Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey Sustainable Transport Commission
Last year the Council set up a Sustainable Transport Commission with an independent chair - Prof Phil Goodwin. It reported in December 2010.
Naturally, as a "backbench" councillor, I didn't get a copy of its report. So, just as naturally, I asked for it together with the background papers. I was told - confusingly - that it was "still work in progress". And "has yet to be discussed by cabinet Members", but would be considered "later this year". Although there was was "not a firm date", it was likely to be "by the summer".
Being a polite, patient sort of fellow I waited a couple of months and then sent in a Freedom of Information Act request via WhatDoTheyKnow.com. On the last possible day Haringey supplied the Report - which of course had been easily available since December. I'm promised the supporting documents on a memory stick, though a week later they haven't yet arrived. The report is downloadable here. Want some tasters?
"The current conditions thus include streets where it is quite impossible for a wheelchair user to pass, difficult for a parent to keep hold of a young child’s hand while walking, and sometimes difficult even for a single person on their own to pass unless they are both thin and agile. This is intolerable." (Page 5.)
"To put it starkly, the Council’s plan for traffic reduction is not an optional extra to be pursued when conditions are favourable, but a necessary condition for successful delivery of all its other transport policies; it will also need to be considered in the context of other policies, for example for regeneration and economic development, carbon reduction etc ." (Page 7)
Tags for Forum Posts: Haringey Sustainable Transport Commission, Professor Phil Goodwin, secret garden
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Alan, glad to see your persistent raids on Haringey's secret garden/orchard eventually bear fruit.
Your first taster above has a definite Wightmanish tinge about it, for those who are no longer thin or agile competing with haphazard, though legal, pavement parking and hazardous illegitimates cycling on same narrow stretch.
At Paragraph 34 the Report touches on the only reason why as a resident pedestrian I voted for our CPZ a decade ago:
"There is an important interaction between CPZs and access (by car) to train stations. For example, at present there is parking around Highgate tube and only on one side of the railway line at Haringey* (sic), Hornsey and Alexandra Palace. CPZs in these areas could lead to traffic reduction in Haringey from those who currently drive to these stations from outside the Borough in order to get cheaper annual travel cards the closer they are to London."
* Professor Goodwin, it's Harringay by the way.
What Goodwin calls "unstable views" on parking and CPZs can exist not only among residents of a single street but even, as in my case, in a single individual over time or even simultaneously. But at least over the past decade I can squeeze my way to the corner shop past my vehicular neighbours' poorly parked monstrosities without feeling the temptation to deflate or scratch my keys all the way to Harringay Station along the sides of a dozen gas guzzlers from Barnet, Hertfordshire and points farther north.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Yes, there's some good stuff in the report. It's absurd that it wasn't published straight away in December, but had sit around for months. For what purpose? To be 'approved' or 'signed-off' by the cabinet? That's just more big man/woman politics.
There are parts of the council where - even for councillors - trying to get comprehensive and accurate information is like wading through treacle. But this Commission had independent experts - both as chair and several members - doing useful work and bringing in ideas and knowledge from outside.
Oh, wait! Maybe that's what's so scary?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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As far as I can tell from reading this, and correct me if I'm wrong, the council did not publish this. You did. After you made an FOI request to get it.
Yes OAE, I thought of Wightman Rd too.
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Technically, John, it's the Council which published the Report - by replying to my F.o.I request. As far as I know it was not previously published. Had it been they would - entirely reasonably - been been able to reply to my F.o.I by sending the website link.
Below are the emails I sent and received in January. By the way, the copy of the report supplied is dated 19 December 2010. I can think of no sensible reason why Haringey residents - never mind councillors - had to wait five months to see it!
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From: Alan Stanton
Sent: 11 January 2011 10:41
To: Urban Environment DepartmentSubject: Sustainable Transport Commission
I have not been able to locate the report of the Sustainable Transport Commission on the Council's website.
- Could you please let me know where I can find it on the website?
- Alternatively, if it is not yet on the website could you please arrange to email me a copy.
- Can you tell me how the recommendations of the Commission are to be incorporated in the Local Improvement Plan? [L.I.P.]
- Lastly, can you please tell me how I can get hold of copies of the evidence submitted to the Commission.
From : Urban Environment Department
To : Cllr Alan Stanton
Sent : Thursday, January 13, 2011 5:35 PM
Subject: Sustainable Transport Commission LBH/86972
Dear Cllr Stanton
Thank you for your email of 11 January 2011.
Currently, the report is still a work in progress and has yet to be discussed by Cabinet Members.
A report on the work of the Sustainable Transport Commission will be considered by Cabinet jointly with the outcome of the Scrutiny Review of 20mph speed limit later this year. There is currently not a firm date for when the report would be considered by Cabinet but is likely to be by the summer. At this time the STC report will be placed on the Council’s website with the Cabinet Report. We would also place evidence submitted or considered by the STC on our website at this time.
We will be including any of the STC conclusions, which are agreed by Cabinet, in the final version of the Local Implementation Plan. The draft LIP was submitted to TfL on 23 December 2010 and we are awaiting their comments.
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As a P.S., John, you may also note that the email to me on 27 April mentioned that this report "is due to be considered by Cabinet in July". And, prior to that, is "being considered by Cllr Bull in his role as Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee".
Plainly, the giants on these important bodies must have ample opportunity to consider the Report and add their superbly valuable contributions. Although this did not need a further three month delay before Haringey residents could read it.
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Permalink Reply by linka on
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Wow, interesting to see this stated so unambiguously:
" Our view is that both for reasons of economic efficiency and of environmental and social quality of life, there is little or no possibility to provide for an increase in car-based mobility in the borough (whether by residents or through traffic), and indeed the reverse is necessary: there have to be policies targeted on a reduction in traffic, and on levels of car ownership when these require more parking than the street space can provide."
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An Update. I've now received the supporting documents - on a memory stick as promised. It contains 121 megabytes with over 100 documents and photos. So it's entirely understandable that Haringey staff were reluctant to email it all.
Even so, I still think it was entirely unnecessary for the Report - and even the supporting documents - to be kept under wraps for seven months until the so-called "Cabinet" member and "Chair of Scrutiny" had given them the once-over.
What were these top bananas going to do then? Tell Prof Phil Goodwin and his Commission where they'd got it wrong? Or reach for the censor's felt-tips and furiously paint thick black "redactions" to block-out the parts they disagreed with?
What should have happened is a public event as soon as possible after the Report was finished (last December) to warmly thank the Commission and to commend and publish its work.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by David Barry on
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In the interests of full disclosure I should mention that I was a member of the commission. (Haringey asked for a nominee from the Board of London TravelWatch.)
http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/home/home
It also had amongst others, one Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillor; part of their involvement was to enable the commission's report to transcend party. Being on the commission was a fascinating experience actually, and the council gave us full cooperation in our enquiries. I cant comment on what Alan Stanton feels is too long a delay, but it is gratifying after the work we did that he is taking it so seriously.
To be fair to the Council, whose idea the commission was, they have had a lot on...
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