Section A – Borough Boundary to Lammas Road

The consultation for section A includes the following proposals:

• A fully segregated cycle lane to improve safety for cyclists
• New pedestrian crossing points and improvements to existing points
• Upgraded bus stop facilities to improve accessibility and waiting for public transport users
• Redesigned junction at Lammas Road to improve access and safety for all road users
• New and improved public spaces at a number of locations to improve the environment and encourage more people to use and enjoy the area.

Get involved in the consultation and have your say:

• Take part online.
• Visit us at our Lea Bridge Road information stand to view the stands and ask questions on 5 July at 10am to 1pm, and 6 July at 4pm to 7pm outside the Lee Valley Ice Centre.
• Alternatively, request a paper copy of the proposals and survey by emailing miniholland@walthamforest.gov.uk, calling 020 8496 3000 or writing to: Waltham Forest Council, Mini-Holland Programme, Low Hall, Argall Avenue, Leyton, E10 7AS.

Lea Bridge Road Consultation FAQs

Q: Why has Lea Bridge Road been selected to receive Mini-Holland funding?
A: Mini-Holland is a fantastic programme to improve walking and cycling in the borough. Lea Bridge Road was central in the Council’s bid for Mini-Holland funding from Transport for London. The road is an important east to west corridor through the borough and provides a strategic link into central London. It has the highest flow of people that cycle in Waltham Forest at six per cent of all traffic in peak time, and was highlighted by residents in our cycling survey as a priority route.
There is a huge opportunity to upgrade junctions and public spaces along the road. The proposals will not only improve the route for bike users but will also provide a safer and friendlier environment for everyone.

Q: How have you developed these proposals?
A: In March this year we conducted a survey with local businesses, residents, cyclists and visitors to find out what local people think of the area and the improvements they would like to see.
You can view the results from the surveys by visiting www.enjoywalthamforest.co.uk/work-in-you-area/lea-bridge-road. The feedback from the surveys, along with traffic monitoring and survey data have helped us to develop a design that we feel will benefit the whole community.

Q: Will the proposals affect buses?
A: The bus lanes on Lea Bridge Road currently operate between 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Saturday. We are working with TfL buses to develop proposals to redesign the bus lanes to improve the reliability of bus services in the area as part of the wider improvements to Lea Bridge Road.

Q: During the road works how will you manage the levels of traffic build up?
A: We will try to minimise the impact on the local area as much as possible. Where appropriate we will put in place diversions or use temporary traffic signals to help traffic from building up. We will be communicating with all road users to provide information whilst we carry out the improvements.

Q: How will the scheme affect businesses?
A: Research tells us that people who cycle (along with public transport users and pedestrians) are loyal supporters of local shops and services. They tend to use local shops and services more frequently and spend more money per month than those travelling by car.
With Lea Bridge Road station planned to open in 2016, there will be an increase in the number of people in the area. The proposed improvements aim to enhance the look of the area to attract new customers and increase business opportunity.
Throughout the programme we will work with businesses to makes sure they can take advantage of the opportunities the proposed changes will bring.

Q: Have the emergency services been consulted?
A: We will be required to carry out additional consultation with the emergency services to seek their views and discuss the impact the scheme may have on their response times. These conversations have already begun and will continue throughout the consultation period. Once completed, comments will be fed into the final design proposals.

Q: How will local places of worship be affected?
A: It is important for us to develop a design that meets the need of the wider community. We have been consulting with key stakeholders in the area including the emergency services, businesses, residents, religious and community groups. Giving us your views will help develop a design that the local community have helped us to shape.

Q: What benefits are there for pedestrians and other road users?
A: The scheme will improve the environment for all road users not just people who cycle. Junctions will be upgraded to improve safety and we will be redesigning some of the public spaces along the road making the area look more attractive for everyone.

Q: How will parking be affected?
A: We realise there are many issues with parking along the street. We need to consider the parking requirements of businesses as well as residents in the area. We will be carrying out surveys to help us understand how the road can be redesigned to accommodate everyone’s needs. Any changes to car parking will be part of the public consultation that we will be holding in the Autumn 2015.

Q: How do the proposals address safety issues?
A: Whilst our objectives are to provide safe facilities for people who cycle, we will also be looking to improve safety of all road users, including pedestrians and general vehicular traffic.
As part of the design process we have been looking at collisions along Lea Bridge Road to address areas where patterns of collisions exist. The proposed improvements for the eight sections will depend on the types of collisions that occur, however examples being proposed are raised tables at junctions, improved crossing facilities for pedestrians and traffic calming measures, such as speed humps and blended crossings, to slow vehicles down.

Q: How will journeys be affected in the area?
A: To ensure that journey times are not affected by the proposals we have carried out extensive traffic modelling along the route. Speed, volume and turning counts have been carried out at numerous locations along Lea Bridge Road which has enabled us to model the existing, the proposed and the future traffic flows along the route. This level of detail has enabled us to tweak the design to ensure the smooth running of traffic along Lea Bridge Road, the junctions and the interaction between them. By providing safe cycling facilities we will encourage people to cycle to work, school and to the local shops which will further support the reduction of congestion along the route.

Q: How will introducing cycle lanes improve congestion levels?
A: By putting in place better cycle lanes, people will feel more confident cycling along the road. This increase in confidence will lead to a shift in the proportion of short trips being carried out by bike instead of by car. By encouraging more people to cycle and reduce the amount of car journeys we hope to have a positive impact on congestion levels.

Q: How can I have my say on the scheme and how will you use my views?
A: We want to build a genuine dialogue with local residents and businesses to help inform the final design of the scheme. The consultation for Lea Bridge Road has been divided into sections and households in or near those sections will be notified prior to consultations taking place. We are currently consulting on sections A and H of the scheme. There are lots of ways to have your say:
• Take part online, where you can view the detailed plans and provide comments
• Visit us at our Lea Bridge Road information stands to view the plans and ask questions
• Alternatively, request a paper copy of the proposals and survey by emailing miniholland@walthamforest.gov.uk, calling 020 8496 3000 or writing to us.
Your views will be used to shape the final design for the scheme.

Q: Is it possible that the scheme might not go ahead?
A: The public consultation for the scheme allows us to present our designs to the public to gather feedback to improve the scheme. For aspects that are not fully supported we will look at the comments for these elements and look to redesign where possible.

Q: What else are you doing for people who want to cycle?
A: The Mini-Holland Programme is delivering a whole set of measures to encourage people to cycle. This includes free cycle training, cycle parking at tube and rail stations and working with businesses to encourage their staff to cycle.