DLR to Thamesmead: the worst option?

Today was that wonderful day where the now-traditional annual announcement occurs about what will (or rather likely wont) happen with Thames river crossings. Every year this charade seems to occur which is then followed by millions pissed away on more reports and consultations.

I’ve previously written about crossings and the benefits of a London Overground link south from Barking Riverside to Abbey Wood via Thamesmead. That plan is on the new announcement but in a very vague way.

This years fun and games has the idea of the DLR to Thamesmead from Beckton. Probably the worst option.

It wouldn’t connect to Abbey Wood. So no link to Crossrail there, nor Thameslink with its planned links to Medway and various stations across London up to Luton, nor Southeastern (or London Overground if that happens) connections out to Kent and across South-East London.

Get a bus then, right? Well, the link road from Thamesmead to Abbey Wood station is already at capacity after a Sainsbury’s supermarket was built along it last year.

Once 3000+ new homes line it as part of upcoming Housing Zones from Peabody plus other private developments like the proposed 30-storey tower in Abbey Wood, it will be gridlocked unless major changes occur.

UPDATE: They listened and widened Harrow Manorway with dedicated bus lanes. There’s still a pinch point though bu the petrol station.

To the north the DLR option of course misses out on a link to Barking and numerous links that a London Overground would offer such as C2C trains to East London and the City plus fast trains to Essex. There’s also tube lines like the District and Hammersmith & City from Barking plus London Overground to north east and north London. The DLR links in with none of that like London Overground extended from Barking would provide.

The DLR certainly has benefits – just less than other options. It would offer Thamesmead residents a slow trundle to Custom House Crossrail in about 20 minutes before change was needed.

It does though offer scope for more stations in Thamesmead itself than London Overground, particularly near Tripcock Point where housing can only commence with better transport, plus offering a good chance to rebuild and reorganise the crappy retail-barn excuse for a town centre.

A Tram?

Given this plan wouldn’t see the DLR head to Abbey Wood station, plus it likely being on an ugly viaduct if so, then why not a tram? It could go from Abbey Wood to Thamesmead at-grade level, have numerous stops which is something the DLR offers over London Overground, and then once north of the river link to both the DLR and then head to Barking and all it’s connections. It fulfills the best of the DLR and LO.

Another stretch could head west from Thamesmead to Woolwich Crossrail, then through Charlton Riverside with it’s thousands of homes coming over the next decade, before terminating at North Greenwich tube.

That was the plan for Greenwich Waterfront Transit about 10-15 years ago, which started off as a tram and then was reduced to a very expensive re-working of the 472 bus with no frequency increase. But now, with all the homes coming at Thamesmead, Woolwich, Charlton and Greenwich, it would offer a compelling case for resurrection.

Other plans

Other plans announced today seem to ignore Belvedere and Thamesmead road crossings but continue with the idea of more traffic at a Silvertown tunnel. All the thousands moving into developments on the Peninsula, Canning Town and the Royal Docks will love that.

And another tunnel wont do much if the approach roads stay the same. Quite a few developments are underway nearby:

There’s also mention of a pedestrian and cycle link from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf which is a great idea but no mention of similar from Greenwich Peninsula to Canary Wharf.

UPDATE: The pedestrian bridge has been scrapped.

Greenwich Peninsula of course has 15,000 homes (UPDATE: Now 20,000) being built and the Jubilee is expected to cater for most, despite major developments also beside Stratford station, plus West Ham, Canning Town and Canada Water.

What is mentioned is a ‘river bus’. So people in Rotherhithe get a free crossing and those in Greenwich have to pay?

And will this river bus be 24/7? Of course it won’t, and it wont run with fog, a high tide etc and all the other things that blight river based transport.

 

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