Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wightman Road: Another cyclist hurt
As I came out of my house on Wightman Road this morning to cycle to work I saw a cyclist down in the road. I didn't witness what happened but he seemed to have been struck by a car (there was a black Range Rover type vehicle a little further along the road with its hazards on). Just at that moment a police patrol car came up Warham Road. I stopped to speak to the officer driving and let him now about the cyclist. He proceeded in the direction of the accident. By the time he reached the scene the cyclist was up and clearly (and luckily) not hurt and had cycled off and just as the police car approached the Range Rover that moved off too. There was nothing for the officer to attend but I was grateful that he changed direction to investigate the situation.
I wonder if anyone else witnessed this.
Luckily this cyclist wasn't hurt but Wightman Road and its lethal traffic islands remain a significant risk to cyclists.
I hope that the money spent on the Green Lanes Traffic Survey will not be entirely wasted and that the changes to Wightman Road suggested in the study will be implemented swiftly before there is a more serious accident on our road. The council and the cabinet member know the issues – Harringay residents should be demanding immediate action to make Wightman Road safe.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 1vut8bf3om5m9 on
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The safety on that road and whether it gets filtered are two different issues (save that if it were to get filtered treatment it would ipso facto eliminate the cycling safety issue.
Thus the point is that even with the usual sides and the usual proponents that come up when Wightman Road traffic structure is discussed, those for whom WR provides London's best rat run possibilities should still be inclined to agree that the set up of the road sucks and makes it exceedingly dangerous.
My wife just secured some art studio space near the Western Road dump. WR on a cycle would make it a 5 minute ride from our home. But I am afraid to have her go on WR and if I get her the bicycle I am looking at, I am going to ask her to use the Passage.
I know this is annoying to walkers, but its the only non lethal north-south travel method for non daredevil cyclists. So the point is that the current state of WR has all sorts of big and little knock on effects, be it accidents like today's or compelling more cyclists to choose the Passage to the annoyance of the pedestrians there.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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You are right Knavel, Wightman Road would be a brilliant cycle route were it not so dangerous. It goes without saying that the filtered option would reap the greatest benefits for all road users but its not my intention to get into any more protracted arguing here over that issue. The fact is that so many people who would benefit from it as a cycle route are deterred by the prospect of using it and I don't blame them - it is the worst part of my commute into the city every day!
We need to move forward with the councils proposals in the traffic study, moving the parking back into the road which would necessitate the removal of the traffic islands which cause so many problems.
Residents need to keep up the pressure on the council to move forward with these changes as quickly as possible.
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Permalink Reply by EMC2 on
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Karen, as some who used to cycle the length of Wightman road twice a day (for close to 20 years), I was reasonably happy managing the speeding vehicles until they introduced the traffic islands. Then it became most unpleasant. But maybe for every hurt cyclist, "x" pedestrians are saved from the same fate by these islands.
ps maybe change the post's title to "Another cyclist knocked off"?
E
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If the driver of the Range Rover caused the accident and then left without exchanging details they committed an offence. The police usually regard that more seriously than the actual accident. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they could of course have just witnessed it and drove off when it became apparent the cyclist wasn't hurt.
I was close-passed twice yesterday - once in each direction - in exactly the same spot, the bollards near the top of Cavendish Road. Getting really sick of it. Got both incidents on camera and will report them, but don't have any expectations of that having much effect. The second incident I actually had to change my line to avoid being hit by a black cab, which is strange because we're always being told they're the 'best trained' drivers in London.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Black cabs are awesome drivers. Two of them can cooperate to very closely judge the width of my handlebars should they want to prevent me filtering through to the advanced stop areas with the bicycle pictures in them. Haven't been squished yet but have been quietly called the C word as I squeezed past.
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Permalink Reply by Peter Chalk on
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Yet Warwick Gardens continues to be protected:
http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/haringey-announces-perm...
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