Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Alroy Road Crossing Campaign - An Update
Cllr David Schmitz and I met one of the senior officers from the council’s highways department last week, in order to discuss the dangers which face people who attempt to cross Alroy Road at the junction with Endymion Road. Our meeting took place at the junction itself.
Despite a residents’ petition, which we’ve been backing and ongoing dialogue with the council about this, nothing has yet been done and in particular the junction hasn’t been put on the works programme for this coming year.
Notwithstanding this unpromising background, however, the meeting was productive. The officer agreed that the junction was dangerous and certainly a cause for concern.
More importantly, he also agreed with us that it would probably prove practicable to locate a simple zebra crossing on Alroy Road fairly near to the junction. As a first step, it will be necessary to do some preliminary work in the form of vehicle movement counts, using rubber wire across the road and video. This would help to build a case for the necessary work. He said that he would see if there is likely to be any available funding for this in the current financial year and that we should be able to get an idea of this by about January.
As for the works themselves (which would cost on the order of £18,000 to £20,000), they would be in competition with similar projects which are required elsewhere in the Borough.
The way in which the system works at the moment is that every couple of years, a one or two neighbourhoods are chosen to receive improvement works. This means in practical terms that we would have to wait until the year 2014/2015, even if we were to get this neighbourhood chosen and even if it were decided that the crossing should be a priority within it. The only way around this would be if some special source of funding could be identified (which the officer also agreed to look into).
Unfortunately, the project won’t be treated as an urgent one, because the accident statistics don’t justify such treatment. It may seem odd that a junction can lose out because it is so dangerous that people are discouraged from crossing there, but that appears to be the case.
If we are to have the question advanced up the agenda, therefore, residents will need to advocate the case for it and bring more pressure to bear. David and I will be raising it at the St Ann’s & Harringay Area Forum in order to get its support and we would encourage residents to do the same. Indeed, we would always encourage residents to become more involved generally with this body, as it gives residents the chance to air their concerns and quiz councillors and officers. Its next meeting will be at 6:30 pm on the 11th February 2013."
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bethany Burrow Atherton on
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£18k to £20k? Really? Just for a few stripes? I can, of course, see that it isn't literally just a few stripes, there is some surface prep work, probably belisha beacons (and the electrics that go with them) and some signage (new road layout, warning of pedestrians crossing, etc.), but that does seem like an awful lot of money nonetheless.
I would support the crossing, though. I find that junction to also be particularly obnoxious on a bike, because it can be difficult to see cars coming at speed from the right (if you're turning out of Alroy Road, particularly right, towards the main park gate) because of the way the road bends and the cars parked on Endymion Road, but that's a different issue!
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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Actually, that is a very helpful comment on the present issue.
If you (and indeed anyone else) could let us know how you could use a crossing over Alroy Road in order to overcome the dangers which this crossing presents in particular to cyclists, that would provide a further justification for a crossing and may help to get the necessary funding. Please let us have the benefit of your views on this.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
P.S. There is, actually, quite an art to working out precisely where to place a zebra crossing, and that too costs money. Too near to the junction and motorists coming around the bend won't see it. Too far away from it and pedestrians won't use it. In either case, the presence of the junction can give a false sense of security and actually increase danger. The trick is to place it near enough to the junction that people will use it, but far enough away so that motorists can see it!
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I agree David
There are many badly-sited pedestrian crossings; for instance on St Ann's Road at the junction by the police station. If you're coming along St Ann's heading for Seven Sisters, you come to a roundabout where you will be checking for traffic coming from the right. Suddenly, you're right on top of the pedestrian crossing.
( Just realised those last two words can be interpreted in two different ways. Wonderful language, English eh ? :) )
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I need to contemplate it further, but my initial thoughts are that for pedestrian and cyclist alike, the problem is not just the junction and not just the lack of crossing - it might be the combination of the mini-roundabout and the lack of crossing. In an ideal world for me as a cyclist (and not all cyclists will agree), that roundabout would be gone and in its place would be traffic lights (which could have a pedestrian crossing integrated), and second best would be to let the traffic flow along Endymion Road with the normal T-junction give way system for exiting Alroy Road - but I'm sure this doesn't work for motor vehicles, or they wouldn't have installed the roundabout in the first place.
On the costs, I had assumed that the study into where to put the crossing wouldn't be included in the £18-20k as Karen mentions "the works themselves", but that's just my interpretation. If it is included, it makes it seem somewhat more reasonable.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Ah, but do they do black paint for the other lines?
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Permalink Reply by TTTH on
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Thank you for your continued support on this Karen and David. I just moved back to the area (Alroy Rd) yesterday and my welcome?......nearly getting knocked down as I crossed the road. It's disheartening that Haringey do not feel that this is a priority, particularly as I have been communicating with them since 2003 about it and every year the same, "it's not in our budget, but we will review next year...." which was why I asked for Karen's help. I would appreciate your continued efforts. I really do not want to be another statistic or roadkill
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I am pleased to announce that the council have agreed to do some pedestrian and traffic surveys at this very dangerous junction next month. This will hopefully build a very good case for a crossing at Alroy/Endymion Road. Local residents, Cllr David Schmitz, Asha Kaur and myself have been campaigning, raised a petition and been pressing the council for some considerable time to do something to make this junction safer - I hope this is the preliminary stage to making this happen.
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