Major street changes as Cycleway 4 extension submitted through Greenwich borough

An application is in to radically change street layouts on roads between Charlton and Woolwich.

Submitted plans from Transport for London show an extension of Cycleway 4 to create a longer segregated cycle lane as well as changes to a junction near Charlton station and the Woolwich ferry roundabout.

A two-way cycle lane will move from the existing end point north of the carriageway to the south at the junction with Anchor and Hope Lane leading to Busgby’s Way.

A feeder cycle lane will be built along Anchor and Hope up to the junction with Bugsby’s Way which will also make reaching the Thames Path safer.

Changes will see the new lane pass new homes now rising near the Thames Barrier as part of the Charlton Riverside masterplan.

That plan foresees up to 8,000 homes eventually. A number of proposals are also currently in planning with some sites due to start soon.

Onto Woolwich

This application also contains design drawings all the way to Woolwich passing hundreds of further homes now rising at the former Morris Walk estate beyond the scope of the Charlton Riverside area.

The estate rebuild will see more than 700 homes.

Roads between Woolwich and Charlton were last substantially reworked in the run up to the Millennium and feature wide central reservations and substantial roundabouts.

Bus lanes were introduced in recent years.

The original idea was to extend Cycleway 4 to Woolwich ferry before work was put on hold with work only reaching Charlton. TfL have also been working at routes through Woolwich town centre to link with a dedicated cycle lane built around 2017 between the east of Woolwich and Plumstead station.

If a route through Woolwich is built it would connect residents moving to more than 2,500 homes in Thamesmead and Plumstead to a dedicated cycle lane which could run to Tower Bridge.

Also included in the application are design drawings of a future Woolwich ferry roundabout.

The area is currently extremely busy and an obstacle to cycling for both existing residents and those moving into many new homes either planned, underway or recently built in Woolwich.

One cycle lane appears to head from the ferry roundabout onto Woolwich High Street and the other towards Powis Street.

If cycling between Plumstead or certain major Woolwich developments the route via Woolwich High Street is more direct. It currently has two lanes in each direction but no more than one westbound is currently ever usable due to a bus stand and car parking.

The sheer number of new car-free homes within close proximity of the proposed cycleway should see ample usage. Width of roads should also ensure bus lanes remain alongside for the majority of the route.

However there is road narrowing on one stretch of Woolwich Church Street near the new Mast Quay development.

Plans show the new cycle lane will run alongside the same number of vehicles lanes in much of Charlton, with one retained for buses and one for other vehicles. Narrowing those wide central reservations and installing smaller roundabouts permits a new cycle lane.

Unfortunately trees in the central reservation will be removed. It was always a bit silly to place them there as Greenwich have been doing even in the very recent past.

Some areas will however see new trees such as here beside the pedestrian crossing –

It’s a similar story with lampposts. I note recently Greenwich Highways have moved some from the edge of roads to central reservations which could well need removing in coming years as do recently planted trees.

A large number of design drawings and details covering this proposal can be seen here.