Marsh Way Active Travel Scheme Consultation

Overview

Havering Council is looking for your views on a proposed walking and cycling improvement scheme along Marsh Way in Rainham.

Why is the scheme being proposed? 

The Council has an ambitious target to increase the proportion of residents walking, cycling or using public transport to 65% by 2041.

Marsh Way provides an important connection between key housing and employment regeneration areas in Rainham. The road is busy with no existing cycling facilities, making it difficult for cyclists, pedestrians and other traffic to flow alongside each other safely.

Marsh Way connects into the London Riverside Business Improvement District, and many businesses struggle to retain staff because it is difficult to access the area other than by car. Delivery of this walking and cycling improvement scheme will provide an alternative for employees wanting to travel to work without having to use a private vehicle.

The Proposal 

The Project aim is to provide a continuous and safe walking and cycling route between the A1306 and adjacent new housing and commercial areas, including the proposed Beam Park railway station, to the employment opportunities in the London Riverside Business Improvement District.

The proposed scheme includes the introduction of a segregated cycle route between the A1306 New Road/ Marsh Way and the A13 to the south. From here the route will continue as a shared-use cycle route to the Centre of Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) Innovation Campus and to the industrial areas at London Riverside Business Improvement District (BID).

Additionally, this will involve:

• Reducing Marsh Way to a single vehicle lane in the south-bound direction from A1306 New Road, before widening to two lanes again at the roundabout with Consul Avenue/A13.
• Widening of the footway to provide a comfortable and accessible pedestrian path.
• Upgrades to bus stop infrastructure.
• New shared crossings along the road within the CEME Campus.
• Raising the junction at Marsh Way / CEME site exit with a new pedestrian and cyclist parallel crossing.
• Improvements to existing lighting where it is currently not sufficient, including along the Marsh Way underpass and the shared path near the junction with Consul Avenue.
• New signage and road markings to direct cyclists and pedestrians.

Benefits to the Community 

The project will have a range of benefits for the Havering community:

• Improved walking and cycling infrastructure providing a safe and continuous cycle connection.
• Increased use of cycling facilities will provide mental and physical health benefits and potentially some reductions in vehicle traffic and improvements to air quality.
• Increased safety for cyclists and a reduction in road traffic collisions involving cyclists.
• Improved connectivity into the London Riverside Business Improvement District comprising 450 businesses and 5,000 employees.