Have Your Say

The Earls Court One-Way System has created urban highways that are killing local business and leading to run-down residential housing. The reason is simple: Nobody wants to walk next to a highway….nevermind live on one. The Earls Court Project currently under discussion should include elimination of one-way traffic on Earls court Road and Warwick Road.

Hi Kevin

Thanks for your comment.

Changing the one-way traffic system on Earls Court Road and Warwick Road would be very tricky, but you’re not the first local resident to suggest this.

We are exploring options to improve congestion in the area and will be including a special section on transport in our next public drop-in sessions in June. I’ll be posting details of when and where these drop-in sessions will take place soon and I suggest you come along and speak to one of our transport team about your concerns.

I can’t find any mention in the master plans of what might happen to improve Warwick Road, something which is at the top of most residents’ list or improvement priorities.  Have the planners given up on this and accepted that it is just too difficult a problem?

Thank you for your comment.

We are planning to improve the pedestrian crossing opposite Earls Court station on Warwick Road by removing street furniture to make it safer and less cluttered and blend it in with the rest of the development. We also intend to add a crossing for cyclists to connect with the new cycle path network across the site. 

In terms of the Earls Court one-way system, we are still exploring the possibility of changing it, although as you mentioned this is a very complex and difficult procedure. Ultimately the decision lies with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Transport for London.

The Earl’s Court one way system is not in itself the cause of the run down nature of the north south main roads. It is the volume of the traffic. Reverting to two way working would make things far worse unless there is a vast reduction of traffic first. The best way for this to happen would be to have a relief road running though the Earl’s Court development.

Earls Court one way system is a real nuisance and should be changed in redevelopment works. I live on Philbeach Gardens and walk along Warwick Road daily. Warwick Road along with the other one way roads in Earls Court have become urban highways that have too much traffic and encourage high speeds. It is a health hazard and dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. I encourage the redevelopment project to bring this into their plans. It should become a two way system with wider pedestrian walk ways and cycle lanes.

Thank you for your comments Peter and Matthew.

The issue of the one way system was addressed in the recently published draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Earl’s Court and West Kensington Opportunity Area produced by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in conjunction with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and other key stakeholders including Transport for London:
http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Environment_and_Planning/Regeneration/Regeneration_projects/150594_Earls_court_and_west_kensington_opportunity_area.asp.

The SPD recognises that the A4 and the Earls Court One Way System have a key role in the maintaining the performance of the strategic highway network in London. An assessment of the potential for using a new north–south route within the site to relieve the Earls Court One Way System of through traffic, which could allow for two-way operation to be introduced, was undertaken in support of the SPD. This concluded that for a number of reasons, the traffic reduction that could be achieved through an alternative parallel route would not be sufficient to introduce two-way operation on the existing Earl’s Court One Way System, without significant impacts on the surrounding road network, individual junctions and overall journey times.