Referring to the cycle route section presently under construction (2018) on Woolwich Common running east to west from Academy to Stadium Roads SE18, please provide the following information:- 1) Confirm or otherwise that Transport for London (TfL) was the a) sponsoring and b) the design authority for this project; and, if appropriate 2) the total design and construction, including planning and management, costs etc projected for the project; 3) identify the cycle and road traffic surveys referred to and/or relied upon for the choice of Woolwich Common for this section of the cycle route and its design; 4) copies of the surveys for 3) foregoing; 5) the amount set aside for annual and future maintenance of the cycleway and the agency responsible for future maintenance and upkeep of the cycleway; 6) the funding agency for 6) foregoing; 7) the physical and legal means to deter off-road motorcyclists’ use of the cycleway; 8) copies of all ecological/environmental impact, etc., studies and assessments, both i) specifically commissioned and/or ii) generally referred for the choice and design of the cycleway and its route, and iii) including for disturbance and dispersion of contaminant materials and substances associates with the past military-industrial uses of Woolwich Common; 9) whether the existing Circular Way roadway was considered as a viable cycleway route and, if it was, the reasons that it was rejected. Please note that this request is made under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, specifically S5 (2) for which the date of this request should be taken as 18 June 2018 - it would be helpful if you could follow the order of our itemisation above when responding.

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Our Ref:         FOI-0708-1819

Thank you for your request received on 18 June 2018 asking for information about the cycle route being installed on Woolwich Common.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:

1. Confirm or otherwise that Transport for London (TfL) was the a) sponsoring and b) the design authority for this project; and, if appropriate

Transport for London (TfL) was the sponsoring authority, the Royal Borough (RB) of Greenwich was the design authority.

2. The total design and construction, including planning and management, costs etc projected for the project;

The total cost for the scheme including design, planning and construction was £111,167. TfL have allocated £20,000 to the RB of Greenwich for the construction of the path. The remaining £91,167 was funded by the RB of Greenwich through developer contributions (S106).

3. Identify the cycle and road traffic surveys referred to and/or relied upon for the choice of Woolwich Common for this section of the cycle route and its design;
4. Copies of the surveys for 3) foregoing;

Screen Line data for traffic volumes on the South Circular was obtained by the RB of Greenwich in 2014. Please find a copy of this data attached.

5. The amount set aside for annual and future maintenance of the cycleway and the agency responsible for future maintenance and upkeep of the cycleway;
6. The funding agency for 6) foregoing;

No funding has been set aside from TfL for annual or future maintenance of the cycleway. The RB of Greenwich is the agency responsible for the future maintenance and upkeep of the cycleway.

7. The physical and legal means to deter off-road motorcyclists’ use of the cycleway;

Motorcycles prohibited signs have been positioned at the western end of the shared use path.

8. Copies of all ecological/environmental impact, etc., studies and assessments, both i) specifically commissioned and/or ii) generally referred for the choice and design of the cycleway and its route, and iii) including for disturbance and dispersion of contaminant materials and substances associates with the past military-industrial uses of Woolwich Common;

The improvement of the path falls within permitted development rights by the Local Authority under section 12 of the Town and Country Planning Act. Nevertheless a Preliminary Ecological Assessment was prepared in order to minimise the ecological impact of the scheme. Please see the attached PDF – ‘PEA Woolwich Common v02’.

9. Whether the existing Circular Way roadway was considered as a viable cycleway route and, if it was, the reasons that it was rejected.

The existing Circular Way is not considered a viable cycling route. The 2014 screen line data is attached. The traffic volumes and absence of segregated facilities on the South Circular Way makes it unsuitable for a Quietway as the levels exceed those within the London Cycling Design Standards (LCDS).

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]

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