Cyclists have warned their safety is being put at risk over changes to a bike lane on a dangerous junction.

But Newham Council says the changes were made precisely to protect cyclists and avoid more accidents.

Newham Cyclists (NC), part of the London Cycling Campaign, say the removal of the CS2 cycle superhighway in the Tramway Avenue sliproad off Stratford Broadway, has made the route less safe for cyclists.

The route, which featured a path of blue paint on the road, was closed in September over safety concerns from the council, cyclists, pedestrians and police.

But Newham Cyclists say the council should have kept CS2 and used signs to flag up the sharp turning for drivers, citing a Freedom of Information response from Transport for London (TfL) which blamed “confusion and drivers’ behaviour” for the dangers.

NC spokesman Arnold Ridout said: “They have sacrificed cyclists’ safety for the sake of putting up a few signs, and in order to make up for drivers’ mistakes.

“We think they should put back what was there to protect cyclists and use better and clearer signage.”

However, Newham Council said the CS2 route was removed by TfL, not the council, who only closed the risky sliproad. A spokeswoman said: “Following concerns raised by the police and cyclists and a number of serious near misses on this route, a decision to close the Tramway Avenue sliproad was taken in September.

“TfL’s contractors then removed the cycle superhighway route two extension at this junction.

She added: “We value the views of Newham’s cycling community and are committed to ensuring that there are safe cycling routes in the borough.

“We are working with TfL to review the design of the cycle superhighway route two extension to ensure a safer cycle route, and a large number of safety aspects are installed which will improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.”

Read more:

Removal of Stratford cycle superhighway section ‘a step back for safety’