The document discusses Mini Holland, a program in Waltham Forest, London to create a more bikeable and walkable transportation network. It involves "villagization" through installing traffic filters to reduce through traffic in residential neighborhoods, building a cycle superhighway, and making improvements to secondary town centers. The program aims to remove barriers to cycling and create a safe environment for people of all ages and abilities to travel by bike. It outlines public engagement strategies, challenges implementing the large-scale project, and lessons learned that could benefit other communities seeking to promote active transportation.

1. Mini Holland in Waltham Forest
Paul Gasson
Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign
www.wfcycling.org.uk

2. Overview
•Mini Holland
principles &
programme
•What does it look
like?
•Council engagement
& local campaigns
•Challenges
•Transferrable
learnings

3. Principles
•Safe for those who want to
cycle
•Better walking
environment
•Public realm
improvements
•Removal of rat running
from residential areas
•Main roads - protected
cycle facilities for 8 - 80

4. Bid summary - Programme
•Villagisation - filtered
permeability & traffic
calming
•Cycle Super Highway
•Secondary Town Centres
•Complementary
Measures

5. Where?

7. What does it look like?
Villagisatio

8. What does it look like?
VillagisatioVillagisatio

9. What does it look like?
Villagisatio
n
Villagisatio

10. What does it look like?
Villagisatio

11. What does it look like?
Villagisatio
n
Villagisatio

12. What does it look like?
Villagisatio

13. What does it look like?
Secondary TownSecondary Town

14. What does it look like?
Secondary TownSecondary Town

15. What does it look like?
Secondary TownComplementary

16. What does it look like?
Secondary TownComplementary

17. What does it look like?
Secondary TownComplementary

18. Public engagement: council
• stakeholders meetings
• perception surveys -
commonplace
• community workshops
• consultation drop ins
• consultations -
commonplace & paper
• on street kiosk
• microsite
• monthly e-news
• fortnightly WF newspaper

19. Public engagement: council

20. Campaigning: WFCC
• Strategic
• programme & priorities
• processes
• design guide & standards
• Technical support
• infrastructure team
• early scheme development
• consultation response
• scheme design detail
• snagging list
• Website
• Mini Holland FAQ & Evidence
• Key issues & successes
• Event support

21. Campaigning: We Support MH
•Supporting village
campaigns
•Communicating key
public issues to council
•Commonplace feedback
•Strategy meetings
•Attending workshops &
drop ins
•Photos

22. Campaigning: We Support MH
•On street conversations
•Fliers, posters
•Social media
• Website, facebook,
twitter
• positive messages, facts
• MH schedule
• countering myths
• promoting engagement
exercises & consultations

23. Key challenges
• Programme
• Scale & speed -> top down
• Village pilot – conservative
• Car centric culture - target for
outsiders
• Bike lash -> WFCC low profile
• Local business – multiple threats
• Cultural factors – public &
political
• Social media myths &
misinformation
• Council engagement for first 9
months

24. Learnings & transferability
•Promote compelling vision
• inclusive, vibrant, multi
sensory
• evidence based
• public health solutions helps
sell to fence sitters eg obesity
in young, pollution
•Smart language- Seattle
• people who cycle
• modal filters (aka road
closures)

25. Learnings & transferability
• Design interventions to maximise
support
• Irrelevant to most if focus on cycling
• appeal to all active travel modes
• budget for public realm enhancements
• High quality pilots
• that other residents/businesses will lust after
• before and after monitoring, photos/video
• Cultivate local supporters
• Families, young people, carfree, school run
• Data is valuable
• Monitoring - motor traffic in residential areas
• ONC, Census, Health Needs Assessment
• Surveys

26. Learnings & transferability
Social media strengths
•Facebook
• explaining
• countering untruths
• positive stories
•Twitter
• great for broadcasting good news
• rubbish for discussion
•Websites
• fundamentals & details

27. Learnings & transferability
Council ethos
• Political and officer commitment to
excellence, leadership
• buy in/recruit to resolve skills gap
• watertight processes
• agile approach
• learn from successes elsewhere
• Genuine partnership with key
stakeholders in community & user
groups
• open to feedback
• engage at feasibility, consultation,
detailed design

28. Learnings & transferability
Engagement
• Consultations - choice of area is key
• Residents may want their own street
filtered, but not one 3 blocks away
• Wider can ensure more balanced views
• Community events
• expert facilitation
• Anti hijacking– sideline
• Campaigners can support officers
• Explaining to public
• Listening to concerns, seeking common
ground
• Visual media
• photos – kids, elderly, families
• visualisations
• infographics
• maps

29. Porosity
Before
Porous: 2 or
more
gateways= 12%
Semi porous: 1
gateway = 48%
Impermeable: 0
gateways =
33%
Other 7%
Most of central
and southern
borough
impermeable

30. Porosity
After
Porous: 2 or
more
gateways= 74%
Semi porous: 1
gateway = 18%
Impermeable: 0
gateways = 1%
Other 7%
Almost entire
borough
rideable

31. Learnings & transferability
Campaigners
• multi modal & diverse
• relationship with council
• recognise positive intention
• constructive criticism
• acknowledge successes
• step into the officer’s shoes
• build capacity to reduce
workload, risk of burnout
• fun socials
• Encourage supportive
comms to councillors

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