Latest look at Cycleway 4 works in Woolwich

Welcome to another update on how work to extend cycleway 4 from Charlton to Woolwich ferry is shaping up with various areas seeing extensive street changes over the summer.

One such location is around the Woolwich ferry roundabout as seen in the above image, which will be the eastern extremity upon completion of this phase.

A two-way lane be seen outside the old Coronet and Odeon cinema and now New Wine Church.

Whilst other new lanes feed into the ferry from the opposite side of the roundabout – though it won’t continue past new homes along Woolwich High Street and Woolwich Beresford Street – with cyclists expected to divert through the town centre and Powis Street.

Heading west from the ferry roundabout sees a new stretch of cycle lane looking all but complete on the southern side of Woolwich Church Street. The road narrows from a previous two lanes to one lane owing to a raised path on one side, with no dedicated bus lane here which previously existed.

This removal of dedicated bus lane may prove controversial. Of course if this causes no queues long term it won’t be an issue. If it does, then questions will be asked.

Heading further west and the footway is back at the same level as the adjacent road. Here we see again see two lanes and where the the bus lane now begins.

The lane passes a couple of smaller junctions before reaching a busier area outside the former main entrance to Woolwich Dockyard which is now housing – though could be in line for demolition and redevelopment accord to Greenwich Council’s forthcoming Local Plan.

This was an ugly old junction and looks a tad better now.

TfL wasn’t too forthcoming with renders of the project beforehand but there was one of this part.

It generally seems to match up quite closely. Some areas of greenery and SUDS aren’t seen though.

Wide streets

Further west and we can see another stretch where a new cycle lane is accommodated with no loss of lanes.

A removal of the central reserve permitted space for the two-way cycle lanes which remain on the southern side of the road.

Much work here looks complete but then a short distance away work has yet to commence.

New homes

Head past that section that and the image below shows lanes appearing again outside a major development in Woolwich just before it reaches Charlton.

New housings of course a key reason for the lanes. Thousands of new people could cause a lot of congestion if driving, and buses serving these new homes are actually being cut with the removal of the 472 route.

Works won’t complete for a year in autumn 2027 and the almost untouched stretches of road show just why.

This is outside shops not too far from Woolwich Dockyard station.

Work is also underway in Charlton and that stretch includes three roundabouts and the junction near Charlton station.

Like the Woolwich stretch this section too passes new homes including the first site of what is planned to be 8,000 new homes at the Charlton Riverside masterplan area.

One of the best improvements should be at the junction near Charlton station which was always pretty poor on foot.

Most of the road layout, street furniture and materials along the stretch of road dates back to the late 1990s when changes were afoot in advance of the Millennium Dome opening.

It wasn’t exactly an attractive area in places.

When work finishes this is the plan.

There’s more greenery, less street clutter and straight-over pedestrian crossings rather than staggered.

Let’s see how it all pans out in a year when fingers crossed, works complete and daily journeys through the area improve. Upon completion Cycleway 4 will run from Tower Bridge via Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Greenwich, Charlton and then into Woolwich.

From 2027 work begins in Woolwich town centre (though not on the most direct route via Woolwich High Street and the full length of Beresford Street many – like me – would take upon reaching the town from the west or east from Plumstead) as well as measures in Greenwich town centre.