Walthamstow Village Transport Scheme

Walthamstow Village was one of four residential areas in Walthamstow Town Centre to receive Mini Holland funding from Transport for London.

The scheme aimed to:

• reduce the volume of traffic and noise outside people’s homes
• improve road safety for all users
• make the area easier and safer for people who want to walk and cycle for local journeys
• generally make the area more attractive for residents and visitors.

Between 26 September and 13 October 2014, we carried out a live trial in Walthamstow Village and closed roads to motor vehicles at key locations. This live trial, a first for the Council and the UK, meant that we could give residents and businesses first-hand experience of what it could feel like living and working in a low traffic neighbourhood (LTN), providing them with a unique opportunity to make an informed decision on any long-term proposals for the area. 

The live trial also meant the Council could gather real life traffic data and feedback on bold proposals to address the road safety and environmental issues highlighted in a resident survey conducted between 14 February and 7 March 2014.

You can find more information about the trial and the results in the useful documents list at the bottom of this page.

Feedback gathered during the trial was used to develop a final scheme which was taken to public consultation between 28 November and 19 December 2014.

In total, 735 households in the scheme area took part and provided feedback on the proposals. The consultation results were presented to Waltham Forest Cabinet members on Tuesday 10 February 2015 where the plans for the Walthamstow Village were approved.

A full report detailing the results from the consultation is in the useful documents list below. 

The Walthamstow Village review took place between June 2016 and August 2017 to assess the scheme's impact against its core aims. While the review was not a legal requirement when making changes, we generally review any major schemes once they are complete to understand how the changes are working and whether the objectives have been met. We were also keen to know what the local community thought of the changes made to the Walthamstow Village area. The review of the scheme took place in two parts. Part 1 involved collecting and analysing technical information such as traffic count and collision data, and part 2 involved seeking feedback from the local community and key stakeholders like the emergency services.

The review shows some great successes:

• The interest shown by the local community was remarkable, with over 1,500 people feeding back as part of the review alone
• The number of residents walking and cycling increased, with 28% saying their primary mode of transport for regular journeys was done by walking
• Traffic counts showed that on average the number of vehicles on roads within the Village had decreased by 44% and the majority of residents had noticed that traffic speed and noise had either decreased or stayed the same
• All visitors surveyed had a positive opinion of the overall scheme, with 84% stating it was very good
• Only 1.7% of residents would scrap the scheme and revert to the former layout.

The review also highlighted areas for improvement, in particular:

• Although traffic speed and noise had decreased in the area, residents were concerned that some roads in the Village, for example Church Lane, Vestry Road, East Avenue and Third Avenue had seen an increase in traffic
• Traffic levels had increased on roads surrounding the Village such as Lea Bridge Road and Hoe Street
• Businesses were mostly positive about the appearance of the scheme, but they felt there were issues with the location and number of parking spaces available, and loading provisions for suppliers.

More information can be found in the Walthamstow Village Review Report at the bottom of this page.