East London Cyclists - Ruckholt Road Bridge?

[Alan Whicker]

Hello, everybody. After the two tragic deaths at Bow roundabout late last year, I took a sabbatical from cycling to work. I've had a couple of near misses at Bow, and now I've got a little lad (not to mention Mrs Whicker) to think about I decided to get catch up on some reading and commute by tube for a bit.

Anyway, i'll be back in the saddle within the next fortnight, -though I'm switching routes to Leyton>Hackney Wick>Bethnal Green>City. Does anyone know when the new Ruckholt Road pedestrian/cycle bridge will be finished? It's been started but there never seems to be anyone working on it. The horrendous road bridge there was by far the worst part of past journeys.

Cheers all!

 

[dawesome]

That was my old commute. The bridge didn't used to cause problems, you mean the one with the red and white sleepers? the real smidsy point was by the car showroom, sub aqua is aware of the danger there. Didn't know about the bridge till I looked it up, they used one of the largest cranes in Europe:

http://www.cwmags.co.uk/videos/London2012/olympic-1.php

 

[subaqua]

the one with the red and white sleepers is having a new footbridge put in next to it. the bridge has ben built on the central reserve by spitalfields market. they closed a lane each way making the traffic even worse and gives you a few hairy moments as the cycle lane has been closed and we have been told to dismount.

it might have gone in this weekend. will know in about 10 mins when i leave for work

 

[subaqua]

Bridge still being prepped for lifting. The vid dawesome posted is the spectator link from north transit point into the park

 

[Alan Whicker]

Thanks, both.

Subaqua - do you know if the cycle path on the Olympic park side of the road has (or will be) been replaced?

 

[subaqua]

there is a shared use path ( no solid line but a lovely blue roundel) from temple mills lane all the way to the lea interchange, then its 100 yds of free for all past thenorth plaza entrance and then there is another shared use path all the way to the canal bridge past where BOC/esso garage/chinese cash n carry used to be on Eastway. after that i haven't a clue as i went onto the towpath to head towards white post lane.

 

[Alan Whicker]

Thanks, Subaqua. Very helpful. I used to use Ruckholt/Eastway all the time before they took away the old cycle path. Always found it felt much safer than the Mile End route until the place became infested with HGVs for Westfield and the Olympic Park.

 

[subaqua]

the cycle path didn't really go away ,it just got lost in the mire of construction.its ben graded and surfaced properly from temple mills now . its great at moment as it means you can get into the ASL at junction of sherrin rd , beating the queue caused by the new bridge taking out a lane of traffic each way.

just wish balfours would pull their finger out and get it finished.

 

[dawesome]

Round the back of the Hoo Hing Chinese wholesalers they dumped loads of prawn crackers, which helped sustain the area's wild cat population.

 

[subaqua]

Round the back of the Hoo Hing Chinese wholesalers they dumped loads of prawn crackers, which helped sustain the area's wild cat population.

we had problems with foxes on site, the media centre multi storey sitting right where hoo hing was.

 

[Martin Petrov]

Anyway, i'll be back in the saddle within the next fortnight, -though I'm switching routes to Leyton>Hackney Wick>Bethnal Green>City. Does anyone know when the new Ruckholt Road pedestrian/cycle bridge will be finished? It's been started but there never seems to be anyone working on it. The horrendous road bridge there was by far the worst part of past journeys.

Went through Ruckholt Road today myself for the first time in a while, hoping they might have installed that new bridge by now (and give us some sort of idea of how the routes will go) but it's STILL sat in the middle of the road, which means the traffic through there is still pretty crap, and you still have to go over the road bridge (which, I fully agree, is one of the worst parts of the journey.

I have tried a bunch of routes from Leyton to the City, and even given the Ruckholt Road bridge, I definitely think that going through there, under the A12, Eastway, through the backroads past Hackney Wick station, Wick Lane, Fairfield Road and then onto Mile End Road at Bow Church DLR is the best route - I like the Cycle Superhighway through to Whitechapel but it's pretty dreadful from there (and I have to get to Southwark, and I've struggled to get a good route through to there from Whitechapel/Aldgate).

Which route do you take through Bethnal Green?

 

[dawesome]

I used to do Ruckholt, Hackney Wick, Vicky Park and Bishops Way to Hackney Road. You can also pick up the canal towpath but speedy cyclists used to annoy the hell out of me, they should use the road if they want to go fast.

 

[Alan Whicker]

Went through Ruckholt Road today myself for the first time in a while, hoping they might have installed that new bridge by now (and give us some sort of idea of how the routes will go) but it's STILL sat in the middle of the road, which means the traffic through there is still pretty crap, and you still have to go over the road bridge (which, I fully agree, is one of the worst parts of the journey.

I have tried a bunch of routes from Leyton to the City, and even given the Ruckholt Road bridge, I definitely think that going through there, under the A12, Eastway, through the backroads past Hackney Wick station, Wick Lane, Fairfield Road and then onto Mile End Road at Bow Church DLR is the best route - I like the Cycle Superhighway through to Whitechapel but it's pretty dreadful from there (and I have to get to Southwark, and I've struggled to get a good route through to there from Whitechapel/Aldgate).

Which route do you take through Bethnal Green?

I'm back in the saddle now. I nip through the park to the roundabout on Old Ford Road and then onto the 'super' highway at Mile End. I tend to avoid Bethnal Green, but when I do pass through there I go up Old Ford Road and do a left by the museum, then on Cambridge Heath Road to Mile End Road.

Although - the last couple of days I've gone through Stratford, then done a left through Three Mills to avoid Bow Roundabout. Then through the subway (cycles are permitted) to Bow and pick up the 'super' highway from Bow Church. Only adds about 6-8 minutes to the journey, which I'm cool with. Could easily have wasted that time negotiating Bow roundabout anyway.

I tend to come home via Cable Street, Stepney, Mile End, Victoria Park and then the Eastway, which at the moment is completely unlit from the canal bridge to almost the Westfield Entrance. The traffic on Ruckholt is a joke. That new bridge can't come soon enough.

 

[subaqua]

I'm back in the saddle now. I nip through the park to the roundabout on Old Ford Road and then onto the 'super' highway at Mile End. I tend to avoid Bethnal Green, but when I do pass through there I go up Old Ford Road and do a left by the museum, then on Cambridge Heath Road to Mile End Road.

Although - the last couple of days I've gone through Stratford, then done a left through Three Mills to avoid Bow Roundabout. Then through the subway (cycles are permitted) to Bow and pick up the 'super' highway from Bow Church. Only adds about 6-8 minutes to the journey, which I'm cool with. Could easily have wasted that time negotiating Bow roundabout anyway.

I tend to come home via Cable Street, Stepney, Mile End, Victoria Park and then the Eastway, which at the moment is completely unlit from the canal bridge to almost the Westfield Entrance. The traffic on Ruckholt is a joke. That new bridge can't come soon enough.

was great this morning whizzing past the traffic backed up to oliver rd. this evening was great as Balfours had a traffic marshal waving people through the lights further back . helps a huge amount. will check the columns tomorrow on Eastway and raise a defect notice if they are out

 

[Martin Petrov]

I'm back in the saddle now. I nip through the park to the roundabout on Old Ford Road and then onto the 'super' highway at Mile End. I tend to avoid Bethnal Green, but when I do pass through there I go up Old Ford Road and do a left by the museum, then on Cambridge Heath Road to Mile End Road.

Although - the last couple of days I've gone through Stratford, then done a left through Three Mills to avoid Bow Roundabout. Then through the subway (cycles are permitted) to Bow and pick up the 'super' highway from Bow Church. Only adds about 6-8 minutes to the journey, which I'm cool with. Could easily have wasted that time negotiating Bow roundabout anyway.

I tend to come home via Cable Street, Stepney, Mile End, Victoria Park and then the Eastway, which at the moment is completely unlit from the canal bridge to almost the Westfield Entrance. The traffic on Ruckholt is a joke. That new bridge can't come soon enough.

That's quite a detour to avoid the roundabout (looking at the map) - like I mentioned above, there is the slight variation using Hackney Wick station/Wick Lane/Fairfield St from the Eastway to Bow Church - IIRC, it's only 1 set of traffic lights from Bow Church to the Eastway, which makes things quick.

Agree about the Eastway and Ruckholt spell - took me by surprise when I started riding again this week and found there to be no streetlights on that stretch of the Eastway - especially given you're supposed to go against the flow in the cycle lane. (I had hoped it would have been resurfaced nicely too, and it's not) Surprised the Ruckholt Road bridge is taking so long - trying to find info on the internet about when it will finally be done, late April/Early May is being listed here, with another 2 weeks of traffic chaos with a roadworks on the existing bridge:

http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/transport/road-highway/road-works.htm

Couldn't they have brought the bridge in a little later....?