London Cycle Network (Plus)

Maybe I'm a bit of an old cynic, but the LCN+ seems to generate a lot of paper and not so much on the ground. Every so often I'm sent an extract from one of the project documents showing me what £ has been spent or is being asked for, plus what's been done on the ground or is programmed, so I thought I'd decode it and show it here. I mean decode fairly literally - the item I'm looking at, for example, has a 'scheme code' and a 'barrier reference' - meaningless outside the project.

The LCN+ project has identified "barriers" to completion of the network. In B&D one of these is Barking's Northern Relief Road, the issue being how you cross it. There are two "grade separated" crossings at Wakering Rd and Linton Rd. The one at Linton Rd is in a pickle because of the redevelopment there, but as the report I'm looking at says, "Redevelopment in the area will contribute to necessary changes". Put another way, the route has been designed in to the redevelopment. Something of a breakthrough if it works.

The route to/from Wakering Rd ("Link 2") has suffered from rather bad "legibility" since the "Costa del Barking" development in the Church Road area was built. With new roads and flow restrictions it took a full strength Sat Nav to find one's way through, but I notice new signs are appearing to confirm that one is heading for Barking. I have to investigate fully, but thanks to our Cycling Officer for this long overdue work.

Link 3 includes "Goresbrook Road and A13 (Heathway to Havering Boundary). This is the first bit of the A13[06] route that we audited back in 'o3 in what is called a CRIM. The report says "Design and Implementation of improvements following review of CRISP recommendations." The CRISP recommendations are the ideas generated during the CRIM (which was a bike ride down the route taking notes and photos) or submitted at around the same time for the same purpose. I'm guessing the "review" was a look through to cross out which ones there are no plans to do.

The junction of Heathway and the A1306 is also part of link 3. The report says "upgrade of four arm ATS junction and installation of ASLs. It's actually a 5 arm junction - Goresbrook Road, Heathway, A1306 (east), Chequers Lane, and A1306 (west), but I suppose blocked off Goresbrook Road hasn't been counted. ASLs = Advance(d) Stop Lines. Not High Tech, just forward of the motor vehicle ones.

The third bit oflink 3 in the report is the junction of the A1306 with Thames Avenue - just our side of the A1306 Beam Bridge. This junction is to be upgraded to conform to the London Cycle Design Standards.I'm not sure exactly what that entails

New A13 bus bridge at Ship and Shovel - and cycle bridge?

The Barking and Dagenham Post (May 28, p 24) has an item about this proposal to build a "bus bridge and cycle path ... over the A13". Head of Spatial Regeneration Jeremy Grint is quoted as saying "it will be a bus lane only with a cycle path leaving the junction with Renwick Road towards Goresbrook." That isn't clear. Don't worry too much at the moment though as work is not expected to start until 2014. Even so it could help to reduce the severance that the A13 causes.

Jeremy Grint added: "At the moment TfL are proposing a bridge over the A13 from Renwick Road which will become a segregated bus, cycle and pedestrian route when it hits Castle Green . It then proceeds across Castle Green to Goresbrook Rd roughly along the alignment of the existing footpath."

Goresbrook Road

Work to re-unite Goresbrook Road with Maplestead Road (near The Thatched House Roundabout) is underway - a cycle path is under construction from the Goresbrook Road end of the pedestrianised area in front of the little row of shops.

I hadn't realised that the route behind the shops is fenced off to everyone (including pedestrians) at the Maplestead Road end.