No injuries were reported after the car crashed into the planter on Wandsworth Bridge Road
The shocking moment a car smashed into a planter within yards of where people often sit on a key West London road has been caught on camera.
The footage shows an individual walking up Wandsworth Bridge Road in Fulham with the installation just behind them, followed by a car driving safely past. A second car’s lights then suddenly appear before it crashes into the planter, which in turn hits a parklet and sends soil flying across the pavement.
The video, shot by an Associated Security Group camera facing the road, is dated April 22 with a time shown of around 7.30pm. It is understood the incident may have, however, occurred early the following morning with the time on the camera inaccurate.
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which installed the planters and parklets, confirmed no injuries were reported after emergency services were called.
The parklets were introduced as part of the council’s wider South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood (CAN), a scheme which has also seen cameras erected on streets to the east and west of Wandsworth Bridge Road to prevent out-of-borough drivers rat-running.
Several of them are located along the highway, protected from traffic by planters and offering a place for passers-by to sit.
They have however proven controversial, with some querying the potential impacts on congestion and safety. There have been instances of the planters being hit by vehicles previously, and last December a woman riding a Lime bike just avoided a potentially serious injury after becoming trapped between a lorry and one of the parklets.
The latest footage is likely to only heighten concerns, with the damage to the planter and parklet appearing quite substantial.
The planter and parklet suffered serious damage as a result of the incident(Image: Caroline Shuffrey)
Caroline Shuffrey, a resident who has previously spoken publicly against the scheme, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The parklets and their ‘sacrificial’ planters were placed on this strategic London road carrying tens of thousands of vehicles per day, more than 18 months ago, without an experimental traffic order and without the agreement of Transport for London (TfL).
“They have been involved in numerous accidents, some extremely serious. Thousands of residents in Hammersmith and Fulham have objected to the parklets which are dangerous to pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles but the council have not removed them.”
Ms Shuffrey said local MP Ben Coleman has also been contacted about the matter.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said: “We understand police were called after a car driver crashed into a protective planter at approximately 4.15am on Thursday morning in a 20mph zone. No injuries were reported after emergency services were called.”
The local authority is planning further upgrades to Wandsworth Bridge Road in its effort to make it more of a high street destination. The works, which were initially expected to start last summer, have however been hit by delays.
The LDRS recently revealed the council has had to “return to the design stage” following consultation with Transport for London (TfL).
A new “updated corridor vision” is now planned to be brought forward later this year.
On the wider changes to the road, a spokesperson previously said: “We remain committed to working collaboratively with our residents and businesses, through consultation and engagement, to transform Wandsworth Bridge Road from a highway into a high street that is vibrant and more accessible – a place of which we can all be proud.”
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