Aled Richards, Corporate Director of Environment & Sustainable Transport at Newham Council, has agreed to implement new active travel measures on Romford Road between Station Road and Rabbits Road. The decision was made following a public engagement exercise carried out between 26 February and 24 March 2024 on the proposed measures. The decision will be implemented from 17 December 2024 unless it is called in by Councillors.

The Romford Road Active Travel Scheme

The Council is proposing to make changes to Romford Road to encourage active travel. The scheme is being funded with a £8.7 million grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund. The council will make Traffic Management Orders to change the road layout and these will be subject to statutory consultation before they are implemented.

The scheme aims to:

• Make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport for local journeys.
• Improve road safety and reduce the risk of traffic accidents.
• Create a better road that people enjoy using.

The decision being made is to allow the council to begin the formal process of implementing the scheme, by advertising the Traffic Management Orders.

The proposed measures include:

• The creation of stepped cycle lanes on Romford Road. Stepped cycle lanes are cycle lanes that are physically separated from both the pavement and the road.
• Footway improvements.
• New pedestrian and cycle crossings.
• New blended crossings on all side road junctions. Blended crossings are a type of continuous footway that is designed to give pedestrians priority over turning vehicles.
• New trees and planting.
• New sustainable urban drainage (SuDS).
• The removal and relocation of parking and loading bays from Romford Road onto side roads.

The changes to parking will result in a small net loss of parking bays. New dedicated loading bays will be provided for businesses. The council believes that the small net loss in parking bays will be offset by the current underutilisation of existing parking in the area.

The council's report states that:

Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed in order to inform the design of Section G.

The council has refused to release this data.

The 'do nothing' option was rejected because the council believes that

Failure to meet the targets set by the LUF bid could result in withdrawal of the secured funding as well as tarnish the Council’s reputation and foreclose it from securing future funding.

The council undertook an engagement exercise between 26 February and 24 March 2024. They received 619 responses to their online survey. They also held one workshop at the Gate Library and a stall at Manor Park Library's Christmas Market. Appendix B of the council's report provides further detail on the engagement that was undertaken and the responses received.

Equality Impact Assessment

The council has assessed the potential impact of the scheme on people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The council believes that the scheme is likely to have a positive impact on equality and diversity, and that it will not have a negative impact on any particular group. The council has published a full equality impact assessment alongside the report.

The council's equality impact assessment states that:

No major changes are required as the assessment has not identified any potential for discrimination or adverse impact.

The assessment acknowledges that

In some cultures, particularly women from some ethnic groups may be less likely to cycle.

It states that:

Measures to promote and encourage cycling could be of benefit to this group.

The council does not specify what these measures would be.

The council also acknowledges that

There is a perception that cycle tracks and bus stop bypasses can be unsafe for people with disabilities.

The council does not specify who holds this perception.

The report states that the designs for the scheme

will be delivered using TfL's cycle designs standards and those contained within the DfT's LTN120 guidance.

LTN 120 is the government's guidance on cycling infrastructure design.

The report states that:

All schemes will also have road safety audits undertaken to TfL's SQA-0170 standards which will ensure that people with disabilities are prioritised as part of the design and delivery process.

However it also states that the council

intend to carry out targeted and ongoing engagement with disabled people regarding the design of some features, including continuous footways and bus stop bypasses, to ensure any potential negative effects are mitigated for Phase 2 and future phases.

It is not clear how the council will ensure that people with disabilities are prioritised as part of the design and delivery process whilst simultaneously carrying out targeted and ongoing engagement with disabled people during phase 2 of the scheme.

The scheme will be delivered by the council's term contractor, Kenson Highways. The council has estimated that the works will cost £857,000, and that Transport for London fees for traffic modelling and statutory consultation will cost a further £100,000. The works will be funded from the council's £5.2 million Levelling Up Fund allocation for the 2024-25 financial year.