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Harrow Road Improvements

*UPDATE: Please note that the deadline to respond to the survey has been extended to Monday 7 November 2022.*

Background

The London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) is committed to creating streets and neighbourhoods that are safe, attractive and actively encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport. Walking and cycling in particular can have significant benefits for the health of individuals as well as the environment and are a means to help tackle key priorities for the Council including the public health, air quality and climate crises within the borough. Creating streets and spaces that support and enable active and sustainable travel, particularly for local journeys, is also a fundamental part of the Council’s 15 minute neighbourhoods approach.

In 2018 and then 2019 we worked extensively with London Borough of Newham to develop and submit several funding bids to Transport for London (TfL), for an extensive neighbourhood and transport improvement plan in South Leytonstone, Forest Gate and Maryland, as part of their Liveable Neighbourhoods Funding Programme. The bids were developed and shaped using early feedback from the local community around key local transport issues and concerns, and the types of improvement local people would like to see. Unfortunately, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 meant that TfL was unable to continue funding the Liveable Neighbourhoods Programme. Instead, TfL provided London Boroughs with emergency funding to deliver rapid changes that would help address some of the key transport, mobility and safety issues created by the pandemic.

In July 2020 and then October 2020 we installed a series of experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the South Leytonstone, Maryland and Forest Gate areas. The schemes aimed to remove through traffic across these areas to create safer, more inviting, and accessible streets for residents to walk, cycle and generally get around. The Council believes that changes like this are part of the wider package of measures needed to address long-term challenges our borough is facing and were included in the original 2018 and 2019 funding bids to TfL. In this case implementation was accelerated and changes introduced using an experimental approach to quickly improve our streets for walking and cycling in response to the pandemic. With many people displaced from public transport at the time, and more than half of residents not having access to motorised transport, creating a safe environment for active travel was essential.

During 2020 and 2021 we monitored the experimental schemes and sought feedback from the community through a number of surveys and engagement activities. Our monitoring data showed that the schemes generally performed well, achieving many of the original objectives such as an overall decrease in traffic volumes and speeds on roads within the scheme areas, fewer injuries caused by road traffic collisions, and an increase in cycling trips. However, alongside these benefits we recognised that there were still challenges relating to some roads within the area, and that there were some remaining concerns among residents over the operation of the scheme. As part of the decision to make the schemes permanent, we set out that we were committed to working with residents, businesses and TfL to identify further solutions to address these.

As part of our commitment to deliver further enhancements within the South Leytonstone area we have been developing an initial corridor improvement scheme on Harrow Road, to help address a number of traffic related concerns and further support and enable walking and cycling in the area. These initial proposals aim to reduce traffic speeds along Harrow Road and create improved walking and cycling links at key locations across and along the Harrow Road corridor.

Proposals

The proposed improvements are listed below. We plan to construct these in two separate phases.

Phase 1
Funding for Phase 1 has been secured and construction is programmed to take place in early 2023.

Phase 2
The Council ambition is to implement Phase 2 in 2023/24 subject to funding and local support.

Phase 1 Proposals

Highways and Pedestrian Improvements

The following improvements are proposed to make the area safer for all road users, reduce traffic speeds, and encourage more people to walk local journeys.

  • Harrow Road junction with High Road Leytonstone - Install a raised junction entry treatment. Also install a kerb build-out to reduce the crossing width at the entrance of the junction.
  • 27 and 31 Harrow Road - Remove the speed cushions and kerb build-out from outside 31 Harrow Road and install a sinusoidal (a type of speed hump with a curved profile which makes it comfortable to cycle over) cycle friendly speed hump outside 27 Harrow Road. Also install a kerb build-out with up to two trees near 31 Harrow Road.
  • 67 and 87 Harrow Road - Remove the speed cushions from outside 67 Harrow Road and install a sinusoidal cycle friendly speed hump outside 87 Harrow Road.
  • 145/147 Harrow Road - Remove kerb build-out from outside 145/147 Harrow Road and install a sinusoidal cycle friendly speed hump.
  • 207-208 Harrow Road - Remove the speed cushion from outside 207 Harrow Road and install a sinusoidal cycle friendly speed hump, remove the northern build-out and plant a new tree in an upgraded kerb build-out on the southern side.
  • 183-185 Harrow Road - Remove the existing speed cushions and islands at the railway bridge.
  • 237 - 239 Harrow Road - Install a raised table with tactile paving (textured paving designed to aid the visually impaired) and a kerb buildout outside 237/239 Harrow Road, to improve pedestrian accessibility.
  • 277-279 Harrow Road - Install a sinusoidal cycle friendly speed hump and a new tree in an upgraded kerb build-out

Public Realm and Environmental Improvements

The following improvements are proposed to upgrade the streetscape and enhance the look and feel of the area. Rain gardens are small green spaces for plants and possibly trees which collect rainwater to help prevent flooding.

  • Matcham Road junction with Harrow Road - Install rain gardens and provide high quality paving at the existing modal filter.

Blended ‘Copenhagen’ Crossings

We have been introducing blended ‘Copenhagen’ style crossings, which prioritise pedestrians at junctions across the borough since 2015. They are popular in Europe and extend the pavement across side streets at key junctions, giving pedestrians a continuous pavement rather than a traditional kerb that they need to wait at before crossing the side road. This encourages vehicles to slow down when entering or exiting the side road, ensuring that pedestrians or people on cycles have right of way, as per the Highway Code.

Blended crossings are proposed at the following junctions:

  • Newcomen Road with Harrow Road
  • Montague Road with Harrow Road

Pedestrian and Cycle Crossing Improvements

The following improvements are proposed to improve accessibility across Harrow Road for pedestrians and cyclists, to create a safe link for cyclists connecting Newcomen Road to Montague Road, and to encourage more people to walk and cycle local journeys.

  • Harrow Road just north of Montague Road - Install a shared pedestrian and cyclist zebra crossing on a new raised table.

Phase 2 Proposals

Highways and Pedestrian Improvements

The following improvements are proposed to make the area safer for all road users, reduce traffic speeds, and encourage more people to walk local journeys.

  • Harrow Road (just south of Howard Road) - Install a raised table with tactile paving, and a kerb buildout outside 57 to 61 Harrow Road, to improve pedestrian accessibility.
  • Beachcroft Road junction with Harrow Road - Install a raised table entry treatment to reduce the speed of vehicles entering and leaving Harrow Road.
  • Harrow Road north of Courtenay Road - Install a raised table with tactile paving, and a kerb buildout outside 193 Harrow Road, to improve pedestrian accessibility.

Modal Filter and Environmental Improvements

Modal filters (where the road is closed to motorised vehicles) help reduce traffic volumes as well as improve air quality and reduce noise pollution on residential streets. They often include new trees, planting and communal areas, which can be adopted and maintained by the local community.

A modal filter is proposed at:

  • Cecil Road at its junction with Harrow Road

Blended 'Copenhagen' Crossings

Blended crossings are proposed at the following junction:

  • Woodhouse Road junction with Harrow Road
  • Howard Road junction with Harrow Road
  • Courtenay Road junction with Harrow Road

Pedestrian and Cycle Crossing Improvements

The following improvements are proposed to improve accessibility across Harrow Road for pedestrians and cyclists, to create a safe link for cyclists connecting Woodhouse Road to Cecil Road, and to encourage more people to walk and cycle local journeys.

  • Harrow Road near the junctions of Cecil Road and Woodhouse Road - Install a pedestrian and cyclist shared zebra crossing on a raised table.

Segregated Cycle Track

Segregated cycle track is a section of road prioritised for cycle use. A physical kerb separation will be used to stop motor vehicles from entering the space. The aims of the route listed below is to provide a safe, continuous, high quality walking and cycling connections along the mid-section of Harrow Road and further links to the LTN improvements that have already taken place within the adjoining areas.

  • Harrow Road between Woodhouse Road and Montague Road - Install segregated cycle tracks on each side of the road.

Get Involved

We want everyone who lives or works in the area to have their say on the proposals to help shape the final improvements along Harrow Road. We are asking people to comment on each phase of proposed improvements to allow us to develop a scheme that works for the local community.

There are a number of ways you can participate in the consultation:

  • You can submit your views online through the consultation website Survey Monkey by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/XXG6MGD
  • Or you can request a hard copy of the consultation questionnaire by emailing enjoy@walthamforest.gov.uk
  • Please submit your views by the closing date of 7 November 2022 by 11:59pm.

What happens next?

All the responses received will be carefully analysed and will influence the final scheme design. We will make changes based upon suggestions and comments where feasible; and if changes are not possible, we will explain why. Elements of the scheme that are not well supported by residents may be reconsidered if possible.

Once the consultation process has been completed, we will publish a summary of the consultation
feedback and provide further details about what will be delivered as part of the Harrow Road
Improvement scheme via this web page.