Mounting traffic chaos in and around Cranmer Road is being tackled following action by Myatt’s Fields Labour councillors.

Local residents have complained that the area is often jammed with commercial vehicles, making life difficult for residents and harming the environment.

Lambeth Council has begun implementing a raft of new actions on the road.

Cllr Paul Gadsby outlined the local community’s frustrations at January’s public Lambeth Council meeting, explaining that residents were suffering from unacceptable levels of noise, congestion and pollution on the road.

He claimed this was caused by delivery drivers on motorbikes from takeaway and grocery firms Just Eat and Gorillas who were clogging the narrow street, operating early in the morning and late at night, and parking their motorbikes on pavements.

The lobbying by councillors led to a walkabout on the road with Cllr Gadsby, residents who live on the nearby Holland Town estate (including the estate’s resident association chairwoman) and Cllr Rezina Choudhary, the cabinet member with responsibility for transport. The visit demonstrated first hand the negative impact of these problems on the daily lives of residents throughout the area.

Following the visit, Lambeth Council confirmed:

• Enforcement officers from Lambeth are now regularly patrolling the area and issuing fines to drivers.
• The Council has formerly written to Just Eat and Gorillas raising resident concerns, as well as threatening further enforcement action.
• The Council’s officers will be visiting the local delivery hubs of both companies to ensure drivers are being provided with proper respite and rest spaces.

Local councillors have also delivered a leaflet to Cranmer Road – and during a recent roving surgery to nearby Foxley Road – advising residents on how they can report traffic idling and other offences in the area. You can read the newsletter here.

Local Councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop said:

“It is positive that the Council has taken action which does appear to have reduced some of the problems which have been making the lives of residents on Cranmer Road and surrounding local streets. It is however early days and we want to see a long term reduction in the problems that have been making everyone’s lives a misery on these streets.”

“We are disappointed that both delivery companies allowed the situation to get to this stage and for repeatedly ignoring residents when these issues were raised with them. We will continue to monitor the situation and would urge residents to report any instances of traffic idling to the Council. Thank you to everyone in the area who brought this to our attention.”