Cycling’s big thinkers head for ‘the stow’

Waltham Forest is the fitting location for the second London Cycling Show, with the event taking place just as the Mini-Holland programme starts to take shape. Streets in the north-east London borough are set to become more cyclist and pedestrian friendly thanks to a £27m grant from Transport for London along with £3m from other funding sources.

Clyde Loakes, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “Waltham Forest is at the forefront in leading the charge on sustainable transport and environmental health.

“These events provide a great opportunity to celebrate and promote our achievements, including showcasing our ground-breaking £30m Mini-Holland Programme to fellow industry leaders across Europe.”

The show, organised by Landor LINKS, will feature a host of leading thinkers offering updates on cycling developments and innovations. There will be case studies and panel discussions, as well as an exhibition presenting infrastructure updates and the latest products.

Lilli Matson, TfL’s head of strategy and outcome planning, will bring news of the Cycle Superhighways being implemented across the capital. She will discuss the challenges of rolling out a large-scale programme.

Meanwhile, TfL’s technical specialist in cycling Brian Deegan will explain how he is using the Cycling Level of Service tool from the London Cycling Design Standards to assess schemes ranging from superhighway major junctions to Mini-Holland villages, through back street Quietway “tweaks” to central London grid barriers. He will highlight the steps needed to make a design “safe, direct, comfortable, coherent, attractive and adaptable”.

The event will also offer insights from cycling cities in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark.

The event features five streamed sessions touching on a range of topics including effective infrastructure, safer freight, cycle logististics in the capital, marketing and behaviour change, inclusive cycling, how to incorporate cycling into planning policy framework and cycling apps, models & maps. 

Delegates will also get the opportunity to embark on site tours to inspect some of the changes being implemented, including road closures, traffic flow changes, improved public spaces and the new cycle hub at Walthamstow Central tube station.  

The two-day event kicks off on 14 September with the official opening of the Walthamstow Village section of Mini-Holland. Clyde Loakes said: “This will include a street party on Orford Road, and will be a chance for locals and visitors alike to come along, whether by foot or bicycle, and enjoy our new public spaces.”

Find out more about the London Cycling Show and view the full programme