Greenway Meeting with Thames Water

Today marks 700 days since Thames Water closed the Greenway, Newham’s only safe north-south cycle route, with no safe alternative. This has severed Newham’s cycle network in two, leaving no safe route between Plaistow, West Ham, Canning Town, East Ham, and Stratford—affecting thousands of families, shift workers at Newham Hospital, and children travelling to school.

We have now learned that this closure may extend as late as August 2030, or even later. This makes a safe, high-quality diversion route via West Ham Lane even more urgent.

Three people - Jonathan, Hugo, and Karen - stand in front of hoardings and fencing and pipes at a construction site on a sunny day.

Three representatives of Newham Cyclists—Karen, Hugo, and Jonathan—met on-site with representatives from Thames Water and their contractor Barhale on Friday 7th August for an update. Representatives of Newham Council’s network management team were also in attendance. We were shown an update on the construction process which is similar to the one being given to all politicians (e.g. the Mayor of Newham.)

Timelines

The previously advertised date for reopening of “Autumn 2028” (likely to be November or December 2028) is in fact a date at which the Greenway closure will be ‘reviewed’. It will only be reopened if there is sufficient width available on the Manor Road bridge to allow people to walk and cycle past the remaining construction activities. While Thames Water continues to advertise this as the date at which the Greenway will be re-opened, we are not confident (particularly given TW’s track record) there will not be a further delay.

The full programme of construction is currently scheduled to complete in August 2030. TW do feel more confident about their current projections due to improved surveying techniques, but admitted that construction timelines are wont to slip.

Our current understanding of the timelines is as follows:

Late 2027: Greenway closure to be reviewed at the request of the Mayor of Newham. Thames Water indicated they are not especially confident about there being adequate width at this stage. If this does result in re-opening: the Greenway will have been closed in some form for three years.
Late 2028: Greenway closure to be reviewed. TW feel more confident about there being available width at this stage. If re-opened, the Greenway will have been closed in some form for four years.
Late Summer 2030: Programme due for completion. If all runs to plan and the Greenway only re-opens at this stage, it will have been closed in some form for six years.

Diversion

Thames Water’s representatives admitted to us that they have not ridden the diversion routes themselves.

We got a commitment from TW to review the current diversion signage.

We highlighted issues with:

discrepancies between diversion routes advertised at different entry points to the Greenway
discrepancies between dates on different signs
poor quality diversion signage, in some case simply laminated sheets of A4 attached to a bollard
messaging claiming that diversion routes are ‘suitable for cyclists’ when they are not

What is clear is that the only solution to the Greenway situation is rapid delivery of Cycle Future Route 7 via West Ham Lane and Plaistow New Road. This will re-connect the remaining section of the Greenway to the Cycleway network.

Transparency, honesty, and respect

We used the opportunity to share our views very frankly about the (lacking) level of transparency from Thames Water throughout the process. This is not only with us and other community groups, but also the fact that Thames have been very late in updating Newham Council officers and politicians on their extensions to the closure—thereby putting them on the back foot with organising diversions. This has contributed to the disgraceful situation where thousands of Greenway users have been left paying for public transport, with some people feeling forced into buying a car or having to give up taking their children to extracurricular events.

We did get a commitment from Thames Water and Barhale that we could have a regular meeting—in the region of every 4-6 months—to hear an update on progress, and hope to have this in the calendar soon.

Unfortunately it is clear to us that Thames Water still does not truly consider the closure of the Greenway to be “their problem.” They consider the Greenway to be an amenity, rather than infrastructure, and not in line with their core service of fresh- and wastewater provision.

They also did not commit to, and said it was unlikely they would be able to, provide any funding for Newham Council’s costs in providing a safe alternative to the Greenway. We admit we find it difficult to believe this is impossible—Thames Water, while in a financially perilous situation, is returning a substantial post-tax profit. Meanwhile Newham Council is also strapped for cash, and is dependent on other bodies (such as TfL) for capital funding to deliver a safe diversion.

What is clear to us is that Thames Water is not, and in its current form can never be, a reliable partner for building a safe, connected cycle network. A dense network of safe cycle routes on the public highway is what’s necessary to build resilience into the cycle network and make cycling safe for everyone.

Election ’26: Community Hustings

Poster with the words "Newham Council Elections Community Hustings", providing details of the event that are also available in the post below. Poster design is a brown newsprint-effect hand holding a microphone in front of a crowd. The slogan is "We ask, they answer."

We are pleased to be joining this community hustings on Saturday 2nd May in conjunction with a number of other charities and campaign groups. We hope there will be representatives from the Labour Party, Green Party, and Newham Independents.

If you would like to join the hustings with our group, please email newham@lcc.org.uk.

Location: The Tate Institute 1 Wythes Rd, London E16 2DN
When: Saturday 2nd of May
🕰️ Stalls and activities from 2pm
💬Hustings start 4pm
⌛ Finish 6:30pm
🥘Food and kids activities provided

In less than a week, Newham will vote for a new mayor and council.

✊On the 2nd May groups from across Newham are coming together. We will be holding a community hustings with candidates from Labour, Green Party and Newham Independents to put questions to those who want to run our borough .

Come to the hustings to learn more about the future of Newham, and to show your future mayor that they need to deliver on the issues that matter to us!

🤝Groups involved: London Renters Union, The Magpie Project, Respace, PEACH, The Women in Newham Network, Newham Muslim Forum, Newham Trades Council, Newham Votes Palestine, Focus E15, Clapton Community Football Club, Newham Stand up to Racism, Newham Cyclists, Friends of Queen’s Road Market, Newham Poetry Group, Save Newham Libraries and more tba

Streets for Cycling campaign launches!

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.

Newham needs a
safe, connected cycle network!

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!

Find out more about what a safe, connected cycle network for Newham would look like at our Streets for Cycling campaign page
Email the candidates using the LCC’s tool – it only takes 1 minute!

Statement on a fatality in Gallions Reach

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.

The crash was first reported by Anthony France in the London Standard 7 days ago, when the Police made this appeal for dashcam footage and CCTV:

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.

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:

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
59% of people consulted saying they’re happy or satisfied with the LTN, while 41% of people are unhappy or dissatisfied at the moment

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

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

To complain to Thames Water:

Email customer.feedback@thameswater.co.uk
Call 0800 316 9800
Quote reference BB00472913 and tell them how the Greenway closure has impacted you or will impact you

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. — The current layouts at Stratford High Street. Images by Kerena Fussell and Karen Flanagan

A pavement with a pedestrian crossing closed off with orange plastic fencing. — 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 and~~¹ 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.

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