Category: Campaigns

Take Action: Support the West Ham Park LTN

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.

A residential street with autumn leaf-fall. A filtered road closure with "no motor vehicles except permit holders WHP01" signs, planters narrowing the road, camera enforcement, and a "road open to pedestrians, kick scooters, wheelchairs, bicycles" sign. Gorgeous autumn/early winter light shines through the trees.

The new LTN has meant:

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.

Greenway closure extended from 26/1

HERAS wire fencing obscuring a part of a carriageway before a low bridge. A poster on the fencing says "26th Janauary 2026 to Autumn 2028".

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.

A map of the Stratford and West Ham areas with the Greenway marked—section from Channelsea ramp to Manor Road closed since September '24 for (initially 18 months, but now) 4 years. Long section from Manor Road to Upper Road will be closed from October 2025 for 3 years.
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
Logo for the "Greenway Flushed Away" campaign. Wording across the top and bottom reads "Four years of danger; Thames Water: cut the crap!"

To complain to Thames Water:

Complain to thames water

Our 17th October 2025 letter to Thames Water, and their 3rd November reply

We are writing to you again to request that Thames Water delay Phase 3 of the Greenway closures in order to allow Newham Council time to construct safe diversions for walking, wheeling and cycling.

Since September 2024, we have been contacted by the following people who have used the Greenway diversion during the Phase 1 closure:

  • A chef who was hit by a car when crossing Manor Road at the diversion, who suffered heavy bruising, abrasions and lacerations (they tried to report this to police but missed 24 hour time limit due to being laid up)
  • A mobility scooter user who uses the Greenway to visit their mother daily, and is constantly impeded by the temporary signage on the pavement
  • An epidemiologist who had their foot run over by a car whilst he was stopped at lights on Abbey Road (reported to police—no action was taken because the junction is not covered by CCTV )
  • A physiotherapist whose cycle wheel got caught in the cracked road surface on Leywick Street, causing them to fall, and to suffer a broken arm
  • A homelessness charity worker who fell off their bicycle on Abbey Road when trying to avoid temporary signage, who suffered heavy bruising
  • Almost 100 people who have contacted us to say that they find the diversion dangerous and frightening, many of whom have reported close shaves with motor vehicles on Abbey Road

We have had more correspondence on the Greenway diversion than on any other issue. This reflects the high volume of Newham residents using the Greenway and that, as seen above, many who live in Newham depend on the Greenway for their day-to-day travel. All these people have been put in danger by this unsafe diversion and your failure to meaningfully contribute or coordinate a safe alternative.

We have already written to you to advise that the diversion routes proposed by Thames Water for Phase 3 are particularly unsafe. We are concerned that the list of Greenway diversion injuries will lengthen, and that “close shaves” will become “people killed in road traffic collisions”. If we are contacted by someone who is injured on the diversion after you begin Phase 3, we will be telling them that Thames Water were warned and chose to ignore us.
Once again – you must delay Phase 3 of the Greenway closures in order to allow Newham Council time to construct safe diversions for walking, wheeling and cycling.

—————————————————————————————————–

Thames Water’s reply:

Thank you for your email regarding our essential work on the Greenway. We take safety and wellbeing extremely seriously, which is one of the key reasons we are carrying out this project in the first place.

Since the beginning, we have liaised with London Borough of Newham, as the Highway Authority, and continue to meet with them on a weekly basis when safety for cyclists, along with other road-users and pedestrians, is discussed. We have contributed financially to the measures already in place and have taken on board the official safety advice given to us at every step of our planning.

As we have previously said, these works are vital to ensure services continue to everyone living in the area and the Greenway will re-open once these works are finished. We understand the disruption this is causing but when we opened this route to the public, it was done with an agreement the Greenway would need to shut when repair work to the pipes underneath is required.

However, I can confirm we taken the decision to delay extending the closure of the Greenway to Upper Road until the New Year. This has been updated on the website, and all site signage is currently being updated. 

Letter to Thames Water about C2 and Greenway summer closures

Thames Water’s new phase of sewer works have closed more of Newham’s protected cycleways. This is part of a worrying pattern of poor planning and hostile design that has plagued these works over the last 12 months. This is unacceptable and dangerous.

A cycle lane through a large junction with a sign saying "CYCLE LANE AHEAD CLOSED" and a diversion arrow pointing to the left. Ahead the cycle lane is closed with traffic cones directing cyclists into the traffic lane in front of a bus.
A pavement with a pedestrian crossing closed off with orange plastic fencing.
A protected cycle track with "CYCLISTS DISMOUNT AND USE FOOTWAY" signs in the middle, with coning and signage directing cyclists into the carriageway in front of double-decker buses and lorries.
The current layouts at Stratford High Street. Images by Kerena Fussell and Karen Flanagan

We wrote to Thames Water on Tuesday 29th July 2025 to demand:

  • They fix the dangerous closure of Cycleway 2 before schools return in September
  • They delay the next phase of their works until there’s an acceptable diversion—which Thames Water should help fund
  • When they are finished, they fund the restoration and improvement of the closed sections of the Greenway to the highest quality.

(To the Thames Water project manager)

The next phase of Northern Outfall Sewer works on Stratford High Street has begun, and have resulted in you closing both a key pedestrian/cycle crossing and a large section of the protected TfL Cycleway 2. People cycling westbound are expected to ride in the road in front of heavy traffic, including lorries.

This layout is unacceptable. It’s dangerous for people cycling, particularly children and families. We are particularly concerned if this will be the state of affairs in September when children return to school.

Separately, you have confirmed on your website that you intend to close the Manor Road to Upper Road section of the Greenway from October onwards. The two months between now and October does not give Newham Council and other stakeholders enough time to provide a safe alternative route. The diversion routes you have proposed on your website even for the current closed section, including Rick Roberts Way and Abbey Road, are unacceptably dangerous, as they have remained since the Greenway initially closed on 11 September last year. The “safer” alternative you suggest, via Bridge Road, has still not been signed after 9 months.

The total length of your “temporary” closure of the Greenway will now be at least 4 years. We feel this results from Thames Water failing to properly monitor the condition of the NOS, and not understanding the importance to the community of its long-standing role as a key transport corridor for those using the cheapest modes.

Our position on this matter is simple:

  • Thames Water MUST, working with Newham Council, provide a safe way for people cycling on TfL Cycleway 2 to complete their journey, without dismounting or riding with heavy traffic. We expect this to be resolved, at latest, by the start of September when children return to school—irrespective of whether or not the works on High Street are complete by then.
  • Thames Water MUST NOT extend the closure of the Greenway until there is a safe, best-practice diversion for people walking and cycling. You must delay the next phase of your works until there’s a practical, usable alternative that does not involve cyclists dismounting, riding on narrow pavements, or riding in heavy traffic. We feel Thames Water should contribute financially to Newham Council’s costs in providing this diversion—piecemeal funds for ineffective speed humps and temporary signs, as we’ve seen on Abbey Road, are not enough.
  • Thames Water must, upon completion of your works, fund the restoration and improvement of the Greenway to the highest quality. This should be to the latest best-practice standards, and led by Newham Council.

We look forward to your timely response on this important issue for the local community.

(Signed by Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator)

Statement on the fatality on Centre Road, 16 June 2025

Update 10/07: The London Standard has reported the collision with details from the Police, naming the victim of the crash as 71-year-old Barry Shonibare.

Newham Cyclists is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Barry Shonibare while he was cycling on the A114 Centre Road/Woodford Road. Our thoughts are with Mr Shonibare’s loved ones as they navigate an appalling loss that no family should ever have to endure.

People are exposed to danger every day on Centre Road/Woodford Road—with no protected space for cycling on the Newham part of the road, wide lanes and a painted median that invite speeding, and poor driver compliance at the zebra crossing at Capel Road. We completely concur with Mr Shonibare’s family in their call for speed cameras on Centre Road, and also urge the Mayor of London, TfL, and Newham and Redbridge Councils, to fund and deliver safe cycling infrastructure to ensure no-one else is killed or hurt on this important corridor.

Vigil

Newham Cyclists will be holding a short, low-key vigil to pay our respects to Mr Shonibare. We will be holding a minute’s silence.

When: Monday 14 July 2025, 7pm

Where: Junction of Centre Road/Woodford Road and Capel Road

All are welcome.

Please feel free to bring flowers but be prepared to take them home with you. On account of the fire risk on Wanstead Flats, please don’t bring candles.

Our original statement follows:

We are deeply saddened to have received confirmation from the Met Police that the cyclist injured in a crash with a car on Centre Road in Wanstead Flats on Monday 16th June died in hospital five days later, on Saturday 21st June. He was 71 years old.

Our thoughts are with his loved ones, along with all those who witnessed and were involved in responding to the crash.

The Police have reported that the car driver, a 26-year-old man, stopped at the scene and1 has been helping them with their enquiries, and that no arrests have yet been made. They are asking for anyone with information such as dashcam or mobile footage to contact them on 101 quoting reference 3399/16JUN.

We are bitterly upset to be sharing news of another person killed while cycling in our borough at a place known by many of us to be dangerous, with high motor vehicle speeds and no protected cycling infrastructure. This gentleman’s death comes just over 5 months after the death of a man in his 20s at an unprotected junction on Stratford High Street.

Police Statement

For transparency’s sake, here is the Police statement received by our campaigning partners at the London Cycling Campaign on 02/07/2025:

Police were called at 12:22hrs on Monday, 16 June to reports of a collision between a car and a cyclist in Newham.
Emergency services attended the scene at the junction of Centre Road and Capel Road where a cyclist had been severely injured.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, the cyclist – a 71-year-old man – sadly died in hospital on Saturday, 21 June.
The family of the cyclist have been informed and are being supported by Family Liaison Officers.
The driver, a 26-year-old man, stopped at the scene and has been helping police with their enquiries.
No arrests have as yet been made.
Enquiries are ongoing.
Any witnesses or anyone with information, such as dash-cam or mobile phone footage, is asked to please call police on 101 quoting 3399/16JUN.

  1. Although the Police initially reported that the driver stopped at scene, a later version of their statement said: “The driver – a 26-year-old man – who failed to stop at the scene but returned on foot, has been helping police with their enquiries.” ↩︎

Thames Water’s response to our letter (received 27/5/25)

Thank you for your email.

As I’m sure you understand I am unable to commit directly to any funding proposals without receiving internal governance sign-offs. I will raise yours (and the Councillors concerns from last week) within Thames Water. Where possible we have avoided full closures, exemplified by our ongoing works at Stratford High Street, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to balance access to the Greenway against planning safely the infrastructure improvements needed to upgrade the Victorian sewers. These are once in a generation projects – once complete the Greenway will re-open and provide a fantastic community benefit as it has done for many years previously.

With regard to the diversions themselves please advise if you feel there are any alternative routes to those presented last week? We have been working closely with LB Newham for some time and if there is a safer way to implement these closures we would welcome those ideas. To date Thames Water have funded improvements on the existing diversion route including traffic calming measures on Abbey Road, widening of the ramp at Manor Road and improvements in lighting around Manor Road bridge. 

As for the notice periods provided we are giving as much time as possible but we cannot slip our timescales as ultimately these are driven by the assets themselves; their condition and the work we need to do to repair and replace them.

Happy to meet to discuss any follow up questions,

Kind regards

GREENWAY CLOSURES – how you can help our campaign for safe diversion routes for walking and cycling

Many thanks to those who have already offered to speak to camera for our video, and also many thanks to those who have written about their experiences for our Newham “map of pain”.

In order to make the maximum impact, we need to tell the human story of the Greenway closures – the individuals who are and will be affected. We would like to involve as many people as possible, and to reflect the diversity of the pedestrian and cycling users of the Greenway. Are you/your family/your friends affected by this closure? Do you work in the healthcare sector? Do you work with community groups? Do you cycle for a living? Would you be willing to talk to camera for 20-30 seconds? Do you know anyone affected who you could ask to tell us their story? If so please contact us at newham@lcc.org.uk and we will be in touch.

If you would prefer to write about your experience,  we are using a form to collect individual experiences of the impact of the Newham Greenway closures. These will be displayed on this website on a map of Newham – the “map of pain”! – linking individuals to Council wards. Please complete the form, keeping in mind that this information will be displayed on a publicly available webpage, so please choose your name and location such that your identity remains secure. Your email will only be used to send you a copy of your response; it will not be displayed.

Thanks,

Jonathan and Karen.

Newham Cyclists’ letter to Thames Water re. Greenway closures

At a meeting arranged by Newham Council on Wednesday 21st May, Thames Water finally confirmed significant further closures of the Newham Greenway, on the Northern Outfall Sewer. TW suggested this was a risk in a response to questions from Caroline Russell AM in March. However the closure timeline of 2-3 years has not previously been shared. Moreover the timing of this announcement means that Newham Council has less than 4 months to provide safe alternative routes for walking and cycling. Our understanding of the closures and their duration is as follows:

Phase 1, ongoing: Greenway closed from Channelsea Bridge to Manor Road Bridge

Phase 2, July 2025 – September 2025: Greenway closed from Stratford High Street to Manor Road Bridge 

Phase 3, September 2025 – December 2027: Greenway closed from Channelsea Bridge to Upper Road 

We are writing to express our concerns regarding the safety implications of these closures, and the proposed diversions, and to ask how Thames Water intends to support Newham Council with funding for safe diversion routes.

The Greenway (aka C22, one of TfL’s designated cycleways)  is the only safe route for cycling between the north and south of Newham, serving schools, colleges, and Newham Hospital. In 2024, Newham Council recorded 3,200 cyclists using the Greenway each day. 

For many, cycling is more affordable, convenient, and more 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.

The current Phase 1 closure of the Greenway has already unacceptably compromised safety for people walking and cycling, who are diverted via Abbey Road, a narrow bridge, with fast and heavy traffic and narrow pavements. Many cyclists using this route have experienced dangerous incidents involving motor vehicles, including parents with children. 

Your proposals for Phase 2 will force cyclists to use the alternative Bridge Road diversion. This will more than double journey times for those using the cheapest forms of transport, and also involves passing through the 3rd and 4th most dangerous junctions in Newham when travelling southeast – including the junction with Carpenters Road, where a cyclist was hit and killed by a lorry in January 2025. 

The Phase 3 Greenway closure will additionally remove access to a safe crossing of the District Line for people walking and cycling. Your proposed alternative routes via Plaistow High Street and Manor Road have fast, heavy traffic and no cycling provision, and include navigating the 5th most dangerous junction in Newham for cycling.

The diversion routes proposed by Thames Water for Phase 3 are particularly unsafe. As discussed at the meeting, Newham Council will have to take action to mitigate the impact of the Greenway closures by providing safer alternatives. But with only 4 months’ notice, there is little time for Newham to apply for funding to deliver a safe alternative route, let alone to complete the work.

We have the following questions:

  1. Will Thames Water delay Phase 3 of the Greenway closures in order to allow Newham Council time to construct safe diversions for walking and cycling?
  2. Will Thames Water support Newham Council financially in constructing safe diversions for walking and cycling?

Newham Cyclists and LCC exist to break down barriers to cycling, and help people of all ages, all races, all genders, all abilities, and all backgrounds access this cheap and convenient form of transport. The principal barrier to cycling and walking is safety. We look forward to hearing how you will support measures to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists travelling between the north and south of Newham.

Latest on Thames Water’s closure of the Newham Greenway: more than 4 times the original distance to be closed, until at least December 2027

It has come to our attention that Thames Water will be significantly extending their closure of the Greenway, extending their closures as far as Stratford High Street and Upper Road. They have given Newham Council less than 4 months to provide safe alternative routes for walking and cycling. This is completely unacceptable and Thames Water need to take responsibility for their poor planning. This is the information we have to date (below). We have been informed that Newham officers are in discussion with Thames Water to try to reduce the extent of the closures.

Phase 1, ongoing: Greenway closed from Channelsea Bridge to Manor Road Bridge

Phase 2, July 2025 – September 2025: Greenway closed from Stratford High Street to Manor Road Bridge 

Phase 3, September 2025 – December 2027: Greenway closed from Channelsea Bridge to Upper Road 

We will be writing to Thames Water about their hilarious suggested diversions (for Phase 3, via Plaistow High Street and Manor Road) and will ask how they intend to help (financially) Newham Council to provide safe diversion routes for walking and cycling.

What we need from you: in order to make the maximum impact, we need to tell the human story of these closures – the individuals who are and will be affected. We will be producing articles and videos and we would like to involve as many people as possible. Are you/your family/your friends affected by this closure? Do you work in the healthcare sector? Do you work with community groups? Would you be willing to talk to camera for 20-30s? Do you know anyone affected who you could ask to tell us their story? If so please contact us at newham@lcc.org.uk and we will be in touch.

Thanks, Jonathan and Karen.

Statement on the fatality at Stratford High Street/Carpenters Road on Monday 13th January

View from the central island of a two-stage pedestrian crossing with guardrail, looking towards a Holiday Inn Express on the pavement where people are talking, their bicycles standing nearby. In the foreground is a yellow sign from the Metropolitan Police reading "FATAL COLLISION. DAY: MONDAY, DATE: 13th JANUARY, TIME: 13.45-14.15hrs. Telephone 07884743474."

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.

So here are the facts: On Monday, 13 January, at around 2pm, a man in his 20s was cycling here, at the junction of Carpenters Road and High Street, when he was involved in a crash with a lorry. Despite the efforts of bystanders, and the attendance of the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service, and London’s Air Ambulance, this gentleman was pronounced dead at the scene. Our deepest condolences go to his friends and family. Our thoughts are also with all those who witnessed, were involved in, and responded to, a very traumatic incident.

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.

May he rest in peace.

A traffic light/street lamp post with four tea lights arranged around the base, and five bunches of flowers attached to it at various heights. In the distance, another one of the "FATAL COLLISION" signs appealing for information is visible.