Mini-Holland

Significant local marketing and promotional efforts, continued
Tour de France
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There is a a great opportunity to raise the profile of cycling
in the Borough when the Tour de France travels through the
borough in July 2014 along the Lea Bridge Road – the route
which forms the southern boundary of the Mini Holland area
and contains several of the flagship schemes including the
fully LCDS-compliant Lea Bridge Road Cycle Superhighway
and the proposed Dutch-style cycle-friendly roundabout at
Whipps Cross.
Engagement with residents and businesses along the route
will include roadshows promoting the public realm benefits
of the two proposed schemes. Promotion during the event
will also focus on the predicted boost in trade to local
shops and businesses from the resulting increase in cyclists
and pedestrians that are expected when the schemes are
complete.
Tour de Waltham Forest
The event will be used to promote a series of major
engagement/marketing events organised under the banner
Tour de Waltham Forest. This consists of a series of rides
aimed at all types of cyclists beginning with a Grand Tour two
weeks after the Tour de France cycling the entire borough
boundary. Key portfolio holders and ward councillors will get
on their bikes and cycle along with local cyclists. The ride will
aim to celebrate Walthamstow’s natural existing advantages
for cycling – its local green fringes of Marsh and Forest. The
idea of developing routes into and out of the Borough will
be symbolised by involving the Mayors of Waltham Forest’s
neighbouring councils (Hackney, Newham, Haringey, Enfield
and Redbridge)
Mini Tour
Secondly, there will be the Mini Tour in September 2014
which will be focus on a meandering route through the core
Mini Holland area which will be used to further raise the
profile of the Mini Holland transformation combined with
a more focussed consultation on the smaller schemes in
Walthamstow Village and the Markhouse and Blackhorse
districts. The Mini Tour will also involve schools and health
care providers, promoting the public health and environmental
benefits of a cycling culture.
The Mini Tour will be linked in with a relaunch of the Borough’s
travel plans. These will include all of the school travel plans;
the work-based travel plans and the Council and hospital
travel plans. The first phase of the relaunched plans will be
a review of all physical infrastructures requested in these
plans and will include updated ideas to complement the
Mini Holland proposals. An important part of this will be a
campaign to improve secure residential cycle parking both in
social housing estates and in private residential streets.
We will look at pooling funding from a variety of TfL, LIP,
Section 106 and Community funds to implement these
schemes. Planning for phase two of the Travel Plan relaunch
will also be made. The second phase will focus on Smarter
Travel measures to encourage people to switch to cycling
once the hard infrastructure measures are in place.