Wandsworth to Deal with 'Notoriously Bad' Road Markings
Audit to identify faded yellow lines and confusing street signs
Parking attendants say Wandsworth 'notoriously bad' for faded yellow lines
October 18, 2024
A wide-scale scheme to improve ‘notoriously bad’ street markings in Wandsworth borough will be rolled out next year. Council leader Simon Hogg confirmed the plans as he provided an update on the Labour-run authority’s audit of lines and signs in the borough, which are designed to make parking restrictions clear to drivers.
Parking wardens working on behalf of the council previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) lines and signs were ‘notoriously bad’ in Wandsworth. They said they repeatedly reported issues with faded markings and vandalised or confusing signs to the council, but claimed they saw no real improvement and parts of the borough looked ‘abandoned’.
One warden, who had worked in other London boroughs, said he was shocked at the ‘terrible’ condition of lines and signs in Wandsworth when he took up the role. He told the LDRS: “I just couldn’t believe that there were so many locations where the signs and the lines were either not clear, not there or vandalised and nothing seems to ever get done about it the majority of the time.”
Marston Holdings, which owns the council’s previous parking contractor NSL, said at the time the authority was investing £1million to improve lines and signs. APCOA Parking took over the contract on 1 August.
Labour councillor Jack Mayorcas asked for an update on the authority’s programme to restore the borough’s ‘long-neglected road signs’ in a written question ahead of a council meeting on 16 October. Councillor Hogg, in a written response, said the plans are part of the authority’s aim to correct ‘decades of underinvestment’ in the borough, which was run by the Conservatives until 2022.
Councillor Hogg wrote, “As part of our decade of renewal we are correcting decades of underinvestment and investing £1m, paid for by property developers, to complete a full borough audit of street signs and lines, and roll out a series of improvements.
“I recently asked residents to let me know if their street signs needed replacing, and there was a very positive response. We replaced a number of street signs within a week, and I’d encourage councillors and residents to report faded or damaged signs so we can replace them. A full, wider programme of renewal for street signs and lines is being developed and will be launched in early 2025.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter