Greenwich town centre cycle lane: A look at the proposed route
Consultation has begun on plans for a cycle lane through Greenwich town centre with the council revealing the route recently.
It’s been a few weeks since it commenced and a post was intended to be uploaded but was put back until having a look along the route with some recent photographs included today.
The idea is to plug the missing gap between existing Cycleway 4 cycle lanes between Tower Bridge and Greenwich (which ends around Waitrose) to the lane in east Greenwich which runs to Charlton.
As things stand when heading east Cycleway 4 reaches a junction beside Deptford Creek and stops without reaching further along Creek Road towards Greenwich town centre.
That won’t change and the stretch shown above will not see a lane.
Instead cyclists will be directed north heading past Waitrose on the left. A small section of cycle lane already exists at this point.
Quiet streets
Then it’s a case of turning right and along Thames Street thorough an estate where cycling has previously not been too welcome.
Proposed changes here not only the removal of those barriers for cycle lanes but also an improved play area for children.
The route then continues east along Welland Street through relatively quiet backstreets running parallel to Creek Road.
As an aside, this is one of the best maintained Greenwich Council estates by far. It’s a word away from estates in areas like Plumstead, Woolwich and Abbey Wood. We can’t have tourists seeing the often common neglect elsewhere in the “Royal” borough dating back decades.
At present Thames Street is being used for Cutty Sark DLR station access while all four lifts are out of order.
At the eastern end of Welland Street barriers located close to Cutty Sark car park which again highlights how cycling has not exactly been welcome here until these new proposals.
Note the mass of lime bikes and parked van further blocking chance of cycling through.
Town centre
Now we’ve reached the town centre proper and are away from quiet streets to the hustle and bustle of shopper, tourists and the rest. The proposed lane heads south onto Greenwich Church Street at the corner where M&S resides before a short journey to College Approach.
Greenwich Council state “a small number of parking spaces on College Approach, Greenwich Church Street and King William Walk”.
College Approach is a wide street and part of the one-way system running around the town centre.
Planting may be installed on the right hand side as viewed below.
Loading facilities for market traders would be maintained according to the council.
Footways would be widened alongside potential seating.
The proposed lane continues towards the Old Royal Naval College and now University of Greenwich campus.
They aren’t keen on cycling through the site.
Cyclists will be expected to take an indirect route to the north then head parallel to the Thames through the campus.
This does afford some great views of the river and rising towers on Greenwich peninsula as shown below.
Still, not great for commuting where quickly getting from A to B is the aim.
On the eastern side of the campus cyclists head towards Old Woolwich Road where the lane is shared-use with cars before meet the segregated route through east Greenwich.
At present it runs east until Charlton station and stops though plans are afoot to extend to Woolwich ferry.
Woolwich town centre
A separate consultation was recently held on what route though Woolwich town centre lanes should take before meeting existing routes running as far as Plumstead station.
The Woolwich route is quite convoluted (a bit like the Greenwich town centre scheme just revealed) with the obvious route through Woolwich High Street ignored for a cheaper option along areas of high footfall in Woolwich town centre and Powis Street.
One day they’ll be dedicated lanes running from Plumstead all the way to central London and given the sheer number of new homes rising and planned en route (many of which are car-free) it should see reasonable usage.
Right now it’s still too fragmented to be much use in places but that is slowly changing.
Consultation on the Greenwich town centre route is still ongoing with an online event planned this Thursday.
Consultation will end this coming Friday 28 February.
