South Grove walking and cycling improvements
Waltham Forest is committed to creating people-friendly streets and neighbourhoods that actively encourage walking, cycling and using public transport. Walking and cycling in particular can achieve significant benefits for the health of individuals and the environment, and are a means to help tackle the public health, air quality and climate crises within the borough.
South Grove is a key, direct route for people walking, cycling and using public transport between Walthamstow Town Centre/ Walthamstow Central and St James Street. It’s also one of the boundaries of the St James Street Quarter masterplan area, with a number of major new developments in the final stages of being built and occupied.
During early discussions around potential redevelopment in the St James Street area, South Grove was identified as a critical corridor in need of improvement. This would help make the area more attractive, pleasant and easy to use for both new and existing residents, and would help connect-up the Council’s wider active and sustainable travel network in this area. In turn ensuring new developments would enable new residents to choose sustainable active travel, where possible, when travelling locally.
Planned improvements
Improvement works on the north side of South Grove, along the frontage of the London and Quadrant development have been taking place over the last 12 to 18 months. These works have included the introduction of new protected (segregated) cycle tracks and upgraded footways along the immediate frontage of the developments.
Now that these works are complete, we can deliver the rest of the planned scheme along South Grove, which once complete, will link Selborne Road, Walthamstow Central and Cycleway 27 with St James Street and the Blackhorse to Leyton cycle route along Markhouse Road.
The key improvements are listed below and you can view the plans of the scheme layout by clicking the links on the right.
- Extending existing and introducing new segregated cycle tracks on the north and south sides of South Grove between Markhouse Road and Gosport Road. The northern side between Brunner Road and Gosport Road has largely been completed as part of highway works associated with the London and Quadrant development
- Introducing new bus stop bypasses at all bus stops to keep people cycling separated from passengers getting on and off the bus
- Creating continuous footway treatments (blended ‘Copenhagen’ crossings) at side road junctions including Gosport Road, Arkley Crescent, Falmouth Road and Brunner Road to prioritise pedestrians crossing the road
- Reducing road widths to slow vehicle speeds, while maintaining traffic capacity
- Upgrading the existing zebra crossing on South Grove, just east of the Markhouse Road roundabout, to a parallel pedestrian and cycle crossing
- Resurfacing the full length of South Grove
- Introducing more trees and greenspace, where possible, to improve the look and feel of the area.
The existing traffic islands on South Grove will need to be removed as part of the scheme and we are currently assessing whether an additional formal pedestrian and cycle crossing should be installed to replace the island by Arkley Crescent.
In the longer term, the Council has plans to undertake a further review and redesign of the roundabout at the junction with Markhouse Road, to further enhance walking and cycling facilities at the junction.
Construction works
We apologise for any inconvenience caused during the construction period and we kindly ask that you bear with us so we can make these improvements to the area as soon as possible. Our contractor J.B. Riney will be working to keep disruption to an absolute minimum and we thank you in advance for your patience while the works are being carried out.
If you have any questions relating to the scheme in general or the construction works please contact us using the details below.
Email: enjoy@walthamforest.gov.uk
Write to: Enjoy Waltham Forest Team, Low Hall Depot, Argall Avenue, Leyton, E10 7AS
Call: 020 8496 3000