Do you want to stop large vehicles such as HGVs using the High Street and The Terrace?
A new petition has been launched to gauge public opinion - story 140
Welcome to Bridged2050: creating an even better Barnes during this climate crisis
A new petition calls for the introduction and enforcement of new weight limits for vehicles using two key roads in Barnes: the High Street and The Terrace.
It has been created by Travel Barnes group, part of the Barnes Community Association. This is one of several ideas from the group to make The Terrace a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
Full disclosure: I am a member of this BCA working group. Before joining, I published a detailed article about how improving The Terrace is critical to making a Barnes pedestrian-friendly.
To take part, you’ll need to be a Richmond borough resident with an online council account — the same one used for booking waste collections or checking planning applications. Once logged in, you can access the petition here.
The council’s guidance explains how they manage petitions:
500+ verified signatures push an issue to the relevant sub-committee.
1,000+ signatures trigger discussion at the next full council meeting.
You can see all the current petitions here.
Notes & thoughts
The most important word on the poll is ‘enforcement’. Weight limits mean little if they’re ignored.
The results of this petition will feed into a council investigation into the practicalities and cost of enforcement of any changes to the weight limits.
Early interest in the petition looks modest: 24 residents signed on day one, and 66 by the end of the week, in a community of roughly 22,000 across Barnes and Mortlake. BCA are considering how to promote the petition more widely.
The issue is simple enough to frame: do we want The Terrace and the High Street to serve as a through-route for HGVs, or as a place where people can walk, cycle and linger without noise and risk?
Meanwhile, the council have approved a project to improve the pedestrian experience of The Terrace. This is designed to deliver what the council describes as ‘quick wins’.