Newham Cyclists, part of the London Cycling Campaign, is demanding urgent action from Thames Water and Newham Council, after Thames Water closed the Greenway to people walking and cycling with an unsafe diversion that puts local people in danger for their day-to-day travel.
As a volunteer group which exists to help more people access cycling, we are disappointed and angered by Thames Water’s and their contractors’ decision to close part of the Greenway, Newham’s only safe and inclusive north-south cycle route, while the diversion route is dangerously busy with car and van traffic. They chose to do this despite us warning them as early as July that this would be unacceptable and unsafe.
The result is that people who use the Greenway—from children and families cycling to school or the park, to dog-walkers, to workers at Newham Hospital—are being forced onto a narrow bridge at Abbey Road DLR with fast and heavy traffic. Cars and vans speed and emerge suddenly due to poor sight lines, which is a major collision risk. Some drivers are impatient, intimidating cyclists by revving and passing too close. Many people cycling, particularly children, are riding on the pavement in fear; the pavement is much too narrow for pedestrians as it is.
We have been inundated with messages from Greenway users reporting frightening encounters on the diversion. We think it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt, or worse.
For more details or to share your story, go to newhamcyclists.org.uk. You can also find information there about how to join the London Cycling Campaign, and about our next in-person meeting.
Read our latest statement here: https://www.newhamcyclists.org.uk/update-on-the-greenway-closure-22nd-september/
Find out more about joining the London Cycling Campaign: http://lcc.org.uk/join
4 Comments
Another example of cyclists needing education on how to use roads.
Shockin that they closed it for That long!
😯😲
Unacceptable of Thames Water, thank you for informin us.
Incredible lack of coordination and consideration. It's down to the Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, to act. Her silence and indifference is telling @rokshanafiaz
Half the comments I've read (2/4) have clearly not watched the video.
As someone who has watched the video, I'm appalled at how Thames Water didn't bother to make sure the diversion would be safe before closing the greenway.
Especially when they've been informed ahead of time about the dangerous they are now indirectly causing!
(Not a brit myself though, so I can't do much more than to help push this video up the algorithm.)