TfL paints over part of Cycle Superhighway CS2 in Stratford less than year after installation

Cycling campaigners in Newham have criticised Transport for London (TfL) for painting over a stretch of Barclays Cycle Superhighway 2 in Stratford, and say that the apparent removal of the facility will put bike riders’ lives at risk.

The Newham Recorder reports that the section of CS2 in question, which leads from Stratford Broadway to the Tramway Avenue slip road, was painted over on September 5, less than a year since it had been installed.

The newspaper says the change was made by TfL in response to safety concerns raised by cyclists, pedestrians, the London Borough of Newham and the Metropolitan Police.

However, Newham Cyclists’ joint co-ordinator, Kerena Fussell, said that the previous strip of blue pain – a feature of the Barclays Cycle Superhighways that was criticised last year in the inquest into the death of Brian Dorling at Bow Roundabout in 2011 as lulling cyclists into a false sense of security – did offer cyclists more protection.

She said: “At least the blue paint and the bollards made the traffic slow down and was some protection. Now we have gone back to absolutely nothing.

“Before CS2 we all dealt with it [the traffic] but putting in CS2 made it better and now it has been taken away again.”

TfL has made a series of changes to the route, such as installing reflective bollards, to try and make cyclists, pedestrians and motorists more aware of each other.

“Four changes have been made to it in some ridiculously short period of time and part of our concern is how much money has been wasted on it,” she said.

“If they are changing this infrastructure, the least they could do is talk to the people who use it.”

Bu Councillor Ian Corbett, who advises Newham’s mayor on environment and infrastructure, said worries about the route had emerged after “a number of serious near misses”.

He said: “The council has made clear to TfL the urgent need to fully address all safety issues at this location and review the design proposals.

“This should be done in conjunction with key stakeholders such as the council, police, emergency services and cycling groups.”

TfL insisted that the painting over of the Barclays Cycle Superhighway would not be permanent.

Its director of road space management, Alan Bristow, said: “We will return to install the final, agreed design later this year once the local development works are fully completed, and remain committed to provide safe cycling infrastructure across London.”

This video, from YouTube user sw19cam, charts the changes over a six-month period.