Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Harringay Ladder Local Election Hustings on 5th May HLHS - Labour shows how in touch they are.
She knocked the discussion out of the park!
She and her fellow councillors have already negotiated with TFL and modelled at least three plans to alleviate these problematic areas....They have raised £ millions for the future re-vitalisation of bus and proposed cycle lanes based on practicalities. The Greens and Lib Dems responses were so weak and clearly ill informed.
Do watch and make your own mind up - but Labour have my vote!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMcz3S0neMM
..and what a mess Jake Polanski made on this morning's Today programme Radio 4 ! We need experienced politicians in these difficult times.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Matt Fenby Taylor
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It was a good meeting and the differences between the candidates was demonstrated well.
I didn't come to the same conclusion. though. I do think it's worth watching the recording - yes three plans modelled but for the first time we heard from Labour via Anna that filtering Wightman or ladder rungs isn't something they will do.
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Permalink Reply by Alice Mezzo
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I thought Anna spoke well but I will definitely be voting Green. Labour have had enough time to show action on traffic on the ladder and to do something (anything!) about air pollution and traffic on Green Lanes and Wightman road. We need fresh energy and new leadership.
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I feel the same way - many years, many terms and no tangible action.
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Here's an overview based on the transcript, without any political leanings
Labour Party — Anna Abela
As sitting Councillor, Anna Abela presented the most detailed and delivery-focused platform of the three candidates, emphasising that Labour already has funding, modelling and council machinery in place to implement major active travel changes. Her central message was that Labour supports significant change to improve walking, cycling, bus travel and air quality — but that changes must be technically feasible, backed by funding, and approved by Transport for London (TfL).
A major theme of her contributions was realism around TfL constraints. She repeatedly stated that Labour had carried out three rounds of modelling and concluded TfL would not approve full filtering of all Ladder roads and Wightman Road because of impacts on Green Lanes traffic and bus journey times. Rather than promising measures they could not deliver, she argued Labour had “gone back to the drawing board” and was now pursuing alternative interventions, including feeder road restrictions, expanded school streets, possible Wightman Road changes and wider traffic calming.
She strongly supported a borough-wide segregated cycle network by 2030, backed by a forthcoming “Streets for People” investment plan. She highlighted £7m already secured for Green Lanes improvements, including bus priority measures, new pedestrian crossings and cycling infrastructure. She also supported consulting on partial or full removal of parking on Green Lanes, while stressing the need to manage trade-offs around deliveries and parking displacement.
On air quality and public realm issues, she focused on practical interventions: school air quality monitoring, living walls, enforcement patrols, litter enforcement, new street cleansing contracts, CCTV for fly-tipping and additional tree planting. Throughout the debate she framed Labour as the party able to actually deliver projects because it controls the council, has cabinet influence and has already secured funding streams and technical work.
Green Party — Marc Jenner
Marc Jenner presented the Green Party as the most ambitious and urgent option on active travel, climate and public realm reform. His message throughout was that current systems are failing residents and that much faster, more decisive action is needed to tackle traffic, air pollution, road danger and quality of life issues.
The Greens strongly supported rapid expansion of LTNs and traffic reduction schemes across the borough, including the Harringay Ladder. Marc argued that traffic, pollution and unsafe cycling conditions are already visibly unacceptable and framed active travel measures as both a climate response and a public health necessity. He consistently emphasised urgency, saying residents had already waited too long through years of consultations and discussions without meaningful delivery.
On cycling infrastructure, the Greens backed a fully joined-up protected cycle network and explicitly supported reducing parking on Green Lanes to make room for buses and segregated cycle lanes. Marc repeatedly returned to the idea of encouraging a “modal shift” away from private car use towards walking, cycling, wheeling and public transport.
The Greens also focused heavily on public realm improvements, including more trees, cleaner streets, more bike hangars, better crossings, safer pedestrian infrastructure and greener public spaces. Marc linked poor air quality to worsening health outcomes in Haringey and called for stronger enforcement and more transparent publication of pollution data.
A broader political theme in his contributions was transparency and grassroots accountability. He criticised Labour’s long period in power and argued Green councillors would be directly accountable to residents rather than party structures. He also stressed that Greens would work collaboratively across parties where policies aligned, but framed the election as a rare opportunity for political change in Haringey.
Liberal Democrats — David Schmitz
David Schmitz positioned the Liberal Democrats as a practical, consultative and sceptical voice focused on balancing competing needs rather than pursuing sweeping interventions quickly. His overall approach was less prescriptive than the other candidates and more focused on process, scrutiny and pragmatism.
A central theme of his contributions was that consultations should be genuine and meaningful, rather than token exercises or referendums. He repeatedly argued that traffic and active travel policies require careful balancing between residents, businesses, public transport and drivers, and he warned against overly simplistic solutions that merely move congestion or pollution elsewhere.
The Liberal Democrats broadly supported LTNs, school streets and improved cycling infrastructure where there is local demand, but David frequently emphasised the need to keep schemes under review and refine them over time. He raised concerns about practical constraints on Green Lanes, particularly around limited road space, loading access for businesses and necessary vehicle journeys.
He was generally more cautious than the other candidates about parking removal and traffic filtering. While acknowledging that Green Lanes and Wightman Road have major problems, he often stressed that many people still rely on cars for work, late-night travel or accessibility reasons. He also criticised aspects of existing road redesigns, particularly Wightman Road, arguing some previous schemes had unintentionally worsened safety or usability.
On air quality and public realm issues, he supported increased monitoring, stronger enforcement powers and better use of frontline council services. He frequently returned to the importance of listening to residents, workers and local businesses directly, portraying the Lib Dems as experienced local campaigners focused on incremental, workable improvements rather than ideological approaches.
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