Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Another Assault on Our Road Use
Just when you thought Haringey Council's anti-residents parking assault had been beaten back a bit.....
Now the Council intends to spend more money it doesn't have on narrowing the borough's roads - including through routes - and further eliminating space to load, unload and park.
This time, the proposals are characterised as a "Kerbside Strategy". When I last looked, "kerbside" was either "road" and "pavement" separated by a kerb, and sometimes "road" and "verge" likewise.
Now, in a deceptively-worded policy trail in a Commonplace consultation at https://haringeykerbsideandevstrategies.commonplace.is, we are asked to accept that parts of "road" are to be made available available for other uses:
"The kerbside is the space that sits on the road next to the pavement. You might currently find cars, trees, cycle parking, or taxi bays here. Well-designed streets and spaces should benefit everyone, not just a few. We are considering proposals for other kerbside uses such as more trees, planting, car clubs, seating and outdoor eating areas and deliveries. "
The consultation that follows does not ask whether you agree to removing parts of the road for the other uses. It just asks questions as to what one would like to see or prefer for these uses. It also asks you to " Suggest locations for things you would like to see prioritised at the kerbside in Haringey." https://haringeykerbsideandevstrategies.commonplace.is/en-GB/map/Ke...
Some may disagree, but you may want to respond to the survey at Commonplace, and/or to tell your councillors that you do not want any further narrowing of roads or reduction of the limited space currently available for loading and parking in busy parts of the borough. The proposed narrowing at Turnpike Lane is a good example of a costly further restriction in an already slow-moving through road.
NK
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by AndrewAW1
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I had a look at this, seemed a fairly terrible survey that blurred together all modes of transport and had about half a dozen questions.
On the other hand the EV survey that went out at the same time was hugely detailed. It's fairly clear that Haringey is planning on staying pretty car centric.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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YES, the evidence points to Haringey Council car-centricity is set to continue.
Girl killed by car on pitch was 'force of nature'
Those who defend car-use disregard the downside of unfettered car-use.
Car-users kill many other road-users on the carriageways but another characteristic, is that a few with over-powered cars and under-powered ability, will kill others off the roads.
Tragedies as above don't happen often, but the culture of permissiveness of car owners is engendered by legislators and the courts and yes, over-indulgent local authorities such as Haringey.
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I find your use of this young child's death to further your tedious and petty political grievance quite revolting.
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Very poor taste indeed.
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There are many many instances of car drivers killing pedestrians going about their business in places where cars should not be that Clive could've used instead. It's not poor taste to point out that in any of them it's the person in the car who is to blame.
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James, thanks for your feedback.
You say that I "use" this child's death. However, this was not a death through illness, but killed by a car driver. You characterise my questioning of car use as a "petty political grievance".
I expect that, after mass shootings in the USA, advocates for gun-control also receive personalised attack.
However I am far from alone, as you suggest, in recognising there are serious problems with the number of cars owned in London and the downsides of their unfettered use in urban area.
If, like me, you attended last evening's People's Question Time in Haringey at the Spurs Stadium, then you would know that the topic of our roads and how they are used in London, came up a number of times. Some Haringey Councillors including the current leader also attended.
One brave woman stood up and said her fiancé, as a pedestrian, was killed at a particular intersection. It was in response to this or to another questioner, that the London Mayor said that there were too many cars on our roads.
Many are driven aggressively, carelessly and recklessly and yes, it can and does lead to deaths. Alongside the other side-effects such as air-pollution, should we accept that this form of killing just goes with the territory?
Should the news media not report the effects of dangerous driving and should we turn a blind-eye to how cars can be used? How can such reporting be in good "taste"?
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Permalink Reply by Sarah
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Vehicular violence needs to be treated more seriously. I've always said if you want to get away murder, choose a car as the weapon. You'll get two years max.
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MUCH agree. A minority of car users can and do wield their tonne of metal as a blunt instrument. A few are willing to intimidate more vulnerable road-users. It seems that some car owners are unaware of the changes in 2022 to the Highway Code.
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I really don’t understand this desire to want to continue to fill Haringey with cars. Congestion is bad because there are too many cars on the road. Policies which encourage more driving will not improve congestion.
The majority of residents in Haringey don’t own or have access to a car (52.7%, Census 2021), yet they are everywhere, including on the pavements themselves in places like Wood Green high street.
All I see in efforts like this are attempts to slightly redress the balance and give people safer options to travel by foot/bike, and more broadly to make our environment that little bit nicer for everyone.
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People parking on pavements have killed two trees outside my house. I paid £200 for the council to plant one, it lasted six days before being uprooted by someone driving into it. It never recovered. Last year the council replaced it but the new tree was repeatedly driven into and also died. I don't think they'll plant another, I just get to see a dead tree every time I leave the house now. I emptied my water butt caring for it but I am no match for a three tonne white van.
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OVER two or more decades, Haringey Council has contributed to enabling car ownership.
For years, the provision of car parking was mandatory in big Planning Applications; more recently there have been a few car-free developments.
Each new parking space is the Highwaymen's investment in congestion, pollution and hazard.
Haringey Council created and continue to maintain parking bays over pedestrian pavement on 102 roads. The Highwaymen want to retain this capacity.
I might believe the council has begun to be serious about active travel and reversing the trend to more and more car use, if they were to return the full-width of pavements to the pedestrian use for which they were intended.
Although their £1 million tinkering on Wightman Road N4 was half-baked overall, the council did accomplish this.
Further corrections are technically possible but stalled and currently, politically impossible.
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