Work is underway to introduce a 20mph speed limit throughout residential areas in Wandsworth.

Last year, Wandsworth Council agreed to consult residents on a proposal to introduce the speed limit and 59 per cent supported it.

Limits will remain the same on the busier roads in the borough, with 64 per cent of residents who responded to the three month consultation agreeing those limits should not be reduced.

According to Fleur Anderson, Labour’s speaker on community services: “This campaign took many years and it wouldn’t have been successful without the support of groups like Living Streets and people across the borough who signed petitions asking for this.

“Slowing down the borough’s traffic will reduce air pollution and potentially save lives. I’m delighted to finally see the 20mph limit not just in streets here and there but across Wandsworth”.

The council’s transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “Having received a very clear result from the consultation we have now completed the necessary legal formalities and can now implement the wishes expressed by the majority of our residents.

“In my view this change will make our streets safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

“We hope that improving safety levels will encourage people to leave their cars at home and travel instead by bike or on foot.

“If we can reduce the number of vehicles on our roads then not only will our streets be quieter and safer but there should also be an improvement in local air quality levels.”

Responses to the new speed limit on the council’s website are mixed but weigh more on the negative side with people worried about congestion, air pollution, and lack of enforcement.

In response to decision, Living Streets Wandsworth said the “decision by Wandsworth residents, and endorsed by the Council, is potentially the harbinger of the biggest single change our streets will have seen in two generations.

“It will help transform them into public space that will be safer, quieter, and more attractive.

“It recognises that there is a diversity of people who make use of our streets – local shoppers on foot, commuters and pedestrians accessing public transport (buses and trains), cyclists, people wanting to use local markets, cafes, bars and so on, and even children playing on quiet residential streets.”

The local group acknowledged there will be challenges ahead which include enforcement and motorists abiding by the new regulations.

Implementing the 20mph limit will cost £725,000 and is being funded by a Transport for London grant.