Pedestrian strategy

The council is committed to improving facilities for pedestrians. It is the most sustainable form of transport and is also a healthy form of exercise. To this end the council has introduced pedestrian phases at almost all signalised junctions in the borough.  By giving more signal time to pedestrians, the number of cars travelling through the junctions has decreased and so traffic volumes along borough roads have also declined over the past 20 years.

The council also has an extensive network of zebra and pelican crossings – 130 in 2007. The provision of controlled signal crossings for pedestrians also aims to reduce accidents and these have also been reduced as a result.

Pedestrian refuges are also provided extensively on main roads to enable road crossing where no formal crossings exist.

In 2005 Waltham Forest introduced its first diagonal pedestrian crossing at Chingford Mount enabling pedestrians to cross a busy junction in a shopping centre in one stage rather than two.  Other diagonal crossings are planned for future implementation.

The Council is also keen to encourage children to walk to school rather than be driven and was the first council to introduce Walk to School Week in 1993. Over the years all schools in the borough have joined this annual event with many schools now participating in Walk on Wednesday events too.  These events are part of the School Travel Plan work that the council is doing to ensure that all schools have targets to reduce delivery of children to school by car.

Facilities for people with disabilities

The Council continues to introduce facilities for people with disabilities with particular regard to the provision of tactile paving at controlled crossings and better dropped kerb arrangements. Liaison continues with the Traffic Control Systems Unit (TCSU), who manage London’s traffic signals, to develop a programme for the provision of audible tones or tactile indicators as appropriate at traffic signal installations with pedestrian stages.

Tactile paving is being provided at all pedestrian crossings in the borough to give partially sighted people or blind people an indication of where it is safer to cross.

Contact us

Sustainable Communities
Environment and Regeneration
Waltham Forest Council
Sycamore House
Forest Road
London E17 4JF
tel 020 8496 3000
email wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk