Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
cyclist hit tonight?
Cyclist hit by a car tonight; I'd guess at about 6pm tonight. Near the pelican crossing where New River crosses Green Lanes, Northbound direction.
The traffic was delayed, police & ambulance attending, it did not look nice!
I cycle down that hill at least 3 times a week, there are 1 or 2 nasty potholes by that crossing. Of course this is my speculation but maybe the cyclist hit a pothole & then collided with a passing car.
I hope the rider is OK, if anyone has more info please post here.
If I'm right (above) then the council is at fault for the pothole (plus the street lighting is poor) &, if the car was overtaking the cyclist, the motorist would be at fault for passing too closely.
Furthermore: there was another ambulance positioned further North; under the railway bridge. (I did see a bicycle leaning against the wall but no-one lying on the road).
Motorists: please don't overtake cyclists when it is not safe (they may suddenly wobble if there is a pothole).
Cyclists: please overtake motorists on the right, it's safer than passing down the left by the curb. AND, move out into the centre of the lane to prevent motorists from overtaking you if it is not safe for them to do so (use your position to control the traffic behind you, the gutter is the most dangerous place to ride).
Tags for Forum Posts: cyclist
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Yes please!!
Though please can someone also post the locations on this HoL page as accurately as possible - potholes, streetlights (lack of!) and overgrown trees blocking the lights. Photos if possible but not essential.
It's likely that they'll need to talk to colleagues in Hackney. So bear in mind that the whole of Finsbury Park is in Haringey. In Green Lanes, south of the New River is Hackney.
I have phoned the Director's office and explained the problem and someone is looking at this thread.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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I will not be there until tomorrow pm at the earliest, but I will make a point of reporting it and letting you know.
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Permalink Reply by Racheal Leigh on
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Thanks for following up on this. The road surfacing on all of Green Lanes is extremely poor. In one section between Turnpike Lane and the middle of ladder going south there are huge 'waves' of tarmac in the bus lane. Plus usual pot holes etc. A real issue however is using GL to go South to North as there is no bus lane. It's difficult to avoid being pushed into door zone of parked cars etc. I have given up coming back through GL this route instead coming back via Stoke Newington / Stamford Hill / South Tottenham. This cycle route planner is far better than TFL http://www.cyclestreets.net/ for anyone interested.
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As others have said, it's pretty sketchy cycling down there due to a combination of the dim lights and a lot of potholes. It's been like that for many years.
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Andrew, I've long advocated that local councils should seek to crowd-source pothole information from London's cyclists as a group. After all, they are each equipped with highly sensitive detectors, positioned close to bike saddles.
But there's no need to wait for this idea to fully catch-on. As Justin says, there's an App. Though I'd suggest dismounting and taking a photo from a nearby pavement.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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As you've said though, the problem is definitely in Hackney. The boundary runs east-west through the middle of the New River and up to the fence against Finsbury Park then back south. I bet the "Haringey" app is programmed to ignore it.
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Would you write an App which failed at a borough boundary?
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Of course! OK, tell me what to make it do instead and remember that YOU (Haringey) are paying for my time...
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My assumption, John, is that you're a highly competent professional who wouldn't deliver a computer program which failed such an obvious test. And that the person or team who wrote the "Love Clean Streets" program for Lewisham in 2005 - now rebadged across London - would have been the same.
Is there any indication that Haringey's App does have a problem with local government boundaries?
Though, plainly, it's another matter entirely what happens after the report is received by Hackney or Haringey staff. For example, whether or not they talk to each other; and - in this case - to their respective Park and street tree staff.
Or does the system result - if we're unlucky - in people being sent to one location to do one job; only one job; and nothing but the job? Without the organisation understanding that there's a better way. (As explained in the blog entry: Genchi Genbutsu and the dog's arse)
Or maybe they learn from the past and flag-up this location as a spot where problems occasionally converge? Problems like two boroughs having jurisdiction; a very busy road getting a pounding and developing potholes; and where tree branches grow willy-nilly.
Once upon a time Haringey Council had proper committees. (It was in the dark days before we enjoyed the benefits of an all-powerful, all-seeing, Dear Leader making all important cock-ups.) Our friend Ian Willmore was a councillor and one autumn at Haringey's Environment Committee, staff were excusing the street sweeping failures. "We had an unexpected leaf fall", one of them explained.
Ian said gently: "Life's full of surprises, for you, isn't it?"
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Adam on
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I have now spoken to the tree officer from Hackney. This horse chestnut tree was due to be pruned, but for some reason fell off their programmed works as it was not deemed to be a road obstruction . He assures me that he will re-visit the site when it is dark to assess the situation, and also consult colleagues in the lighting department. He said he will get back to me in a few days with an update.
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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Many thanks Adam for doing that. Let's hope he does what he says and that the outcome is some action.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Hulbert on
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... meanwhile does anyone actually know what happened? I cycled past last night and the casualty was in the ambulance thankfully alive but obviously injured. I cycle that route pretty much everyday. It is without doubt the low point in my journey .
We need to know what happened so we can make informed decisions about how cars and bikes van motorcycles and large vehicles can share the road.
There is a painted cycle lane going south up the hill however, north apart from a very short cycle path that deviates onto the pavement and rejoins the road after the pelican crossing, followed by a laughable stretch at the junction with the Arena Shopping park there is nothing.
As someone who has used the road for 30 years as a cyclist, motorcyclist and car driver (not to mention a pedestrian) Gerry' advice to 'own' the road and obey the law is all well taken but it worth noting that cycle lanes where they exist are built next to the curb so overtaking traffic on the left is being encouraged!
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