Shopkeepers blame ‘poor signage’ for a drop in footfall
A road traffic trial on Crescent Road is threatening the survival of local businesses, according to shopkeepers.
Signages such as: ‘No access through Crescent Road,’ ‘No motor vehicles except permit holders,’ ‘Traffic enforcement camera’ have been introduced around Crescent Road as part of an Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO) to “reduce through traffic” in the area.
Malika Hemici, owner of the boutique Aya Couture on 81 Crescent Road, described the reduction in footfall as “incredible”, and predicted that should the trial continue or be made permanent the small businesses on Crescent Road “unfortunately will go”.
“Some people can’t survive until after Christmas if it continues like this,” Hemici said. “The signages are very poor, people can’t decide if they have to come and park here or continue down. My clients leave their car up the road and come walking here.”
Councillor Jamal Chohan, deputy leader of the opposition, agreed that the signages are unclear. He said: “You can still turn right into Crescent Road and visit the shops, but because the signs say Crescent Road is closed, no one goes down that road anymore. […] Business owners keep having to explain to people that they can still come, they just can’t drive down on.”
The ETMO trial was agreed by a majority of the council’s Kingston and North Kingston Neighbourhood Committee in a meeting in December 2024 “in response to resident concerns about the Kingston Gate and Kingston Hill area being used as a cut through,” according to a council spokesperson.
Two councillors from the Coombe Hill Ward, Rowena Bass and Ian George, voted against the trial. Bass said: “Ian and I were the only two councillors who spoke out and voted against this trial, as we thought it was an overreaction and would increase congestion and travel times for Coombe Hill residents.
“Also, we said at the meeting we were really concerned about the effects on the businesses in Crescent Road.”
At a council meeting on 14 October, a question from George revealed that the council had received a total of £35,480 in penalty charges from motorists who, after turning onto Crescent Road, drove past the permit-only width restriction further down.
“The fines are ridiculous,” said Bass. “The LibDems should reverse the scheme and pay it all back. The fines are so unfair.”
Chohan also agreed that drivers and businesses should be compensated. He said: “People should be refunded. In fact, the council should give that money as subsidies to the six businesses on the road who suffered significant loss of business.
“That money should be invested in those businesses, in advertising those businesses and offsetting some of the business rates.”
Hemici, who has worked on Crescent Road for 26 years, said that the recent losses had caused distress. “It makes me feel very upset actually,” she said. “Every time I talk about it I feel like crying and I don’t sleep at night.”
A Kingston Council spokesperson said: “The trial restrictions in place do not affect access from Kingston Hill to the small parade of shops at the entrance of Crescent Road or access to Kingston Park and Cumberland House.
“The council held a formal six-month consultation and also currently has an open engagement for residents’ feedback on its Let’s Talk portal.”
The spokesperson added that on 4 December 2025, a summary of the trial, including feedback and data gathered from residents, will be taken to the Kingston and North Kingston Neighbourhood Committee for a decision on next steps.
