cycling

Cycling into the future: Where to ride with Charlton’s new cycleway coming?

Faraday Works
Faraday Works – the long-closed Siemens factory – is on the Thames cycle route

The pandemic has pushed many people to get back on their bikes or try cycling for the first time. CLAIRE SELBY is one of them. With Charlton’s new cycleway under construction, she’s been brushing up on her cycle skills on the Thames Path…

Prompted by a couple of my dearest female friends who bought cycles in the first lockdown, I finally bit the bullet a few days before Christmas and got myself a city bike. I used Cycles UK in Deptford and found them ridiculously helpful for a complete novice. Panniers, rack, mudguards, a helmet and a lock later I wheeled my way out of the shop. I knew I could cycle most of the way back to Charlton along the river on the Thames Path but I hadn’t actually done it.

Context here: I haven’t cycled since I was about 14 years old, which is a long time ago and not in London. I didn’t like the idea of trying Boris bikes, and there are unbelievably no hubs yet near Charlton or Greenwich. But sometimes you just have to go for it, and go for it I did.

During the first lockdown I had three local walks I did very often: Charlton via Westcombe Park to Greenwich via the park, walk up and across to Blackheath Village and then Charlton round the O2 via the Thames Path. I got reacquainted with my local area again quietly as I had done through mudlarking over the past couple of years on the foreshore outside the Anchor and Hope. Traversing the area by cycle is quite different, but much more fun. You realise just how long a bus can take. Cycling along the Thames Path will never get old or dull for me. The absolute exhilaration of being near the river, on a designated and pretty decently maintained surface is quite the rush.

From my house off Woolwich Road I can easily cut down the usually quiet Horn Lane, use the Bugsby’s Way crossing and go down Peartree Way right up to the yacht club and then have a glorious cycle right around the O2. Soon I’ll be able to come out of my road and go immediately onto the new cycle track either all the way to Greenwich or Woolwich.

Thames Path bridge
The metallic bridge on the Thames cycle path

My favourite part of cycling in Charlton is the Thames Barrier. If you cycle from Woolwich and follow the Thames Path, you cycle alongside the river on your right, across the white metallic bridge by the marvellous Thames-Side Studios and slide right down the slope onto Warspite Road. Hook a right, sneak through the gate and cycle alongside the beautiful old warehouse buildings. How long until Faraday Works opens? I can’t wait! You come to a small restriction barrier, onto tarmac humps and there you are – the Barrier! It feels so un-London I love it. Did you know it has its own Twitter account? The glistening peaks of the Barrier hit with sunlight never fail to delight me.

I recently learnt of a proposal to build a bridge alongside the Barrier, why ever not? Recently I arranged to meet a friend there: as I got there I realised he was on the other side of the river.

My next goal is to use the Woolwich Ferry to go north, which should be an adventure. Sadly due to the redevelopment west of the ferry means you can no longer cycle right beside the river, you have to take an awkward ride or walk alongside the road and then rejoin a diversion through one of the new developments. But oh, it is surely worth it because as soon as you pop out, you are right alongside the almost mythical Woolwich Dockyard fishing lakes. Apparently there is still a 40lb carp in there somewhere according to one of the lads fishing there.

South London Aquatic Centre
The old South East London Aquatic Centre in Woolwich, which has been earmarked for development for many years

On cycling trips around the Peninsula, I have played with cycling back on part of the new cycle lane westbound from Greenwich towards Charlton. As long time residents and avid readers of The Charlton Champion will know, one of the main reasons for this cycle track being developed was the number of fatalities on the Angerstein Roundabout. Even as a pedestrian it is always quite hairy crossing the A102 – the car is king. As a cyclist now, you can’t take an unbroken route to cross it but they have made it a little easier by widening lanes and utilising the pedestrian lights to enable you to cross while still mounted. You still need to press three crossing buttons to do it though so it’s not entirely seamless.

Cycleway 4
Work is continuing on the new cycleway along Woolwich Road

The traffic on Woolwich Road and around the Blackwall Tunnel has always been terrible ever since I moved south of the river about 24 years ago. Lockdown is the only thing that has made it less congested, and the new cycle lane makes things more accessible.

If you are also starting out or getting reacquainted with a bike there is an excellent company called Cycle Confident, which offers free cycle lessons for adults. I had one lesson in that weird limbo between Christmas and New Year amongst children with fancier bikes than mine, scooters, roller skates and everything in between. I highly recommend them and have booked a second now Covid restrictions allow.

I found this which is great: cyclingfallacies.com

Claire is on Twitter at @sitdowncomedian and blogs at Medium.

Do you have any hints and tips for local cycling? Please share them in the comments below.

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Greenwich Council plans to stop through traffic on Old Dover Road

Darryl Chamberlain
Old Dover Road, seen here in this Google Streetview image, could be closed at the A102 bridge

Plans to make cycling safer for schoolchildren could see through traffic banned from Old Dover Road, according to plans unveiled by Greenwich Council yesterday.

Cameras could be placed on the bridge over the A102 to stop cars, vans and lorries from heading down the full length of the road as part of the proposal to finish a proposed cycle route from Shooters Hill Road to Greenwich Park.

The council also plans to put a camera on Banchory Road to stop the rat-running that has blighted the short-cut to and from Charlton Road for years, with HGVs transporting cars to the Metropolitan Police’s pound on Bramshot Avenue continuing to thunder down the dog-leg into Craigerne Road.

Traffic would still be able to use Old Dover Road, but drivers heading to the shops would have to enter from the Royal Standard if the proposals go ahead. Using cameras means buses and emergency services can still use the route, while closures could be limited to rush hours or daytimes only.

Part of the cycle route, from Baker Road to Weyman Road, was finished last year, but now the council is consulting on proposals to extend it west along Shooters Hill Road, and then to route riders along a quieter Old Dover Road, before the route continues along St John’s Park towards Blackheath.

However, rather than following an existing footpath to Greenwich Park, cyclists would be expected to turn left into Vanburgh Terrace and then right into Maze Hill – the top section of which would be closed to through traffic – before reaching the park.

The route was chosen as it runs close to or past five different schools: Greenwich Free School, Halley Academy, Leigh Academy Blackheath and John Roan School. It is one of two routes to be chosen for funding by Transport for London – the other is a cycle route from Eltham to Greenwich Park, which is also being consulted on.

Sizwe James, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “These routes will help more people cycle more often, even more safely, and help us with our green recovery. Whether it’s for shopping, commuting to work, getting to school or for leisure these routes have the potential to make cycling a serious option for more people.

“Travelling by bike is much cheaper than driving and these cycle routes will open the borough up so residents can travel further, more confidently. Not only is cycling easy on the wallet it’s good for our health and everyone around us too. If you’re serious about putting the brake on unnecessary car journeys, avoidable chronic health conditions caused by car exhausts and climate change then please have your say.”

Last month Greenwich announced a scheme which would involve cutting through traffic in Westcombe Hill: many Charlton residents have recently received anonymous leaflets urging them to protest against the proposals, and promoting a website which also does not reveal who is behind the campaign. Two weeks ago the council told The Charlton Champion it would monitor any effect the scheme had in Charlton and would take action if necessary.

Progress is also well under way on the extension of Cycleway 4 along Woolwich Road into Charlton, a scheme which is being delivered by Transport for London rather than the council.

A consultation into the Old Dover Road scheme is open until 21 March at greenersafergreenwich.commonplace.is.

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TfL ‘monitoring’ effects of widened bus lanes through Charlton

Darryl Chamberlain
Woolwich Road
Transport for London says the widened lane improves safety for cyclists

Transport for London says it is monitoring the effects of widened bus lanes between Charlton and Woolwich after over 2,000 people signed a petition calling for them to be removed.

The lanes have been widened between Anchor and Hope Lane and the Woolwich Ferry to assist buses and improve safety for cyclists, cutting the ordinary traffic lanes down to one in each direction.

In January TfL consulted on plans to build a segregated cycleway between Charlton and Woolwich, which would have had a similar effect, but after the coronavirus pandemic the route between Greenwich and Charlton was prioritised instead. Eventually TfL hopes there will be a continuous cycle route between Tower Bridge and Woolwich.

Bus lanes were widened as an interim measure – and introduced to Woolwich Church Street for the first time – to speed up services and to add some extra safety for cyclists. However, they have been blamed for increased congestion on Woolwich Road and Woolwich Church Street.

A petition created three weeks ago by Gagandeep Singh says there are “vehicles queuing up all day and evening”. By Thursday evening it had gained 2,359 names. One signatory claims it took them 90 minutes to travel between Woolwich and Charlton; another said: “It’s impossible to get out of the roundabout at Warspite Rd. Traffic jams are terrible all day long.”

While there has been a huge jump in traffic since the end of the first coronavirus lockdown, there has been congestion where drivers attempt to filter from two lanes to one at the junction with Anchor and Hope Lane. While the wider bus lanes – which replace narrow cycle lanes on Woolwich Road – allow cyclists to overtake buses at stops, they are not continuous. This means riders still have to take their chances with HGVs and other fast-moving traffic at roundabouts – despite the introduction of a 20mph speed limit on the route.

Woolwich Road
Two lanes merge into one at Anchor and Hope Lane

A Transport for London spokesperson told The Charlton Champion the widened lane had been introduced as part of its Streetspace programme “to create more space for people to safely walk and cycle”.

He added: “The bus lanes push general traffic and HGVs further away from cyclists; making this corridor a much more pleasant and less intimidating route, and provide a link from Woolwich into the Cycleway that is currently being built between Greenwich town centre and charlton. These lanes are an interim measure while we work on the permanent scheme that was consulted on earlier in 2020, and which would provide a two way segregated cycle lane taking people from Woolwich all the way into Greenwich, and eventually into central London.

“Bus lanes protect buses from congestion and ensure journey times and intervals between buses are more reliable. Bus lanes will help guard against a damaging car-led recovery by improving bus journey times and safety for Londoners making journeys by public transport and the increasing proportion travelling by bike.

“Changes made as part of the Streetspace programme are being introduced on a temporary basis under temporary traffic orders, and will be monitored after implementation to ensure they deliver the expected benefits. Monitoring along the A206 corridor will include reviewing cycle flows, perception of safety, collision rates, general traffic flows and bus journey times.”

Woolwich Road
The widened lanes do not run across junctions

He continued: “We are reviewing the operation of the bus lanes with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and the data we are collecting is helping to inform these ongoing discussions. Where appropriate, adjustments to the scheme will be made if they aren’t performing how we expected. The new measures will be in place for up to 18 months, after which the monitoring strategy will form a key part of discussions between TfL and the council as to whether the scheme should be removed or made permanent.”

CYCLEWAY 4 PROGRESS

Woolwich Ferry to Anchor and Hope Lane, Charlton: Bus lanes as interim measure, funding for cycle route not yet certain

Anchor and Hope Lane to Farmdale Road, Greenwich: Work yet to start

Farmdale Road to Old Woolwich Road: Due to open early December

Old Woolwich Road to Old Royal Naval College: Uses existing routes

Old Royal Naval College to Norway Street, Greenwich: Awaiting funding application

Norway Street to Rotherhithe Tunnel: TfL in discussions with local councils, plans due in coming months

Rotherhithe Tunnel to Tower Bridge Road: Complete

Work is continuing on the cycleway between Old Woolwich Road and Farmdale Road, which will see a safer crossing put in place for riders at the Angerstein roundabout. It is due to open in early December – about two months later than planned.

The TfL spokesperson said: “This is later than originally anticipated for a number of reasons, including delays in our supply chain for temporary materials, issues with ducting identified when on site and a recent design change to Vanburgh Hill bus stops to assist bus operations.

“We are currently finalising plans for the section of cycleway between Charlton and Anchor and Hope Lane and will announce our proposals and construction timescales shortly.”

A small section of Cycleway 4 is already open between Tower Bridge and Rotherhithe Tunnel; TfL said this week that plans for the section through Deptford would be announced “in the coming months”.

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Secure cycle parking coming to two Charlton streets

Darryl Chamberlain
Cycle hangar in Combedale Road
A cycle hangar in Combedale Road, Greenwich

Residents in Eastcombe Avenue and Sandtoft Road are to get secure cycle parking spaces after residents asked Greenwich Council to install them.

The town hall is putting the lockable cycle hangars in place after it won £120,000 in funding from Transport for London last year. In total, 13 different locations around the borough – mostly in Greenwich itself – will get the hangars, while new cycle racks will be installed in Greenwich South Street in place of car parking.

Nine residents wrote to Greenwich Council to complain about the proposal, stating that neither they nor their neighbours cycled. Other residents complained about a lack of car parking space in general. However, the council received 28 separate requests for secure cycle parking in the area.

The hangars will take up the space of half a parking bay.

"I have just received notice of your intention to provide cycle hangers in Eastcombe Avenue, Sandtoft Road and Bramshot Avenue. I have to inform you that this is an area of terraced houses with no offstreet parking. It is sufficiently close to Westcombe Park railway station and the shops at the Royal Standard, and has no parking restrictions. This ensures that locals have increasing difficulty finding anywhere to park as any vacant spaces are quickly taken by shoppers and commuters. Many of our residents have more than one car and a lot seem daft enough to lease enormous SUVs. I am 70 and drive a tiny low emission citroen c1. If I want to go shopping, I have apoplexy every time I return and am unable to park my tiny car among the chancers who have taken spaces for their Porsche SUVs, Land Rovers and other imitation tank-like vehicles. This is the most foolish idea anyone has come up with. It reeks of neo-nazi exercise fanatics in their prime. Will these cyclists give up their leasehold SUVs in order to free up the space needed. This is a supreme example of councillors having no idea about the area they represent and being committed to politically correct trendyism and head in the clouds strategic psychosis. I insist that you scrap this silly idea immediately."
Some residents were not keen (click to expand)

The wider area may soon see more changes to car parking as the council is assessing responses to a consultation into whether parking permits should be introduced.

Work on the hangars will start as soon as possible, the council says in documents published on its website.

Residents who would like secure cycle parking on their street should contact Greenwich Council – its officers usually act when three separate households have asked for a hangar.

Another cycle hangar
Another cycle hangar in Coleraine Road, Blackheath, close to Westcombe Park station

Meanwhile, residents are still waiting to see what action Greenwich Council will take to make cycling and walking easier during the coronavirus crisis. At the weekend, council leader Danny Thorpe insisted that plans were in hand to open up streets to people on two wheels and two feet and close roads to rat-runners – however, it remains to be seen whether any of the schemes will tackle notorious trouble spots in Charlton such as Eastcombe Avenue and Victoria Way.

In addition, work on a 20mph zone through Charlton Village had begun at the start of the crisis, but stoped a few days into the lockdown.

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Charlton to Woolwich cycleway plans finally revealed

Darryl Chamberlain
Anchor & Hope Lane junction
Charlton’s notorious “junction of death” would see new crossings

Transport for London has revealed the first phase of its plans to create a segregated cycleway along the Woolwich Road – but only on the dual carriageway between Charlton and Woolwich.

Greenwich, Charlton and Woolwich were due to be linked by Cycleway 4 when proposals were first unveiled under the mayoralty of Boris Johnson. However, those plans were later dropped and the route shortened to run only as far a Deptford Creek Bridge. A very short section of Cycleway 4 has already opened at Tooley Street, Bermondsey, with more opening later this year.

The dangerous conditions for cyclists along the A206 meant TfL and local politicians came under huge pressure after the deaths of two riders in the space of two weeks in May 2018, including one man under the Woolwich Road flyover, where another cyclist was also killed in 2009.

Now TfL is asking the public for views on the first phase of its plans to revamp the road to create a segregated cycle lane – but this first phase only covers the section from Anchor & Hope Lane in Charlton to the Woolwich Ferry roundabout, where a wide dual carriageway means there should be plenty of room for a cycle route. Initial plans to remove the roundabout underneath the Woolwich Road flyover have also been released.

TfL says it is waiting for Greenwich Council’s plans for Greenwich town centre before coming up with plans for the rest of the route.

With no firm plans yet for the area west of Anchor and Hope Lane, the segregated route from Woolwich may struggle to attract cyclists if they know they will simply be dumped into normal traffic heading west through Charlton and into east Greenwich.

Trafalgar Road
No plans for Trafalgar Road as yet

What’s in the proposals?

The main proposal is to put in place a two-way cycleway on the south side of Woolwich Road and Woolwich Church Street, keeping riders out of normal traffic and enabling them to easily get around the three roundabouts on the route.

One lane of general traffic in each direction would also be removed and turned into a bus lane – however, and rather oddly considering the huge weekend retail park traffic, the bus lane would only run from 7am to 7pm on Mondays to Saturdays.

Six new pedestrian crossings would be put in place, including outside the Stone Lake retail park and at the Warspite Road roundabout. A series of “raised tables” would be fitted at road junctions to slow traffic down and make it easier for pedestrians to cross.

The huge road junction at Anchor and Hope Lane – built when the eastern end of Woolwich Road was converted into a dual carriageway in the early 1990s – would gain a pedestrian crossing on its eastern side. The poor facilities for pedestrians at this junction, an important spot for bus users heading to North Greenwich, have led to it being locally nicknamed the “junction of death”.

Just as in the original Cycleway 4 proposals, this route ends at Woolwich Ferry roundabout. However, this does leave a gap through Woolwich town centre before short stretches of segregated cycle lane – installed by Greenwich Council in the past three years – resume again to Plumstead station.

Frances Street plans
TfL’s plans for the junction with Frances Street

What about the rest of it?

Proposals for the Woolwich Road/ Angerstein roundabout may be the eagerly-anticipated part of the consultation – but TfL has only released a set of early ideas. It is considering removing the roundabout, and cutting traffic access between the A102 and the Woolwich Road to reduce the number of vehicles. More on those proposals here.

Creating a segregated route along the rest of Woolwich Road and Trafalgar Road will be significantly more challenging – the road is narrower and is frequently congested, seven days a week, with the growth in retail barns in the area adding to traffic levels.

Greenwich Council consulted last year on early plans to pedestrianise part of Greenwich town centre, with the next stage of consultation due in the spring. Plans for the rest of the route through Charlton and Greenwich will wait until these are finalised.

This consultation was delayed by the general election, and it is possible that the next stage of the Greenwich town centre consultation will also have to wait for another election to be over – this time the mayoral election on May 7.

A TfL spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “We are not consulting yet on the section of Cycleway between Greenwich Town Centre and Charlton because Greenwich Council’s Liveable Neighbourhood scheme, which we are funding for Greenwich Town Centre will impact traffic in the area and we need to understand that before modelling any cycleway designs as traffic modelling needs to be included in any consultation.

“Greenwich are due to consult on their Liveable Neighbourhood scheme in the spring and we’re committed to working with them on reducing road danger in the area in the interim.”

To take part in the consultation, visit: consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/greenwich-to-woolwich/

  • See also: Notorious Angerstein roundabout could be ripped out, TfL says

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    Charlton and Woolwich’s Thames Path Missing Link finally due to open

    Darryl Chamberlain
    Thames Path missing link
    It’s coming… thanks to Paul Stollery for the photo

    After years as a council pipedream, then a much-delayed period of planning and construction, the Thames Path’s “missing link” between the Thames Barrier in Charlton and King Henry’s Wharf in Woolwich will finally open next week.

    Greenwich Council cabinet member Denise Scott-McDonald and City Hall walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman will open a link between the two sections of path on Wednesday 20 June at 3.30pm. (Want to go? Sign up here, and thanks to Greenwich Council for letting us know.)

    Missing Link invite

    The pathway – which includes a ramp from the Thames Barrier site into the adjacent industrial estate, and an elevated path at Warspite Road on the Woolwich side – will end years of aggravation for walkers and cyclists who have had to divert onto the unpleasant Woolwich Road when travelling along the Thames.

    It also removes one of the few significant blockages of south-east London’s stretch of Thames Path – including an almost-interrupted riverside pathway (save for one or two blocks) through Greenwich borough from Deptford Green to Thamesmead – and makes it easier for people to cycle from riverside parts of Woolwich and Thamesmead to North Greenwich station.

    However, signs on the route indicate it will only be available from 6am to 9pm. Signs also eventually indicate it will be added to Quietway 14, a cycling route from Blackfriars Road to Canada Water station.

    Although someone may need to change the spelling mistake on the signs before it opens…

    While the route will be welcomed by cyclists, last week saw a “die-in” at Woolwich Town Hall protesting after three riders were killed in separate collisions in Greenwich and Deptford, including two on the A206 through Greenwich, one at the notorious Woolwich Road roundabout.

    Organisers demanded the reinstatement of the full Cycle Superhighway 4 scheme between London Bridge and Woolwich, which was shortened to run between Tower Bridge and Deptford Creek Bridge by mayor Sadiq Khan.

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    Got an old cycle to sell? Try Thorntree school’s bike market

    Neil Clasper

    A message from Paul Chapman of The Friends of Thorntree Association:

    Thorntree Primary School will be hosting a pop-up bike market on Wednesday 16th March between 3pm and 5pm, and Charlton residents are welcome. Run by Peddle My Wheels, the bike market is focussed on recycling unwanted or unused bikes, and at getting people enjoying cycling and the health benefits that comes with it.

    So if you have a bike gathering rust in your shed or garage, or you are fed up with buying brand new bikes for your kids that they grow out of within the year, or both, then why not come along.

    The Peddle My Wheels website explains how it all works:

    08:00-09:30 – Adults drop off bikes for selling (bring photo ID please!) and we tag them with their details. These are added to the selection of bikes we bring.

    09:30-15:00 – A mechanic checks every bike and makes minor repairs where necessary and then sellers contacted with valuation.

    15:00-17:00  – The market opens for people to buy bikes. We accept credit cards and cash (we will stay an extra hour upon request to accommodate working parents with children in after school club).

    Next day – sellers notified of sales. Payments will be made within 2 working days of sale via bank or PayPal transfer.

    Unsold bikes can be collected anytime on the day or we take them and sell at other markets (25% commission charge in these instances). The bike can be dropped off, and bought, in the lower playground, at the junction of Pound Park Road and Thorntree Road (just opposite the deer enclosure at Maryon Wilson Park).

    Co-ordinated by the Friends of Thorntree Association, the bike market is not a fund-raising event but a few parents have already indicated they will make a donation if their bike sells. FOTA is raising funds for new school equipment so if anyone else who sells a bike wishes to make a donation it will be gratefully received. And thanks are due to Thorntree Head Ms Fenwick for letting FOTA and Peddle My Wheels commandeer a section of the Lower Playground for the day!

    This video gives a good overview of how the markets work and the benefits involved:

    Hope to see you, and plenty of bikes, tomorrow!