ericmacm
Active Member
I wanted to create a new thread to bring more attention to multi-use pathway and cycling infrastructure developments in London. Much of London's MUP infrastructure is centred around one of the city's best transportation assets - the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP). For those who don't know, the TVP is an MUP network that runs alongside the Northeastern, Southeastern, and Southwestern forks of the Thames River throughout much of London, mostly separated from the street network, consisting of approximately 45 km of connected paved trail (as of writing this in 2026), which in itself is further interconnected to 150 km of other paved pathways across the city. The network provides incredible connectivity for a city of this size and has slowly been growing over time, with multiple extensions and bridges over the Thames having been opened within the last 5 years. One of the major gaps in the network at this time is the Medway Creek Valley (effectively the Northwestern fork of the Thames River) which has seen contentious and concentrated efforts by resident NIMBY groups to shut down the expansion of the trail system in the area, as well as any efforts to officially connect it to the rest of the network. The valley is listed as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) which has been used as justification for these arguments, despite the fact that the northern section of the ESA (north of Fanshawe Park Road West) and many other ESAs in the city already have paved trail systems inside. Efforts were made in the last five years to update the Medway Valley Conservation Plan that would outline the plans for permanent trails, but the revised plan ended up not introducing any bridges or connections to other trails as a NIMBY compromise, and it seems that version of the plan has been retracted. Hopefully the city can eventually come to its senses and continue to plan to address the missing connectivity.
I have provided some documents that provide some additional info and planning context for the major portions of the network:
I have provided some documents that provide some additional info and planning context for the major portions of the network:
- Thames Valley Corridor Plan (2011)
- Medway Valley Conservation Plan (2018)
- London Biking Routes and Walking Trails GIS Map (2026)
- TVP SoHo Corridor (Construction Spring 2025 to Fall 2026)
- West London Dyke and MUP System Extension (Construction 2026 to 2027)