Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Harringay Ladder Traffic - Is One-Way a Solution?
I'm assuming that most Harringay residents will now have received a copy of the local traffic consultation leaflet through their door (scanned copy attached). On the leaflet you'll see four options for the future of how traffic is managed on the Ladder. These are copied in below, exactly as they appear on the leaflet.
Alternative package WL1: Minor improvements: Minor improvements relating to Wightman
Road and the Ladder area, but with lower traffic impacts and costs
Alternative package WL2: Wightman Road one-way (northbound): An intermediate alternative (with intermediate traffic impacts and costs), that would make Wightman Road one-way northbound, with the opportunity to create a continuous cycle facility along Wightman Road
Alternative package WL3: Wightman Road one-way (southbound): The opposite of alternative package WL2, that would make Wightman Road one-way southbound
Alternative package WL4: Wightman Road closed (filtered): The most radical and transformational alternative, that includes the closure (filtering) of Wightman Road, similar to the arrangement that was in place during the bridge replacement works in 2016; this alternative would have significant traffic impacts and costs
When people first heard about the one way option, it seemed to them to be a good option - not too radical, but radical enough to make a difference.
I have to put my hand up and say that I've been against the one-way option from the outset. Across the world one-way systems are being abandoned because they can cause more problems than they solve. Recently Haringey removed the Tottenham Hale one-way system.
Essentially one-way systems create an environment solely based around the needs of the car. Whilst the approach may have a role in certain areas, places where people live are not the right place for it. One way systems favour the movement of the car against all else. They dehumanise an area and make it much less liveable.
I'm told that the one-way option is the solution favoured by the Council. I have to admit to being somewhat suspicious about the reasons for this. Is it a coincidence that this comes at the same time as their plans for Wood Green have revealed that they want Wightman Road to be part of a new primary route to serve a revamped Wood Green? I can't say I'm thrilled about the Ladder being sacrificed as part of Wood Green traffic feeder system. (By the way you have two days left to comment on this, or any other aspect of the Wood Green Plans in the current Wood Green Consultation).
From various studies, I've gathered the following information about how one-way systems impact on neighbourhoods.
1. Studies show that speeds tend to be higher on one-way streets. Two-way streets tend to be slower due to "friction"
2. Safety tends to be lower with studies suggesting that drivers pay less attention on them because there's no conflicting traffic flow. One study showed that collisions are twice as likely in one-way streets as in similar streets with two-way traffic
3. Livability: vehicles stop less on one-way streets, which is hard for bikers and pedestrians.
4. Traffic flows on one-way streets are often significantly higher than on two-way streets.
5. A US study showed that one-way streets are associated with higher crime rates and lower property prices than two way streets. It says that two-way streets "bring slower traffic and, as a result, more cyclists and pedestrians, that also creates more "eyes on the street" — which, again, deters crime. A decline in crime and calmer traffic in turn may raise property values.
South Gloucestershire Council recently issued the following warning:
Many streets suffer from ‘rat-running’ or high volumes of traffic. Creating one-way streets is one way of solving this problem. However, there are also disadvantages to altering the direction of traffic flow in this way. Residents should be aware that the following may occur:
- Some through traffic will simply be diverted onto other, less suitable streets
- The new one-way street may attract more traffic, albeit in the remaining direction
- Residents may have to access their street by an alternative, and less convenient, route, which may involve the use of other neighbouring streets
- Traffic speeds may increase due to drivers’ perception that there is no on-coming traffic
- Without physical traffic calming, there may be an increase in accidents and their severity
- Some short sections of one-way street are likely to be contravened by drivers – which may require police enforcement.
With a possible hint about Haringey's wider agenda, they added "The council is unlikely to create a one-way street in isolation, due to the costs and resources required to carry out such a scheme. It is much more likely that it will consider changing the direction of traffic on a street as part of a wider review of traffic management in an area."
One US Study said, "If your goal is to move traffic quickly from one place to another, then one-ways are a great method to accomplish that. But, if your goal is a productive place with thriving local businesses, then slowing traffic with two-way streets is a much better plan. It's a tried and true method."
For me there's no case at all for a one-way street other than it serves the Council's plans for Wood Green.
Tags for Forum Posts: harringay traffic study
- Attachments:
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Harringay Traffic.pdf, 3.4 MB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JoeW on
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Not sure what your point is Andy - you're concerned that changing our local road layout in order to protect residential side streets from ratrunning will suddenly transform the area into a 1960s New Town?
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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I can't see Wightman Road being thought a suitable bus route even if it's one way. But if you're right, Living Wightman should be very careful what they wish for because a fast-moving one way road with buses is going to be even worse than what they have now.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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The Traders wouldn't be happy if buses were taken off Green Lanes and diverted to Wightman.
So it won't happen.
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Not a million miles from the truth though. And on that point I wouldn't blame the traders for taking that view. Would I travel to Green Lanes if I had to walk down from Wightman from my bus to get to the shops? No I'd shop somewhere where the buses stopped outside the shops.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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See this discussion from 2010. What was being talked about was a Hoppa bus route between Wood Green and Finsbury Park. It even got as far as the then Mayor and got the thumbs down
http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/another-try-at-a-wightm...
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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Why would buses be diverted away from GL..? Of course they wouldn't and this illusion that all the parked cars on GL are shopper's cars, does make me smile.
Most of the parked vehicles are the trader's vehicles, sometimes two or three to a shop plus/minus a van. I guess genuine shoppers vehicles make up less 20% of the vehicles parked.
We get around problems like this in Germany by making all vehicles display the time they parked up, allowing from 15 up to 30 minutes free parking time before moving on. Just enough to do the shopping or unload a few things. The local street regulatory officers, former traffic wardens given more powers, make sure all day parkers are moved on (by noting numberplates).
We also have the Baker's, Rolls and Newspapers Regulation
, which allows vehicles to stop in order to buy the said things. 5 Minutes parking time is allowed. Rolls regulation/Brötchentaste here: https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/parkraumbewirtschaftung/
Just another point. Residents everywhere get annoyed about through traffic, but they often forget that the moment they drive or ride away from their street, they become part of the problem too - are the bain of other people's lives. It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that a balance is kept. Currently, Ladder residents are penalised by restrictions elsewhere. This unfairness needs to be addressed.
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Wasn't me who suggested buses on Wightman but it's unclear what would happen if Green Lanes were made one-way only.
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Seriously, you don't think that after all the experience gained, not to mention the expense of reverting back the Tottenham one-way system, only a fool/fools would even consider such a thing.
Harking back to 1950s ideas is not how modern well planned traffic management systems work.
This is all a diversionary tatic I fear. No pun intended.
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Green Lanes is currently two lanes southbound and one lane northbound. Making WIghtman one-way northbound would sort of provide that missing fourth lane. Perhaps the Council would then dedicate the Green Lanes northbound lane to buses at peak periods and push even more cars onto Wightman?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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The traders' response to the first consultation did acknowledge that they needed parking out the front of their shops for supply, not for shoppers. The problem is that there used to be mews and lanes in behind there like there is up to the west of Wood Green High Road but unfortunately someone has built over them. I wonder who....
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One way is crazy. In my experience it is easy enough to drive down Wightman Road in either direction. So why change it?
Making it one way means vehicles have to use Green Lanes which is usually congested. It also means vehicles have to detour round it if travelling in the other direction using more fuel and creating more emissions.
The idea makes no sense to me unless the idea is to discourage use of the road. I use Wightman Road as shortest route and to avoid congestion. It is an alternative connecting route and a public road. I am not sure a road like Wightman Road should be solely controlled by its residents.
In my road, people vacate parking spaces during the day which allows people working in the area to park which is how it should be. Roads should be for sharing, shouldn't they? This situation could lead to a CPZ which frankly I do not think would be a good idea. There are better alternatives.
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