Mini-Holland

Mini Holland •
Opportunities, Challenges and Issues
Briefly describe the current situation and the
problems and/or opportunities that the proposed
programme will address
Current Situation/Problem - There are many sources
of severance within the Borough, including Walthamstow/
Hoe Street Gyratory and Whipps Cross Roundabout, as well
accommodation works for the reopening of the station). A
main issue is the width of the bridge structure and the wider
requirements for the new station. With the additional funding
as main roads such as; Blackhorse Road, the A12/M11 link
available from the Mini Holland programme we propose to
The current situation has obviously been a key driver in
road (which has cut historic links between the Town Centre
introduce an additional bridge span similar to the well received
shaping the programme vision and objectives. The vision
and Leytonstone) and the A406 North Circular Road which
Ruckholt Road bridge into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
and objectives defined in the following two chapters set a
framework for the opportunities for change for Waltham Forest
which can be summarized as:
• Substantially increase cycling within the borough
• Shift a significant proportion of short local car trips to the bike
• Improve the look and feel of public spaces
separates the northern and southern halves of the borough,
making cycling to the Town Centre a less obvious choice. Car
ownership is significantly higher in the north of the borough, in
part as a consequence of this severance.
Opportunity - Creating simple and direct routes east-west
and north-south that recognise cyclists like riding directly to
Shift a significant proportion of short local car
trips to the bike
Current Situation/Problem – We know one-way streets
are bad for cyclists, creating convoluted routes and in some
instances encouraging higher vehicle speeds. In light of the
15
• Economic regeneration
• Safety
• Health
their destination, will have a major impact on cycling numbers.
Innovative and bold approaches to tackling these sources of
severance along with coherent and consistent design along
the routes will be key to success.
proposed road closures/modal filters in the town centre, the
villages and the secondary centres we will review all existing
one-way systems in this area with the aim of removing them or
at the very least introducing contraflow cycling.
Increase cycling within the borough
Opportunity - Addressing severance, as a complementary
A programme to permit two-way cycling in one way streets is
Current Situation/Problem - One of the key features of
the existing situation in Walthamstow is that the High Street
cannot be used as a cycle route due to Walthamstow Market,
reputedly Europe’s longest daily street market, with over
450 stalls. The centre and south of the borough have narrow
and highly congested Victorian main roads and ‘rat running’
is a probem in the four residential “quarters” of Central
Walthamstow.
measure we are also working with other boroughs in the
Northern sub-region, to develop a separate proposal for a
northern Quietway to parallel the A406 North Circular Road,
to provide better orbital links for cyclists across borough
boundaries
Opportunity - Lea Bridge Road is a corridor of opportunity.
It links the heart of the borough and Walthamstow Mini
Holland with the greenspaces of Walthamstow, Hackney and
under way, aimed at making local travel by bike more direct
and convenient. This has already dramatically improved links
between Lloyd Park, the Town Hall, residential areas and
shops on Hoe Street. We have aligned borough policies and
strategies with this ambition, including our Local Plan, and
require all new developments to have “future proof” levels of
cycle parking and access.
Within the secondary centres there are areas of high cycling
Opportunity - An opportunity therefore exists for
“Villagisation” facilitated by the removal of through traffic in
residential areas in central Walthamstow. This will build on the
work already underway to make Walthamstow more cyclepermeable
and address rat running.
Leyton Marshes. In the west it provides the link to the cycling
communities in the London Borough of Hackney and on to
central London.
Issues - Lea Bridge Station is to reopen in 2015. A redesign
of the main junction is planned to improve facilities for
potential, with an increasing proportion of young professionals
in areas such as Leytonstone, with new pubs, restaurants
and artist studios/pop up exhibitions. Anecdotally, many
are moving into the borough from Hackney, where rents and
property prices are higher, and are bringing that borough’s
cycling culture with them. The Council and social enterprise
pedestrians and cyclists (being developed as part of the
Bikeworks have also set up a bike hub in Leytonstone High