Cycling infrastructure is currently seeing significant improvements at Barking Riverside, with new cycling paths forming, the potential for an e-bike scheme to launch in the area, and the overall enhancement to Barking Riverside’s transport interchange well underway.

Earlier this year, residents were asked for their general thoughts about cycling in the area through an online poll. The responses indicated a high interest in cycling, with 54% of people currently cycling, and 78% of parents and guardians actively encouraging their children to cycle too.

To bolster these responses, plenty of actions have been carried out in the area to support cycling as an accessible method of transport.

Cycleway 42 is a cycling pathway launched in July 2023 that connects Ilford to Barking Riverside. With this now available, schoolchildren can cycle from Barking town centre all the way to Riverside Campus, thus offering a healthier route of transport.

Be First organised an event to celebrate the launch, and, with the assistance of Vandome Cycles professional cycling services group, demonstrated the cycleway’s value by taking schoolchildren on a bike ride from Barking to Barking Riverside using Cycleway 42.

Opened last year, the Barking Riverside pier and station are situated 300 metres away from each other, and are the two major assets of Barking Riverside’s transport interchange. The transport interchange is now seeing additional improvements, with the relocation of the local cycling hub to Station Square from Rivergate Square. This means residents can get free bike maintenance/check-ups within a short distance of the train station, the pier and the bus stops. Station Square also includes cycling storage with capacity for 200 bikes, to encourage even greener journeys.

More cycling lanes to come to Barking Riverside are in the works too, and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, working collaboratively with BRL, has secured feasibility funding from Transport for London to explore four projects improving connections to Barking Riverside. The funding totals £60,000, and seeks to bridge the gap between areas like Scrattons Farm to Barking Riverside, particularly key to improving cycling routes for local pupils and students.

Residents without access to a bike will also be able to benefit from a new local addition in the area. Via the online poll, 66% of residents said they’d use a bike-share scheme if it were introduced to Barking Riverside. This has resulted in a conversation between Lime (the world’s largest shared e-scooter and e-bike operator) and the local councils to bring their electric vehicle scheme over to Barking Riverside, making this the furthest Eastern point in their current network of locations.

Find out more about our transport connections.