Forum topic: Five years of the Waltham Forest Mini-Holland

Waltham Forest Council has released a short video outlining the achievements of the "Enjoy Waltham Forest" project since it began five years ago, when the borough was one of three to win bids for "Mini-Holland" funding from the Mayor of London and Transport for London.

Over the last five years through the Enjoy Waltham Forest programme we've have delivered more than 22km of segregated cycle lanes, created 40 modal filters to prevent local streets being used by motorists as rat runs, two part-time motor vehicle closures in local high streets, improved 100 junctions, trained more than 7,500 school children to ride a bike and 5,000 adults, planted more than 700 new trees and created 15 pocket parks. In this video we hear from Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader of Waltham Forest and residents about what these improvements mean to them.

Like Enfield, Waltham Forest ran into serious opposition to its scheme, especially during consultation over early elements, such as the creation of "villages" (low-traffic neighbourhoods) in Walthamstow, but many people now agree that these have been very successful in improving quality of life the the residents of the streets in question, and there is hard evidence of "traffic evaporation" having occurred.

The name chosen -  "Enjoy Waltham Forest" - contrasts with that used by Enfield - "Cycle Enfield" - and emphasises the fact that the transformation is designed to improve life for everyone, not just people who ride bikes.  And it's interesting that, despite starting with the "village" schemes rather than with bike lanes, Waltham Forest has already created more miles (or kilometres) of segregated bike lanes than Enfield - and when it comes to creating genuinely "quieter neighbourhoods", well, there's simply no contest.  Time for Enfield to get its skates on (or maybe its bicycle clips) and do some catching up.