On Monday 20th January at 6pm, we held a vigil at the site of a crash the week prior, which claimed the life of a cyclist in his 20s. Our co-ordinator, Jonathan, read the following prepared remarks. We then held a minute’s silence to commemorate the man who was killed.
We’re here tonight to mark the sad events of last Monday. Details are still scarce to us, and no doubt will become clearer in the coming weeks and months as the Police and coroner make their inquiries.
Right now, we have no further details about the person who died, nor the circumstances of the crash.
Fatal crashes involving lorries and people cycling are a distressingly regular occurrence. The last one in London that we know about was only 10 weeks earlier, on 2nd November last year, when a 27-year-old man was hit and killed in Putney while he was on his way to meet his friends for lunch.
Last week’s crash took place just a few feet away from here, at a junction that was, between 2019 and 2023, Newham’s fourth most dangerous for cycling. Despite being a known danger spot, Carpenters Road junction has been left largely untouched and unprotected for over a decade—just like its neighbours at Cooks Road and Warton Road. It should not take someone, or someones, losing their life for the responsible authorities to take action to remove danger from our streets—at a location that the thousands of us who navigate Stratford on a daily basis know all too well. Even one death is one too many.
Today we are here to acknowledge yet another violent and premature end to a person’s life on London’s roads—and to pay our respects to the unknown rider whose life ended here. And it is easy to forget when policymakers, journalists, and indeed campaigners like us, so readily reduce traffic fatalities to statistics, but let us remember: Every single death or serious injury in traffic is someone’s personal tragedy.
No matter who the young gentleman who died here was, no matter what he was doing, no matter where he was going: no-one deserves a sudden and violent death while simply going about their lives.
We’ll now observe a minute’s silence to reflect, and to pay our respects to the person who was killed.
We support this scheme and hope that it will go together with a wider scheme to improve both the C-link and the Water Lane area, which is blighted by high volumes of high speed traffic despite not being a main road. We are very aware that there was recently a fatal crash here (two Fridays ago.)
We’ve asked for clearer visual priority for people walking and cycling, with a continuous surface treatment, to make more likely that drivers will give way to people crossing (as they legally should.)
You can find our response below, and use that to inform your own response to the survey.
Inspired by Camden Cyclists’ excellent series of the same name, this post is about the progress of the many cycling infras schemes with spades in the ground in Newham. We will post new ones as and when volunteer time allows and there’s something new to report.
Romford Road
As a large project which will take a number of years, the long-awaited Romford Road public realm improvement scheme is broken up into sections. Sections B eastbound (Water Lane to Radlett Close) and D eastbound (Woodgrange Road to Richmond Road) were the first to be consulted on, and are the first to have been substantively finished. Snagging work should now have been completed for both.
Work has now begun on section B westbound. We’d expect work on section D westbound to take a little longer, owing to the recent fire at Forest Gate Police Station. Work continues on sections H and I.
The open cycle track on sections B and D eastbound is already being very well used by people cycling. In particular a lot of cyclists want to turn right into Dyson Road and the West Ham Park area, and so are already cycling around the barriers to use the zebra crossing.
The massive carriageway on the Westfield Avenue bridge (2 lanes + central hatching!) has already been narrowed by the arrival of materials presumably associated with the construction work. This, combined with hatching on the opposite side, reduces the road width to its final configuration of one traffic lane in each direction. This appears to have already led to a significant reduction in vehicle speeds at what was a real danger spot for people driving, and bodes well for improved safety on the whole corridor for all road users.
West Ham Park LTN
The planters have been installed at the point closures on Ham Park Road for this LTN which is going live on Monday 4th November, although the formal “no motor vehicles” signage has yet to be installed. Signage for the other two point closures on Vicarage Road and Tavistock Road will also need to be installed soon. (UPDATE 8 November: This was an error in the traffic order, the implementation date is now 25 November.)
You don’t need to stand on Ham Park Road long to see why this LTN is desperately needed! Even at 2pm on a Saturday when this photo was taken, large bursts of traffic were forcing their way through this narrow residential street from both the east and the west. We were somewhat concerned for the safety of a cat crossing the street (alas, not visible in the photo!) We look forward to this LTN coming into effect soon, for a safer West Ham Park for all cats (and humans.)
Greenway diversion
We are still waiting for the delivery of any measures at all to make the appalling Greenway diversion via Abbey Road safer. Our latest understanding is that speed cushions are imminent (a purchase order having supposedly been raised by Thames Water) and the ETMO to close Abbey Road to motor vehicles will be coming in late November (UPDATE: now cancelled because Newham Council chickened out) followed by permanent works to build out the south pavement to become a shared cycle track. We will post when we have more confirmed details. There is still no sign of permanent signage for the diversion, with portable temporary signage still in use and still regularly going missing.
New “cyclists dismount” signage has appeared on the shared pavement under the bridge, which has been narrowed… by Thames Water’s own storage unit. “Cyclists dismount” signs are generally not helpful and should only be used as a last resort—they do little more than tell people cycling they’re unwelcome, and many people ignore them. They are also not inclusive of Disabled cyclists using cycles as mobility aids, who may not be able to easily dismount.
We feel this dismounted section can be avoided by extending the traffic light phase for the pedestrian crossing, sending cyclists on this phase through the section of carriageway under the bridge. This is eminently achievable, but requires Thames Water and Newham to collaborate on traffic light phasing, signage, and road markings that work.
Greenway users have now been exposed to over 6 weeks of unacceptable danger, all of which would have been avoided had Thames Water planned their works properly and not closed the Greenway until the diversion was kid-safe.
Work around Beckton station is continuing. The priority pedestrian and cycling crossing on the Frobisher Road arm of the roundabout (into the Asda car park) is now available for use. Drivers leaving the roundabout are generally respecting the priority of people walking and cycling here. It remains to be seen how this develops with time as the scheme nears completion and the volume of cyclists increases.
The connection with the Beckton Corridor route is closed for resurfacing. The traffic lights across the bus station are largely complete, although they’re not turned on yet. There’s an unusual detail of the cycle part of this crossing being separately marked as if it were a parallel crossing, although the traffic lights suggest a shared toucan crossing. The cycle part also uses non standard pedestrian “stud” markings, rather than the “elephants’ footprints” that are generally used in this country to mark a cycle crossing.
Royal Docks Corridor
This scheme is now well underway with work visible on site throughout the entire corridor from Canning Town to Connaught Roundabout. Kerblines have begun to appear on North Woolwich Road near Pontoon Dock, and the junctions are progressing nicely.
Extra work is now happening on the previously-opened eastbound cycle track near the Oasis Academy and petrol station at West Silvertown. The planting is generally in, although not looking as verdant as Romford Road just yet. Junctions south of the viaduct are still largely on temporary traffic lights.
Some value engineering is evident on the Silvertown Way viaduct, where the original plans for a fully stepped cycle track have been replaced by a semi-protected painted cycle lane with kerbs at intervals. The kerbed dividers seem sufficiently bulky that it seems unlikely people will be tempted to speed and risk crashing into them, but it remains to be seen whether drivers end up invading these lanes and parking in them.
Work on the northern end near Canning Town station and the connection with Cycleway 3 seems largely complete, albeit not including the more direct crossing of Cycleway 3 across Canning Town Roundabout which we suspect may come as part of a later scheme.
Tidal Basin Roundabout
Work appears largely complete at the new Tidal Basin Roundabout, although the new shared pedestrian and cycle crossings are still mostly closed off.
This scheme is primarily to accommodate the enormous volumes of traffic which are likely to use the new Silvertown Tunnel, an urban motorway project which wehaveconsistentlyopposed. Even with the new greenery, you only need to look at the wide, sweeping traffic lanes to see who the roundabout and tunnel are really designed for: heavy lorries, and large volumes of private cars. People walking and cycling will be expected to wait up to 5 times to cross this massive new incarnation of the roundabout, adding further delay and encouraging risk-taking on journeys to City Hall, Dock Road, and the proposed new housing at Thames Wharf.
It remains to be seen how this operates in practice. We remain deeply sceptical that the Silvertown Tunnel project will achieve its stated aims, and think it will be seen as an historic planning failure like the vestiges of the Ringway scheme from the 1960s. This roundabout, which expects those without a car to dance between traffic islands, is only part of that legacy.
Bow Roundabout
Work on this scheme has begun and will continue for some months. The usual “cycle gate” arrangement for Cycleway 2 at Bow Roundabout continues on temporary traffic lights.
The effect will be to add an additional traffic lane on one side of the roundabout, create an additional eastbound lane for traffic leaving the roundabout onto Stratford High Street, create an additional westbound lane for traffic entering the roundabout from High Street, reverse the direction of the connecting lane under the flyover, and cut back the contraflow lane so that uses this connection to join the main westbound carriageway to go around the roundabout.
TfL declined to assess the new layout under their Cycling Level of Service or Judgment Assessment tools, because (cf. the FOI response) “the decision to separate cyclists from traffic at this location has already been established here and the route is a Cycleway.” We find this logic questionable:
The creation of additional lanes (and indeed this scheme being hurried through using the DCO before the Tunnel opens) suggests TfL believes traffic volumes will increase here.
CS2 eastbound is not physically separated from general traffic here. There is an existing issue where the painted lane is blocked by parked cars, forcing cyclists to merge into motor traffic that’s accelerating off the roundabout.
This issue will be compounded in the new layout by increased traffic volumes, the overwhelming majority of which will be through traffic, whose drivers may see the motorway-type design as an invitation to speed…
and by the new merge movement just west of Cooks Road, which runs the risk of drivers in the left-hand lane swerving into the cycle lane to avoid a collision with another vehicle merging from the right. While curtailing the contraflow lane is very welcome and will reduce the risk of motorists colliding head-on, we question why a new eastbound lane on High Street for the approx 60 yards before it merges into the first lane was considered necessary.
We will be monitoring this new layout very closely when it goes live, and won’t hesitate to hold TfL to account for any necessary mitigations to ensure the safety of people walking and cycling.
This is where 2 general traffic lanes off the roundabout will become 1—which may make the painted lane feel even more vulnerable than it currently is.
The new series of BBC1’s Ambulance was partly filmed at London Ambulance Service’s control room at Dockside earlier this year, and features locations and events many will recognise (including the fire at Forest Gate police station.)
The Romford Road cycle track’s new planting helped inspire a firefighter to rejuvenate Stratford Fire Station’s own garden space.He was interviewed recently on Gardeners’ Question Time on BBC Radio 4. We think the rain garden past the fire station makes it one of the loveliest cycle lanes in Newham.
Other news across London…
While Newham Cyclists focuses on Newham, your cycle knows no bounds and many of our journeys start and finish outside our borough. Here’s some news from our neighbours that may be of interest…
Hackney Cycling Campaign have done an extraordinary job pressuring Hackney Council over their unsafe Pembury Circus design (largely consisting of magic painted rectangles & early release traffic lights.) The decision has now been called in for review, and they are hoping to involve Active Travel England as the project uses Levelling Up Fund money. If you walk or cycle through Pembury or Hackney Central, get in touch with HCC to see how you can help them demand better from their council.
Redbridge Council have launched a draft of their Sustainable Transport Strategy.Contact our friends at Redbridge Cycling Campaign if you’re interested in helping them. Of particular interest to us is Ilford Garden junction, which will connect to the end of the Romford Road cycleway. Deadline 5th January.
Keeping track of the many ongoing projects in Newham is a lot of work for our committee and volunteers. If you live or work near one of these sites, we’d really appreciate it if you would volunteer to tell us when things make progress. Email newham@lcc.org.uk or join our discussion group if you can help us, or want to get involved in our campaigning.
We are frustrated by the apparent lack of progress on making Abbey Road, the most dangerous part of the Greenway diversion, safe for people walking and cycling. The result is that Thames Water’s closure of the Greenway is continuing to put local residents in danger on their day-to-day journeys.
A massive thank you to everyone who has shared pictures, videos, and stories of the Greenway diversion since we posted our statement last Monday. Please keep them coming to newham@lcc.org.uk or on Instagram and Twitter/X.
We have had a record amount of feedback about the closure. People are upset and angry that their safe route to work, school, or the park has been taken away, and that daily travel for them and their families is now unacceptably dangerous.
We are passing your feedback onto Newham Council and Thames Water to pressure them into taking action without delay.
We encourage you to write to your councillors (find out who they are here) and to complain to Thames Water too (quote ref BB00472913.) The more people tell them how this is affecting their day-to-day lives, the stronger our voice is.
We also invite everyone affected by the Greenway closure to our next meeting, where we will be discussing progress and our next steps. It will be at 7:30pm on Monday 30th September, at Forest Lane Lodge, Magpie Close, E7 9DE.
Our YouTube video showing the dangerous situation on the Greenway
Feedback we have received
This is just a selection of some of the feedback we have received. We have tried to credit the people who provided it where we can—please let us know if this is your feedback and you would like your name added (or removed.)
It was chaos this morning and the route is not safe. I had a 4×4 keeping at me over the bridge which then decided to overtake me on the bridge and beep her horn at me. —Kulsum, via Instagram
I was overtaken by a car who nearly crashed into the oncoming car on the bridge with my 6 year old on the back of my bike – we were both terrified —Anne Marie, via Instagram
I used the diversion today – not safe. —@SairaSundar, via Twitter
The crossing at the bottom of the West Ham exit is LETHAL! —Ben, via Instagram
This happened just yesterday morning with a car overtaking me and other cyclists on the blind hill which caused a car and bike coming the other way over the hill to brake sharply to avoid a crash. —Rachel, via email
We went in the pavement, my kids were nearly thrown on the road as there were pedestrians and it was narrow —a local mother with 2 children, via email
Then at the bottom right into i think Leywick Street is simply suicidal. I saw two cyclists nearly got run over. I cycled on the pavement. —@Emilybronte53 via Twitter
this [is] impacting the daily commute of NewhamHospital staff. It’s disappointing the closure was not delayed to help get alternative route safe. This was great route for new cyclists. —@CatrionaRowland via Twitter
Changes made on Manor Road
We are pleased that a small change has been made to the signage on Manor Road. People cycling west are now routed onto the shared pavement under the bridge, rather than to cross the road and ride on a narrow strip of kerbline. While a shared pavement is never a perfect solution, this should prevent near misses like those where people have fallen from their bikes on Manor Road. While this change should have been made before the diversion went live, it’s better late than never.
Lighting is also being improved under the bridge, which is welcome.
We understand some changes are coming in the next week to add tactile paving to the crossing of Manor Road. This is welcome, but should also have been in place prior to the closure.
Abbey Road is still abysmal
Abbey Road remains the worst and most dangerous part of the diversion, and we are frustrated to see no apparent movement on a safe solution for this part. Abbey Road is not part of the strategic road network. It cannot carry buses or heavy freight due to a 7.5t weight limit.
Some shots from Abbey Road on a Thursday rush hour. We have chosen to cover the faces of people cycling on the pavement. While it’s technically illegal, we don’t blame people for keeping themselves safe from impatient drivers.
Our view remains that an experimental traffic order (ETO) to close the bridge to motor traffic should be made without delay. The drivers who use Abbey Road would be better making a short detour via West Ham Lane, which is a main road and can accommodate large volumes of traffic more effectively and safely. Emergency vehicles, of course, would still be welcome to use Abbey Road.
Our position remains that Thames Water should not have closed the Greenway until the ETO was in place. If, for whatever reason, an ETO is going to take more than a week from today, Thames Water should pause their works, move their equipment out of the way, and re-open the Greenway until Abbey Road can be made safe.
We have also provided images for the next issue of Newham Voices.
We were very pleased to have the support of two of our local MPs, Sir Stephen Timms and Uma Kumaran, who have written to Newham Council to ask for an update on the application for the ETO.
Sir Stephen also wrote to Thames Water to pass on our concerns. The response he received, and passed on to us, claimed inexplicably that “there are no immediate and straightforward options available.” We don’t agree with this: an ETO is eminently feasible, as was delaying the start of the works until the ETO was in place.
Instead, Thames Water claim they are taking some “short term actions” to alleviate the problem, including… “Additional signage making it clear there should be no overtaking cyclists and the road is joint use.” This will not make any meaningful difference. Signs will not change the fact that Abbey Road is completely unsafe; in our experience, impatient drivers will simply ignore a sign that says “DO NOT OVERTAKE CYCLISTS.”
Thames Water also claim in their response to Sir Stephen that “The safety of everyone is our number one priority when it comes to carrying out any of our operations…” Our position is unchanged: if safety truly was their number one priority, Thames Water would have, as we asked, delayed the start of the structural works until the diversion via Abbey Road was to an acceptable standard. They declined to do this.
What needs to happen now
Newham Council urgently needs to make an ETO to close the Abbey Road bridge to motor traffic. This needs to happen without delay, within a matter of days, not weeks.
Going forward, Thames Water and Newham Council need to fix their processes so that nothing like this is allowed to happen again.
We are collecting people’s experiences, stories, pictures, and videos from Greenway users put at risk by the dangerous diversion. Please send to newham@lcc.org.uk or DM us on Instagram or Twitter/X. Thank you.
Newham Cyclists, part of the London Cycling Campaign, is today calling for Thames Water to immediately re-open the Greenway at Manor Road bridge until a safe diversion can be put in place.
As a volunteer group which exists to help more people access cycling, we are disappointed and angered by Thames Water’s and their contractors’ decision to close part of the Greenway, Newham’s only safe and inclusive north-south cycle route, while the diversion route is dangerously busy with car and van traffic. They chose to do this despite us warning them as early as July that this would be unacceptable and unsafe.
The result is that people who use the Greenway—from children and families cycling to school or the park, to dog-walkers, to workers at Newham Hospital—are being forced onto a narrow bridge at Abbey Road DLR with fast and heavy traffic. Cars and vans speed and emerge suddenly due to poor sight lines, which is a major collision risk. Some drivers are impatient, intimidating cyclists by revving and passing too close. Many people cycling, particularly children, are riding on the pavement in fear; the pavement is much too narrow for pedestrians as it is.
We have been inundated with messages from Greenway users reporting frightening encounters on the diversion. We think it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt, or worse.
Thames Water chose to close Manor Road bridge on the Greenway without waiting for Newham Council to deliver a safe diversion.
This is despite us asking Thames Water to plan for the possibility they’d need to close Manor Road bridge in mid-April; and despite us making clear in late July that any diversion must be “kid-safe”, particularly by the start of the school year.
Instead, Thames Water chose a course of action that deprived local residents of their safe route to work or school one week into the school year.
We have also raised concerns about the following:
confusing signage making it unclear where diverted cyclists are supposed to go and suggesting they should cycle on a narrow strip of kerbing. We are aware of at least one lady falling from her bike following these instructions
social safety on the diversion via Canning Road and Abbey Lane, particularly after dark for women and gender-diverse people
concerns about the attitude of some of Thames Water and Barhale’s workers on site. We received one report from a woman who has had contractors make comments towards her on two separate occasions. It should go without saying that we find this behaviour appalling and reprehensible.
Our demands
We are calling for the following measures:
Thames Water and Barhale: Re-open the Greenway to people walking and cycling until the diversion is safe. We don’t believe work has substantively started yet, so this should be possible. You can resume work once Newham have made the diversion safe by closing Abbey Road to motor traffic.
Newham Council: Get on with delivering a safe and inclusive diversion, with an experimental traffic order on Abbey Road.
What we want Thames Water to do
We want Thames Water and their contractors Barhale to immediately re-open the Greenway until Newham Council have delivered a safe and inclusive diversion that is suitable for everyone to use, including children. As of Sunday 15th September we believe work on the sewer barrels has not yet begun. It must be delayed, and the Greenway re-opened to people walking and cycling, until a safe diversion is in place.
To be clear, we told Thames Water in mid-April that they should start planning for the possibility they’d need to completely close the bridge. At this point, they should have contacted Newham Council to start planning a diversion and getting paperwork in order. As we understand it, they did not inform Newham Council of this possibility until early July, over two and a half months later.
Local people trying to go to work or school should not be put in danger by Thames Water’s utility works.
What we want Newham Council to do
Newham Council must deliver a safe diversion for the Greenway, quickly, so Thames Water can proceed with their sewer replacement work. The quickest and best solution is an Experimental Traffic Order to close Abbey Road to motor traffic, enforced with a traffic camera and fines. Abbey Road is not part of the strategic road network; no buses or heavy freight use it due to the weight limit on the bridge. The traffic that does use it can easily use the more appropriate route via West Ham Lane instead. Emergency vehicles would of course be welcome to use the bridge.
While we understand that Thames Water gave an unacceptably short notice period, particularly considering the summer holidays, Newham also needs to make sure it has the ability to respond to changes like this in a quicker fashion.
Given Thames Water’s history with closing the Greenway and failing to complete works on time, and their current precarious financial position, we suggest that the plans are prepared to extend the traffic order or make it permanent after 18 months.
Information for editors and casual observers
What is the Greenway?
The Greenway is an off-road walking and cycling path built on top of a Victorian sewer. It runs from Wick Lane (near Victoria Park) via Stratford, West Ham, and Plaistow, finishing in Beckton. It serves Roman Road Primary School, Brampton Manor Academy, Newham Sixth Form College/NewVIC, Newham University Hospital, and many other local amenities.
It is part of the London Cycleway network. It’s the only cycle route between the north and south of Newham that is traffic-free, and is generally safe for people to use at all times of day and night. Recent investments in lighting, barrier removal, adding greenery, and crime prevention have made a big difference. People use the Greenway round the clock. Greenway users are diverse: all ages, all genders, all ethnic backgrounds, all walks of life, making all kinds of journeys.
Because the Greenway is on top of a sewer, it is technically owned by Thames Water, the privatised water company in London. The Greenway is a so-called “permissive path” through private land. Recent improvements have largely been organised and funded by Newham Council.
What has happened?
Thames Water are currently refurbishing the sewer the Greenway lies on top of. Next to be refurbished is Manor Road bridge, which is near West Ham station. They need to close the entire bridge to walking and cycling in order to do their work. This is understandable.
What is unacceptable is that Thames Water closed the bridge to people walking and cycling with a diversion that is extremely unsafe.
Those following the official diversion are dumped onto Abbey Road, a narrow bridge over the DLR which is used by motorists as a shortcut to avoid West Ham Lane. Traffic comes thick and fast, with lots of cars and vans which speed around blind corners. Some drivers routinely intimidate people cycling by overtaking when that’s dangerous, passing too close (sometimes as ‘punishment’ for causing a few seconds’ delay), honking, or revving aggressively. The pavements are also much too narrow for large volumes of people walking, let alone cyclists who feel bullied off the road. No-one should have to deal with this on their way to work or school.
Abbey Road is owned by Newham Council, who are in the process of arranging an experimental traffic order (ETO) to close it to motor traffic (except emergency vehicles.) We think that Thames Water should have waited for the ETO to take effect before closing the Greenway. They chose not wait, and instead closed the Greenway on Weds 11th September.
This is an example of extremely poor planning and co-ordination on Thames Water’s part. At a site meeting with Thames Water in mid April, we told them that they should start planning for a “just in case” diversion in case they did need to close the Manor Road bridge completely. Had they engaged properly with Newham Council then, maybe the paperwork would have been ready for the ETO to go live on day one of the Greenway closure.
Instead, the Greenway has now been closed one week into the school year, with children, families, and other less confident cyclists expected to dice with death on Abbey Road in front of fast-moving traffic.
There are a number of other issues with the usability of the diversion:
Confusing signage making it unclear where people cycling are supposed to cross Manor Road, another busy road. We are aware of at least one near miss where a woman fell from her bike, while following signage that suggested she should ride on a narrow strip of kerbing rather than a wide shared footway. She is fortunately unhurt, but could easily have fallen into oncoming traffic.
Missing signage at turning points in the diversion making it unclear where people are supposed to go.
Poor lighting and environmental details on Canning Road leading to a poor feeling of social safety, particularly after dark and for children, women, gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ people, and those who feel more vulnerable in public.
Why does it matter?
The Greenway is the only safe cycle route that connects north-west Newham to south-east Newham, providing a connection between Cycleways 2 and 3 and serving schools, colleges, and Newham Hospital.
For many, cycling is more affordable, convenient, and reliable than public transport. Many people who live in Newham depend on walking and cycling for their day-to-day travel—particularly for non-discretionary journeys that they have to make, no matter what. People deserve to be able to make those journeys safely.
Timeline of events
2022: Newham Cyclists gets wind of the likelihood Thames Water will be planning long term closures or diversion to the Greenway in future.
Mid-April 2024: Thames Water starts work on the Manor Road bridge. At the time they believe they can keep the bridge open for walking and cycling at the same time as replacing the sewer barrels. Our co-ordinator at the time, Olawale Ajibola, spots the likelihood that this won’t be possible, and asks Thames Water to start considering what would happen if they needed to fully close the Manor Road bridge to walking and cycling.
Mon 8th July 2024: Thames Water contacts Newham Council to tell them they will be seeking to close the Greenway for 18 months at Manor Road bridge. Newham Council forwards this information to us and puts us in touch with contacts at Thames Water and Barhale, their contractors. We ask where the diversion will be, for how long, and how Thames Water proposes people will complete their journey without dismounting and without mixing with traffic. We receive no response.
Fri 12th July 2024: We follow up to ask if there is any information available. We are told we will have information on the diversion shared with us by Friday the following week at the latest.
Fri 19th July 2024: Thames Water tells us they plan to close the Greenway from Monday 19th August for 18 months, claiming they have made this “difficult decision” because there is no space on the bridge to maintain a through route and complete the work. When prompted, they provide us with a proposed diversion via Mitre Road. We tell them this is a concerningly short notice period, and won’t give time for them to address obvious issues with the diversion; we remind them of the importance of the Greenway to children and families. We arrange a site visit with representatives from Thames Water, Barhale, TfL, and Newham Council’s highways team on 29th July.
Mon 29th July 2024: Our Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator, Jonathan Rothwell and Dr Karen Flanagan, join the site meeting, and afterwards test the diversion together. We determine that the ramp down to Manor Road by West Ham station needs to be widened, but that Abbey Road is easily the worst part of the diversion—in fact both Jonathan and Karen receive a punishment pass from a driver while cycling safely and legally on the bridge. We explain in our summary email to those present that “no protection or traffic reduction here is not an option.” We urge LBN to start work on the traffic order at Abbey Road so that it can go live before the start of the school year in September. We receive confirmation from Thames Water’s representative that our notes match their recollection of the meeting.
Tue 30th July 2024: A representative from Thames Water tells us they will be making a press release about the closure of the Greenway, and asks if Newham Cyclists would like to provide a remark about the ongoing liaison. We don’t think this is appropriate at this stage because we don’t know what the ultimate state of the diversion will be like, so decline to provide a quote.
Weds 7th and Thu 8th August 2024: Thames Water runs a drop-in session at the Canning Road junction for Greenway users. While this engagement is welcome, it only runs from 10am-6pm.
Weds 14th August 2024: Thames Water tells us they will delay the closure of the Greenway until 2nd September, so that they can do work to widen the Manor Road ramp, one of the action points we identified on 29th July. We remind Thames Water that it is critical everything is done and ready by the start of the school year, noting: “If someone has a bad experience with them or their kids cycling to school in the first few weeks of the school year, they may end up driving for the rest of the year, which obviously isn’t what we want.”
Fri 16th August: We receive confirmation from a contact at Newham Council that they are working on the Abbey Road ETO option, within the resource constraints they have available.
Tue 27th August: We contact Thames Water and Newham Council to ask for an update, and receive no response as our contacts are on holiday. At this point it is clear the Manor Road ramp will not be ready for the proposed 2nd September closure date.
Fri 6th September: We again ask for an update. Thames Water now say they expect to finish the Manor Road ramp on Monday 9th September, and close the Greenway immediately after; Newham say they are working on the ETO to do the necessary statutory consultation with the emergency services in the following week; however it will not be done by then. We formally ask Thames Water once again if there is any possibility the Greenway closure can be delayed again until the ETO takes effect on Abbey Road, and receive no response.
Weds 11th September: Thames Water completes the widening of the Manor Road ramp, and closes the Greenway. Immediately Newham Cyclists begins receiving feedback on our website and social media about how dangerous and unsafe the diversion feels, particularly Abbey Road and the confusing signage crossing Manor Road.
Thu 12th September: We share the feedback we have received with Thames Water, and express our disappointment that our request to delay the closure of the Greenway until the ETO is in place was ignored—particularly in light of us having repeatedly made it clear that any diversion must be kid-safe if in use during the school year. We suggest that if work has not substantively begun, the closure be reversed until the ETO is put in place. We receive no response from Thames Water or Barhale. We are also contacted by a Greenway user who reports having received inappropriate remarks from Thames Water site workers while she was using the diversion.
Sun 15th September: Our Newham Parks Ride passes the Greenway closure, using the diversion. From both ends of the worksite, it appears work has not actually begun yet (see photos.) One of our riders has a near miss, falling from her bike while following signage that suggests she should ride on a narrow strip of kerbing rather than a wide shared footway. She is fortunately unhurt, but could easily have fallen into oncoming traffic. We are also contacted by a mother who cycles with her two young children to Victoria Park on the Greenway and had a frightening encounter on the diversion. We again ask Thames Water to re-open the Greenway to people walking and cycling until the issues with the diversion are resolved.
Who are Newham Cyclists?
Newham Cyclists is part of the London Cycling Campaign, a registered charity. We are a volunteer group who exist to help all kinds of people access cycling as a cheap, accessible, and convenient form of transport. We believe cycling should be for everyone, not just the fast and the brave.
Media contacts
Media enquiries should go to newham@lcc.org.uk, or to @NewhamCyclists on Twitter/X and Instagram. Your contacts are Jonathan Rothwell and Dr Karen Flanagan.
Please be mindful that we are a volunteer group, so will answer your queries amongst our work and personal commitments.
a £4 charge at “peak times” for drivers using the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels. Peak times are northbound 0600-1000 and southbound 1600-1900 on weekdays only
a £1.50 charge at “off peak times” for drivers. Off-peak times are all times between 0600-2200 that are not peak
no charge overnight
At the same time TfL announced details of a “green and fair package of supporting measures”, including: free bus journeys on routes 108, 129 and SL4 for “at least 12 months”; free DLR journeys between Cutty Sark-Island Gardens and Woolwich Arsenal-King George V for “at least 12 months”; free travel for those cycling on the Silvertown tunnel cycle bus for “at least 12 months”, with the service guaranteed to run for at least 3 years.
We neither supported nor opposed the proposals.
Generally we support a fair and equitable system of road user charging. But this requires practical alternatives for people to make their journeys without driving.
TfL has no coherent strategy for non-motorised river crossings in east London, meaning there is no practical alternative to driving for many journeys. Future political campaigns and administrations will target the user charge for abolition, allowing unfettered cross-river motor traffic.
We continue to oppose the Silvertown Tunnel as a crossing for private motor traffic. It is a 1960s-quality urban motorway project that shouldn’t have been approved. We still have no confidence in TfL or the current Mayor ever delivering a viable cycle crossing east of Tower Bridge, despite the clear need for one.
We do not believe the proposed road user charge is high enough to deter people from making unnecessary journeys or switching to a more sustainable mode. We also think the alternatives are too expensive and too impractical.
It is particularly concerning to us that the proposed off-peak tunnel user charge of £1.50 is 25p cheaper than a single bus fare. Even at peak times, the tunnel user charge for cars is £2 cheaper than the Cable Car fare, and 10p cheaper than the Doubletree Rotherhithe ferry. At off-peak times, the Cable Car fare is a whopping four times the price of the charge a driver would pay.
We are disappointed that the “green and fair” package that TfL has supposedly already agreed for pedestrians and cyclists only guarantees free river crossings for those without a car for the first year, and only in specific circumstances. We maintain our scepticism about the practicality of the cycle bus, particularly considering it will finish at 9:30pm.
To apply a crude analogy: the stick is not big enough to be a deterrent, but is big enough to be annoying. Meanwhile, the carrot isn’t substantial enough to get people to move to a mode other than driving.
We urge TfL to work with the national Government to invest in and urgently progress the desperately-needed walking and cycling river crossings that east London has needed for decades.
Newham Council and LLDC consulted last month on some measures to improve some junctions in the Chobham Manor area.
The proposals are to
straighten out the zebra crossing from Honour Lea Avenue over Olympic Park Avenue into the Olympic Park, and add a parallel crossing to formally allow people to cycle across it with priority
add a mode filter at the junction with Temple Mills Lane and Abercrombie Road, only allowing buses and coaches
add speed cushions on Abercrombie Road and Olympic Park Avenue.
We were pleased to support these proposals, although we had reservations about the use of speed cushions which are not in line with best practice for cycle routes. We suggested the use of sinusoidal humps instead, and consultation with local stakeholders who use three-wheelers.
UPDATE: Thames Water in fact closed the Greenway on 11 September, before the diversion was made safe. For our statement on this matter and a full timeline of events please see our latest post.
There are two pieces of news to share about the partial closure of the Greenway/Cycleway 22 (previously reported here.)
Firstly: Thames Water have postponed the closure to start on 2nd September, to allow for additional work on the diversion route. This will include widening the ramp down to Manor Road and improving lighting, which is already in progress. It will still be steep, but this should make it a little more convenient to navigate and give plenty of space when passing pedestrians, wheelchair/pram users, and other cyclists.
Secondly: The currently-planned diversion will be via Canning Road, Abbey Road, Leywick Street, Richardson Road, Pond Road, and Manor Road. Longer-term Newham Council are looking at an additional diversion via the disused Crows Road bridge, but since this has been out of use for well over a decade it will take some time (and liaisons with multiple stakeholders) to bring it back into use for people walking and cycling. So the official diversion will be via Abbey Road, at least initially.
We are continuing to advocate for common-sense measures to make the diversion route suitable for all to use, and for these to be in place before the Manor Road bridge is closed. Jonathan and Karen, our Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator, met with Thames Water’s contractor, Barhale, at the end of July, and tested the route both on foot and by cycle. We found the following:
The shared pavement on Manor Road, while awkward, is workable, and with a temporary toucan crossing should be fine for people to cross.
The best route to join Abbey Road is via Pond Road, Richardson Road, and Leywick Street. This has the advantages of getting of Manor Road quickly, and passing in front of houses, a primary school, and some shopfronts—all of which lead to a better feeling of social safety than continuing on Manor Road. These streets are all effectively a low-traffic neighbourhood so were fine for cycling.
Abbey Road bridge is easily the most dangerous part of the diversion. Despite not being part of the strategic road network, and not carrying any bus routes (it can’t due to a very restrictive weight limit), Abbey Road was very heavily trafficked with drivers using it and Rick Roberts Way as a shortcut from Stratford High Street to Manor Road. We received a punishment pass when testing the route in one direction. The pavements are also too narrow for pedestrians, and obstructed by lamp posts. We also found that the sight lines from Canning Road onto Abbey Road were unacceptable, particularly given the speed that drivers approach from the west.
Our preferred solution here is a mode filter to prohibit all motor vehicles from the Abbey Road bridge for the duration of the works. Emergency vehicles would of course be exempt from this closure, and would likely benefit from reduced congestion on the bridge.
Our suggested interventions
We will continue to hold Thames Water and Newham Council to account in delivering a diversion route that works for all users of the Greenway, and protects this vital community asset for the thousands of people who rely on it each day.
We are pleased to report that Newham officers and politicians do appear to understand the importance of the Greenway to the public, and are making a good effort in delivering a diversion that works; we hope that Thames Water will be driven by them. In particular, our view is that if a workable diversion route is not ready by September 2nd, Thames Water should delay the start of their works again until a diversion can be delivered.
If you depend on the Greenway and want to help us hold Thames Water and Newham Council to account, then please do! You can help by joining the London Cycling Campaign, joining our newsgroup, and coming along to our meetings (the next will be at some time during September – details will be on the newsgroup.) The more people who campaign with us, the stronger our voice is.
There will be Fix Your Ride stalls at Woodgrange School Summer Fete on 29 June, and at Forest Gate Festival on 6 July. The roster for 6 July is looking thin so if you are able to help that would be most welcome.
At some of our recent Fix Your Ride events, we have helped repair bikes which have been donated to refugees in our borough. These bikes typically require more attention than many others, and often more than we can offer at the Woodgrange Market stall. In some cases we have had to turn people away from the stall due to a lack of capacity. We discussed how to manage this situation, and have decided to explore some suggestions of how we can more effectively help refugees get their cycles roadworthy.
Infrastructure
Action in response to the 97 bus incident in Temple Mill Lane is ongoing.
There is a meeting arranged with the Romford Road Active Travel Scheme team. We reviewed progress to date and prospects for further progress.
We were pleased to attend a site visit of the in-progress Westfield Avenue scheme and meet with the engineers, project sponsors, and other stakeholders. This is a high quality scheme in which good progress is being made, and we are pleased to see efforts being made to retain safe pedestrian and cycle access throughout.
The Royal Docks corridor scheme, again high quality, is progressing.
We discussed the principles to be pursued at a forthcoming meeting with developers of a site on Stratford High Street. This is an excellent opportunity to influence in favour of active travel at an early stage of this project.
Outreach
We discussed outreach. There are 12 sign ups to the new discussion group; regular newsletters are being issued: we are rotating our meetings around the borough; we plan a QR code link to the sign up for the newsletter to extend its reach further; and discussed possible action at university Fresher’s Fairs in the area.
There was a General Election in the UK on Thursday 4th July 2024. We wrote to many of Newham’s candidates in the election, to ask them to support active travel if they’re elected.
Newham Cyclists, as part of the London Cycling Campaign, is politically neutral and independent. As part of a registered charity, we don’t (and legally can’t) tell you who to vote for. But we can report on candidates’ policies and allow you to make up your own mind.
Our Asks
We asked our MP candidates to:
recognise the importance of cycling, in addition to walking and wheeling, and support it to reach London’s 2030 Net Zero target; also to support London in bringing forward the Vision Zero target to 2030
help the Mayor and the London boroughs complete the Strategic Cycling Network by 2028, ahead of the 2041 target—for which there must be more transport funding, and more of it ring-fenced for cycling
advocate in Parliament to move national policy away from new roads to active travel—because it’s not prudent to throw £billions after schemes like the PFI-funded Silvertown Tunnel, and other cities and towns across the UK can learn from London’s cycling success story.
Read the entire text of our email to the candidates here.
We’re Newham Cyclists, part of the London Cycling Campaign. We are volunteers who campaign for safer cycling in Newham for everyone, and to break down barriers that stop people from cycling.
Thanks for standing to represent [your constituency] in the general election. We’re asking you to support our mission if you are elected, by:
Recognising the importance of cycling, along with walking and wheeling (“active travel”) and supporting it. Active travel projects will help London meet its target of Net Zero by 2030. Of course, not all car journeys in London can be cycled—but TfL analysis suggests lots of them can, if the conditions are made right.
We also want to see the Vision Zero target brought forward to 2030—saving lives by eliminating serious crashes on our streets. We want you to support TfL and the boroughs in rolling out innovative, proven-safe junction designs; and support the police in renewing focus on reducing harm in road transport.
Helping the Mayor and every London borough complete the Strategic Cycling Network by 2028, ahead of the current 2041 target date, to help all kinds of Londoners everywhere to access cycling. To deliver this, London needs more transport funding, and more of it ring-fenced for active travel.
Advocating in Parliament to shift national transport policy away from new roads to active travel schemes. It’s not prudent to throw £billions of public money after schemes that shave minutes off car journeys (such as the PFI-funded Silvertown Tunnel.) By contrast, active travel projects are cheap, have a good return on investment, and help bring communities together. Other towns and cities across Britain can learn from London’s cycling success story. We want you to work with the Mayor and other metro regions to secure a future where walking, cycling, and high-quality public transport are viable everywhere.
Finally, we remind you that despite noisy opposition to some of the Mayor of London’s policies on active travel and reducing unnecessary car use, he’s been re-elected with a large mandate. Cycling is very popular, and candidates that deliver for cycling get re-elected.
No-one wins, least of all drivers, when transport policy is driven by culture wars. Active travel is cheap and convenient, and we truly believe that everyone can benefit if it’s taken seriously. From kids going to school, to retirees meeting friends, to shift workers going shopping after a long day—we ask you to fight for policies that help more people access cycling for more journeys. A cycling Britain is a stronger Britain.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our asks.
The Candidates’ Responses
We emailed the candidates on the morning of Saturday 22 June, and updated this post as we received responses.
There were also a number of candidates for whom we were not able to find email addresses.
This page was last updated on Sun 7th July 2024 at 22:57, to add a (post-election) response from Sir Stephen Timms, and to indicate which candidates were elected. The candidates appear on the page in a random order.
Stratford and Bow
Party
Candidate
Response
Conservatives
Kane Blackwell
[unable to find email]
Labour
Uma Kumaran [elected]
[no response received]
Green
Joe Hudson-Small
“I agree completely with your aims, and with ending the culture war against active travel.
We’d invest 2.5bn in new cycleways and footpaths including London and we would adopt Active Travel England’s target for 2030. If elected I’ll push for all of these things.”
[The candidate also supplied a link to the Green Party manifesto.]
Workers Party
Halima Khan
[unable to find email]
Liberal Democrats
Janey Little
[unable to find email]
East Ham
Party
Candidate
Response
Liberal Democrats
Hillary Victoria Briffa
[unable to find email]
Conservatives
Maria Higson
[no response received]
Labour
Sir Stephen Timms [re-elected]
[received on Sunday 7th July, after the election] “I apologise for failing to respond on this. I found I just didn’t know enough about the specifics to judge whether bringing things forward to 2028 from 2041 made sense, and I also have not opposed the Silvertown Tunnel. I shall, however, be very happy to support the work of Newham Cyclists, and please do let me know if you feel I can help at any time.”
Green
Rosie Pearce
“I too am a local cyclist though not part of your organisation. I used to live in Groningen which shows a vision of how behaviour shifts can follow bold policy on cycling. You wouldn’t even take a taxi if you bought furniture there. Cycling in London is a bit scary often, and it varies a lot by borough. The green party is aiming for 50% of journeys within towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2030. Investment in segregated cycle paths is a must, to achieve this, I think – most people won’t feel confident enough to cycle with current infrastructure and who can blame them!”
West Ham and Beckton
Party
Candidate
Response
Green
Rob Callender
“As a cyclist living in Newham, I fully support all this!”
TUSC
Lois Austin
[no response received]
Labour
James Asser [elected]
“As I am sure Newham Cyclists are aware I am a supporter of increasing active travel and giving people choice especially increasing opportunities to walk and cycle.
I hope my record as the Environment & Transport lead at Newham Council speaks to my commitment to deliver on that belief. I am very proud of the work we achieved and hope if elected I can support my successors in the continuing work.
I hope too that the work started during my time jn [sic] office on making our roads safer speaks for itself.
Tackling air pollution and dealing with climate change are going to be key issues in the years ahead and I am keen to play my part in driving forward the changes we need to make.”
Conservatives
Holly Ramsey
[no response received]
Newham Independents
Sophia Naqvi
[unable to find email]
Liberal Democrats
Emily Bigland
[no response received]
Where’s my candidate?
As volunteers who juggle campaigning with our other commitments (full time jobs, families, etc.) we simply did not have the time or capacity to approach every single candidate for MP—particularly where their contact details were not publicly available.
We sourced email addresses for the candidates on https://whocanivotefor.co.uk but only emailed addresses that were clearly candidate-specific, rather than general party inboxes. Candidates who were not listed here were welcome to approach us by email to respond to our asks.
We are within our rights not to seek a view from minor or “fringe” parties which advocate for policies not in line with Newham Cyclists’ or LCC’s terms of reference, objectives, and values. For instance, we would decline to engage with candidates or parties that espouse views that are clearly racist, or peddle conspiracy theories.