Chingford Highams Park News Walthamstow

TfL announces two Chingford to Walthamstow cycle routes

The first new cycleway cuts through Ainslie Wood, while the second goes via Highams Park, reports Rana Rastegari

A cycleway cutting through Montrose Playing Fields in Colindale, Credit: TfL

Transport for London (TfL) has launched 10 new ‘Cycleways’ across London, adding 35km to the city’s strategic cycling network. Two new routes have been added to Waltham Forest’s already comprehensive network of cycleways, which TfL says are designed to make cycling safer and more accessible in the capital. 

The first new cycleways in the borough will connect Chingford to Walthamstow via Ainsile Wood, thus connecting cycleway 24 (Tottenham Hale to Woodford New Road) to the north of the borough. 

The second cycleway in Waltham Forest will also be connecting Chingford to Walthamstow, but via Highams Park, adding a new connection from the north to south of the borough. 

Since 2016, the cycleways network in London has tripled in size from 90 km to 390 km in June 2024. The network provides high quality routes for Londoners to encourage greater diversity in cycling. 

Other cycleways also being added include introducing the network to Barnet for the first time, connecting Burnt Oak to Colindale. The Lambeth Bridge to Battersea route is also being upgraded along Chelsea, Embankment and Grosvenor Road and will connect to the Cycleway between Oval and Pimlico.

Cycleway 9 (Hammersmith to Brentford) and Cycleway 23 (Dalston to Lea Bridge), two of the biggest cycleways in London, are planned to be completed in late 2024. 

TfL has also created new user-friendly maps to show where all the routes are and how they connect to create local networks, following on from the introduction of cycle Sundays. The completion of these new tours follow on from the completion of cycleway 4 in March, enabling people to cycle from London Bridge to Greenwich. 

The most recent provisional safety data earlier this month revealed that the number of people injured while cycling dropped 5.7% from 2022 to 2023, whilst the number of daily cycle journeys increased by 6.3%.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “Expanding London’s cycleway network is key to enabling more Londoners to choose cycling as their mode of transport for shorter trips. These ten new routes connect communities in areas including Stratford, New Cross, Barnet, Walthamstow and Ealing and will support Londoners of all backgrounds and abilities to cycle safely as the Mayor builds a fairer, safer, greener London for everyone.”

In March 2024, TfL announced a walking route from Walthamstow to Peckham, the Green Link Walk, which is 15 miles long. Spanning over five boroughs, the walk goes through London hot posts such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern and Regents Canal. The Walk London network and cycleways network aim to create safer routes for Londoners and enhance health and wellbeing as well as access to green and community spaces. 

Helen Cansick, TfL’s head of healthy streets investment, said: “We are really pleased to see a network of Cycleways continuing to emerge across more of outer London and these are helping to unlock safer cycling for all Londoners. These high-quality cycling networks bring a range of benefits to local communities and we are continuing to work closely with boroughs and invest in further active travel schemes. We look forward to connecting even more Londoners to our cycle network and make cycling more accessible to all.”

More information on the new cycleways can be found here


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