Residents and traders are petitioning the London Mayor to stop a proposed red route which they say will hit trading, parking and safety.

GLA member Andrew Pelling plans to hand over a 1,150-name petition to Ken Livingston today on behalf of residents opposing the red route between Kenley and Purley on the A22 Godstone Road.

Transport for London (TfL), the Mayor's road and tube authority, plans to make the A22 a red route at the end of March. TfL believes the restrictions and other changes to road junctions will make the A22 safer for pedestrians but locals have criticised the proposals, saying there are not enough pedestrians using the road between Whyteleafe and Purley to justify the changes.

Mr Pelling, Conservative GLA member for Croydon and Sutton, who invited locals to attend the meeting at Romney House in Westminster, said: "I hope the Mayor will be more flexible and react positively to what I have to say."

Godstone Road resident Marie Mitchell said: "It is hard enough to find residential parking with commuters already using our side roads for free parking. This has been a congested road for as far back as I can remember.

"The Purley residents feel a red route would make no difference to this congestion.

"Shopkeepers will end up closing due to lack of trade because customers cannot stop for two minutes to buy their essentials.

"The road is only wide enough for passing traffic and, having lived in Lower Road since 1962 and seen the changes, I can tell you that the only reason the traffic is so bad now is because of the stupid layout of Purley Cross."