Support Mini Holland

Did Hitler build walls?

Just go onto change @bothwell, start up a petition, then at least it's going. Do a few tweets out to London bloggers etc - you'll have more than 200 signatures by the end of the day...

I wish these people would understand what terrible damage they're doing to their own agenda by making ridiculous and tasteless comparisons to a bogeyman a couple of hundred magnitudes too big for their purposes. It's insulting and disrespectful but also reveals massive ignorance. If you have a case, make it. If you don't have a case, don't make it, but don't pretend that your non-case is so important that you have to lose it completely.

He's banned me for asking why he dragged Hitler into it.

Yup, we're getting there - I'm in contact with a couple of residents groups and we're agreeing on the wording. It's all very democratic up here, dontchano. You'd never think it listening to the anti groups, mind.

Every good democracy needs a good opposition ...

You've probably already seen it but the Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign Q&A on mini-Hollands is very good: https://wfcycling.wordpress.com/mini-holland/

My opposition* is within the pro crowd! D:

*It's not really opposition. It is still very democratic, though.

Yes, I was referring to the 'anti' groups.

@bothwell are you having trouble with those dirty splitters of the People's Cycling Front of Enfield?

We've now got people on facebook now bemoaning the loss of parking due to a bike shed being put in on their street.

It takes up half a parking space.

Half.

For six bicycles. On a length of road entirely given over to car parking. It's actually pretty mindblowing.

It is absolutely amazing watching people utterly lose their sh*t and go ape crazy over a small shed.

Quick update, as it's been a while...

Lots of modal filters are going in, and the centrepiece of the first stage, the semi-pedestrianisation of Orford Road in the centre of Walthamstow Village is all but finished and is amazing.

The reduction in through traffic in the area with the road closures has had a subtle but profound effect. Things don’t look that much different, but I cycle around this area with my family and it is so much quieter. I feel better about letting my boy loose on the roads. Would have kept him on the pavements before.

As well as modal filters, the big thing is Lea Bridge Road and Whipps Cross Roundabout. Plans have been released which will tear up Whipps X and turn it into a fully segregated T-Junction, plus the other end of Lea Bridge Road will see full segregation, which will eventually extend all the way up to the roundabout.

Small sections of the local population continue to protest, and there’s been a legal challenge from a group calling themselves E17Streets4All (lol) which essentially relied on a technicality that was easily fixed by the council.

All in all though, things are going well. It’s an exciting time out East for people who want to see somewhere with the balls to do something a bit radical that takes away priority from cars.

If you're from the area you can get on the Waltham Forest People on Bikes Facebook group and follow E17Streets4Cars on Twitter, which is quite funny.

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The Lea road plans look great, as do the filtered streets. Must be something in the water up there.

This is amazing, there are so many examples of councils getting it completely wrong and this looks brilliant.

Awesome, well done all involved. Great to see it being done right

TOtally missed his thread. I was doing the Dr Bike for this last year when it started. It was strange seeing the levels of anger from people. I don't think it worked well uniformly...I can't quite remember the street names but the street with bookies (not the uber village bit) was a total ghost town. IIRC aside from the betting office and chemist there wasn't anything to keep people in the immediate area. Needs moar pub.

The middle class bit with all the shops was very nice and calm. It was almost erie hearing that level noise generated purely from human beings.

Shandoom
My tuppence worth: Get rid of ALL cut through traffic in Walthamstow. The only through routes should be Forest Road, Blackhorse Lane, Lea Bridge Road, Markhouse Road, Wood Street and Hoe Street, with the exception of buses like the W12. Everywhere else should be like Coppermill is now, one way in and the same way out for cars.
Also Councillor Loakes bring back Waltham Forest bike recycling centre to Low Hall Lane, not the Bikeworks one you have set up right at the south of the borough. Why should residents/helpers travel to the southern edge of the borough to give their free time, put it back in the centre of WF where it was, so equal access to all, oh and re-employ Colin and Chris. All them bikes we made and sold cheaply. This borough has all the fresh air in London with the marshes and the forest on its borders so is perfect for cyclists.
My other bug bear is speed humps, build them RIGHT across the road, not just a square block that car drivers take up the middle of the road to not effect their suspension. Which means us cyclists get cut up or have to give way to stay safe.
Err yes I do live here and have done for the last 20 years before you ask

The issue here is with emergency vehicles. They don't react well to speed bumps at full pelt.

Official launch went well... Well, apart from protesters who dragged a coffin up the middle of the street and heckled the Dutch ambassador with a megaphone.

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/dutch-ambassador-witnesses-protests-at-london-s-mini-holland-opening-2/018384

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The cycle lane type things are now open in the ASDA area, but the lights rarely seem to change to let the cyclists progress from west to east. I thought it might be because you have to press the "wait button", but that makes no difference, so now i just ignore the lights and go straight through. Though you are now on the inside of lorries turning left, whereas previously you'd be on their right hand side.

Overall it's good

But I fear that the Orford Road closure is a mistake .

Why?
I got the W12 through the village yesterday at 6pm and there was no traffic on Hoe St and Lea Bridge Rd. So much for all the complaints on FB.

"But there's no access for the emergency services...... oh..."

Brilliant. Your photo?

Nah, from this FB group :-)

WL Mini Holland