2 March 2018
A member of staff at Waltham Forest’s pioneering scheme to improve the boroughs roads for pedestrians and cyclists was highly commended at last night’s annual London Transport Awards.
Enjoy Waltham Forest Complementary Measures Project Officer Jane Sherry was highly commended in the Stuart Ross Young Transport Communications Professional Award.
She was nominated by the Council’s Director of Highways and Traffic Management Vala Valavan for her work in co-ordinating national and industry events alongside her day job of curating and promoting measures to encourage residents to cycle and walk more in the borough.
The 25-year-old said: “I’ve been working on the Enjoy Waltham Forest programme from the beginning and it is exciting to see all the changes now taking place and how much our residents are starting to appreciate the efforts we have made to make it easier for them to get around the borough.
“The annual Le Tour de Waltham Forest event is the highlight of the calendar as hundreds of residents, including young children and older people, get on their bikes and join us on a relaxed ride around the borough.
The awards, which are supported by Transport for London, London Councils, London Travel Watch and London First, were announced at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel last night.
Since securing the funding from Transport for London in 2013 the council has constructed more than 14,000 metres of segregated cycle track, more than 50 blended crossings on side roads, 22 new shared cycling and pedestrian crossings and redirected vehicle traffic on 77 roads to reduce rat running problems and create safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.
The borough has also invested in a series of initiatives to encourage residents to get out of their cars and off of public transport for short local journeys. These include bike hire schemes, free cycle training for children in schools, as well as free confidence courses for adults as well as access to 250 dockless hire bikes and 3 Brompton hire hubs. The council has also installed over 150 secure bicycle sheds on residential streets and seven CCTV monitored storage hubs at the borough’s train and Tube stations and hosts an annual family friendly bike ride, Le Tour de Waltham Forest.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment Cllr Clyde Loakes said: “I’m so pleased that Jane has received this level of recognition for her hard work and commitment. She has been a huge part of why our programme of complimentary measures has been the success it has been and as such a crucial part in the overall delivery of the Enjoy Waltham Forest programme.”
The Blackhorse Road underground station team also secured the London Underground Service Team award.
