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.

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)

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:

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?
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.

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:

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.
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.
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.
Investigating an alternative diversion via Crows Road – there are discussions taking place, but no firm proposals as yet.

Our thoughts on the above:

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.
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.
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.
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.

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

Our thoughts on the above:

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.
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.
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.
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

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.