Co-CAFE visit 'mini holland' in waltham forest, london

Introduction

In 2013, Waltham Forest was one of three boroughs (along with Kingston and Enfield) in outer London selected to share the total £100m pot from the Mayor of London’s Mini-Hollands fund. The funding was used to upgrade streets and road networks to help tackle safety for walking and cycling, air quality and public health. Waltham Forests's allocated £27m was boosted to a £40m total pot by accessing money from local developments under Section 106.

Co-CAFE project administrator Tom Shopland joined a guided tour of Waltham forest given by Paul Gasson, of Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign, who talked us through the changes to the road infrastructure in the neighbourhoods and the journey of engaging the local community with the project. The trip was organised by the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel in Oxford, which is made up of the following community groups: Cyclox, Oxford FoE, Oxfordshire Liveable Streets, Pedal and Post, Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon, Oxford Pedestrians Association. The following is taken from Tom's observations from the visit.

Main approach to creating a mini Holland

• Stepped cycle lanes. Pedestrians had a dedicated zone, then step down to 1.5m cycle lane, then step down to road. All roads had been narrowed to accommodate, where there wasn’t enough space, the walk way had become slightly narrower as the cars and bikes had a minimum fixed width. Continuous protection for all. All pavements had dropped curbs for cycle lanes. Bikes had dedicated traffic lights that all went green together before cars.
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• Cut out through traffic on neighbourhood roads. This was done by creating physical barriers half way along the road, meaning the roads were only being used by the people who lived there and reducing 90% of traffic. Cyclists / walkers could still use them as through roads. Created new ‘community islands’ for new green spaces / bike storage / play areas. Can be done very cheaply and have a huge impact on neighbourhood.​​

• Intuitive understanding for motorists that they are entering neighbourhood zones. Entrances to neighbourhood roads had been squeezed from two lanes to one using trees and bollards. This meant that a car had a tight angle to enter the road and would have to drive slowly. Also full width speed bumps on neighbourhood roads.
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• Pedestrian priority road crossings. Known as Copenhagen crossings. The design of the pavements indicated that it was the right of way to pedestrians to continue their walk and cars would have to wait.
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• The high street was closed off to vehicles. Had the longest street market in Europe with all the reclaimed space. Full high street occupancy - all shop premises were rented, which was not the case before the mini Holland project took place. Did have certain access times for loading vehicles. 

• Branding as active travel / healthy streets / better streets / ‘walk cycle enjoy’. Dropped mini Holland branding and also anything too cycling specific. Early engagement with natural community groups such as schools and park users. Held events in local parks with visuals of what it could look like, asked community to imagine what they would like their streets to look like, how they would improve them, what are the issues, how they used the streets when they were younger. Took answers in a perception survey after the engagement events. A lot of people didn’t even think they could change the traffic on their roads. Engagement worked particularly well when partnered with trusted / established groups such as Neighbourhood Watch.
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• More trees and flower beds for natural draining. The reclaiming of the streets had created more space for flowers and trees to be planted. The local residents were taking care of the flowers and vegetables, not the council.

• Complementary Cycle Programmes. Including cycle training (on and off road), cycle road shows, bike maintenance courses. Offered to schools, businesses and members of the public through bike training partners / local newspaper / social media. 
  
  
• £17m spent on 4km cycle highway. I didn’t have the chance to see it as part of this visit​.
  
  
• Bike storage schemes. Locked / waterproof / breathable spaces for bikes. Pay 30 pounds a year for access to cycle hangers. Over-subscribed by 2000 bike owners. Locked walk in bike sheds at train stations with cctv.

Challenges

• Emergency service access. One of the main points people were concerned about. Designed the plan for physical barriers with the police / fire / ambulance and were able to assure locals no service delays would occur. London first responders use motorbikes and could still by pass physical barriers by using cycle lanes.
  
  
• Damage to high street footfall. Businesses thought that 60% of their customers had driven to them. A survey on the high street found out only 20% had driven, 80% had used public transport or active travel. Now have the longest street market in Europe in the extra reclaimed space. First time the high street had been oversubscribed for shop space. Businesses would not want to share the impact on their revenue / footfall – too many other affecting factors for high street businesses.
  
  
• Can’t park at house. Not true. Residents could still drive to their doors and park outside their homes.
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• Taxi drivers
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Outcomes

A report in September 2018 by King's College London shows:

• More than 51,000 households in Waltham Forest are no longer living in areas with dangerously high levels of air pollution compared to a decade ago
• Gains in life expectancy from residents walking and cycling more
• Changes in local streets and neighbourhoods support more active lifestyles for adults and children

​The research found that after one year, people living in parts of such boroughs were, on average, walking and cycling for 41 minutes a week more than those living in comparable areas. Among the most notable elements of the study, led by Dr Rachel Aldred of Westminster University, is that while the schemes were primarily billed as seeking to boost cycling, the bigger increase in active travel came on foot – an extra 32 minutes weekly on average, with nine more minutes by bike.'

Westminster University expected the research to yield few results in the first two years of the study. The three year longitudinal study from Westminster University will be released in June 2019. 

​Tom Shopland said of the visit to Waltham Forest, 'I was so inspired by what I saw, especially the increased trees, small green spaces, space for community engagement, quiet neighborhood roads, increased protection of cyclists and walkers with dedicated spaces. I am beyond keen to make this happen for the people of Oxford.'
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What about Oxford?

Our visiting group were very impressed with what we saw in Waltham Forest and concluded that a pilot project in Oxford was needed, focused on one area or road and include all the community groups to create the standard street design for rolling out to a wider plan across Oxford city.
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