Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
FAO: Zena Brabazon - Endymion Roundabout
Have written to Zena Brabazon about this already but wanted to share my outrage and possibly gain some advocacy on this issue.
I frequently run and walk by the Endymion road mini roundabout - as some of you may know vehicles tend to enter it at excessive speed.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised that the council had installed traffic islands which I noticed had achieved the desired traffic calming effect, and negotiating the roundabout is now very pedestrian- and cyclist friendly.
I walked by it today and was dismayed to see that the whole section had been re-surfaced and the added layer of tarmac has effectively levelled the islands with the main road (no more than 1.5" height - won't be felt by the average van) and the sidewalk, where it is 100% level. The result - the islands now have traffic calming properties of 0, and the roundabout is wide open to manouvres on to the pavement!
Given the speeds at which vehicles drive through this creates a lot risk for pedestrians, cyclists and bikers.
- for pedestrians, and especially individuals with impairments/disabilities, the lack of elevation may cause one may struggle to identify where the road ends and sidewalk begins
- for cyclist and motorbike riders it now creates ambiguity - some may not notice it at all in adverse or low visibility conditions, could run unexpectedly into the island and cause an accident. I have personally witnessed a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist in a similar situation (newly installed roundabout.)
Complete and utter shambles. The council and subcontractor need to be held to account.
UPDATE: 11 October 2018
Here is the full explanation from the officers in charge of the fiasco. Note the multiple contradictions such as references to crossing facilities, while discounting the traffic islands as such, and the interesting rationale for the raised junction table. I have set out a number of questions back to the council.
"The traffic islands at the junction have been designed and installed such that they can be overrun by traffic (particularly large vehicles) whenever necessary, however still providing the needed visual contrast to the asphalt junction table and thus help to slow down traffic going through the junction. Unfortunately due to the tightness of the junction, we are unable to install a pedestrian refuge islands with high heights and with ‘keep left’ bollards as desired as these will be subject to abuse, requiring regular maintenance and also jeopardise the safety of pedestrians using the crossing facilities at the junction.
The raised junction table was installed at almost the same level as the adjacent footway to ensure the required gradient for the raised table ramps were achieved whilst avoiding undue adjustments to the adjacent footways, which in some instance could result in the backfall of surface water on to adjacent private properties."
Tags for Forum Posts: traffic
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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You cannot go across it if you are turning left though John...
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Permalink Reply by Bethany Burrow Atherton on
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Agreed - the main problem is turning left, not right. Could be an unintended consequence of trying to make people go round when turning right, of course.
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Permalink Reply by kotkas on
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Update (or lack thereof) - I haven't heard anything from Zena as yet. Does anyone know whether there is an escalation path to someone in the council who can actually do something about this?
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Permalink Reply by Harringay Birder on
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I first became aware of this development a few days after it started when I cycled down Endymion Road towards Green Lanes on the way home from work, as I sometimes do (usually I cycle down the path in the park past the "frog playground" and outdoor gym and leave by the gate next to the New River).
I was aware, as I approached the roundabout, that there were works going on. I wasn't aware, however, that the workmen had created a sharply raised section - as it turned out, an embryonic "speed table" (a term I have learned from reading this thread) - which my front wheel hit at speed, jolting my bike and causing me to fear for my front wheel. I managed to carry on and found myself having to fit between the kerb and a newly-installed sort of island (the one shown in the OP's first photo) and immediately wondered what on earth was being done to the junction.
Having got through it, I felt cross that there had been no signs (or none that I could see) warning cyclists of the raised section of roadway. That subsided but was replaced by an abiding irritation at the introduction of the features that it appeared were in the process of being created.
The "speed table" is (almost literally) a blunt instrument which serves to reduce speed for all road users. Why this was thought desirable is not immediately clear unless there was evidence that cyclists were cycling dangerously fast into and across the junction. However moving at a faster speed than other traffic is often a protective measure and means you can get away from other vehicles to maintain a safe distance. I have not witnessed cars entering the junction too fast; not giving way has always seemed to me the biggest issue. But if speed WAS an issue, why not put in speed bumps, slowing down cars, but allowing bikes to slip between them without having to slow down?
As regards the "island", this has the effect of forcing the cyclist out of the middle of the road and towards the kerb. This in turn forces one to slow which brings you closer to cars which may already be close behind you. How can this increase safety?
I will try out the finalised junction this evening and report back... in the meantime I would be interested to know what other cyclists make of it...
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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As a pedestrian I appreciate that it's a shoddy design that makes it challenging for all users. , but... You just said you hit it at speed and jolting your bike, thus I suppose losing control so there's the evidence of cyclists hitting it dangerously fast.
Speed is an issue because us pedrians try to cross there,, hence the traffic calming measures . Why not, when approaching a junction, slow down and be prepared to stop? Isn't that what your supposed to do? Oh, and the island is there to protect pedestrians, so again, perhaps slow down a tad..
That said, I agree that the whole junction is a total cock up and disaster waiting to happen. I sympathise with all respectful road users.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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If the raised section was made of the same material as the footpath, it would work. Motorists and cyclists would feel like they were temporarily crossing a footpath and not only slow down but be more alert.
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Why they didn't just paint a load of black and white stripes is beyond me.
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“As a pedestrian I appreciate that it's a shoddy design that makes it challenging for all users. , but... You just said you hit it at speed...” You can’t really get anywhere if you remain stationary ;-)
”...and jolting your bike, thus I suppose losing control...” I didn’t lose control.
”...so there's the evidence of cyclists hitting it dangerously fast.” You’re missing the point. The last time I cycled down that stretch of road - ie, before that evening - there had been nothing to hit.
“Speed is an issue because us pedrians try to cross there,, hence the traffic calming measures .”
I would have thought a proper crossing would be more useful, no?
”Why not, when approaching a junction, slow down and be prepared to stop?” I do.
“Oh, and the island is there to protect pedestrians, so again, perhaps slow down a tad..” If I ever saw a pedestrian anywhere near the roundabout then I would. However I hadn’t appreciated the island was there to protect pedestrians and it wouldn’t have occurred to me from the design that that was the purpose.
“That said, I agree that the whole junction is a total cock up and disaster waiting to happen. I sympathise with all respectful road users.” Ignoring that little dig (:-)), I would point you to two equally big if not bigger disasters waiting to happen: the Frobisher Road / Alfoxton Avenue death trap, and the “uncrossable” junction of Harringay Road and Green Lanes... But then I have regular experience of those junctions. I hadn’t appreciated the Endymion roundabout was such a problem for pedestrians but thinking about it in light of your post, and looking at it on Google maps, I can see that it’s not great for non-wheeled people...
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It’s absolutely awful for pedestrians. After the implementation of the traffic islands cars were basically forced to go dead slow and this made crossing a lot easier than before. After the levelling of the traffic islands the situation has actually deteriorated as vehicles simply drive over the islands at speed. I haven’t had any form of acknowledgment on this from the council so I’m considering escalating.
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I seriously think traffic calming is a waste of time. Speed bumps don’t stop cars and lorries thundering up our small (20mph) street at well over 30. Cameras on residential streets are the only way to do it unless you close the road.
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