Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey Left Behind (Again) as Hackney Announce Plans for Segregated Cycle Track for Green Lanes
Image: geograph.org
While Haringey Council faffs around with its almost universally unpopular scheme to divert traffic from Crouch End to Harringay, Hackney Council is getting on with the real work of creating a transport system fit for the future.
Hackney Council has announced that it wants to transform its section of Green Lanes to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The proposals include adding a cycle track between Newington Green and Manor House, as well as narrowing roads to reduce traffic speed, "floating bus stops" and raised continuous pavements.
Hackney Transport chief Cllr Jon Burke said: "Green Lanes forms a key route for people travelling in the borough, but at the moment it's a hostile environment dominated by cars. We want to transform it for walking and cycling, so we can encourage more people to travel cheaply and sustainably, improving the quality of London's toxic air and reducing our reliance on polluting vehicles. I'd urge people to have their say on the proposals."
Subject to consultation, the scheme would be delivered in two phases. This consultation relates to the first phase of proposals between Petherton Road and Woodberry Grove.
Consultation on a second stage will take place later this year.
The Council says it is relying on funding bids for the project, so if it doesn't achieve full funding it would have to carry out the work in stages.
View the plans at consultation.hackney.gov.uk/streetscene/green-lanes.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Not so sure about your stats on the number of journeys into Central London John.
Either way I am working on the real world assumption that none of the wonderful Utopian, nay radical, ideas to propose as solutions are actually going to happen- so until they do a stepping stone is needed to make it safer for those of us who dare to dream, but still fear the reality.
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Permalink Reply by Godfrey on
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Unfortunately I don't have a choice, my wife is disabled and her vehicle is her dependancy on having some form of normality that you take for granted. She would quite happily swap with you and enjoy the freedom to choose whether she takes her bike, or a bus, or a tube when she needs to go out.
So we will enjoy our traffic jams, we will smile when we are returning from the hospital, and laugh in the faces of those who think moving to two wheeled travel will work for everyone.
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The problem is, typically, in London the implemenattion is just so piece-meal and loads of politicians spouting intentions but not really having the real guts to put a real cycling policy into action.
If we had dutch style lanes there would be far more cyclists - they all own cars but use them much less!
And it is safer to cycle there because the whole country applies the same norms and criteria for installing the lanes not this way the British have of chipsing, chipsing, chipsing until a crisis force proper action.
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Haringey should partner this scheme and extend it all the way up Green Lanes - are they having any talks with TFL or Hackney abut this, I wonder?
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Precisely Michelle. I doubt many people’s journeys start and end at a borough boundary
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They also need to transform the triple lanes of traffic on Seven Sisters rd between Manor House and St Ann's road to 2x cycle lanes on either side, 2 x single lanes for traffic and 2 x dedicated bus lanes. This should be done in conjunction with returnng the A10 High Rd between its junction with Seven Sisters Rd and Tottenham Green to the same 2 x dedicated bus lanes and 2 x single lanes for traffici.e in either direction. This already happens betwen Stoke Newington and Seven Sisters where tarffic usually flows at a regular pace. That way there would only be single lanes for traffic for all of Seven Sisters Rd and most of the A10 High Rd = no weaving in and out of double to single lanes. Of course you keep the extra turning lanes at intersections. Traffic would flow constatntly and at a slower pace making it more comfortable for everyone.
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I may be wrong but the Seven Sisters road is 2 lanes plus a Bus Lane both directions from Manor House to just after Amhurst Park. The northbound carriage has a right turn into Woodberry Grove thus making it only two lanes. Also isn't the bus lane considered enough to be a cycle lane or are you proposing separate lanes for buses and cycles? From Amhurst Park to St Ann's road is very narrow I doubt they could put dedicated cycle lanes on this stretch.
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Yes...Remove one of the lanes for non bus traffic and widen the pavement, either putting in more greenery, ideally lovely trees, or a cyle lane, or both! Having this 'motorway' ploncked down in the middle of the two stretches of single lane tarffic lined by so much dense housing, just does not make any sense. It has single lane traffic (other tahn buis lanes) leading into and out of it!
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There were some plans along these lines as part of the big Woodberry Down development. I'm not sure if anything ever happened though https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/streetscene/ssrconsultation/
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I think you don't have to be a traffic planner to realise the benefits of your proposal would be outweighed by the sheer gridlock of traffic that would build up from say Hornsey or Holloway Road. Even now during evening commute hours this is a long and tiresome journey, and the pollution level is probably off the scale. What you are proposing is essentially reducing the holding capacity of say half a mile of roadway essentially to cater to bicycle transport. The bit I don't get is there is already concession for bikes to use the bus lane along the complete stretch of road you mention, so really not adding any benefit, but in reality adding more delay, wasted time, gridlocked traffic pollution.
The notion that punishing the motorist so much that they will switch to bicycle transport does not work. If there was a way to encourage cycling, the best I can think of is improve road surfaces, phased lights so they can go first ahead of traffic, and probably the best encouragement, offer free training and certification so new cyclists feel that we don't have to carve up the already limited road space to cater to their needs because they feel unsafe on a bike. Teach cyclists that according to the law being in possession (and not necessarily riding) a bike is technically a vehicle, so riding on pavements, across zebra crossings, on the carriageway with no lights, and through red lights carries the same penalties as if were done in a motor vehicle.
I doubt I am not alone when I say I try to drive as respectfully around cyclists, but it only takes a few bad cyclists to spoil the mutual goodwill. Riding two abreast whilst adorned in Tour de France style clothing having a chat because they can is infuriating and just bad manners. Advancing to the cycle box at the start of the traffic lights and staying smack bang in the middle when the lights go green, even though there are no other cyclists or restriction again just winds people up. When people get wound up they will drive angrily, too close, too fast and with no respect. Before cyclists and motor vehicles live in harmony there needs to be a building of respect.
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I doubt I am not alone when I say I try to drive as respectfully around cyclists, but it only takes a few bad cyclists to spoil the mutual goodwill. Riding two abreast whilst adorned in Tour de France style clothing having a chat because they can is infuriating and just bad manners. Advancing to the cycle box at the start of the traffic lights and staying smack bang in the middle when the lights go green, even though there are no other cyclists or restriction again just winds people up. When people get wound up they will drive angrily, too close, too fast and with no respect. Before cyclists and motor vehicles live in harmony there needs to be a building of respect.
This paragraph really illustrates the issue, in too many car drivers' minds it is all the cyclists fault and "respect" equates to getting out of their way.
What is needed much more than training for cyclists (after all they've not in the vehicles that kill thousands of people a year) is training for car drivers to understand the reasons for things like cycling two abreast or in primary position. Attempting to blame cyclists for car drivers driving angrily, too close or too fast is just weak victim blaming. If people can't drive without getting angry they shouldn't be driving.
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And your reply reminds me of the old joke "I have not had accidents driving, but I see hundreds of them in my rear view mirror"
I was driving around Elephant and Castle not long ago in queuing traffic that was moving albeit slowly. Out of nowhere random cyclist swerves between two cars, one car slams on the brakes as to not hit the cyclist, car behind ploughs hard into the back of the braking car causing massive damage. Cyclist long gone.
As a cyclist, I expect you not to respond to this and maybe respond with some whataboutery of your own. I just want to say two things. Cycle lanes are pointless and have made London even worse for transport. If cyclists want a better experience with motorists they are going to have to change their culture and meet motorists halfway somehow. Mentioning how vehicles kill people blah etc just perpetuates the divide, and we could spend all night reciting anecdotes of what is worse but it wouldn't improve anything. Trying to find a meeting point whether it's self imposed, or through the road traffic act seems like a good place to start.
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