Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The Hell that is Wood Green
Yesterday, I had the misfortune to find myself in the shopping mall. Walking out the big automatic doors and into the crowd of Star Wars pub extras who were smoking, spitting and squabbling on the footpath I witnessed what for me sums up the whole carbuncle on the arse of Haringey that is Wood Green High Road. One of the characters stormed through the crowd with his status dog in tow. I was reflecting on the fact that ‘status’ dogs don't seem to work (as the people who have them only ever seem to be what everyone else in society would consider low status). Everything suddenly went quiet except the ever present sirens. The status dog had stopped and released its copious bowels all over the footpath. It was like turning on the light in an HMO; the cockroaches screamed and scattered. The dog owner laughed and walked on. It was probably one of the most disgusting things I have seen or smelt in London. Eventually the crowd returned and watched the next horde trample the mess up and down the road. There was no-one to turn to, no-one to clean up and more importantly no-one with the authority to challenge and/or shoot the dog owner. Things just returned to normal.
The whole experience made me think how the council, local police and traders believe that we're all animals if they are happy for us to have to deal with this every time we go to the High Road. It's easy enough for me to hop on a bus and head off to Crouch End or Islington or even Enfield to shop but if you're older or disabled and have trouble getting around or not enough money for the bus it must be pretty grim to face it every day. Imagine how the standard little old lady dreads heading out into the crowds, litter, phlegm, smoke and anti-social behaviour of Wood Green every morning to get the milk.
Short of manning water cannons at each end of the High Road and employing some mercenaries with batons to control the crowds, I don’t know what can be done. Are there any clever ‘nudges’ or interventions that could improve Wood Green? Is it a matter of tarting the place up and hoping that the crowds respect their new surroundings? Is it signage to remind, and in many instances educate, people that spitting, littering and barging into other people is just not the done thing? Or do we just give up, bulldoze the lot and install a waterhole in the middle and let the law of the jungle and the status dog owners prevail?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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You know what FPR, that's not a bad idea. A series of posters showing the people who clean up after we've gone, get us around on buses and so on.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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But would Clive Carter object to the printing/distribution publicity budget involved?
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Permalink Reply by Finsbury Park Ranger on
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Yeah, the little villages remain fairly crime free partly because people have more of a personal understanding of the consensquences of certain actions. In a big city you lose that but we could help bring it back with some clever advertising.
I also really don't think we should use negative advertising like 'hide your phone', it may well be a short term solution but I can't help think on the long term it empowers criminality and heavily disempowers and depresses the local citizens.
What next, hide your pretty face ? Hide your babies ?
More thoughtful Public spirited PR campaigns could really help.
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FPR, if there is a significant risk of someone stealing your phone/bike/bag etc wouldn't it be irresponsible for the Police not to warn people?
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Yes, I like the crime web site, that feels empowering. Posters everywhere warning that you might get mugged any time soon on the other hand don't have that effect and I think they actually make the situation worse. They scare and disempower citizens. Which on the long term increases crime in the area I would have thought.
If an area is a hot spot the focus should be an empowering one or at least disempowering the criminal some how, not the other way around.
Or logically we go down the road of placing posters up saying ' hide your pretty face' or 'hide your babies' when rapes and sex offences happen.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I've taught my kids to say "Thank You" to the bus drivers as we get off but I'm worried that saying thanks to a street sweeper might not go down well...
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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That is an interesting one isn't it John. Its funny how hard it is to show your appreciation for the front line guys who keep us from silting up in crud.
I did some gardening at the Junior school last year, and Veolia had let a bunch of the street cleaners come along and help as part of their community outreach. It helped me actually break the ice a bit and as a result I often say hi to the cleaner when I see him/her, often it is one I have spoken to before, sometimes someone new. I hope they appreciate it (in fact, I am sure they do), to some degree all many of us want is to be acknowledged...
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I think that's exactly right, Justin. It's not always possible because of different working hours. But when possible I'd strongly recommend a few friendly words. Especially if, for example, the street is looking really good that day.
Or showing that the task is shared. E.g. telling a street cleaner you've already reported a dumped mattress so they don't need to.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on
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I am the Tamara that attempted some time ago to get something happening in the community and then I disapeared for a while... actually I found out I was upduffed and was trying to juggle a bit too much and sadly that little one was not meant to be so I just decided to focus on myself for a bit and I now have an awesome 2 year old
I am still very much living in Wood Green but being a fulltime working parent leaves me with very little time to actually organise things.
We did start to get things going - our pop up shop idea appears to have been nicked by the shopping mall who were offering something similar I saw a while ago - have to say they were totally unhelpful and rude when I asked them to support.
we also tried with no success to talk to the landlords of empty shops in the high street again no interest at all and sadly one of the shops we were targeting did become another betting shop.
The lovely lady who runs the library was totally up for it and I think she was putting in a bid to take over the slightly unloved bit of market where the library is - we did talk about a little cafe in the library, something offering cheap and wholesome food and the easiest thing - and something I think I will do this year is to buy a few packets of seed and just let wild flowers grow wherever I can
I still care very much about making it better and actually during my time off with the small I kind of had to really rely on Wood Green and I got to know a lot of places that I had never really thought about going to before - if anyone follows me on Twitter you will have seen the many photos of me and the kid hanging out in Wood Green!
I still find it really sad that some of the people who use the High St - I have no idea if they are local or not treat it so badly - I see people dropping litter constantly, spitting and throwing fag buts into the street - I no longer challenge people after I told a young woman off for spitting in front of me whilst I had the kid with me and instead of apologising she gave me a delightful mouthful about her right to spit whereever she Fluffing well liked....
I also worry greatly about my kid who now likes to trot alongside me is going to get a lit fag thrown at his head or spat on - we have had a number of near misses never deliberate just people not giving a crap about where they throw litter or where they spit. I worry too about status dogs and their generally not terribly clued up owners who let their dogs crpa in the street, behave agressively and destroy the swings in out parks...
As for the boys who seem to have been doing a sponsored walk for the last two years you will pleased to know I frog marched them out of Boots one afternoon when I was on my own after watching them con money from a young girl and threatened them with the police (clearly my telling off was not that effective as they are back in business)
I hate the fact that I can smell weed constantly and that people just openly smoke dope without any fear at all, I hate the fact that I am constantly worried about having my phone nicked or my purse stolen and that I have to walk past piles of dumped rubbish, furniture nad bitd of broken glass in my walk down Lordship Lane into WG.
I am a little fed up of the smirks I get when I tell people I live in Wood Green (actually I live in the bit in the middle of Wood Green and Tottenham but closer to WG than Tottenham) I want to be really proud of where I live - it could be nice, it could be a great place to be, in the last two years I have met so many lovely people who live in the area (the perks of having a kid - new friends) and who all feel passionate about making it a good place for their kids to grow up. We just really need people to make it happen - shopkeepers to make their shop fronts look nice, the police to deal with the crap people and let them know that crap people are not welcome here, no more bloody betting shops, paddy power I am talking about you here so bugger off and leave our pub alone!!!!!! we need people who represent all sections of the community to start making it a nice place to be and to encourage people to behave in a respectful way whilst they are in our manor -maybe its time to take Wood Green back people!!!!!
We have deliberated long and hard about our future whether to stay and put down roots in Wood Green or to leave and live somewhere we don't worry about getting mugged (yes we have been in Wood Gren) or broken into (yes we have been in Wood Green) or threatened by a weird man on a bike for walking on the pavement (yes we have been in Wood Green) but it looks like we are staying and i want it to be a nice place for my family to grow up in! if anyone wants to get something started I am up for it!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Rachella on
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Hi Tamara - You are most welcome to join in with the Noel Park Residents Association. We've always got something going on to try to help the local area-including the High Road.
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Permalink Reply by Jamie To on
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I used to love Wood Green. Love walking and shopping down the high road. Going to the local library. Instead of a pleasant stroll up the high road, I am more likely to be beaten up. For all the reasons above: I do not tell anyone I live in Wood Green any more (I am totally embarrassed), I just tell them North London. I no longer shop in Wood Green, I just to go Brent Cross or West End or Westfields.
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That's a great pity! I'm proud to say I live in Wood Green. Despite the mess of the high road it's a great community to live in. I have many very nice neighbours and we've got an online community specific to Wood Green: Noelparknet.com that you're most welcome to join. If you're close to Noel Park, stop by Noel Park Market on a Sunday. We started it to provide an alternative to the high road and now it's becoming a real community hub.
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