Businesses bemoan new £130 fine that has crippled customers' demand

People who live in the area or have a business are allowed to register and continue to use the roads free of charge.

But this is causing issues for businesses based along New King’s Road who say that the measures were put in place without proper consultation and are now costing them as people are no longer travelling to the area by car to avoid a potential fine.

Allison Rodger has had her dressmaking shop along the high street for five years now.

She told GB News “A lot of my orders are bespoke clothing, so they're booked well in advance and for bridal sometimes even a year or more in advance, so I’m a bit concerned about next year.I have clients in Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea and Putney which I consider to be fairly local who don’t want to come here anymore.

“As a resident here I can give them a permit but that’s another hassle.”

She went on to say trade from people who are browsing along the high street has also reduced.

Allison added: “I’m also losing passing trade for the stock items that I sell here, definitely my takings on that are down. So that’s money that should be going into my account that is not going in.”

Chris from Hally’s, a café also based along New King’s Road, said that the businesses have now been joining together because of how unhappy they are over the implementation of the fines.

He said: “We love the fact that the council is trying to go for cleaner air in the neighbourhood but we feel that there are much better ways to do it. What we’ve found is that the traffic is now just condensed to two roads, making queues longer and it harder to get around. They just implemented the scheme without any consultation with the businesses directly.

“A lot of the businesses have conducted an independent survey themselves finding that 90 per cent of businesses are not for the scheme itself as they’re finding that it led to a reduction of trade and business. Some of them who have been here for longer than we have which is ten years are now looking at closing and relocating to other areas.”

There’s also concern about whether the scheme even works, as many fear that the increased traffic on the high street is making the pollution worse.

Allison, who lives locally and walks to work, said: “I have to walk in smelly, fumy air. I like to live a healthy life and this is not what I want to do. So I’ve been forced, without any possibility of complaint because the council aren’t listening to us, they say that we’re happy with the scheme, I’m being forced to breathe this air that they’re saying is unhealthy. I don’t feel any benefit from it myself.

“I use very expensive fabric so the whole thing is about keeping things clean in here and we just get these black particles, more of them now, it’s really exacerbated.

“This week it’s school holidays so it’s been reduced but often it’s clogged up right the way from Wandsworth Bridge to the traffic lights at Parsons Green Lane, and that’s traffic just sitting there.”

Some residents have welcomed the cameras as fewer cars drive outside their homes, but most people said they were concerned about the effect it’s having.

One lady from the area, who asked not to be named, said she was particularly concerned about the effect it is having on elderly people.
She said: “If someone wants to say hi or see how they are, you now have to register their car registration. Nobody feels like they can just pop in now.

“Also, taxi drivers don’t like it because it means they have to go the long way round. I’ve heard that they just drop people off at the end of the street, so people are walking alone at night.

“It really has been bad.”

Hammersmith and Fulham Council started to roll out the new measures in December, but initially were just sending warnings to drivers.

A spokesperson said it follows the success of the measures which have been implemented on streets east of Wandsworth Bridge over the past two years, which has seen a reduction of 8,000 cars a day and the overall traffic down by 23 per cent.

They added: “We back business in Hammersmith & Fulham. That’s why we designed the Clean Air Neighbourhood trial so customers can reach every business without going through a camera. We’re also going door-to-door on our high streets to ensure the trial works for all firms in the area.

“Residents and businesses tell us they’re pleased we’re tackling the toxic air crisis after decades of pollution and congestion. They also support our vision to make the area a more attractive destination for shoppers and visitors."

Elsewhere in the country, Clean Air Zones have also been introduced in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead) with Greater Manchester currently under review.

By Kristina Curtis - Producer/Reporter