Thames Water's DANGEROUS closure of the Greenway
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- 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: www.newhamcycl...
Find out more about joining the London Cycling Campaign: lcc.org.uk/join
*Shockin that they closed it for That long!*
😯😲
Unacceptable of Thames Water, thank you for informin us.
It’s an “estimate” too. Being Thames water I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s longer.
It is a common problem. It is seen as OK to close cycling infrastructure for long periods to reduce inconvenience to works being carried out nearby. The greenway looks pretty wide. Did they need to fully close it?
Cyclists and pedestrians HAVE NO RIGHTS! Cars are King
Outrageous.
Thanks for the update.
18 months is absolutely unacceptable
4:39 by the way this route isn’t currently an option for drivers because the right hand turn onto tramway avenue (behind the Stratford centre) is bus and taxi only.
Thanks for the correction, this is helpful! Although one option could be to open this right turn to general traffic, drivers going to West Ham Lane can already go clockwise around Stratford town centre (Great Eastern Road, The Grove, Broadway, then LEFT onto Tramway Avenue.) A short additional detour, but we think a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, and a reasonable trade off to fix the serious safety issue on Abbey Road.
Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, whenever I have had to deal with Thames Water, it is always a negative experience.
thanks for your work about this, I would not expect any good outcome from Newham, absolutely hostile to cycling.
our councils just constantly fail us across the uk.
It's not just the Greenway. Thames Water has been closing streets and roads left and right to carry works, somehow they never seem to end.
They closed a section of the C4 extension in Greenwich for months seemingly just to use the section of the street as a storage area. So frustrating
We totally agree, obviously London’s crumbling sewer network needs upgrading & repairing but it needs much more thought put into traffic management than there usually is.
Well that’s it then, I’m not using the Greenway for the next 18 months. I’m a confident cyclist (been cycling in London since 2007) bur no way I’d want to use that awful diversion.
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.)
This is common. IN Leeds a segregated contra flow cycle lane has been out of use because of cladding replacement for 2 years now.
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
Wasn't the Greenway a hotspot for mugging?
A while ago at night times, yes - things have generally improved a lot because the Greenway is now more heavily used at all times of day and night. There are still social safety issues to resolve, particularly for kids and for women, but improved lighting and barrier removal has also made a big difference.
This makes it all the more frustrating that Thames Water have thrown this away with a diversion that’s dimly lit, foreboding, and doesn’t feel especially safe.
@@newhamcyclists6963 I've been mugged there, as a pedestrian, near the Memorial Recreation Ground, on several occasions in the afternoon, with other people nearby including parents with prams, in clear sight of CCTV cameras. The police did nothing, of course, and I'd now not even bother reporting it.
Another example of cyclists needing education on how to use roads.
really?. did you not see all the shitty overtakes from shit drivers who education? just cos they cant fucking wait two seconds.
Go on then and educate us. How would you cycle over this bridge and make that blind turn?
@@a1white The example shown in the video shows the cyclist positioning themselves on the left hand side of the road to turn right. Why would you do that? Just shows a complete lack of education.
@@drummerjo571 No. They pulled over because otherwise you are stuck in the middle of a narrow road with cars trying to squeeze past you either side (and they will). Do that twice a day on your commute, especially when it's getting dark in the evenings. The cyclist puled over to get out of the way of the traffic and made the manouver when the traffic was free.
@@a1whiteThen the camera person does it with no issues at all, funny that.
Not safe for pedestrians with Illegal electric bikes doing 30MPH is it.
Put wands up the middle to make overtaking impossible, or make the road one way so one lane can become a protected cycle track.
Make the bridge one way vehicle traffic?
A better, safer but slightly longer route is to walk or cycle along the DLR line to the Abbey Road station. From there you'd still have to cross the road, but it would be a straight crossing (with traffic lights) and not a right turn.
We agree, Bridge Road is definitely a good alternate if you’re heading to Stratford, Leyton, or beyond-in fact it’s even a little more direct. It’s a bit of a circuitous diversion for people going towards Bow, the Olympic Park, or Vicky Park though 🥴
Great work by Newham Cyclists to expose further the failings of Thames Water.
I use the greenway early in the morning heading to the high street to pickup the C2. I don’t bother on the way home!
At the bottom of the slope on to Manor road into Pond road isn’t good either! I imagine the signage is not great if you’re not familiar with thd area.
Good work hope this gets the right outcome 👍🏻
Thames Water have been up on the Greenway for absolutely ages! Must be two years, already... Another 18 months is intolerable! 🚲
The greenway no longer connects to the lea canal/ victoria park after the olympic development. There is a diversion but it's very roundabout confusing and hilly, so generally inconvenient. I think the route loses a lot without that connection.
They closed a major cycle route from central to North Swindon over a year ago with a not-very-suitable diversion, though nowhere near as bad as in this video. Still, at least they're pumping shit into our rivers.
Blame Newham for closing the roads for car drivers as well, that's why side roads are getting busier. These safer streets scheme have made things worse for all road users.
Hi, there are no closed side roads for car drivers on the same alignment as Abbey Road that would make Abbey Road less busy, only the streets between Abbey Road/Mitre Road and Manor Road which have been closed at the Manor Road end for decades. Closing side roads to car traffic they weren’t designed for has been proven to reduce traffic overall and make everyone’s journey safer. Hope this helps 😊
Hey! As a very keen cyclist (and driver) who actually lives and has lived in the area for over 25 years we can’t just keep on moaning each time a road is closed for maintenance works.
Infrastructure development, repairs and maintenance have to take place and we have to/ need to adapt and accommodate to temporary changes matter of fact even permanent ones.
Just imagine what delivery drivers, the lorry, bus and heavy goods vehicle drivers have to go through too, oh and parents that have to drive to work and take their children to school.
Point I’m making is… if one feels unsafe using a particular route, take another oh, and remember the infrastructure we are complaining is taking 2 years to fix, took a hell lot longer to construct.
Inconvenience is a part of life. - being a resident of the area I actually appreciate the work being undertaken, it was lllllong overdue.
*Keep Calm and have a cuppa.*
If a main road was closed an actual appropriate diversion would be put in place, though. Key cycling routes seem to be able to be closed without anything like that being put in place. That's the issue, the cycling campaign aren't suggesting that the greenway should never close for works.