Walking and Cycling
The District Council has promoted its Cycling Strategy for nearly 40 years, introducing many new improvements to make cycling easier and to improve walking conditions, often in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council and other key organisations.
We want to enable and encourage people of all abilities to use their bike to get around - particularly people who do not usually cycle. We also want to make walking easier for everyone.
Start to walk and cycle more around the Three Rivers District
Take a look at our local cycling and walking knowledge base to help you get around. Let us know if you have any useful contributions. Use this page to find out more about promoted routes and support, or contact TPP@threerivers.gov.uk - new and current schemes are listed in the section below.
Three Rivers Cycling Strategy
The District Council has developed and promoted its Cycling Strategy since 1981 with visible success in creating and improving the cycle routes it promotes across the Three Rivers District.
The map below shows the proposed promoted network, which is planned to link homes with workplaces, schools and key destinations. You can download the current Three Rivers Walking & Cycling Strategy here.
This Strategy is supported by the Southwest Hertfordshire Cycle Study 2013, published by Hertfordshire County Council which you can download here.
Improvements to cycle and walking routes
The District Council works to improve local routes, often working alongside other public bodies such as Hertfordshire County Council, the Canal & River Trust or Transport for London.
Recent improvements include the 5 miles of wider, level, surfaced and well-signed paths on the Grand Union Canal towpath (Croxley Green to Kings Langley), the South Way cycleway and new high-density cycle parking at key destinations in Rickmansworth and Croxley Green.
The Grand Union Canal towpath now provides a nearly traffic-free route that connects Croxley Green, western Watford, Hunton Bridge, Kings Langley and Nash Mills with .
The South Way Cycleway connects the improved towpath with Abbots Langley, Leavesden and into Garston on a nearly traffic-free shared footway and bridleway.
The Ebury Way (Traffic-free route from Rickmansworth to Watford) - The Ebury Way Map (pdf)
The Ebury Way is an important local traffic-free path for cyclists, walkers, and horse-riders. it is heavily used by people travelling to school, work and for recreation.
It forms part of the largely traffic-free National Cycle Network created by Sustrans, the NCN Route 6 from London Paddington to Keswick, via Watford, Luton, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Market Harborough, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Worksop, Sheffield, Manchester, Blackburn, Preston, Lancaster, Kendal and Windermere.
For more information visit Sustrans, the charity making it easier for people to walk and cycle, at Sustrans.org.uk.
This path uses the old Ebury Railway embankment to cross the Colne, Chess and Gade rivers as well as the Grand Union Canal. Cycling is permitted along the whole length but horse-riders are restricted to the eastern part between Moor Lane Crossing and Rickmansworth.
Grand Union Canal towpath (Traffic-free route connecting six local settlements)
This key route for people cycling and walking connects many local settlements including Rickmansworth, Croxley Green, Watford, Hunton Bridge and Kings Langley. It is a shared surface, used by many people for a variety of waterside activities and managed by the Canal and River Trust (CRT), which promotes its Share the Space campaign here.
The new wide level surface. was delivered by Three Rivers District Council and partners, with around 9 kilometres (about 5.5 miles) of Grand Union towpath upgraded since 2013. The Grand Union Canal towpath also runs southwards from Rickmansworth towards Harefield and on, into central London where it joins the Regents Canal running through the heart of the Capital.
Partners include the CRT and Hertfordshire County Council, which released planning obligation funding collected by the District Council - to improve local infrastructure in response to new property development.
Cycle parking in local town and village centres
Three Rivers (together with Hertfordshire County Council) provides cycle stands around the District to help support people who want to cycle to local shops, workplaces and other services. Use this map to find details:
New and current schemes
Leavesden Cycle Hub
Located in the new Community building in Leavesden Country Park off of College Road in Abbots Langley, Leavesden Cycle Hub offers a range of facilities including servicing and repairs, bike hire, bike registering, reconditioned bike sales and cycle tuition for children and adults.
To find out more about Leavesden Cycle Hub or book on to any of their courses visit https://watfordcyclehub.org.uk.
New cycle parking
New parking is being introduced around the District - you can see our familiar Green cycle stands outside stations and at busy shopping parades and town centres. Extra parking is now being built at Rickmansworth Station and is planned at other Stations that were identified in our Strategic Review of Cycle Parking.
Current schemes
Three Rivers is currently developing proposals to improve connections between:- Rickmansworth and Chorleywood - Proposed alternative routes to busy main road.
- Carpenders Park and Bushey High Street - Proposed links to existing Greenways Network.
- Kings Langley (Primrose Hill) and Apsley, on to Hemel Hempstead - Final link in Grand Union Canal towpath route, connecting local settlements.
Bikeability audits of local paths
An audit classifying roads, paths and crossings in terms of the UK National Cycle Training Standard (Bikeability) Level needed to be able to ride in comparative safety.
Cycling consultation map key (doc)
- CSNA - Abbots Langley (pdf)
- CSNA - Woodside (Watford) (pdf)
- CSNA - Abbots Langley and Woodside (pdf)
- CSNA - Chorleywood (pdf)
- CSNA - Croxley Green (pdf)
- CSNA - Maple Cross (pdf)
- CSNA - Rickmansworth (pdf)
- CSNA - Chorleywood, Croxley Green and Rickmansworth (pdf)
Feedback on cycling and walking routes
If you have any specific requests to improve walking, cycling or sustainable travel, we would be very pleased to receive them at tpp@threerivers.gov.uk
For Highways fault reporting (potholes, ponding and faulty street lights) please visit the Hertfordshire County Council website
Cycling