Revised Van Diemans Road layout and Lady Lane junction options

A revised layout is now being proposed for Van Diemans Road as part of the Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package following feedback received during last summer’s public consultation.

Under the option included in the consultation, a two-way segregated cycleway was proposed on the eastern side of Van Diemans Road and the existing lanes for general traffic were to be maintained (notably, with two lanes northbound/on the approach to the Army and Navy junction). To provide space to accommodate this, it was proposed that existing permit parking bays in Van Diemans Road would be removed.

However, following concerns raised during the consultation and a site visit with residents and the local Essex County Council member in September 2021, a revised layout of Van Diemans Road is now proposed. Additionally, in response to the site visit with residents and the proposed revised layout of Van Diemans Road, four potential options to improve the Lady Lane junction have also been developed and are being considered.

Under the latest proposals for Van Diemans Road, there would be one northbound lane for general traffic (flaring to two at the Army and Navy junction) and a two-way cycleway on the western side of Van Diemans Road, with the existing permit parking bays on Van Diemans re-aligned but retained.

The revised proposals would enable walking and cycling improvements to be made, while slight amendments to the design of the hamburger roundabout and changes to signal timings mean there would still be good peak period journey time improvements for private vehicles on Van Diemans Road. During the evening peak period, journey times would be virtually unchanged from those with the two-lane layout presented at the public consultation and they would actually be improved during the morning peak time.

No final decisions have been made on the potential Lady Lane junction options, and both the revised Van Diemans Road layout and potential Lady Lane junction options remain subject to road safety audits.

Virtual meetings were held on Wednesday 26 January 2022 and Monday 31 January 2022 to update residents.

The meeting presentation and a list of the questions raised can be found in the documents section of the Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package page.

Although the revised Van Diemans Road layout and potential Lady Lane junction options are not part of any further formal consultation, the project team will continue to engage residents and partners as the options/proposals are refined and the scheme is developed further.