Three Rivers challenges Climate Change

Three Rivers District Council is challenging climate change – by introducing a range of new improvements to active, low-cost travel. Over the last year, it has continued to deliver its Walking & Cycling Strategy, to enable and encourage everyone to walk and bike to work, to school and to visit local towns.

It also promotes the Better Buses programme, through which the District Council contributes to over 80,000 bus journeys each year. This helps people to reach local shops, schools and workplaces and reduces the need for car trips.

As part of this programme, Three Rivers has installed new bus shelters at locations around the District to encourage people to use local buses.  The latest Better Buses service supported by the District is the R9, a shopper route providing an essential link for people in Kings Langley with no nearby supermarket.

The District Council has created 50 new cycle parking spaces at Rickmansworth Station, the latest transport hub to provide rail users with the highest quality of two-tier cycle parking.

The parking system meets the highest international quality standard and combines with a cycle canopy to provide cyclists with better cycle security in a spacious contemporary canopy design, powder-coated in an eye-catching ‘Three Rivers’ green colour.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Lead Member for Transport & Economic Development, said: “We have also delivered revolutionary off-grid solar street lights to improve walking and cycling into Country Park at its Langley Lane entrance, to complete the low-traffic route between Rickmansworth and Leavesden. These emit zero CO₂ emissions and the innovative lighting columns help to protect the environment. They will save two tonnes of CO₂ emissions per light over 25 years compared to conventional street lights.”

“This route connects Leavesden with the Grand Union Canal via the South Way shared cycleway. It is a key feature in the Three Rivers Cycling Strategy which is designed to make it easy for people to walk or cycle around the district. I fully expect to see more cyclists using it now.”

Through its Parking Management role, the District Council keeps roads and pavements clear for people to walk and cycle by facilitating informal local parking using permeable, grass-topped surfacing, often in South Oxhey. It has consulted thousands of people this year to shape new parking improvement schemes - making local roads safer for people walking and cycling, as well as to prioritise parking for local people, as well as visitors to key local facilities and businesses.

In Carpenders Park and South Oxhey, new gateway signs were introduced to welcome visitors, promote local identity and strengthen the sense of place  The new signs improve awareness of where people are, helping people to find local services or identify where services they have seen are located, as well as improving public perception of the area (and reminding them to drive responsibly). This is important in a District through which thousands of people travel each day.