Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
More Street Closures in Areas around Harringay?
A recent mailer from traffic organisation Living Streets included the following:
As a result of work with Haringey Living Streets, low traffic neighbourhood groups have formed in St Ann’s ward, Bruce Grove and Stroud Green.
I know that the St Ann's one in the areas around Chestnuts Park proposes some clsoures. I suspect the Stroud Green one does too. Many of you will already be aware of recent trials in Crouch End and Hornsey.
I'm pleased for all those areas. I hope they manage to reduce their traffic. But of course that raises the question of where all the displaced traffic will go. Last week's events offer ample demonstration of how little Haringey Council consider the impact of traffic on Ladder roads.
With or without the threat of traffic being displaced from nearby areas, one has to ask if now isn't the time for the Ladder to start considering asking for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood of our own. Local experience suggests that the Council feel bound to accept a 'properly constituted bid' and engage in constructive dialogue.
The Living Streets mailer also says:
A presentation from Haringey Council’s Head of Carbon Management Joe Baker included the announcement of two further Liveable Neighbourhood bids for Haringey in Tottenham.
I assume that St Ann's is one of these.
If we do nothing, we'll only have ourselves to blame if we find ourselves surronded by yet more traffic free areas. So,
If you would be interested in being put in contact with Haringey Living Streets members in your local area to join one of these groups, or to start your own group, please let us know!
I've written asking if there's already a Harringay group. If not, I know there are people locally who are members. So setting up a group wouldn't be hard. Anyone for tennis?
Tags for Forum Posts: liveable crouch end, liveable neighbourhoods, low traffic neighbourhoods, st anns ltn, traffic
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michele on
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Not so long ago we had a Red Route along Green Lanes which prohibited parking and allowed only buses and cyclists I seem to recall and possibly taxis to drive in the outer lane -marked by a Red line, pleased by camera. I don't know why they were scrapped by TFL but as soon as they were parking was allowed and buses slowed down and parking slowed to a snail's pace. WE should return to red route to allow buses and cyclists faster and safer passage and encourage car drivers to leave cars at home as far as possible.
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Yes, the 29 isn't exactly at motorway speeds up to Manor House, but the width of Camden/Seven Sisters Road certainly helps; Finsbury Park is a similar bottleneck because the road is as narrow as under the GL bridge. I didn't know about previous plans to reduce parking, but have always wondered why the right turns into the Arena and Endymion can't have filters on the lights, which surely would help smooth traffic flow.
And I agree that GL traffic management is key (recent delays are worse because of circumstances but it doesn't take much to interrupt the flow). It seems that the Wightman/Ladder/GL nexus is a very finely-poised ecosystem: upset just one element and the whole thing grinds to a halt. Julie's comments below suggest that the same was true of the Crouch End experiment.
But - without trying to reopen a whole previous discussion - I'd still question Joe's suggested elimination of traffic from ‘local’ streets. I know it's frustrating, but how on earth do you define "local" and where’s the boundary? Does this mean "keep out any vehicle not registered in the Ladder/Wightman"? Are GL or St Ann's ‘local’? Could residents keep their cars even if they were registered somewhere else? Would there be barriers that only open with a car sensor or a remote control fob? I really do appreciate the underlying problem of traffic driving through (pace Hugh's useful historical background post), but I can't fathom a way of keeping some traffic - but not all - off a road without closing it. To adapt (poorly) an old joke, "if you want to get to ‘local’, I wouldn't start from here".
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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I suppose what it comes down to is where does through traffic want to go and why does it use narrow, inconvenient streets to get there rather than the jolly big road we have running between The Gardens and The Ladder? Cutting through little streets, constantly having to turn left or right, looking for kids crossing roads to and from school at every Harringay Passage intersection can’t be a pleasurable driving experience so I can’t imagine it’s because it’s a nicer route. The answer has to be that the very straightforward route, Green Lanes, is even worse. So there are two options (though not mutually exclusive)
1. Make the little roads even less attractive to drive through
2. Make the big road more attractive to drive through.
While lots of attention has been paid to the little roads around the borough, none has been paid to the one that really is the elephant in the room for Haringey Council, Green Lanes.
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I can only agree. It stands to reason that traffic will always look for the quickest/most convenient route, so you're right - it's GL that needs serious attention to relieve the pressure elsewhere.
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I was there too Steve at a very interesting meeting. By 8 pm ish Wightman Road was virtually empty as at last drivers were heeding the warnings posted at several points on Wightman Road from Endymion Road to Beresford Road of the road closure beyond that point going northwards.
However at the same time Fairfax Road was again backed up to the top of Wightman Road with cars doing precarious u turns at the junction, so I take it that warnings of the closure are still not adequate when going in a southerly direction from Turnpike Lane.
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I would be very interested in joining a low traffic group! Please keep me posted with how this develops.
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Permalink Reply by Living Streets Haringey on
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Hey Libby - we're a low traffic group!
We'd love you to join our next meeting if you can, on the 14th November.
Here is a web version of our Autumn Newsletter which has more detail. You can signup to the mailing list on the link also.
Thanks
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Hi Hugh (and everyone below!)
Haringey Living Streets are next meeting on the 14th November and we'd love you all to come along if you're available? We can talk through the points Hugh raises and give an update on what we're working on.
Also - here is a web version of our Autumn Newsletter which Hugh references above.
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Permalink Reply by Haringey Cycling Campaign on
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Anyone reading this who wants to know more about what a low traffic neighbourhood is, how it works and why you should want one in Harringay - London Cycling Campaign and Living Streets have produced two (excelllent) briefing documents, both linked from this page: https://lcc.org.uk/articles/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-briefing-doc...
Also available via the Living Streets link in Hugh's post - definitely worth a read!
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I'm in! The Ladder definitely needs to set up its own group otherwise all these other areas will get their closures and we'll be left funnelling all the displaced traffic again.
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