Make Epping New Road Safe: January 2026 update

We started our Make Epping New Road Safe campaign to address the concerns of our members and other Forest visitors. For many, Epping New Road, which cuts right through the centre of the Forest, is a source of fear and frustration. To address this, we began calling for the speed limit of the whole road to be reduced from 40mph to 30mph and for two safe crossing points to be installed.  

Mount Pleasant. Here we ask safe crossing to be installed.

Survey responses from Forest visitors and drivers 

We were happy to see that the majority of the 100+ people who responded to our recent survey agreed with our position on the current state of the road and showed support for our proposals. 

Drivers scored their comfort driving down Epping New Road at 5.9/10, with concerns including having to respond to pedestrians and deer crossing the road. The pedestrian score for comfort crossing the road was a shocking 3.2/10. Testimonials recurringly touched on the “long wait for a gap” and the “risk” associated with crossing the road. One participant noted that “[they] walk slowly because of foot and back problems so feel very vulnerable crossing this road.” 

A safety issue, it also becomes an accessibility issue, with the length and centrality of the road deterring people from crossing west-east or east-west across the Forest. Epping Forest, an ancient pollarded forest, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is one of the foremost sites for nature and heritage in England. With recent estimates placing annual visitor numbers at over 10 million, we want to ensure that these visitors don’t have to feel vulnerable to explore the whole Forest. But, right now, people see the road as “scary” and “terrifying”, with parents and educators especially saying that they refuse/are reluctant to use the road. Summing up the general sentiment, one participant wrote “[the Forest’s] roads feel like barriers to movement […] it really limits the accessibility of the Forest.” 

Epping Forest Big Walk 2025 participants crossing roads with the support from volunteers and Forest Keepers from City of London Corporation. Photo © Yu Leng

Essex County Council’s Safer Roads Scheme and Our Asks  

Although we were relieved to see Essex County Council (ECC) seek to address these issues through their Safer Roads Scheme, we believe the proposals to be lacking. Keeping the speed limit of most of the road at 40mph, and installing average speed cameras to simply enforce this, is a misguided policy which would not sufficiently reduce risk. Our analysis of ECC’s crash data shows that over half of vehicle-pedestrian collisions took place when the vehicle was travelling at 40mph, showing that simply enforcing the current speed limit won’t do enough. Moreover, although we welcome crossing points, installing traffic islands without any traffic calming measures won’t mitigate the dangers of a 40mph road.  

Our proposals seek to build on ECC’s work to make sure that Epping New Road is well and truly safe. Reducing the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph would reduce the risk of collisions whilst also massively reducing the risk of collisions being fatal.  Safe crossing points – either controlled crossings or crossings with traffic calming measures like speed tables – would ensure that Forest visitors feel confident crossing the road.  

The current Road Safety Schemes intends to extend the 30mph zone of the road from Redbridge (where it is now) up to the junction with Rangers Road, leaving the remainder of Epping New Road at 40mph.

Our survey shows public supports on lower speed limit across the whole of Epping New Road 

From our survey, we can see that the public supports this proposal. Pedestrians score our proposed 30mph blanket speed limit at 7.1/10, significantly higher than how they score the current speed limit. People wrote that “it would lessen the barrier between the halves of the forest”, it “would make me feel much safer and allow us to have more adventures [with my son]” and “I would be much keener to cross the road.” There is a clear consensus that “creating a safer space for people ultimately leads to a more trusting community space.” 

These proposed changes also sit well with drivers, who score comfort with the 1.5-minute extra journey time down a 30mph Epping New Road at 8.7/10. 

What’s next 

We have presented this data to the ECC cabinet member and officer responsible for the Safer Roads Scheme. We are also readying ourselves to participate in the upcoming Forest Transport Strategy Consultation, a joint project between the City of London Corporation, ECC and Epping Forest District Council. The City has already done great work in the past getting Epping New Road on the agenda and we intend to build on that.  

For now, we would like to express our thanks for sharing your views on Epping New Road with us and supporting our campaign. The survey is still open, so please feel free to contribute if you haven’t already, and if you have other Forest transport-related concerns you would like to share, please reach out using policy@efht.org.uk.  

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