A once quiet neighbourhood has descended into “chaos”, with residents facing “constant gridlock” and aggressive drivers due to a lack of traffic management.

People living in Richmond are fed up with the constant “honking” from angry motorists, which they describe as like living in New York City.

The London suburb sits on the River Thames and is home to a sprawling deer park, green spaces and numerous walking routes.

But residents are dreading the coming months after Transport for London (TfL) closed a section of a major roundabout, which has resulted in noise, road rage and even a driver urinating in someone’s front garden.

After 13 collisions were reported in the 36 months leading up to February 2023, road safety is being addressed in the project.

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Although the neighbourhood usually has a quiet, village-like feel, one 53-year-old mum said drivers’ road rage was tipping her “over the edge”.

She said: “When I try and get my car out, I’m met with a lot of aggression from drivers because they seem to think they’ve got priority over me because they’ve been queueing for a long time.”

Speaking to MyLondon, she added: “I understand the necessity of the work, the problem is the fact it’s led to gridlock on this road and it’s just adding a lot of time to every single journey, and just being met with abuse and aggression from drivers and unnecessary honking.

“It has been constant gridlock. Someone described it as being like living in New York because, it had that honking.”

A 75-year-old resident who wished to remain anonymous said the traffic had led to “mopeds driving up the pavement” and “somebody else urinating in somebody’s front garden”.

Sarah Olney, Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park, said drivers had “spent hours trying to travel just a few miles” and believes TfL had put “almost no traffic management” in place.

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Richmond Council has asked TfL to consider extending working hours, improving traffic light phasing and amending bus services. It has also requested the transport body increase signage up to the M25 and towards central London to divert drivers.

The authority is hosting an online public meeting on September 28 for anyone impacted by the issue, and has invited TfL to attend.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We’re determined to eliminate death and serious injury on London’s roads, which is why we’re working at Manor Circus to make vital changes including new pedestrian and cyclist crossings and wider pavements. We are also carrying out essential maintenance work to the bridge that the roundabout is situated on as part of this work.

They added: “This work has led to an increase in traffic in the area and we are sorry for the disruption caused to people in the local area. We have made changes to the local bus network to respond to this and are also working closely with local partners and our contractor to see what further changes could be made to reduce disruption.”

Road users are advised to check the TfL website for the latest travel information ahead of their journey.

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