Bow Roundabout update #24
It's now two years since TfL began major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout to prepare it for the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel, and 18 months since they supposedly finished. And yet there's still one part of the new layout THAT HAS NEVER OPENED, and now would you believe THEY'VE STARTED UNDOING IT AGAIN.
The original works did three things...
i) they trimmed the edges of the Bow Roundabout, widening it to three lanes on the west side. This works just great.
ii) they widened the approach from Stratford High Street from two lanes to three. This is also working fine.
iii) they diverted the contraflow from Marshgate Lane underneath the flyover. And this HAS NEVER OPENED.
Initially this was because, a bit late in the day, someone noticed that lorries might hit the Bow Flyover if they passed underneath. Three signs warning of 3.9m headroom were in place but weren't foolproof, and it would only take one unobservant driver to cause significant infrastructural damage. Newham council thus insisted that a steel height restriction gantry be constructed across the westbound contraflow lane, but this turned out to have estimated costs of £250,000 and nobody was up for that.
OK said Newham, we've always wanted an eastbound bus lane between the Bow Roundabout and Marshgate Lane so let's do that instead. It'd mean repurposing the contraflow lane and scrapping the new road under the flyover, but it'd be cheap and we could introduce it on a temporary basis. And they appear to have started because the wedge of raised tarmac that protected entry to the contraflow lane has just been removed. All it needs now is a repaint and two lanes of traffic could head east, not just one.
Simultaneously work has begun on restructuring Bus Stop W at Marshgate Lane. This has been woefully substandard ever since Cycle Superhighway 2 was introduced and still provides zero protection for cyclists, so it's about time it was improved. I believe the plan is for a bus stop bypass to be created, with a floating island to ensure buses no longer have to cut across the cycle lane to pick up passengers. A lot of tarmac has been dug up, half a new kerb has already been added and the estimated end of works is 23rd October. Until then eastbound buses will be whizzing past over the flyover, there being nowhere to stop along the High Street for at least half a mile.
Meanwhile the unused lane under the flyover remains obstructed with concrete blocks, its traffic lights intermittently ticking over to no effect whatsoever. Some fool has even added a Road Closed sign to a road THAT HAS NEVER BEEN OPEN and that you couldn't drive down anyway. Everything points towards it never opening at all, despite having been built at great expense, as Stratford High Street gets a permanent eastbound bus lane instead. If only TfL had listened to Newham and prioritised buses over lorries in the first place, a 5-month-long roadworks project could have been simpler, quicker and not included an entirely redundant underpass THAT HAS NEVER OPENED... and seemingly never will.
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