A cycling strategy for Lee Valley

The Lee Valley Regional Park is a 26-mile linear park running from the River Thames at Leamouth to Ware in Hertfordshire. In 2016, Steer was approached by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) to develop a cycling strategy for the regional park. The purpose of the strategy was to set out measures to improve facilities for cyclists in the Park.

We began by reviewing existing conditions for cycling in the Regional Park through site visits, a network audit and desktop review. Concurrently, we reviewed all national, regional and local policy relevant to the strategy. We then developed an overarching vision for the strategy – “Our vision is for the Lee Valley Regional Park to become a world class destination for cycling” – and a series of objectives that sat beneath the vision.

Through our review of existing conditions, we identified the strengths of the current offer and determined key issues and opportunities for improvement. We then set out a series of measures which would develop the cycling offer in the Regional Park. These included completing gaps in the cycle network, improving wayfinding and improving access into the Park. Finally, we outlined opportunities for funding and partnership working.

By engaging with stakeholders throughout the strategy development, we learnt from their experience of existing conditions early in the project, and later we consulted with them on our proposed measures.

Successes and outcomes

Our final strategy was published in a compelling, attractive document that set out the proposed measures in a visually-appealing way. The document has been used by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority to shape their future planning for the Regional Park and to support funding bids to realise the measures.