Tag: Greenway

Greenway horror story continues—unacceptable danger for cyclists into 2025!

Newham Council decided not to remove car traffic from Abbey Road, despite this being the formal diversion for the borough’s only safe north-south cycle route. This is despite horrendous near misses on a daily basis—danger which will affect people turning to their cycles during next week’s Tube strike. This is unacceptable. We demand action before someone is hurt or killed.

A man cycles on a narrow bridge at night with a terrifying queue of cars following him.

Halloween may have been yesterday, but the Greenway nightmare is far from over. We have been informed by Newham Council that they will not be proceeding with the traffic order to remove traffic from Abbey Road—a narrow, weak bridge which isn’t on the Strategic Road Network and was never designed to carry the volume of traffic it does—after objections from the Police.

This is a terrible outcome which leaves people who rely on walking and cycling in severe danger. Near misses are extremely common. It is inevitable that at some point, one of those “near misses” won’t be a miss any more.

Keeping Abbey Road open to traffic exposes the most vulnerable road users using the cheapest modes of transport to unacceptable danger, including during next week’s Tube strikes. This failure of leadership from the Council undermines the superb work they’re doing elsewhere.

It is a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed on or around Abbey Road while using the Greenway diversion. We have expressed this concern repeatedly over the past months.

What now?

Short term changes

The “good” news (if we can call it that) is that the traffic calming we were promised over a month ago should finally be installed soon—it has been paid for by Thames Water, and the council are awaiting approvals from TfL’s structures team (since the bridge is over the Jubilee line and DLR.) We hope this should be imminent but feel the delivery of traffic calming has taken much too long. We are also concerned that speed cushions might make close passes by motorists more likely. We will closely monitor the situation.

We have asked for the “do not overtake cyclists” signs we were promised by Thames Water on 20th September to be installed as well. Drivers overtaking cyclists has been a common theme in almost every report we’ve had from Greenway users of a near miss.

Newham Council are also looking at signing a diversion route via Bridge Road (parallel to the DLR.) While much safer than Abbey Road, and actually more convenient for accessing Stratford and destinations to the north east, Bridge Road is nowhere near up to the standard of the Greenway, with narrow bollards at the south end limiting access. It also adds considerable delay to journeys towards Bow and central London via C2, in the region of 10 minutes.

Diversion route via Stratford High Street, Bridge Road (parallel to DLR), Bakers Row, Abbey Road, Lerwick Street, Richardson Road, Pond Road, Manor Road.
The Bridge Road diversion which Newham Council are going to sign. It’s better than Abbey Road… but a significant diversion if you’re heading west.

The long-term (but still-might-not-happen) plan

The “permanent” solution Newham are planning is to widen the southern pavement on Abbey Road to provide a 4m two way cycle route, with the northern pavement reserved for pedestrians. A single lane would be available for motor traffic, which would either be one-way or operate in alternating directions. However there are a number of issues at play:

  • The timescale for this kind of work is at least 3-6 months, even with Newham’s officers focusing on it full time. This is frankly disastrous, meaning people cycling will continue to be endangered on the Greenway diversion well into the New Year (when many people begin cycling to work for the first time, and may have a terrifying first experience)
  • Physical infrastructure will be expensive—well over £150,000. While we obviously think this is a price worth paying to avoid even one serious injury or death, Newham Council is extremely strapped for cash; that money will have to come from somewhere.
  • Stakeholders may object to any solution on Abbey Road that reduces capacity for cars. If the Police have an issue with a full closure (exempting emergency services) they may also have an issue with reducing its capacity to make way for cycling infrastructure. This is despite—as we said before—Abbey Road not being on the Strategic Road Network, never being designed for the 9000+ vehicles that use it each day, and the A112 and A12 being eminently more suitable for those volumes of traffic.

We are not aware of any progress on the mooted diversion via Crows Road, which would run through private land.

Other things we have asked about

  • We asked about speed cameras. These would likely need co-operation from TfL and the Police.
  • We asked about changing the traffic light phasing on the Abbey Road/Leywick Street junction, to split the east/west phase into 2 phases and make it easier for people cycling to turn right. This would also require collaboration from TfL.

Further feedback from Greenway users

This is another 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.)

I was just almost flattened by a van swinging out of the yard at the junction where the greenway is closed, and the van then proceeded to block my exit onto the bridge. On top of this, the road surface on the bridge in wet conditions is highly dangerous, especially when being forced into the kerb by close passing traffic. — Laura, via email

The right turn into Leywick Street is particularly awful – much better for Abbey Road to be closed to vehicle traffic, or single lane with traffic lights enabling cyclists to use the other lane —hilbobbling via Instagram

A driver on the bridge heading towards West Ham from Stratford way overtook me at the bridge and when he realised he’d collide with a car coming the other way he cut back in and forced me to a near crash.— Orrin, via email

It’s ridiculous. That road is known for cars speeding and then add that to when you are cycling with your family… it’s added 15 mins minimum of stress to a relaxing family friendly route… — architect_mummy via Instagram

This is my route home. It’s not safe. I’m really not looking forward to using it in the wet and the dark. —@cattleprod via twitter

There is nothing to indicate to drivers that it has become a diversionary cycle route. Drivers ignore the 20mph speed limit and there are no cameras to enforce it. — annekehodnett via Instagram

What must happen now

Newham Council need to get their act together and deliver a truly safe solution for cycling on the Greenway, fast—preferably by Christmas. Thames Water, plus other organisations such as TfL, need to help them achieve this.

This could involve:

  • Giving Newham Council’s officers the money, staffing levels, resources, and expertise necessary to accelerate delivery of cycling infrastructure on Abbey Road Bridge–preferably by Christmas;
  • Reviving the experimental traffic order with a view to permanently closing Abbey Road bridge—yet again, a narrow and weak structure that was never designed for the heavy traffic it now sees;
  • Working fast to deliver a diversion via the currently-closed Crows Road and negotiating with landowners and stakeholders to make that happened

In the immediate term: Overtaking of cyclists on Abbey Road needs to stop. The “DO NOT OVERTAKE CYCLISTS” signs that were promised need to go up within days. Speed cameras and a police presence may lead to better compliance. We will contact TfL about speed cameras. Thames Water should contribute to the capital cost of installing any cameras.

In the long term, Thames Water needs to recognise the importance of the Greenway to the community and change their planning so that nothing like this happens in future years. Providing a safe alternative for people who rely on the Greenway for their daily travel should’ve been a key dependency that was fulfilled before the Greenway was closed.

What you can do

Your photos, videos, and stories are powerful! Share them with us at  newham@lcc.org.uk or on Instagram and Twitter/X. We may soon be undertaking a larger campaigning activity in November—please let know if you want to get involved in this too, or better still, join our email newsgroup.

We naturally continue to encourage you to complain to your councillors (find out who they are here). While this decision was made by Newham Council’s officers (permanent employees) and not their elected representatives, it’s still important that you tell your councillors your concerns. It helps them gauge the strength of public feeling about the issue and press for action. If you want to make an impression, you could also write to the Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz.

It’s also worth complaining to Thames Water quoting ref BB00472913 because none of this would have happened had they managed their assets properly & not sprung a closure of the Greenway on the Council with only a few months’ notice. We think Thames Water must fund at least part of Newham’s costs for the permanent solution.

If you feel comfortable doing so, you should report any crashes or near misses on the diversion route to the police within 24 hours. This way they’ll show up in the collision statistics. Of course, we understand that not everyone wants to report to the police for a variety of reasons. Please still tell your councillors and share your story with us.

Jonathan Rothwell

Update on the Greenway closure – 5th October

Finally there is some movement on the ETO, which will reduce traffic on Abbey Road. But the process will take some weeks. In the meantime we must keep the pressure on in order to achieve safety for all Greenway users.

Many thanks to all those who attend our meeting on Monday 30th September, where we presented the latest plans for Abbey Road from Newham Council. We shared your feedback and questions about the Greenway Diversion with Newham Council and Thames Water.

We were able to meet with Newham Council on Friday 4th October, and we received another update. We present the latest information below.

Update from Newham Council on Abbey Road

In order to make Abbey Road safe for cyclists and pedestrians, Newham Council are progressing 4 projects in parallel:

  1. Traffic calming – signs and speed cushions will be added to Abbey Road ‘in the next 5 days’. Cycle-friendly sinusoidal humps were investigated, but found not to be feasible on the bridge for engineering reasons.
  2. Experimental traffic order (ETO)– this will prohibit motor vehicles from using Abbey Road for the extent of the weight limit. This process takes time—emergency services need to be consulted and any concerns they have need to be addressed. The initial letter was issued on 2nd October, with responses required by 9th October. The earliest possible date that the ETO could be implemented and Abbey Road closed to general traffic is 31st October.
  3. Engineering works to provide cycling infrastructure – whilst the ETO is in place, the southern pavement on Abbey Road would be extended to 4m to provide a two way cycle route, with the northern pavement reserved for pedestrians. A single lane would be available for motor traffic, which would be one-way or two-way with a signalised shuttle. The likely timescale for this work is 3-6 months.
  4. Investigating an alternative diversion via Crows Road – there are discussions taking place, but no firm proposals as yet.

Our thoughts on the above:

  1. We feel that traffic calming on its own is an ineffective solution, but we understand that this is a temporary measure until the ETO is introduced, and many people have asked about ‘do not overtake cyclists’ signs as an interim measure. We raised the issue that speed cushions often nudge cyclists into riding too close to the kerb while encouraging drivers to straddle the cushions, making close passes more likely. We suggested an alternative implementation with half-cushions on the sides and full size cushions in the centre, inspired by the cycle street treatment on Vauxhall Street. We suspect it may be too late for our alternative to be considered, but we shall see.
  2. We have been campaigning for traffic reduction on Abbey Road whilst the Greenway diversion is in place, and we are delighted that the first steps have been taken. The ETO should be introduced as soon as legally possible in order to protect cyclists and pedestrians on Abbey Road.
  3. The proposed widened shared footway would be a safe and acceptable solution, but we are concerned about the optics of installing an expensive cycling scheme that is ripped out again in 18 months. We asked if it would be cheaper to extend the ETO for the full time that the Greenway diversion is in place.
  4. The alternative diversion via Crows Road has potential to be a great – and permanent? – cycle route, but we have no firm proposals to comment on yet.

Communication from Thames Water

Thames Water (TW) have issued a statement about the diversion, which we received on 4th October. This is summarised below.

  1. TW will be advising cyclists to use the Channelsea ramp and toucan crossing to avoid the right turn out of Canning Road.
  2. TW are sharing an alternative diversion route via Bridge Road.
  3. TW are committing to funding traffic calming measures suggested by Newham
  4. TW will change the existing diversion signage to signage attached to existing site furniture.

Our thoughts on the above:

  1. We previously advised TW that we have seen people crossing Abbey Road at the Channelsea ramp crossing. Whilst this avoids the blind corner at Canning Road, it means spending longer on Abbey Road, amongst fast moving traffic. We have also observed that some cyclists who join using the crossing then receive a punishment pass for their trouble, as some drivers perceive them as having ‘jumped the queue’. In addition, several people have raised concerns with us about drivers jumping the red lights at this crossing.
  2. We previously advised TW that the Bridge Road route is a good option for people going to Stratford, Leyton and other destinations to the east, and many people are already using this. However it adds considerable extra journey time (in the order of 10 mins) for those joining Cycleway 2 towards central London, and can almost double journey times for people accessing Pudding Mill Lane, the Olympic Park and Victoria Park. This includes the families with children who have contacted us. We also note that the Bridge Road route has a number of obstructions that make it unfit for large volumes of cyclists (the traffic on the Greenway was last measured as 3,200 cyclists per day prior to the closure, according to Newham Council). We feel that Thames Water should be funding improvements such as widening and barrier removal to the Bridge Road route if they are recommending it as a diversion.
  3. We note that on 20th September, TW wrote to Sir Stephen Timms MP as follows: “In the meantime, we are taking some short-term actions to alleviate the problem:
    • Additional time added on traffic lights under the bridge
    • Additional signage making it clear there should be no overtaking cyclists and the road is joint use (the Manor Road signs are in place and Abbey road will be added next week as specialist signs to fit the lampposts were needed)
    • Signage will be added on Canning Road and the give way line will be reinstated as it is currently faded
    • Improving the lighting under the bridge
    • Next week we will be upgrading the crossing points to include tactile paving and wider ramps.” As of 4th October, none of this work has been completed and we asked TW about this on 26th September and 1st October. They responded with the communication above.
  4. Again, Thames Water said they would add semi-permanently attached signage w/c 23rd September, but there has been no movement on this to date (supposedly due to issues sourcing ‘specialist signage.’)

Our position remains that Thames Water should not have closed the Greenway until the ETO was in place.

All the measures that Thames Water say they are taking now are things that should have been organised and ready before the Greenway was closed to walking and cycling—particularly for an 18-month diversion where the closure was supposedly months in the planning. Even so, they are nowhere near sufficient to make the diversion safe for people walking and cycling, particularly during the school year.

This lack of forward planning by Thames Water has created considerable danger to which users of the Greenway have now been exposed for over 3 weeks, and will continue to experience for at least another 3 weeks due to the nature of the ETO process. We find this wholly unacceptable, and believe it was avoidable.

Manor Road

We have contacted Thames Water and Newham Council about your feedback on Manor Road. In particular you raised the issue of Manor Road pavements, which cyclists are directed onto, but these are not marked as shared use and pedestrians are understandably frustrated when they encounter cyclists. We have asked for this to be remodelled. Also you commented that the spadefuls of tarmac used to provide access to the pavements for cyclists are very narrow. We asked for these to be replaced with standard dropped kerbs.

The pedestrians/cyclists conflict has also worsened because Thames Water have narrowed the shared use pavement on Manor Road by constructing a storage unit on the pavement:

On 3rd October, Thames water told us that “The Manor Road crossing positioning will be altered following feedback from Newham – this has led to a slight delay as new traffic management plans are drawn up.” We look forward to a resolution of this issue.

Further feedback from Greenway users

This is another 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.)

We have also been contacted by Joyriders, who run weekly cycle sessions for teenagers who are inpatients at the mental health unit at Newham University Hospital. Their sessions are now “severely impacted” as going to the Olympic Park was one of their main routes, and Abbey Road “isn’t even an option at all!”.

Rode on the pavement as after a car overtook me at speed I decided it wasn’t worth my life to be on the road. — easthammerithome, via Instagram

I’m not able to use the greenway currently while diversion is so bad, & it’s my route to work. Come on @NewhamLondon when will there be some action on the ETO? —@helencbaron via Twitter

Thank you for your work on this. It’s so dangerous. Everytime I’ve used it I’ve been overtaken by a car on the blind hill. —@cattleprod via Twitter

The diversion onto Abbey Road is a death trap. I fear for my life everyday and have been trying hard to find another diversion that is safer. There is nothing. Abbey Road MUST be closed to cars or the Greenway is opened again. Sadly, it will only be a matter of time before there is a serious accident 🙁 —@NewMobile-p1q via Youtube

Was almost hit twice just cycling over the bridge in the rain! This really needs to be addressed urgently before someone is killed. —sophieabreu via Instagram

There’s inconvenience, and there’s real risk of injury or death. Cars get one, bikes get the other. —@Moondoox_ via Youtube

What you can do

We encourage you to complain to Thames Water quoting ref BB00472913, and copy your local councillors in too (find out who they are here.) They finally appear to be waking up to the risk of reputational damage to themselves and their contractors from the poorly-managed closure of the Greenway. We need to keep the pressure on, because we think they can and should be doing more than they are. The more people tell Thames Water how this is affecting their day-to-day lives, the stronger our voice is.

Please continue to share your pictures, videos, and stories with us at  newham@lcc.org.uk or on Instagram and Twitter/X.

If you feel comfortable doing so, you should report any crashes or near misses on the diversion route to the Police within 24 hours. This way they’ll show up in the collision statistics.

Thank you for raising your concerns with elected representatives. Two elected representatives were present at our meeting with Newham Council, and they spoke about the very powerful stories that they had received from local residents. Sir Stephen Timms MP and Uma Kumaran MP have also emailed Newham Council about the correspondence that they had received from constituents.

What needs to happen now

  • Newham Council needs to complete the delivery of the ETO to close the Abbey Road bridge to motor traffic. We expect them to make sure this happens as soon as is legally possible, i.e. by 31st October.
  • Thames Water needs to pay Newham Council’s expenses in making the Abbey Road diversion safe for walking and cycling. Agreeing to fund traffic calming on Abbey Road is better than nothing, but it’s nowhere near enough to make the diversion safe. TW should also contribute to the capital cost of advertising the ETO, installing enforcement cameras, and any longer-term solution such as cycling infrastructure on the bridge or a diversion via Crows Road.
  • Going forward, Thames Water needs to recognise the importance of the Greenway to the community and change their processes so that nothing like this happens in future years. We have been frustrated that Thames Water appears to treat the Greenway as an amenity, i.e. a “nice to have,” rather than as public infrastructure that is as important to people’s daily business as the sewer pipes running underneath it.

Update on the Greenway closure – 22nd September

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.

Heavy car traffic on a 2-lane road with a narrow pavement on the downwards slope of a bridge. A person cycles away from camera on the narrow pavement wearing a high visibility vest.

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.

If you feel comfortable doing so, you should report any crashes, or near misses caused by drivers, to the Police within 24 hours. This way they’ll show up in the collision statistics.

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.

Car and van traffic on the road. Two people cycle past each other in opposite directions on the narrow pavement, including a delivery cyclist on a bright yellow cargo bike.
A 4x4 and saloon car follow two people cycling uphill.
A long queue of cars comes towards camera. A Lexus begins to overtake a gentleman cycling dangerously closely.
A gentleman cycles on the carriageway, putting a lot of effort in to climb the slope. Lots of traffic heads away from the camera. One lady with a basket and a flower motif on her bag cycles towards camera on the pavement.
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.

Press & other attention

Ross Lydall wrote an excellent article for the Standard expressing our serious safety concerns about the Greenway closure. He also quotes Zack Polanski AM, who said on Twitter/X: “I’ve found Abbey Road really difficult the last couple of days and I’m a relatively experienced cyclist.”

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.

Statement on the Greenway closure

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.
View onto the Greenway facing northwest. It is apparent that sewer barrels work has not begun yet.
View onto the Greenway peering through HERAS fencing. It is again clear that work on the sewer barrels has not begun yet.

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.

Greenway update – closure postponed to 02/09/24

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.

Map of the Greenway. The section from Canning Road to the Manor Road steps is marked as 'closed from 2 September 2024 for 18 months' and the section from there up to the Abbey Road ramp is marked as 'closed later for a shorter time.'

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.

The above map, with the official diversion shown via Canning Road, Abbey Road, Leywick Street, Richardson Road, Pond Road, and Manor Road. A future alternate diversion is shown via the closed Crows Road bridge.

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.
The above map, showing our suggested interventions - a mode filter on Abbey Road bridge for the extent of the weight limit, and widened ramp with improved lighting from Manor Road up to the Greenway.
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.

We will continue to update our website, our socials (Instagram, Threads, the site formerly known as Twitter) and our newsgroup as the situation develops and more news becomes available.

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.

Greenway Closure

Visiting from the future? This post from the archives is about a closure of the Greenway back in 2015. If you’re interested in Thames Water’s 2024 closure of the Greenway, which similarly failed to provide a safe route for people cycling and is for a staggering 18 month period, please see our statement from September 2024.

As many of you know, the section of the Greenway at the CS2 end has been closed for a staggering 45 week period, whilst Thames Water carry out essential repair work on the Channelsea Bridge.

The issue is not the closure, but the lack of alternative route, which is a complicated but unacceptable situation.  For once, LB Newham are not totally responsible, but they have not helped the situation.  Because the Greenway is not a Right of Way, but a Permissive Route, the regulations are different.  It seems that there is no actual obligation to provide an alternative route.  However the transport team at Newham are well aware that this is not good enough.  Part of the problem  seems to have been that the closure was only supposed to be for a month.  The change to almost a year was very last minute.

The decision not to use Canning Road (which was the route Newham Cyclists requested) as the alternative route seems to be based on 2 main issues.

1. It is a route used by emergency vehicles

2. It is not usually the done thing to put traffic lights at the bottom of a hill (!).

Some of you will have seen the very detailed piece on the route here:  https://www.easternism.co.uk/?p=107

The lack of signage and the difficulty of crossing Manor Road is obvious.

This morning Arnold, Bill and I met with Richard Wadey to ride through the route.   The signage should have gone up weeks ago and it seems to have fallen through the gaps for it to be checked.  Richard is pushing this forward.  It may be that some ‘guerilla signage’ is needed in the meantime!

Some of the improvements that have come out of the ‘ward audits’ we have done as a group with Richard, as well as other improvements that have already been agreed would make the route much more cycle friendly and those improvements are being pushed by Richard as well.  These include access into Leywick Street.  The bus stop opposite has approval to be moved, so that a cycle crossing can be put in – the barriers will obviously be removed.  The concrete bollards which are currently in place will be replaced with a single removable bollard.  This would mean that as you come down the Greenway ramp and use the pavement to cycle under the bridge and then the already signed shared use section, you would be able to safely cross Manor Road and enter Leywick Street.

Timing on this is unclear, but Richard is hoping to be able to report back to us before Monday’s meeting.

What none of this helps, is the fact that this alternative route is a very long way around.  We have asked Richard to further investigate the Canning Road alternative.  If anyone knows of any other locations where there are traffic lights at the bottom of a hill, let us know!