Wightman Road Closure Causing Chaos In Surrounding Roads

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on March 30, 2016 at 14:51

I see a bit of an open air art gallery starting Eugene.

Permalink Reply by John D on March 30, 2016 at 16:36

Oh, so YOU'RE Eugene

BTW, I got screamed at by a taxi driver when I took a photo of him trying to move the barrier and by another when he was driving across the pavement at the top of Hampden. HOLer pedestrians should be careful not to antagonise stressed drivers.

Permalink Reply by Stephen Middleton on March 29, 2016 at 18:21

Two hours to drive TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) van from Durnsford Road to Railway Fields (near Sainsbury's) - hopefully just an aberration at the beginning of the roadworks.... (15 minutes to get there in the morning)

Permalink Reply by Hugh on March 29, 2016 at 18:32

I do very much hope that it will prove to be an aberration and that as Haringey expect traffic will quickly find other routes.

Permalink Reply by Nicole on March 29, 2016 at 18:25

The closure of the entirety of wightman road is a complete traffic planning failure. The ladder acts as a filter for traffic and without it the gridlock has a knock on effect across the whole borough to neighbouring boroughs. From Islington to muswell hill, today the impact went all the way to Finchley. There is absolutely no need to close the entirety of the road. The only people who are winning are the residents directly around the roads that do not drive. Those who are harping on this site about the joy of cycling traffic free down wightman road. Those who live on, and knowingly chose to live on busy roads and who are now trying to change the traffic for their sole benefit. I sincerely hope after seeing the chaos caused far and wide in north London with this disastrous piece of road planning sense prevails and the haringey ladder is once again opened up to traffic. That this 'experiment' hammers a nail in the coffin of those purchasing £800k houses on busy roads into accepting that is what they purchased and it is not reasonable to then complain that the road outside is busy when this was a known fact when they purchased! As for the anti car drivers - buses, taxi's, cars and all other types of motorised road vehicles are a reality of today's world and road policy has to reflect this.

Permalink Reply by Laura on March 29, 2016 at 18:32

This from Andrew Gilligan on what happens when traffic flow is changed.

“Some people think traffic is like rainwater and the roads are the drains for it. If you narrow the pipe, they say, it will flood. If you block one road, they say, the same amount of traffic will simply spill over to the nearest easiest routes.

That’s the sort of argument made against our cycle superhighways, or our current proposal to cut rat-running through Regent’s Park by closing some of its gates.  

But in real life, once the builders have finished, the spill never actually happens. The pipe doesn’t flood; some of the water goes away instead. Because traffic isn’t a force of nature. It’s a product of human choices. If you make it easier and nicer for people not to drive, more people will choose not to drive.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/andrew-gilligan-the-only-...

Permalink Reply by AnnieH on March 29, 2016 at 18:43

Interesting article, Laura. Thanks for sharing it. Experience tells us that the first day of any major roadworks is always challenging, but as people adapt and find alternative ways round (as clever human beings are able!), I believe we'll all be better for doing things a little differently and will have a stronger, better bridge at the end of the experience. 

Permalink Reply by Dave Downes on March 29, 2016 at 18:43

The spineless brown-envelope merchants at Haringey Council keep allowing planning permission to build more and more 'luxury' flats on every scrap of wasteland and ex-council facility (with at least one 4 x 4 per property). The roads are full to capacity - Park Road, Priory Road, Middle Lane, Muswell Hill, Ally Pally - all at a standstill...welcome to the future. Thank you Claire Kober (OBE) - chief jellyfish.

Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on March 29, 2016 at 20:10

According to the census data that Hugh helpfully put up a while back, the number of households in Harringay ward grew from 4520 in 2001 to 5471 in 2011 (a rather alarming 21% increase).  However, the number of household with a car or van fell from 58% to 46%.  This amounted to a 4% drop in the number of vehicles in the ward.  Let us hope that this trend has continued since 2011 and carries on this way.

Permalink Reply by MD on March 29, 2016 at 18:44

It's very easy to say there was plenty of notice that the closure was going to happen, but not every job is commutable by public transport and some chores require a car, so some of us have no choice but to drive (although trust me when I say after today it will have to be an absolute emergency to get me back on the roads while this is going on!). I suspect that while people on the Ladder and Wightman Road were informed, the word hasn't spread further and I've just spent two hours stuck in traffic gridlock having that proved to me. The knock-on effect spread as far as the foot of Muswell Hill and deep into Crouch End and there were NO signs on any of the major approaches to explain what was going on. The first clear sign I saw was at the Wightman Road/Turnpike Lane junction, where it said 'Road Closed'. No indication of which road was shut, however, no explanation for why or for how long, or any council contact number. I watched an ambulance on a call-out (blue lights flashing, siren on) having to mount the pavement to pass cars that had no space to pull over because of the sheer volume of traffic. I want to believe the marshal who said to Hugh that it will even out in a week or so, but the council's really going to have to put some more signs up further afield if they want that to happen.

Permalink Reply by Ruth on March 29, 2016 at 19:47

A lot of people could die waiting for ambulances in a week or so.... Today clearly was awful all round and I hope some thing(s) can be done to improve traffic flow somehow. 

Permalink Reply by MD on March 29, 2016 at 19:53

The council clearly weren't prepared for the knock-on effect to spread so far – the lack of signage suggests not – so I imagine steps will now be taken to make sure the traffic is better re-directed. It can't continue like this for the entire six months!

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