Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is Cycling as Mass Transport on its Way to Haringey?
Image: Courtesy of Skycyle - published under fair use
With bikes now accounting for 24 per cent of all road traffic in central London during the morning peak and 16 per cent across the whole day, TfL's new Cycling Design Standards Policy has declared that cycling is to be considered mass transport in London. How quickly will this translate into the Haringey context?
The TfL policy begins with the words “Cycling is now mass transport and must be treated as such”. The effect of the policy means that councils in London are now starting require developers to integrate this approach into their development plans. A growing number of high profile examples are regularly cited.
I wonder how this policy is being translated into the local context, across Haringey in general, but more specifically within Harringay. Is it part of the requirements being placed on the St Ann's developers or those planning the huge development by Hornsey Station? Does anyone know?
Whether Haringey is at the cutting edge or trailing behind, what seems almost certain is that we can expect some Amsterdamification over the coming years. Transport for London figures show that cyclists now make 570,000 trips in London every day compared with 290,000 trips in 2001. And, looking ahead, the mayor’s “cycle vision” aims to sustain the cycling boom by increasing cyclist numbers by 400 per cent from 2001 to 2026.
Over the coming few years, a tube network for the bike is envisaged with the development of a system of Dutch-style bike lanes and in n 2016, an east-to-west "cycling crossrail" will open.
More locally, the Cycle Enfield scheme, also known as 'mini-Holland', saw Enfield Borough Council gain £30million from London Mayor Boris Johnson to improve cycle lanes in the borough.
It may well be that we'll begin to see things changing in Haringey soon too. New Council traffic supremo Stuart MacNamara is a keen cyclist and has been spending time looking at how cycling provision can be improved in the borough. As a man with something of a reputation for putting action above political gaming, those in the know are allowing their expectations to to see change coming.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Imagine if you could turn of at Harringay station and take the skycycle to the back of King's Cross. Imagine if you could "change" at the overground and cruise to Hampstead. Imagine if it completely changed car ownership to the point where you hardly saw a private motor vehicle in central London.
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Permalink Reply by AndrewAW1 on
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If it was going to completely change car ownership to the point where you hardly saw a private motor vehicle in central london wouldn't it be easier to skip the skycycle stage and just have the bikes use the roads that will be empty of cars? Seems easier.
What seems more likely is that with less natural traffic calming provided by bikes, pedestrians, etc the roads become even more unpleasant. Which is fine if it's a motorway, less good if it's a london street. Plus, drivers would be less familiar with bikes on the roads which would decrease their ability to cope with them.
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Yes. So when building a tower it's easiest just to put it there rather than have to deal with all that scaffolding. Do you understand? It's seeming impossible to do what you want without something magically creating more cyclists.
Now repeat after me: skycycle is not about bike lanes, it is more closely related to the rail network that it would sit upon than the roads a cycle lane would need to use.
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There are multiple ways of creating more cyclists though which would use existing infrastructure.
Unless you conveniently live right next door to a skycycle entrance and everywhere you want to go is next to an exit then most people are still going to have to cycle on the roads. People don't like cycling on the roads so they won't be able to get to the skycycle so its use wouldn't be commensurate with the vast investment needed to build it.It'd be a nice thing to have but it would be like building a load of motorways when the only other roads were dirt tracks.
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There would be places to get on every kilometre. People happily walk further to a railway station.
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It's not to promote architectural firms. This I know but you are just surmising.
Right, I know it hasn't been well received by cyclists as they're being close minded. The solution IS NOT about cycling. It is more closely related to crossrail, just much, MUCH cheaper and will have the added bonus of introducing a lot more cyclists to central London with obvious knock on benefits.
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I'm just getting frustrated that so many people are missing the point. I know it's not to promote architectural firms.
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The debacle over the bike racks is I believe, a good indication of the councils understanding of cycle infrastructure. I see the racks opposite the Salisbury have been replaced, and turned at a slight angle, so that a bike locked to the giant rack now takes up only 5/8ths of the pavement, instead of 3/4. Progress of sorts.
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Permalink Reply by HST on
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Slightly off point here but, does anyone know why there are no bike racks at Turnpike Lane station?
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Worth noting that this is proposed as a toll cycleway - £1 per entry, according to the Skycycle writeups.
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Oyster card? The trouble is it will compete with the trains below and the railways are privately owned. Nationalise the railways and it may be a different story.
Plans for growth involve either building crossrails one after another for the next 50 years or something like this.
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