Whipps Cross corridor transport scheme

Whipps Cross Road plays an important role in our borough’s transport network, linking Lea Bridge Road and Wood Street with Leytonstone, and providing access to key locations like Whipps Cross University Hospital and Hollow Ponds in Epping Forest. 

Monitoring shows around 20,000 motor vehicles use Whipps Cross Road each day, including 16 buses per hour on route 257 during peak times. Between October 2017 and October 2023, there were 32 road traffic collisions resulting in 39 casualties, of which three were classified as serious. With the upcoming redevelopment of Whipps Cross University Hospital, we want to make sure Whipps Cross Road serves all road users, particularly those using active and sustainable modes of transport. 

Since we introduced a shared-use path along Whipps Cross Road from Lea Bridge Road to Green Man Roundabout in 2012, it has been used regularly by people walking and cycling. To further improve the area for walking and cycling, we are now planning to create two separate paths: one for pedestrians and one for cyclists. This will improve safety, make it easier for everyone to move through the area and encourage more people to travel actively and sustainably where they can. 

As well as upgrading the cycle path, we are addressing issues around motor traffic dominance, safety and speeding, introducing safer crossing points, and improving the way the area looks and feels by increasing trees and greenery to make it a more enjoyable place to travel through. 

Our proposals for Whipps Cross Road include the following improvements: 

• Upgrade the shared path on Whipps Cross Road between Lea Bridge Road and the Green Man Roundabout by replacing it with separated pedestrian and cycle paths. 
• Improve some side road junctions and accesses by introducing continuous footways at the entrances to the Hollow Pond Boat House car park and the Leyton Flats car park to signal to drivers that pedestrians and cyclists have right of way and to provide a smoother, uninterrupted path for those walking and cycling. 
• Upgrade the current pedestrian and cycle crossing at the Whipps Cross University Hospital entrance at Hospital Road to a full traffic signal junction. The new traffic signal junction will have green man pedestrian crossing points on all arms and include a traffic light phase for people cycling to get from the cycle track into Hospital Road. 
• Upgrade the traffic signal junction where James Lane exits onto Whipps Cross Road by adding a traffic light phase for pedestrians on both James Lane and Whipps Cross Road. 
• Upgrade the current crossings at Forest Glade and one near Green Man Roundabout to provide separate space and traffic light phases for people walking and cycling. 
• Install new bat-friendly lighting. Bats can be sensitive to light which can disrupt their feeding, mating, and migration patterns. The new lighting will reduce these disruptions while still providing visibility for people. 
• Introduce planting with modified soil types to enhance water absorption and improve drainage.
• Plant greening and around 45 new trees along the route. Although we have worked hard to minimise tree loss, we will need to remove up to 15 small trees. However, we are replacing these and proposing to plant more, resulting in a biodiversity net gain.  
• Introduce a new traffic signal crossing by Preston Road. Similar to the upgraded crossings at Forest Glade and near Green Man Roundabout, the crossing will have separate space and phases for people walking and cycling.   
• Introduce a traffic calming table near the entrance to the Lakeside Whipps Cross Diner and The Log Cabin to reduce vehicle speeds and make it easier to access the car park. 
• There are no changes to parking along the route and the new cycle path does not encroach on City of London land on the Hollow Ponds side.

The public consultation period ran between 21 October 2024 and 18 November 2024. It included a short survey which asked about your travel habits, what you think of the proposals, and any other changes or improvements you believe are needed in the area. We also spoke to people at a pop-up and a drop-in session in the area. 

Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback. 

The consultation period is now closed. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback.

We’re now analysing the responses received, which will be used to help shape a final scheme for Whipps Cross Road. The final scheme will also be subject to the outcomes of ongoing traffic modelling currently underway in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), to ensure that the changes do not have an unacceptable impact on buses and general traffic. 

We’ll aim to write to residents with more information on the results of the public consultation and the next steps in early 2025.

Whipps Cross Corridor public consultation leaflet, October 2024 (PDF)

Whipps Cross Corridor scheme plans, October 2024 (PDF)