residents living in and around Abbey, Dane and Mill roads are concerned about the increase in rat-running. They are worried about worsening air and noise pollution as well as the increase in traffic danger for people, including local schoolchildren. Sadly, two pupils were hit by cars in 2022. Parked cars have also been damaged. We carried out a recent traffic study and found the cut-throughs were used around 45,000 times in a week. This is extremely high for roads of this size. Residents petitioned us for a consultation on the closures, so we decided to take action.
Page two of the leaflet, reading: Why wasn’t there a consultation first? The changes have been introduced under an Experimental Traffic Management Order. This means we can make real-time assessments of the impact. A consultation started at the same time the changes were made. Doing this allows residents and road users to make a more informed response to the consultation. The consultation opened on 14 March 2025. However, we encourage people to wait for one month before giving feedback to understand the impact better. Responses submitted before then will still have to be considered. Are there any exemptions? Currently, only emergency and waste collection vehicles are excluded. However, we will listen to feedback and will monitor how the changes impact residents. If the case for further exemptions is clear, then the Experimental Traffic Order allows us to introduce these. Following feedback from residents, we have recently put up more signage to give road users greater advanced warning of the closures. How can you have your say? The consultation is open until 15 September 2025. Have your say here: merton.gov.uk/AbbeyLTN You can also write directly to: Sustainable Transport, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, SM4 5DX. This consultation is not a vote. We will give weight to the content of feedback. Your reasons for or against the scheme are, therefore, important – add these to the comments section. These will be considered alongside other information, such as traffic data on speed and vehicle numbers on local roads between Merantun Way and Merton High Street, when we make our final decision. Recent disorder We welcome debate and feedback – but the actions of some have crossed the line into criminal damage and abuse of council staff. This is not acceptable, and we are working with the police to take action. We will continue to do so wherever our staff and the public are put in danger. There will be temporary additional security onsite. What will happen to the money from fines? This is not a money-making exercise. However, fines can only be reinvested into transport projects such as pothole repair.

Residents can take part in the consultation here: www.merton.gov.uk/AbbeyLTN