Our Deputy Co-ordinator, Karen Flanagan, has stepped down from this role because she is standing as a candidate in the upcoming elections. If she is elected, she will not return to our committee as long as she is a councillor.
Newham Cyclists, as part of a registered charity, is politically neutral in all elections. Elected officials and candidates in forthcoming elections cannot serve on our Committee, since this could create a conflict of interest. They are, of course, welcome to be members of our group and the LCC, to attend meetings and vote as an ordinary member, and to campaign on topics of interest to the group—as long as this is in a personal capacity and not combined with campaigning for votes in the election.
As such, Karen has stepped down from our committee with immediate effect and has recused herself from committee decisions. She will continue to volunteer with Newham Cyclists and campaign on cycling topics, although this will be in a personal capacity and not as a political candidate.
We are here this evening because two weeks ago, on Tuesday 10th March, Richard Wisken was cycling here, on Atlantis Avenue, when he was involved in a crash with a TfL 366 bus. Police were called at 5:51pm, and paramedics from London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended and took Rich to hospital.
Sadly, Richard Wisken died 4 days later, on Saturday 14th March. He was 43 years old.
Our deepest condolences go to his family, his friends, and everyone who knew and loved him. We are grateful and honoured that some of Rich’s family—his brother, Alex, and his father Ian, and his partner Mel—have chosen to be here with us tonight.
Rich’s family told us a little about him—including how much he loved living in the area and considered it is home, and how much it meant to them he donated his organs, benefiting five Londoners on the waiting list for a transplant.
While the investigation into this crash is ongoing, what we do know is that, despite advances in safety in some parts of London, people cycling and people walking keep being killed by drivers of vehicles. I say that not to apportion blame, but as a statement of fact.
Today is the 83rd day of 2026. And in those 83 days, we have seen four separate people killed after being hit while cycling.
Even in our borough of Newham, Rich is the third person to die after being hit while cycling in the past fifteen months.
It does not have to be like this, and it should not be like this. We should not be here today, because Rich should still be here today.
Every person who is killed on our streets had people who loved them. They had goals in their life. They had plans for what they were going to do at their destination.
TfL have committed to Vision Zero, to end traffic deaths on London’s roads in the next 15 years. But too much of the machinery of London views tragedies like this as personal failings. We treat cycling and walking as something inherently dangerous when they’re not. We expect people to armour up to protect themselves from danger they should never be exposed to in the first place.
Our streets and roads need to be safe, everywhere, and for everyone. And people should not have to die first to justify them being made safe.
The only acceptable number of deaths in traffic is zero.
Making this street, Atlantis Avenue, safe, won’t bring Richard back, but it will make sure that no other families have to suffer this heartbreak in future.
We will now take a moment to reflect, and observe a minute’s silence to pay our respects to Rich Wisken, who died after being hit here 2 weeks ago.
Jonathan shared a link to “News from the Streets”. Newham Council officers expect to have their infrastructure funding approved for next year and the full allocations will be published shortly.
Action: KF/JR to follow up with Redbridge to see if there is any action planned to improve safety on Central Road following the fatality there last year.
Action: KF/JR to contact Newham Council about the permaflood on CS2 next to Sugar House Lane.
Elections
Jonathan shared the LCC non-partisan approach to campaigning and the Streets for Cycling campaign aims, and our contacts with candidates. There was a lively discussion about engaging Newham residents in campaigning. It was agreed that other local groups should follow LCC advice and consider contacting candidates with their asks now, before manifestos are published. There are rides scheduled nearer to the election date. Other events could be added. Newham Cyclists will distribute flyers asking the recipient to write to candidates, and volunteers are required to help with this.
Action: KF/JR to get flyers, share flyering times and places (maybe FYR stall could be one start point)
With elections less than six weeks away on 7 May, we’ve launched our Streets for Cycling campaign, asking the next Mayor of Newham—whoever they may be—to build a safe, connected cycle network in Newham.
TfL has already identified four future routes in Newham that have the highest unrealised demand for cycling. Building these routes would allow thousands of local people to switch their journeys to cycling—and TfL will also provide the funding to build these routes to a very high standard.
The four key cycle routes would criss-cross Newham, connecting Stratford to Ilford; Leyton to Silvertown; Canning Town to Barking Road Rec; and Manor Park to Gallions Reach. This would connect Green Street and East Ham High Street to London’s cycle network for the first time; it would also give NHS staff at Newham Hospital back their safe route to work, after Thames Water closed an important part of the Greenway. A combination of protected cycleways on main roads, and low-traffic streets upgraded for cycling, would make cycling a viable transport option across Newham that’s safe everywhere, and fun for everyone!
All of us at Newham Cyclists are dismayed and deeply saddened to hear of yet another person killed while cycling in our borough.
A 43-year-old man has died in hospital after being hit by a TfL bus on Atlantis Avenue, Gallions Reach, at 5:45pm on Tuesday 10th March. Our thoughts are with everyone who loved him.
It is upsetting that this is the third such tragedy in Newham in just fifteen months. Since January 2025, three separate people who were cycling in our borough have died after being hit by someone driving a vehicle.
There is no acceptable number of deaths in traffic other than zero. Every one of these tragedies is preventable.
Even though the circumstances of this crash are not yet clear, it is desperately obvious that much more must done, much faster, to save lives and make cycling safe for everyone, everywhere, in Newham and across London.
Vigil
Newham Cyclists plans to host a short, low-key vigil to pay our respects to the gentleman who died. We will be holding a minute’s silence.
Date: Tuesday 24th March Time: 6:00pm Meet at: Corner of Atlantis Avenue and Royal Quay Road. Nearest station Gallions Reach DLR.
All are welcome. If you choose to bring flowers, please be prepared to take them home with you.
Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a serious collision which left a man with life-threatening injuries.
On Tuesday, 10 March at 17:51hrs, police were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a bus and a cyclist on Atlantis Avenue, Beckton.
Officers attended the scene alongside London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance.
A 43-year-old cyclist was assessed at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. He remains in a life-threatening condition.
The driver stopped at the scene and assisted police with enquiries. No arrests have been made at this stage.
Police are now appealing to the public for any information about the incident, including dashcam footage of the collision.
Detective Inspector Mark Braithwaite, from the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our investigation continues and we are appealing for any information that could help us with our enquiries.
“We are interested in speaking to anyone who saw the incident, but has not yet spoken to police, and would ask them to come forward as soon as possible. We are also particularly interested in dash cam footage or CCTV.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Serious Collision Unit on 0208 597 9874, or via 101 quoting CAD6223/10MAR26.
On Wednesday 18th March, Ross Lydall, writing for the Standard, reported that Andy Lord, the TfL Commissioner, confirmed to the TfL Board that the rider involved in the crash had since died of his injuries.
Welcome to News from the Streets, where we discuss the many cycling infrastructure schemes with spades in the ground in Newham. Since our previous instalment in late 2024 there is a lot to report.
Romford Road
Sections B and D westbound are largely complete and have been open since just before Christmas. Greenery is still to arrive in some of the rain gardens. We are also still waiting for the blue surfacing at the crossovers on these sections, which can only be done after a period of dry weather. The cycle tracks are already being well used and work well at rush hour—and traffic flows well, even bounded on both sides by the Earlham LTN and the newly-permanent West Ham Park LTN. So this is something great to celebrate!
Sections H is largely complete, but will not be opened until the junctions receive their blue surfacing. We also believe that section I is being held up by a serious flooding issue that Thames Water are taking a long time to resolve. We hope that once they are formally opened, the serious issues with people parking their cars on the cycle track outside the shops can be resolved.
Work on Green Street/Richmond Road junction is underway. The “classic” road closure that was at the roundabout with Windsor Road has now been relocated, and work is moving to the area of the junction itself. This will provide a new, protected cycleway for the east-west alignment, and toucan crossings to permit cycling movements to Green Street, along with rain gardens and resurfacing.
Work has also begun on Section F, with kerb lines starting to appear for the new cycle track eastbound from Balmoral/Katharine Road junction.
Finally, we understand that once work completes on Green Street junction—hopefully in summer—work should begin on Woodgrange junction, assuming no further delays in traffic modelling. We certainly hope that Thames Water’s existing works at this junction do not overrun or cause further issues.
Water Lane crossing
Work has, at long last, begun on the priority pedestrian and cycle crossing of Water Lane on the Stratford-Forest Gate backstreet Cycleway link, with its unusual diagonal design. This will also add a zebra crossing closer to the junction with Forest Lane, which is desperately needed by users of Maryland Station. It will also introduce new mode filters at the Manbey Grove and Louise Road junctions, further strengthening the successful Manbey and Atherton LTNs. We hope that the speed humps will also finally do something to control the serious issue with traffic speed on Water Lane.
The new cycle track, which was consulted on back in 2022, is now open all the way from Montfichet Road to Olympic Park Avenue, with work ongoing on the International Way and Olympic Park Avenue junctions—the latter of which has now closed off the rat-run from Westfield car parks through East Village, for conversion to a protected cycle track. Planting has started to arrive in the rain gardens. We expect that once the junctions have finished, the last section of cycle track (and new pavement) will be built to connect to Marshgate Lane junction.
The cycle track is already proving popular, and not just with people cycling—we’re glad that Stratford’s rollerbladers finally have somewhere around Westfield they can feel welcome!
Leyton Road / Cycle Future Route 7
The permanent traffic lights are finally turned on at Chobham Road/Leyton Road/Liberty Bridge Road junction, albeit with the cycle crossings currently closed as the tracks have yet to receive their top surfacing. The cycle track is starting to creep its way southwards. The current phase of works, we believe, will run as far as Windmill Lane junction, as the extension over the Angel Lane bridge to join Great Eastern Road is dependent on a development in the area.
We understand design work is being sped up where possible on the southern section of CFR7, from Stratford to Plaistow, in reaction to the Greenway closure, and hope to learn more about this soon.
Royal Docks
The entirety of the Royal Docks corridor’s 5-stage initial scope is now complete, and an additional phase—funded by the original corridor coming in under budget and some extra external funding—is now underway to extend it to Seagull Lane (for Royal Victoria DLR and the Silvertown bike bus stop) and the new City Hall. This will extend the cycleway, remove the dual carriageway, and remove all the traffic lights and replace them with priority crossings. This will make life easier and more convenient for pedestrians, cyclists, and for the few drivers who use this street. Extra rain gardens will also appear which should make this somewhat windswept area much more attractive.
Good progress has been made since work started in October and the first section of new cycle track is already being used (albeit as a temporary footway while the main footway is being rebuilt.) We look forward to revisiting our City Hall to City Hall video once the works are done!
Progress is being made on the cycleway at Pool Street by the London Aquatics Centre, which will include a short section of separated cycle track (albeit disappearing regularly into shared areas.) We are pleased that this will considerably reduce the carriageway to a sensible width, and believe this will eventually link to a protected track on Carpenters Road (both the existing one and an extension as far as Sidings Street.)
The new ramp up to the north end of the Greenway at Marshgate Lane is still in progress. We understand that improved art and wayfinding for the underpass, which should make it much less grim, should be finished by the summer (hopefully with the new ramp.)
The West Ham Park LTN has been made permanent. We note that in the Cabinet meeting where the approval was voted through, the Mayor of Newham read out a letter from the head teacher of Park Primary School in support of the LTN. We feel that this, plus powerful messages from residents with their personal experiences of cleaner air and safer streets, helped the Cabinet and councillors to make the right decision—and will hopefully make it much harder for anyone hoping to take the LTN out in future.
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.
The West Ham Park Low Traffic Neighbourhood has been a huge success. Traffic’s down—both inside the LTN, and on the boundary roads, where traffic flows well.
The new LTN has meant:
Traffic inside the LTN is down 46%
Traffic on boundary roads (Romford Rd, Portway, Upton Ln, and Vicarage Rd) is down 3%
Cleaner air to breathe
More people feeling safe walking and cycling on their own street
Sadly, there is a concerted campaign to get the LTN removed and allow heavy traffic back onto the streets around West Ham Park. The decision to make the LTN permanent has been “called in,” and will be scrutinised at a council meeting on Tuesday, 20th January.
We think taking out the LTN would:
make traffic worse and extend journey times, including for car drivers and bus users—because traffic on the main roads, including the important bus routes, will be interrupted by people cutting in and out of side streets not designed for that purpose
increase pollution, making it harder to breathe and making health problems like asthma worse
make our streets more dangerous, especially for children and older people
make it harder for local people to walk and cycle, especially people who don’t have access to a car or can’t drive
How can I help?
Tell your Councillors that you want the LTN to stay, especially if you live there, or if you travel into or through it—or maybe if your kids go to school there. Find out who your councillors are here.
Come along to the scrutiny committee meeting. It’s on Tuesday, 20th January, 6pm, East Ham Town Hall.Find out more here.
Please contact newham@lcc.org.uk if you plan to come to support the LTN and we can co-ordinate.
Thames Water have announced that their closure of the Greenway will extend to Upper Road from 26th January 2026. This closure will last for 3 YEARS.
We have repeatedly asked Thames Water to delay this closure until there is a safe diversion for the newly-closed section of the Greenway. They have refused to do so.
As detailed on our Greenway: Flushed Away! campaign page, the Greenway has now been closed for 478 days – with no end in sight for the 3000+ people who used the Greenway every day before the northern section was closed.
NB: The section marked “Closed from October ’25” is now programmed to be closed from 26 January 2026 onwards.
Schoolchildren, NHS workers, and families are put in danger every day. We are aware of at least 4 injuries on the diversion. More are inevitable if Thames Water presses ahead with this closure before a safe diversion is in place.
We have also heard stories on our “Map of Pain” of people having to pay significantly more to travel, people feeling they have to buy a car to travel short distances, and one family who’s moved out of Newham at least in part thanks to Thames Water’s works.
Our demands as part of our FLUSHED AWAY campaign remain as before:
Thames Water must not close any more of the Greenway until there’s a safe alternative for cycling. No dismounting, no riding in heavy traffic.
Thames Water must contribute financially to these safe diversions. Signs and speed cushions aren’t enough
Thames Water must pay to reinstate the Greenway to the highest quality when their works are done
The south of section B is now surfaced. Awaiting opening date for B and D, subject to blue paint at junctions.
Section F is expected to start in early January.
Section H has been completed
Section I – temporary lights to be removed within 2 weeks. Awaiting opening date for H and I, subject to blue paint at junctions.
J3 – Works on Richmond Road have commenced. There is currently a consultation on TfL queries about J3.
Other infrastructure latest
In year funding has been sourced for Louise Road/Manbey Road crossing. Work is expected to start January 2026.
CFR7 – issues with levels were holding up work at Liberty Bridge Road/Leyton Road but have been resolved. Work is expected to move south after Christmas. A topological survey is due 10th December – this would cover the Greenway diversion stretch of CFR7. There is sadly no firm date for spades in the ground. The plan is to build the permanent design with temporary materials in the first instance.
Jake Russell Walk should be upgraded next year.
Other potential projects were discussed.
Rides planning – the Greenway closure between Channelsea and Upper Road will restrict our use of the Greenway for rides. We discussed which rides could run, and whether we could start rides in other places in Newham.
Social planning – KF to contact the treasurer with questions.
Readout of Newham Cyclists’ Monthly meeting, 27th October 2025
Greenway campaign latest – JR shared the letter sent to Thames 17th October. Still no closure date from Thames. JR/KF to contact MPs again; permissive paths should become public rights of way
Romford Road latest – JR shared the update from Martina. Query about cycle parking by Forest Gate police station.
May 2026 elections – We discussed the LCC ask for all candidates.
Suggestions for sharing information included an implementation plan for candidates, and inviting candidates on a ride.
