Speed humps are coming to Wanstead
A 20mph zone with speed humps, cushions and two raised zebra crossings starts going in around Wanstead Park and Aldersbrook the week of 2 November, for about 12 weeks. We read the decision papers: the cost, the casualties and who said what.
If you drive down Blake Hall Road a lot, now might be the moment to have a quiet word with your suspension. Redbridge Council starts building a 20mph zone around Wanstead Park and Aldersbrook in the week of Monday 2 November, and it comes with speed humps, speed cushions and two raised zebra crossings.
Work should take about 12 weeks, with temporary traffic management "for short periods", according to the council's Let's Talk Redbridge page, updated on 19 October. Letters will reach every property "shortly". It covers a good chunk of the roads we use daily, so we read the decision papers behind it.
The zone covers the area south of the A12 and west of the A406, up to the Waltham Forest and Newham borders. The A12, A406 and A1400 are Transport for London roads and stay out, as the council's FAQ notes. Some roads, including around Redbridge Lane West, Overton Drive, Langley Drive and Aldersbrook Primary School, are already 20mph. What's going in, according to the council:
- 75mm (3-inch) speed humps on Warren Road, Overton Drive, Draycot Road, Belgrave Road, Windsor Road, Richmond Way, Wanstead Park Avenue, Empress Avenue and Arran Drive.
- 75mm speed cushions, 1.6 metres wide and laid two abreast, on Blake Hall Road, Centre Road and Lakehouse Road, the three roads with buses and segregated cycle lanes.
- Two raised zebra crossings on Aldersbrook Road, replacing traffic islands and speed cushions.
- A raised speed table on Park Road, near Northumberland Avenue.
The council's case rests on 41 injury collisions in the area in the three years to 30 September 2024, seven of them serious. The £560,000 budget comes from a £1 million Traffic Calming and Road Safety line that Cabinet approved in April 2025. Humps make a zone "self-enforcing", it argues, with no need for police or cameras. Its FAQ cites the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA): the chance of dying at 20mph is 2.5%, against 20% at 30mph. The decision report concedes that "there are always some drivers that will negotiate such measures without reducing speed". Nor would fines help Redbridge's budget: "any income received from action by the Metropolitan Police is received by Central Government".
What residents said
The three-week consultation ran from 15 May to 5 June 2025, per the council's consultation page. The report, dated July 2025, records 373 responses, 98% from people who live in the area. Of those, 77% (287) were concerned about road safety and 23% (85) weren't. Blake Hall Road was the most-named problem, then Aldersbrook Road.
Don't expect a tidy for-or-against score, because comments are counted by overlapping theme. General support led with 131 comments, followed by support for a 20mph zone (44). The main reservations were the humps themselves (45, mostly noise and vehicle damage), congestion (35) and whether the money would be better spent elsewhere (33). Speed cameras topped the suggestions (56), then more pedestrian and cycle infrastructure (51). Officers pointed out that cameras are a matter for TfL and the Met.
A figure that only 12% of respondents backed the scheme has been quoted locally. It doesn't appear in the council's consultation or decision reports, and we couldn't trace its source, so we haven't used it.
The Metropolitan Police had "slight concerns" that cushions on Blake Hall Road and Centre Road might not slow traffic enough, and suggested gentler sinusoidal humps. Officers replied that these would be "unacceptable to London Buses and likely to be of concern to the London Ambulance Service". London Buses also had "slight concerns" about ride quality and journey times. The ambulance and fire services didn't respond, though the report says emergency services "have raised no significant concerns". Ward councillors were "supportive", and "no objections have been received" to the traffic order notices.
Who signed it off
The decision went to Cabinet Member Cllr Jo Blackman, who also represents Wanstead Village ward. The signed decision is dated 10 October 2025, but the council's decision register says "Recommendations Approved" on 25 July 2025, and the papers don't explain the gap. The go-ahead was only announced on 19 October 2026. Separate zebra-crossing orders are still needed for Aldersbrook Road.
The Snaresbrook end is a separate scheme. The Wanstead Village Road Safety Zone covers Hermon Hill, Hollybush Hill and Cambridge Park, and its consultation ran from 27 November to 18 December 2025. It proposes 80mm humps on Hollybush Hill, Spratt Hall Road, Nutter Lane, Rutland Road, Grove Park and Elmcroft Avenue, and cushions on Chigwell Road, Hermon Hill and New Wanstead. The council cites 56 slight injuries, 14 serious injuries and one fatality there between 7 October 2021 and 18 September 2024. We found no decision or start date.
Watch for your letter and check the council's plans. Redbridge says the 20mph enforcement threshold is "usually 10% over the prescribed speed limit plus 2mph".
