Migrating toads cause a London road to be closed

 A section of road at Ham near Richmond in southwest London is closed for almost one month in March to allow toads to migrate safely. The common toads cross the road in the same spot as part of their annual migration from hibernation to their breeding areas. 

The toads follow the same route every year as they go back to the ponds where they were born, and where they then mate. A 400 m stretch of Church Road by Ham Woods is closed to avoid any accidents to the toads. Luckily it is not a major road. 

Volunteers do a “toad patrol” during the migration period to make sure the toads get across safely. They also rescue any toads that fall into drains. 

Sadly I didn't see any toads when I went.

Richmond Council issues a road traffic order to enforce the road closure, from 7 March until 1 April. This was first done in 2010. Part of the traffic order -

A study by Froglife and partners from The University of Zurich in Switzerland found that on average common toads have declined by 68% over the last 30 years in the UK.

This road closure is part of the annual nationwide "Toads on Roads" project organised by Frog Life. It has been running for over 20 years. Their webpage says "Common Toads are very particular about where they breed and often migrate back to their ancestral breeding ponds each year. They follow the same route, regardless of what gets in their way, which sometimes leads to them crossing roads". There is a register of these migratory crossings. 

There is a page on facts and figures. In 2021, 81,761 toads were helped at crossings but 6,266 were still killed at manned crossings. On a gloomier note "It’s estimated that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on the UK’s roads every year."