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 201muwjebcmj3 on
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Both the OP and Tris speculated on what happened and both turned out to be wrong, at least in parts. However Tris had no reason to criticise the cycling community for supposedly encouraging cyclists to regard traffic lights as optional. This certainly was uncalled for!
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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As far as I recall, nobody posting on HoL saw what happened when the cyclist came off their bike on the evening of 27 November. Jan's conversation with a police officer - after the accident - seems the most reliable account we have. It strongly suggests a pothole as the cause. (No collision with a vehicle; just as well.)
We have other cyclists' and walkers' observations about the hazards of this particular stretch of road. And the need for both Hackney and Haringey to maintain the roadway to a far higher standard; and ensure there is better lighting.
It seems to me that a key lesson to be drawn is for cyclists and other road users to keep reporting such incidents. And to keep up the pressure on both Councils to spot these problems early and take action more quickly than happened in this case.
A key lesson for Council managers responsible may be to leave their cosy offices more often and go and watch and think carefully about what's happening "on the ground".
Would it change their views and their actions? I'm still optimistic; although a lot less than I was fifteen years ago. But the Hackney "Out of Hours" operator I spoke to, seemed bright and keen to help. He knew this road and got the pothole filled in a hurry.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Gerry Platt on
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I rode down the hill last night & saw no evidence of any repairs to either pothole!
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Either pothole? You've mentioned a couple, Gerry. Justin photographed only one which had been "framed" with white paint. Jan also saw one pothole filled. So it seems people are referring to to different potholes?
Any volunteers - a cyclist would be good - with time this morning or lunchtime to take a camera or cameraphone along this stretch of Green Lanes? The need is to photograph the most dangerous potholes and describe with precision where they are. (E.g "near" or "close to" the crossing isn't enough. Though Justin's photo locates one pothole exactly.
In the meantime I've been on the phone to Hackney Call Centre and am hoping to speak to someone in their Highways team.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Katie K on
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Alan, it's the one that was previously photographed that has been filled, I cycled past it yesterday and again this morning. It will be dark by the time I pass it tonight, but I'll photograph it tomorrow morning if nobody else has by then. Katie
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Alan. A couple of other photos I took while I took the one below and posted earlier. The first is a rough patch directly prior to the crossing northbound, the lower on the other side of the road, northbound above the crossing.
They might not look much, but the latter clearly has holes appearing- holes that are highly likely to increase in size, the holes are around the rim of a patch that is wearing away. The former looked a bit rough (uneven) when I saw it, and a good candidate for a pot hole or two in the near future.
Further down the road, on the Harringay side, holes are clearly appearing where the tarmac joins can be seen (where the strips of tarmac as originally laid out join). These are more in the center of the road, and hopefully away from where a cyclist would be.
Overall, this patch of road is not in great shape, and I think a lot of it is because of the spring water (??) pushing through, and continuous low quality patching. While it is appreciated that the hole now has some tarmac in it, is it now finished (until it wears away again?)? If you look at it, it really does not look like it will last long...
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Again, thanks to you Justin.
For obvious reasons I've been worrying about the urgent and dangerous potholes. Mainly because I don't want someone seriously injured or killed. But also because I don't want to send Hackney or Haringey staff out on an 'emergency' which isn't. (Remembering the story of the Boy Who cried 'Wolf'; and Matilda who cried 'Fire'.)
But you and other people are now raising a wider issue: how far scarce resources available will stretch to fix roads which actually need more than patch-and-mend. In the run-up to the local and national elections I imagine - cynically - that there will be a bit of cash around for these essentials. Though afterwards? Your guess is probably better than mine.
I still remember John Kenneth Galbraith's famous phrase "public squalor and private affluence". We now have three main parties who seem to believe this is a law of nature.
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A friend of mine mentioned that this is a good time of year to get road improvements done as the end of the financial years looms and TFL will take it back if not spent.... I do not know how to encourage this spending though- especially as the issue is cross border. It needs some coordination.
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Many thanks, Jan and Katie!
So the question remains, are there other dangerous potholes which need filing urgently ? That one clearly did as two cyclists had come off their bikes.
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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A week or two ago a cyclist slipped on an oil slick caused by the impact of a cars motor on a man hole cover on Hewitt, residents call the fire dept, as the council are slow to react, it's lethal. This oil leak happens once a month, twice last weekend alone.
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Road Safety (Highways) Haringey
To report pot holes or hazards on the road.
T: 020 8489 1335
or
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/environment_and_transport/roadsand...
or
Email: potholes@haringey.gov.uk
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