Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Bin Alley, Wightman Road
I don't live on Wightman, so you may say I have no right to comment. But the problem created for residents since the introduction of the wheelie bins seems to be an issue that affects all pedestrians who use the road. There's a part of Wightman where the houses are set up a little from the road. This has left the residents in a tricky position about where to put their bins.
I don't want to give the residents of these houses grief, but I'm just wondering if between we the people & the Council, we couldn't come up with a better solution than leaving the bins blocking the pavement.
If these were cars (parked more the 50cm over the line) or pavement parked bikes, they'd be ticketed. I certainly DON'T want these bins ticketed, but it says to me ha the Council see it as a problem when the pavements are obstructed. Why aren't they seeking a solution here?
Any bright ideas? Councillors? Residents?
Tags for Forum Posts: Request for councillor help, Wightman Road, bins on wightman
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by frank demster on
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Having that roll down the hill towards Seymour would really emphasize the 20 mph zone message.
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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I'm looking into this. In the meantime, I would be very grateful for further observations.
David Schmitz
Lib Dem Councillor for Harringay Ward
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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We have street in Tottenham Hale with a similar problem. So I'd be grateful if people kept a look-out for other locations round the borough where solutions have been found.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I did makes some enquiries about this a few weeks ago and the council's response was that these residents have no where else to put the bins because they front gardens are built up. If the bins being on the pavement continues to be a problem the only answer would be to take the wheelie bins away and the residents would have to revert to black bin bags - clearly not ideal. These wheelie bins on the pavement are not only an obstruction but also an eyesore - I will continue to liaise with the council to find a solution to this.
Cllr Karen Alexander
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I picked this same problem up a while back and one solution proposed might be for some to opt for a smaller bin that will not obstruct the front path. This is not an ideal solution as HMOs may not be able to cope with a tiny bin (maybe two smaller bins?)
If you look at many of the properties, they have space for the old style dustbin and so could probably fit a small wheelie in there. (yes I do photograph my bins from time to time, what do you expect from me?)
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At my request, some council officers attended yesterday. I'll report back as soon as I hear from them.
David Schmitz
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Thanks, David, for posting this and letting people see behind the scenes in the problem-solving process.
We have at least one similar situation in Tottenham Hale ward and there are helpful ideas here for us too. I assume there have also been some informal discussions with the Wightman Road residents affected.
Tottenham Hale ward councillor
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How do the residents get the bins down this, what i presume to be an incredible height, without injuring themselves ? It's an enigma wrapped in a riddle.
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Yesterday, I attended the site with officers from the planning enforcement and traffic departments. What follows is not the report of a decision (it is not within my power to make one). However, it should give you an idea of the direction which our discussions have taken. If anyone wishes me to mention anything further to the council officers, I will of course be happy to do so.
The problem
There is a row of properties where the front gardens are so high off the pavement that full wheelie bins cannot be moved down the steps without danger to the binmen. At the same time, the bins cannot be lawfully stored on the pavements because cars are permitted to park on parts of the pavements (this being made necessary by the narrowness of the road) and because the law requires a minimum width of 1.2 metres for the passage of pedestrians. The distance between the edge of a bin and the beginning of the car parking space is generally only about 800 mm. In other words, we can't have both bins and car parking on the pavement.
The possibilities we discussed
*Closing the car parking spaces and substituting other spaces nearby is not possible because there are no no-parking areas nearby where parking could be permitted. Parking is prohibited nearby because the road is narrowed on account of the presence of the traffic islands which are necessary for the 20 mph zone.
*Interrupting the car-parking spaces wth gaps a metre or two wide to accommodate bins is unlikely to be effective. Firstly, people who park cars and leave bins cannot be depended upon to observe the restrictions exactly. More importantly, it would cost about £5000 to operate the statutory procedures which the Council would have to go through in order to alter the parking spaces.
*Requiring the bins to be stored on the raised front gardens and requiring binmen to reach into bins to extract the bags of rubbish would be unsafe. The bins are tall and people reaching in to get a bag from the bottom would be in danger of losing their balance. Also, they would be placed in additional danger by having to reach in "blind", thereby exposing themselves to sharp objects and indeed syringes. Altough it is a common practice for binmen to reach into the bins voluntarily, it is a different matter to compel them to do it when it doesn't look "right" or when a binman is inexperienced.
*Substituting smaller wheelie bins will not help. Firstly, there are only two standard sizes avalable, and neither of these, if stored on the pavement, will leave the requisite 1.2 metres for pedestrians. Secondly, the smaller of the two sizes would still be too tall to allow for the bags to be removed safely by hand.
The solution which has been mooted
The enforcement team will look into the question of whether owners can be compelled to provide spaces of the pavement on which to store the bins. If this turns out not to be possible, which is likely, the enforcement team will consider serving notices to the effect that if a householder does not provide such a facility, the wheelie bins will be withdrawn, and bag collection will be resumed. This is of course undesirable, because foxes and other animals may strew the refuse about. If that happens, however, the building owner could be required to keep the rubbish properly contained on his property in some bin which he would have to supply himself. He would then have to remove the bags himself and leave them for collection, but he could be prohibited from leaving the bags exposed otherwise than shortly before the time set for collection.
Further comments please.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
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Thanks, David, for following up on this.
Of the six houses in Hugh's photos whose bins are a constant problem:
the three opposite Mattison junction already have space for their bins - No 71's front is at ground level; Nos 73 & 75 each has purpose made housing for two bins at ground level except that the "roof" of this housing needs to be raised a few inches (or simply removed) to accommodate the slightly taller wheelie bins.
the owners/tenants of the three further south (Nos 65, 63, 61) need a bit of enforcement action/education into adapting their fronts for their wheelie bins, as well as in the joys of recycling/composting etc. If most of us can do it, so can they. No mollycoddling!
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Thanks for taking the time to follow this up and come back and tell us what's what, David. Seems to me if there's no other solution, a return to the pre wheelie bin status quo seems the only option. Although, as Eddie says, in one or two cases, it's either a matter of de-lidding the old bin covers or allowing the residents to use old style dustbins.
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