Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Don't Forget - Wightman Road Closed for 5 months from Next Tuesday (29th March)
In case it's escaped your notice or slipped your mind, Wightman Road will be closed to through traffic for five months starting next Tuesday 29th March.
This will be a significant dislocation to North London traffic movement. So much so that warning notices have been placed as far away as Archway. No doubt it will also have a significant impact on Harringay's traffic.
However, there really is no alternative to at least partial road closure. The railway bridge between Alroy and Wightman roads is being replaced and there will simply be no road for a few months!
One option the Council could have taken would have been to simply reroute the traffic via the Ladder rung roads. It is to their credit, however, they recognised that with over 16,000 vehicles a day using Wightman Road, this would have placed an intolerable burden on our narrow residential roads, already beset by undue traffic volumes.
After consultation with residents, the solution decided upon is to place blocks at regular intervals along Wightman Road, in effect creating clusters of two or three rung roads. Whilst this will retain unfettered access for residents. it will render the whole Ladder, including Wightman, useless as a rat run. You can clearly see the details on the full size pdf map attached below.
Quite what it will mean for traffic in Harringay, Haringey and further afield remains to be seen. Those of us who have been working with the Council on this very much hope that traffic will quickly find other routes. It's fair to say, however, that at very best, we're going to experience some very heavy congestion on Green Lanes for a month or so.
At the same time, the Harringay traffic study will continue. The coincident timing of this piece of work with the bridge closure may be fortunate in that it will give the consultants an opportunity to study the outcome of diverting traffic away from Harringay.
A pdf copy of the Wightman Road closure is attached, along with some Council-produced documentation. You can stay up to date with what's happening on the Wightman Road closure on a dedicated page on the council website here.
Tags for Forum Posts: traffic, wightman bridge, wightman bridge closure
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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Thanks Justin. I hope you will. Regretably, I shall not be there.
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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I mentioned this to Glenn on another thread who is the chair of the Barking to Gospel Oak Rail User Group so I thought he might know something more concrete...He said:
"Not aware of any plans. Green Lanes bridge appears in reasonable condition. If any work is carried out to refurbish it I would think that the most that would affect the road would be a half road closure at a time with temporary traffic lights."
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Well they are planning to close Harringay Green Lanes station while the electrification works are underway.... perhaps he's got his wires crossed (geddit? electrification works...wires crossed...!)
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I have noticed another peculiar knock on from the Wightman Road closure - pedestrians walking smack bang in the middle of the Ladder roads. I know there's less traffic but the roads are still open. Why would you want to do that? Yesterday coming down Burgoyne Road (at a snail's pace) I encountered a young man, headphones blaring, texting as he walked in the middle of the road. After I followed him for about 50 yds I tried to negotiate my way round him and he was completely oblivious. Weird.
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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I did it the other day on Umfreville - just because I could! Of course I was facing any possible oncoming traffic...
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Well there you go! Just goes to show how different we all are. It wouldn't even occur to me to walk in the road even if the road was completely closed.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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I'm going out of my way to walk along the middle of Wightman just because I can for the next few months and don't know if I'll ever be able to again. I took a huge detour the other day just to experience the sheer joy of doing it.
One of the wonderful things about the Green Lanes festival was being able to have a stroll where you'd normally risk being flattened.
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Well I'm going to stick to telling my son that the road is not the appropriate place to walk.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Quite right too. No doubt you do that to protect him and no one should tell you to do otherwise.
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It's human nature to walk along the middle of any trackway where possible. Look at any footpath or unmade surface. People tend to keep towards the centre unless the middle portion is boggy.
What happens when a city street gets pedestrianised? Again people don't hug the edges unless they're window shopping.
The center portion is brighter at times and always offers a better view to both right and left. When our self-preservation instinct tells us it is safe to do so, these factors draw us to the middle.
People may also be making a statement of ownership or rights conferred by abode. Equally instinctive and understandable.
Be a daredevil and try it Antoinette. (If you don't want to, maybe you could just enjoy the pleasure it's giving others?)
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Walking in the road would make me a daredevil? You must lead a very sheltered life, Hugh....I'll take my 650cc bike out if I need a thrill..xx
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Au contraire, Antoinette, it is rather you who gave me the impression of your living a rather sheltered life with your horror at people walking in the middle of the road. But it seems by your own account that you're a leather-clad bad girl. So, that's great, enjoy your bike and let others just enjoy walking down the road if they want without being called to account for it.
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