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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

From Living Streets

Call for well kept pavements in your area! 

All too often the state of our pavements and footways isn’t good enough. Almost one in ten of us pedestrians have suffered a personal injury due to poor road conditions, costing taxpayers millions of pounds in compensation claims every year.

Unbelievably pavement maintenance is given a much lower priority than road surfaces, putting pedestrians at risk. This happens even though The Highways Act 1980 states clearly that the pavement is an integral part of the highway. And it’s putting people off walking: one third of us would walk more if streets were kept in better condition.

When times are hard, getting the basics right and giving all road users a fair deal is more important than ever. Tell your local councillor that well kept pavements matter to you.

Click here for an online form to help you tell councillors what you think of the state of the pavements

 

Tags for Forum Posts: living streets, pavements

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All taken in Haringey, but not Harringay.

". . . at worst there is closed decision making based around looking after particular wards. I'll be accused of falsehood, fine I'm happy to be wrong, but give me a better explanation."

I'm not sure what this means, Paul.

"Look at Reith, Rice and Stanton, three outrageous Tottenham Hale councillors, constantly going round reporting dumping, potholes, broken pavements and other stuff."  Looking after their particular ward! It shouldn't be allowed."

Being evasive Alan, is there a policy?  Why are such inequitable and apparently inequitous spending decisions made?  The Council responsibility is to serve the whole Borough when it comes to decisions on spending.  The evidence I see is of areas being favoured, putting up a smokescreen doesn't answer the central point.  I've reported broken pavement but it doesn't get repaired in the manner of the pictures above.  I say again, what's the policy?

I'm not trying to evade your question, Paul. Or putting up any screen - smoke or otherwise. But you seem to be asking me to prove the non-existence of some secret policy to favour one or more wards. I really haven't a clue what you are on about.

I don't have any problem criticising what I regard as wrong council policies or poor decisions - however "senior" the officers or councillors making them. Nor do I shy away from trying to dig out facts by asking questions and requesting documents  - including through the Freedom of Information Act. When, for example,  I've objected to private meetings which exclude "backbench" councillors as well as members of the public; and secretive reports marked "Confidential" which should not be, I explain which meetings and which reports I'm referring to.

Are you talking about particular areas in the borough getting extra funds because of disadvantage? Yes, that has happened. Over the years there were various regeneration and other schemes which had a geographical focus. But as far as I can recall, the criteria were always clear and public.

Pavements are partially tarmaced on Lausanne Road and there is no pavement parking here.  But we don't have a councillor living on our street as far as I know.  The pavements are dangerous from top to bottom and the road has potholes. 

Well done for raising this issue Liz. It is a real problem. Maintaining pavements is one of the most basic functions of the council.  It's not glamourous and its not interesting for them. The council would prefer to deliver a better society (ideas for which they are currently soliciting) than fix pavements. Unfortunately pavements have a low (lowest?) priority within the council.

A part of the low priority is because, probably like most councils, we have a pro-car council. There are more jobs, taxes, and profits in catering for the car than for pedestrians - or bicycles for that matter.

Council "officers" commute to River Park House by car. Shielded from the gaze of the public, there is a substantial car park between River Park House and the Bus Garage, filled with a long line of staff cars.

Can we expect these "officers" to relate to the needs of non-car users or owners or those who are not on local-government level salaries, when council employees are so wedded to cars themselves? A number of Britains leading politicians try to set an example by cycling to work. Some council staff could do worse than follow that example or even ... walk!

Didn't you peope know that we've benefitted from allthis regenration money that will improve our area. Have you not been reading the Borough's litterature on how much it is doing to regenerate parts of Haringey? Come on don't be so negative! NOT!

The problem is that bad pavements add to the feel of deprivation (along with things like the bin depot feel) and need to be treated with the same priority buiding all these new high rise buildings for new incomers. Because if the priority is not  to make the residential streets attractive to families then the areas will only attract (mostly) people who will move at the earlest opportunity or those who have really no other choice (mostly).

I have had my councillor and teh neighbourhood action team coome out for a walk about. It is surprising what isd considered a priority for remedial action! And when I ask what the plan is for redoing the sidewalks that are quite obviously faililng and the road surfaces there is no clewar answer with a plan. The are is "third world" = the sysytems in place and for financing and maintaining our public spaces are not fit for purpose. They've found billions to build and promote the Olympic venues. Tottenham Hotspurs, a very rich private concern that pays its employees multi million £ salaries, has received, even if only indirectly, millions of subsidy to build a new business building. In the process they have destroyed precious high Street frontage. Yet we residenst cannot get decent services from our Council. Something is rotten in the state of....

And more riots will come because our Council is fighting a fire with a garden hose!

All monies diverted to M4 flyover emergency repairs. We don't want presidents, kings & queens falling into the streets of the posh Notting Hill set now, do we!

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