We deeply regret and oppose Wandsworth Council’s proposed School Street initiative for the part of Sutherland Grove between Combemartin Road and Skeena Hill - the wrong proposals at the wrong time.

We are supportive of efforts to reduce inconsiderate parking, unnecessary drop-off and collection of school pupils by car, and to increase the safety of pupils. We believe more effective and proportionate ways to can be found to achieve this without worsening the through‑traffic problems our area already faces. The proposals risk shifting the problem on to neighbouring roads, including one with a dangerous blind bend.

If you sign this petition, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALSO RESPOND TO THE CONSULTATION https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthecs/stcecilias/ 

Key Concerns

There are FIVE areas of serious concern. FULL DETAILS of each of these below, with a final SUMMARY, and REQUEST to the council.

1. Traffic displacement on to already‑strained neighbouring roads. 

2. Lack of joined‑up thinking, missing data and incomplete current projects.

3. No evidence that other, less disruptive measures have been tried.

4.  Atypical use of a School Street for a secondary school.

5. No clear evidence base for the proposal.

Key Concerns

1. Traffic displacement on to already‑strained neighbouring roads. 

As the closure covers only the mid‑section of Sutherland Grove, drivers will divert along Combemartin Road and Skeena Hill instead, adding to the unresolved ‘rat-run’ traffic problems in our locality.

Combemartin Road has a sharp, blind bend where visibility is already poor. Extra through‑traffic, U‑turns and 3‑point turns by cars following pupil drop-off etc will increase safety risks on the road.

2. Lack of joined‑up thinking, missing data and incomplete current projects.

2A) This proposal appears to have come from a different council department than the one handling the ongoing through-traffic issues in our area. The two do not seem aligned.
2B) The comprehensive March 2025 Traffic Survey has still not been finalised or published. Introducing a major change at peak times before releasing that data is premature.

2C) E-bikes are a welcome option to reduce car-use, but the e-bike bays on Sutherland Grove close to Southfields Station, remain poorly-organised. Metal corrals to contain bikes within the bays for safety were promised August 2025, but have yet to be installed. To have expanded the e-bike bays in this already-challenging location without the metal corrals appears irresponsible. The recently-installed e-bike bay at the bottom of Combemartin Road is also unprotected by a corral at this vulnerable location.

2D) Six ‘Quiet Cycle Routes’ were shortlisted at the start of 2025 for further consultation. We are not aware that this project has been completed. Establishment of safe cycling routes for older pupils at Saint Cecilia’s where appropriate would be an important aid to reducing car drop-off.

2E) A decision by TFL on the possibility of banning access to Sutherland Grove for eastbound traffic on West Hill is also pending.

2F) Surveys indicate that Air Quality improves in the restricted street following a School Street establishment. However we understand that no data is taken from adjacent streets to where traffic is displaced, where Air Quality may in fact worsen.

3) No evidence that other, less disruptive measures have been tried.

If pupil safety at crossing points is a contributory concern, a pelican-style crossing near the pedestrian entrance would both improve safety and reduce vehicle speeds - with far less disruption than a partial road closure.
There is no indication that the Council itself has engaged with the school or parents to reduce car use through communication campaigns or targeted enforcement.

4. Atypical use of a School Street for a secondary school.

4A) Nearly all of Wandsworth’s ~30 School Streets serve primary schools, where the safety rationale is clear. Pupils mainly live close to the school, making it easier to walk rather than drive.

4B) Saint Cecilia’s is a secondary school (ages 11–18). There will be genuine exceptions, but students are mostly able to travel independently by foot, bike, or public transport. Public transport is excellent in the area. The Council has not explained why a primary‑school‑style measure is being applied here. The council’s  ‘Future Streets mission includes a target of introducing them at ‘50 per cent of the borough’s primaries’. There is no mention of secondary schools.

4C) The proximity of the A3 trunk road abruptly joining urban roads, bringing in huge numbers of car-commuting traffic to the locality of Saint Cecilia’s School, also makes our situation unique, and a School Street proposal inappropriate.

5) No clear evidence base for the proposal.

The Council’s consultation page states only that the scheme follows “previous engagement with the school.” However, no accident data, near-miss records, or safety review for this stretch of Sutherland Grove has been published, and no resident petition has been cited.

If the scheme is intended to address a safety problem, the evidence for that problem should be clearly presented.

Summary

We fully support Saint Cecilia’s School and share the aim of reducing car traffic, emissions, and unsafe behaviours near the school. 

However, as designed, this scheme risks displacing traffic rather than solving the problem, potentially creating greater risks on surrounding streets.

Our Request to the Council

Before any decision is made, we ask Wandsworth Council to publish:

A) Accident and near-miss data for Sutherland Grove that underpins the proposal.

B) Details of the “previous engagement with the school” including when it took place and who initiated it.

C) The findings of the March 2025 Traffic Survey, which remain unpublished.

Introducing a significant traffic intervention without this information is premature and difficult to justify to the residents most affected.