Carshalton High Street – Bus Priority Improvements

Proposals

We plan to upgrade all single red line sections (no stopping Monday to Saturday, 07:00 – 19:00) to double red lines (no stopping at any time) on Carshalton High Street between The Square and Park Lane. Please see map below for further details of the sections affected.

There would be no changes to existing parking or loading bays, but it would mean there would be no stopping at any time outside these bays. Currently, parking is allowed after 19:00 on weekdays and Saturdays and all day on Sundays. This will no longer be permitted under the new proposal.

Click on map to see a larger version

Why?

Carshalton High Street is a key bus corridor served by routes 127, 157, 407, and SL7, with up to  40 buses per hour carrying over 12,000 passengers daily.

SL7 Bus on Carshalton High Street

However, bus speeds along this corridor are consistently below scheduled levels, averaging just  3–5 mph especially during weekday evenings and Sunday inter-peak periods. This ongoing decline in speed affects reliability and passenger experience.

To improve journey times and make bus services more efficient and attractive, we’re proposing changes to parking restrictions along Carshalton High Street.

Many of London’s parking controls on the red route network were first set up years ago and as a consequence don’t always give bus services the priority bus passengers need during evenings or weekends. To help make buses a more reliable and appealing choice every day of the week, we’re planning to extend the hours these rules apply. This will help keep traffic lanes clear and improve journeys for everyone using public transport.

There are also a number of additional benefits from reducing kerbside activity like parking:

• Faster, more reliable buses by removing pinch points
• Reducing chance of ‘dooring’ (this is when cyclists are hurt in collisions in which the occupant of a vehicle opens a door into their path)
• Better visibility and safety at junctions for pedestrians and drivers
• Improved traffic flow for all road users

London’s streets are some of the most congested in the world, worsening air pollution, delaying vital bus services and freight, and making too many streets unpleasant places for walking and cycling.

Lifestyle changes, increasing use of internet deliveries, Sunday shopping and a rapidly growing night-time economy, have caused changes in travel and congestion patterns in recent years. The congestion problem is not confined to the traditional morning and evening peaks, or just to central London – it affects neighbourhoods and town centres across London.  Action is needed to reduce the negative impact of congestion on the city. Reducing car use and encouraging modal shift is a key part of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to tackle this.

These changes are designed to support a more efficient and sustainable transport network for everyone using Carshalton High Street. By improving bus speeds, we can ensure travelling by bus appeals to Londoners.

How it impacts you

Example of red route signageIf you currently park or load in the affected sections in the evenings after 19:00 or all day Sunday, you would no longer be permitted to do so. This could also affect deliveries to local businesses.

There are a number of alternative parking provisions in the area including:

• 12 parking, 3 loading and 3 Blue Badge bays on the High Street
• The Square Car Park (charges apply every day 08:00 – 22:00)
• Carshalton High Street Car Park (charges apply every day 08:00 – 22:00)

If you have a Blue Badge you can stop to set down or pick up on a single or double red line, but you can't park on them during their hours of operation.

More Information

We have provided more information to help you respond:

Accessible Information

We want to make sure everyone is able to take part in our consultations. To help make it accessible to everyone we have provided:

Tell us your views

You can reply by completing our survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete or if you are short on time, you can submit a quick response.

The closing date for comments is Monday 29 September 2025.

Questions?

You can use our question tool during the consultation period. We will respond to your questions as soon as we can.

Next steps

These proposals are subject to the outcome of our consultation. Once the consultation ends on 29 September 2025, we will spend time considering all the responses we receive and will prepare a consultation report.

The consultation report will help us reach a decision about whether to proceed with the changes to the red route restrictions on the High Street.

We will aim to make a decision before the end of the year. A copy of the report will be available to everyone that takes part in the consultation and a copy will be published on our website.