A controversial £100,000 pilot scheme aimed at ameliorating Tooting’s chaotic traffic has been ditched.

Last week, at the strategic planning and transportation scrutiny committee, Wandsworth councillors backed residents who were largely against proposed changes in the Fishponds Road area.

Your Local Guardian:

Earlier this year the council proposed road closures and road blocks in the area after a group of residents raised concerns about drivers rat-running.

However, the consultation showed a clear majority of residents were against the changes with 64 per cent voting against any closures compared to 29 per cent in favour.

Jon Irwin, who is formerly of Fishponds Road and recently stood for the Liberal Democrats as a councillor in Tooting, initiated the idea after becoming fed up of traffic in the area.

He said: "I fully accept local people's response to the consultation, however, I disagree with the council, and by extension both Labour and Conservative views that the right course of action is to do nothing.

"From speaking with hundreds of people as part of the local election campaign, it is clear that many people feel that there is a problem with traffic and road safety in the local area.

"Indeed the fact that this is the 4th consultation, for Fishponds Road, in 12 years highlights this point.

"People may disagree on the best solution to fix a known problem, is doing nothing really the best way to fix it?"

Town hall transport spokesman Councillor Jonathan Cook said: "It is quite clear that the vast majority of residents were not in favour of the proposed changes and as a result this idea has been set aside.

"This has been a good example of local democracy in action."

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan added: "The number of objections I received to these crazy plans were off the scale. It is reassuring to know that on some issues the Council does listen to local residents."