Traffic issues in Ailsa Road & wider area (north of A316 Chertsey Road and east of St Margarets Road)

Overview

We are seeking your views on options to address concerns about traffic speed and traffic volume in Ailsa Road, St George’s Road and the surrounding residential area.

The Council has developed four options. These include traffic reduction measures and an option to make no changes and continue monitoring traffic movements.

Your feedback will help us understand local views and decide what, if any, traffic reduction measures should be taken forward.

Why we are consulting

The Council received a petition from residents of Ailsa Road and surrounding roads raising concerns about traffic speed and traffic volume in the area.

Following this, the Council carried out traffic surveys. These found that, at certain times of the day and week, particularly during the morning and evening peak periods, some southbound motorists are leaving St Margarets Road and using local residential roads to join the A316 towards London.

The surveys found that two-way traffic flows can exceed 200 vehicles per hour at certain times. This is the threshold used by the Council when considering whether traffic management intervention may be appropriate.

Ailsa Road triggered this threshold. St George’s Road has also been included in the proposals because, without measures there, traffic could be displaced from Ailsa Road into St George’s Road.

There have also been a number of damage-only and injury collisions in the area over the latest five-year period, particularly along Ailsa Road and at the junction with the A316.

Funding to cover the introduction of a traffic reduction scheme was secured in April 2026, allowing for a public consultation to be undertaken.

What is being proposed

There are four options (including the option of do nothing / continue to monitor traffic movements in the residential area) for addressing traffic issues in Ailsa Road and surrounding areas. For more information about each option, including possible benefits and drawbacks, please click here.

You can also read the FAQ document which covers permits, access, deliveries, enforcement, timescales, and how any experimental scheme would be monitored.

Have your say 

Your feedback will help the Council understand local concerns and consider the best way forward for the area.

If you require a paper copy or information in another format, please contact trafficandengineering@richmond.gov.uk quoting "Traffic issues in Ailsa Road and wider area"" in the subject line or call 020 8891 1411.

What happens next

It is proposed that if supported, traffic reduction measures will be introduced under an Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO). This allows for an assessment to be undertaken of the impacts of any traffic reduction scheme. We aim to undertake a review following the first six months of operation, the statutory consultation period for an ETMO.

Transport for London (TfL) and Richmond Council recognise the need to adequately test any scheme to better understand the impact of such changes and ensure the measures are safe and meet the requirements of maintaining and regulating the London’s strategic road network.

Subject to resident support, Committee and any TfL approvals, it is anticipated any experimental restrictions would be introduced later in 2026. Please note an experimental scheme can be modified in response to feedback, and within 18 months, a formal decision made to either make restrictions permanent or remove them.