In recent years, the road has become a hotspot for reckless speeding and dramatic collisions, leaving residents fearing for their lives on a daily basis.
“This is a danger zone,” says local mum Hazel Freeman, whose home has been hit by speeding cars that regularly flaunt Spa Hill’s 20mph limit.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “In the 12 years I’ve lived here we have witnessed crash after crash, the bus stop has been demolished and rebuilt, our walls have been hit by cars.”
“We fear it’s only a matter of time before a child gets killed on this road,” she added.
Spa Hill is a steep downhill residential road linking Thornton Heath with 30mph Beulah Hill, a major arterial route.
The area sits at the meeting point of five London boroughs, making it a heavily used route for drivers cutting across South London.
For the past two years, Spa Hill residents have been demanding urgent action from Croydon Council, calling for a speed camera to be installed on what they describe as one of the borough’s most dangerous residential roads.
The road also serves five schools nearby, with an estimated total student population of 3,000 pupils, many of whom use the bus stops along the road.
However, some parents now feel it is no longer safe to walk or cycle along the road.
Despite the 20mph limit, residents say this is “always ignored” with vehicles reaching up to 50mph.
Its 12 per cent gradient, wide road and confusion over changing speed limits make for a “lethal combination,” and an “invitation to speed”, they say.
Back in 2024 a cyclist was left with a brain injury following a hit and run on the road. A year later, resident Jane Burnett was hit by a car, causing multiple fractures to each wrist.
“One of our neighbours is sleeping in her back room out of the fear that a car will career into the front of her house,” Ms Freeman added.
Just days before the LDRS visited Spa Hill, a speeding car crashed into a resident’s front wall, leaving part of the bumper still visible among the rubble.
Alongside crashes, residents have also reported numerous incidents of road rage on Spa Hill. In one recent case during school run hours, a driver got out of his vehicle and attacked another motorist with a golf club in broad daylight.
The campaign is backed by actor and resident Angus Imrie who joined residents and Councillor Patsy Cummings for a protest on Spa Hill.
“As a local resident, I worry every day about children walking to school and neighbours crossing this road,” said Mr Imrie.
Spa Hill resident Nettie Duff said: “My car was hit and written off completely. All we have had from the council is repainted road markings and a speedometer. That was hit by a speeding car too.”
Residents say the current traffic calming measures – signage and a street speed finder – are inadequate, and insist that only a speed camera will work.
“We don’t want people to get fined, we just want people to go down here at the right speed limit,” added Councillor Cummings who has been working on the campaign.
The campaign has also drawn the support of Streatham and Croydon North MP and local government minister Steve Reed, who said: “The images of the accidents I have seen on Spa Hill are incredibly worrying. I urge Croydon Council to work with residents to prevent future tragedies.”
While Croydon Council has introduced traffic calming measures like speed bumps and oncoming vehicle priority junction further down the road, they are limited due to TfL’s ownership of the road.
However, Cllr Cummings said: “Croydon needs to start the process, do the surveys and make the case to TfL.”
The residents presented their petition, signed by over 1,500 people online and offline, at Croydon Council’s full meeting on Wednesday (October 22).
From the public gallery, Ms Freeman called on the council to take “urgent action before someone is finally killed on our hill”.
Responding, Cabinet Member for Streets and Environment, Scott Roche, said: “I am aware of the speeding issues along this road, also the complicated junction going into Beulah Hill and Howard Road.
“It is clear that the speeding and road safety issues is still a big problem for Spa Hill and the local community. We will initially look at refreshing road markings and install speed limit roundel road markings, which can help make it clearer that the speed limit for Spa Hill is 20mph.”
Funding for a speed camera could also be secured under TfL’s Local Implementation Plan program.
Cllr Roche said the council would consider an application for Spa Hill when the next funding round opens in March 2026.
They will also train residents to use speed detection equipment alongside officers as part of community road watch program and said the highways team will carry out a site visit next week.
He added: “Residents deserve to feel safe on Spa Hill and this council will do what it can to help.”
However for the residents-turned-campaigners, the fight for road safety will not stop after the meeting.
“This is not going away,” said Ms Freeman. “We have waited too long. Now we want results.”
