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Whipps Cross JunctionWaltham Forest's radical redesign of motorway-style roundabout could become a "beacon" for others to follow
Radical plans to transform a dangerous motorway-style roundabout in East London so cyclists can cross it without coming into conflict with motor traffic could become a beacon for other UK councils to follow, say campaigners.
Designs released for consultation, for Whipps Cross roundabout in Waltham Forest, East London, show the transformation of a junction that one local councillor describes as "horrendous", and having "no place in 21st century London". Plans show the roundabout changed to a T-junction with wide, two-way segregated cycle route across the junction with a new bus hub, play ground, pond and public space.
In 2013 Waltham Forest became one of three outer London boroughs awarded £30m each by the Mayor's Mini Holland fund, to introduce widespread Dutch-style local improvements for walking and cycling. Whipps Cross is the first part of one of the scheme's flagship projects, the 2.5 mile Lea Bridge Road cycle superhighway, which will, it is hoped, transform the borough's most dangerous road into a people and cycle-friendly street.
Current Whipps Cross junction layout
Councillor Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: "Whipps Cross roundabout is a major entry point into the borough and is the start of Lea Bridge Road from the northern end; it is a horrendous roundabout for cyclists and for pedestrians, it acts as a real barrier to a big chunk of the borough, and to Epping Forest that sits on the doorstep, and it really has no place in a 21st century London."
"It is just really bad and poor infrastructure and enables motorised vehicles to hit it at great speed and as a cyclist you take your life into your own hands every time you go around it."
Loakes says the plans will help tackle a "ticking obesity time bomb" in the borough and improve air quality.
He said: "The leaders of the council are prepared to have the political rows, but we are doing the right things for the right reasons - this isn't about Lycra clad people, this is about enabling little kids to ride, walk, scoot to school safer if they want to; this is creating that space so that people don't drop their kids off to school by car for a 2km journey, contributing 20% of the traffic on the roads."
He said: "We have spoken to all the businesses along the Lea Bridge Road - and it is a long road - helped them fill out a perception survey, we have done sessions with the cyclists going up and down Lea Bridge Road asking their final destination, what they like and don't like, we have spoken to pedestrians, shoppers, and other visitors."
Loakes says early on the council learned it can't just be about cyclists but must include pedestrians to persuade local people to support the scheme. He also praised the local cycle campaign, whom he refers to as an essential part of the team whose engagement and criticism have helped make the scheme happen.
Waltham Forest Cycle Campaign's Simon Munk, said: "At the moment it is one of the most dangerous junctions in Waltham Forest, it's seen a high number of fatalities and Lea Bridge Road is by far the most dangerous road in the borough for people on bikes, for anyone.
"Under the current consultation designs, if you are a cyclist going through Whipps Cross at no time will you be sharing your space with a tipper truck or bus; at no point will you be in conflict with vehicles or exposed to left hooks."
" As a statement of intent it is huge, and as a first step on the Lea Bridge Road scheme it is huge."
He said: "This is a council that is making huge steps in a really good way to make things safer for people to walk and cycle. It is a rare moment where the council's vision has been inventive and brave and they are on the same side as us."
"It makes me very proud to be involved in this. My hope and belief is that the Waltham Forest Mini Holland scheme allows two things: I hope it turns Waltham Forest into a much better place to cycle, making cycling look, feel and be safer, but also to stand as a beacon for what can be done."
"I can only hope that another borough or other bit of the UK look at what we are doing and better us."
Waltham Forest's early Mini Holland trials won the Space for Cycling award at the London Cycling Awards on Monday
Gr8 #wfminiholland team shot with @wfcouncil @wfcycling @psimonk @AnalogPuss ta 4 recognition #londoncyclingawards. pic.twitter.com/3K4s3rX0eK
— LeytonstoneLabour (@Labourstone) June 29, 2015
Campaigners encourage anyone who rides through, or lives or works in or near the area to respond to the consultation.
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
Latest Comments
- quiff 2 sec ago
and why the driver was so keen to get away
- Secret_squirrel 36 min 25 sec ago
Not really. Lots of people had problems with the early rear lights. Lots of people didnt.
- brooksby 1 hour 28 sec ago
Maybe Asos has launched a range of cycling clothing? Possible/potential confusion in the market there might set Assos off again?
- Cyclo1964 1 hour 6 min ago
Hairy arsed trucker 3 holding beer in one hand and steering wheel in the the other and not slept for 24 hours whilst driving 140 tonne road train...
- quiff 1 hour 6 min ago
That comparison might work in answer to the ill-considered "you can't bring your bike in, it's got dirty tyres" but not sure it's apposite here as...
- gazza_d 1 hour 45 min ago
Acts like this should be regarded as domestic terrorism, because that's what it is.
- eburtthebike 3 hours 10 min ago
The Daily Mail, Telegraph and GB News.........
- Benthic 3 hours 23 min ago
Not AB specifically, but that sort of thing. Focus Pocus is the most entertaining.
- Benthic 3 hours 30 min ago
That question would send Daily Mail readers into turmoil.
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13 comments
Brian Deegan of TfL says this is the first UK junction to get a max score by his CLOS system. There will be full separation, so a mum w kids will be able to ride hrough fine.
This is not a holding scheme for something better, later.
Hang on, if this is a step one design doesn't that mean it is a fail? Would a mum with kids on a cargo bike with eight year old use it?
https://vimeo.com/131968609
As an aside, the bus stop bypasses in the scheme look pretty rubbish. The shelter is on the wrong side meaning the passengers have to cross the cycle path whilst they are appealing for the bus to stop. In the visualisations I've seen there is loads of room to create a bigger island and properly separate the two.
How do we move from current us-v-them situation and attitudes?
1. We build cycle tracks we genuinely want to get onto. They shouldn't be mandatory - but where we see tracks that are high quality, direct, don't hold you up - we see roadies using them, unsurprisingly.
2. We make more of them, us - by enabling safe cycling for all, we encourage more kids to not stop cycling, more adults to start cycling - there are more and more of us, fewer and fewer of them - and so driving behaviour changes as a mass.
3. Strict liability and proper road law enforcement. If drivers generally acted like speeding, or being on the phone, or being abusive to others was likely to get them a fine or even a ban or jail time, they'd be less likely to do it. Again, the mass culture would change.
4. 20mph - the more of these zones in urban areas, the more we see civilised driving.
More infra is necessary and admirable, but we all know that it also leads to so many shouts of "gerronthefuckingcyclepath" from ignorant halfwits in all manner of motorised transport. There will always be an occasion that cyclists, of all denominations, will need to use the road, and driver attitudes will always need addressing due to that fact. Until that idiotic minority pull their heads out of their arses, regardless of the amount of infra, cycling will always remain fraught with danger due to some piss-poor attitudes towards it.
Its always nice to be negative isn't it
Don't you think that if theyre was good quality cycling infrastructure that ensured that cyclists almost never "got in the way of cars" drivers would generally become more tolerant when they occasionaly did meet a cyclist?
At them moment schemes like this are being proffered in a very urban setting around very busy junctions which quite frankly are not ideal places to ride as a rodie anyway. Lets face it - you (even in your lycra) are going to pick the fastest easiest way through these areas and if the cycle infrastrucuture is good enough you are going to use that. If you don't use it then it isn't good enough.
In a utopian future, further down the line junctions like this will get a second redesign (probably involving grade separation in places) which will see cycling properly unravelled from the main road so that there is no wait at traffic lights and the cycle infrastructure is faster, more direct and really works.
Its scary but first step schemes like this have to be good enough to gain the critical mass of utility cycling that means pressure to do the same thing everywhere. Lots of folk on bikes is lots of votes. That hasn't happened yet but most of the designs have been crap. The other thing that is crucial here is that they don't just "do" this junction/road and give up. As a scheme in isolation this is useless, as part of a grid its the start of the revolution. I really hope they get it right!
I am one of those Joe, I am quite happy to prefer to ride on the road and Islands.
However for others good infrastructure is a must and this looks an ideal scheme that others should follow.
It's easy shorthand folks - try not to lose sight of the bigger picture - that this is a dangerous roundabout, on a very dangerous road, and it's being tamed - not just for little kids, not just for existing riders, but for everyone.
(BTW, I'm the bloke in the middle of that photo in combat shorts, and hugely proud to be there.)
I also do both, and I largely agree with you. I am irked by the way this is expressed - in this case, in effect saying that people in Lycra don't need or deserve any protection.
I realise 'de-Lycrafying' cycling is shorthand for making cycling accessible to people of all ages, on all types of bike, and for all purposes including utility cycling. If that's the case, then say it, don't even bring Lycra into it.
Is there any need at all to have a gratuitous pop at Lycra? Why wouldn't you want to help people riding bikes and wearing Lycra, as well as anyone else on a bike or walking?
That apart, it sounds like a promising scheme.
True, but I think it's an easy way of making the point that this scheme isn't solely designed for an existing minority of enthusiasts, but for everyone and anyone, regardless of speed, bike, or clothing.
I feel there IS a difference between cycling that requires specific kit, and cycling that only requires a bicycle (and maybe a lock). As someone who does both, I don't mind the distinction being drawn.
I think it helps draw the narrative away from the idea that this scheme is 'for the express use of Cyclists (with a capital C)', and towards the idea that it's for 'anyone who wants to ride a bike (or walk), which may as well be you'. Public opinion seems to be that 'cycling is great but Cyclists are scum'. Sadly, addressing this concern is probably a necessary part of pushing this scheme forward.
By taking the quote out of the context in which it was made you have lost the explanation you desire;
He said: "The leaders of the council are prepared to have the political rows, but we are doing the right things for the right reasons - this isn't about Lycra clad people, this is about enabling little kids to ride, walk, scoot to school safer if they want to; this is creating that space so that people don't drop their kids off to school by car for a 2km journey, contributing 20% of the traffic on the roads."
There. The scheme's about *transport*, about getting people out of their cars for short journeys and reducing the number of vehicles on the road. It's specifically not about sport or recreational cycling because those cyclists are already on their bikes.
Quite frankly in my experience you can build as much cycling-specific infrastructure as you like and a significant proportion of the 'Lycra-clad people' would simply ignore it anyway. They prefer to be on the road, they know they have the right to be on the road and good luck to them in doing so.
Chuffing heck, if the over simplified schematics are anything to go by that almost looks fit for purpose for utility cycling bay anybody...
The devil will be in the detail though! Any they won't achieve the aims of the mini holland unless they implemnt the next 100 projects just as well to make a good grid of infra...