The segregated cycle lane between Greenwich and Charlton is to be made permanent – but bus-stop bypasses along the route will be reviewed to make sure they are safe.

Cyclists have been able to use their own segregated lane between Christchurch Way and the Angerstein roundabout since December 2020, with an extension to Anchor & Hope Lane in Charlton the following year.

The route has been blamed for congestion in the area, but Transport for London has said that traffic levels are similar to how they were before the pandemic, and in the main bus journey times had settled back to pre-Covid levels too.

But while the numbers of people cycling in the centre of the route had risen by about 25 per cent between 2021 and last year, at its western and eastern ends its had fallen, by 11 per cent at Christchurch Way and 29 per cent at Anchor & Hope Lane – something the council blames on the lack of a coherent route at either end.

Other issues include delays to buses westbound buses approaching the Angerstein flyover, while it was noted that the A206 suffered more delays when there were roadworks and other incidents.

End of cycleway at traffic lights
Fewer people are using the route at its eastern end in Charlton. Image: The Greenwich Wire

But the group Blind in Greenwich raised concerns about bus-stop bypasses, where bus stops are effectively in an island between a cycle route and the main carriageway. They are common in other European countries but a relatively recent development in London.

The group said that “the current design and implementation of the two-way segregated cycle track presents significant risk of injury or death to visually-impaired pedestrians, creating fear and social exclusion”. It added the bypasses had been installed in an inconsistent fashion, with some at pavement level and some level with the road, meaning that visually-impaired people had little clue of what to expect when trying to approach a bus stop.

A TfL report into bus stop bypasses published in May said they should be reviewed because there were inconsistencies in their design across London.

“TfL are leading on further work to ensure that bus stop bypass designs are consistent and legible for all users and feedback from this scheme will inform this work,” the council said in a report, making clear that the review would be as a result of TfL’s report. 

“We will continue to work with TfL on this, ensuring that the recommendations from their recent bus stop bypass study are implemented along the route.

“This work is being developed on a network wide approach and is informed by international best practice. We will work with TfL on the specifics of bus stop bypass design in the borough to make improvements where they are identified. 

“Any decision on the principle of bus stop bypasses should be informed by this work and taken at a network level and not on a scheme-by-scheme basis.”

Other planned changes include:

  • Investigating cycle connections to side roads and shopping areas
  • Improving the public realm at the Angerstein roundabout, and identifying opportunities for planting along the route
  • Reviewing road markings at the Blackwall Lane junction and wayfinding signs along the route
  • Reviewing video surveys of the Blackwall Lane and Rathmore Road junctions, where collisions had been reported.

The council said that its decision “may have negative impacts on some groups with protected characteristics, we are satisfied that due regard has been given to these in recommending in this report that the scheme is made permanent, and that the scheme has been implemented in line with the latest guidance and best practice design”.

Bus-stop bypass and traffic next to it
This bus stop bypass is at the level of the adjacent road. Image: The Greenwich Wire

If backbench councillors do not challenge the decision – made by Averil Lekau, the deputy leader – by the end of the week, it will be made permanent on Friday.

Formal approval of the cycle lane comes just a week before the next major change to the area’s traffic network – a rush-hour low-traffic neighbourhood in parts of Greenwich and Blackheath. 

Eventually the cycle route is due to tie in with the existing Cycleway 4 from Tower Bridge to Deptford Creek Bridge, but progress on a route through Greenwich town centre has been extremely slow, with consultants still drawing up designs. 

Plans to continue the route onto Woolwich are due to move forward in the coming weeks, while the council and TfL plan to extend the route towards Plumstead, although this is awaiting funding.

Edited at 11.45pm on Monday to make clear the bus-stop bypass review comes as a result of TfL’s report rather than the Greenwich consultation.

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