Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Harringay traffic plan; What’s happening?
Hello;
Just wondering what’s happening with the Harringay traffic plan that Mike Hakata started years ago? Another councillor took over when Mike quit. Now that the Green Party is at the helm, just wondering if someone has taken it over or whether it’s been abandoned. Anyone know? It would be a shame if all that work and the money put into it was put on hold or scraped altogether.
Regards,
James Cowling
Tags for Forum Posts: traffic
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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just wondering if someone has taken it over
James, this link (scroll down) suggests that any remaining Harringay traffic plan is now a responsibility of the Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Transport – Councillor Gio Iozzi.
Highways and Transport are two of Cllr Iozzi's roles.
Bringing Highways under Transport (and the same Cab member) is an obvious, clear administrative improvement. We can only hope that the new Cab Member no longer acts merely as a mouthpiece for the Highwaymen employed by the Council. Unlike the previous crew.
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*James, N.B. her! (Giovanna)
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Admin for testingPermalink Reply by Hugh -
Mike Hakata started?!?
Nooo, it goes back way further than that. Before him, the apparently very capable but very quickly burned out Stuart Macnamara was at the helm of a plan. That was 2015/6. In 2007/8 was the dreadful meister of doing nothing Brain Hayley who wrote that "most residents are satisfied:" with the way traffic ran in Harringay - at which point HoL got up a very well subscribed petition.
Click the 'traffic' tag if you're interested and browse through the 400 odd posts over the past 20 years. You'll understand why it's difficult for even the most glass-half-full type of fellow to feel optimistic.
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Permalink Reply by Cowper
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Hi Hugh;
Thanks for this. The history may go back further than I know, but the point is I want to know what’s happening going forward. That’s what I’d like to know.
If nothing is going to happen, at least we’d know. I’d rather them say we’re scrapping it than keep leading us on for years and years and years. I would hope that you’d agree.
I lived on a busy road growing up. I don’t drive. The only reason I care is because I would like to hold people accountable. I know there’s nothing you can do about the road system, but I’d like someone to have the balls to tell us that. Does that make sense?
I do think something should be done about the horrendous condition of those jutting-out things. They look fricken horrible. I’ve closed a photo of a couple one. There are others that are worse.
James
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I’d rather them say we’re scrapping it than keep leading us on for years and years and years.
I'd rather there were action!
Under the previous crew, a Harringay traffic plan remained in the too-hard basket. It was always likely to stay there.
When the road had been closed for months for bridge re-building, a golden opportunity was missed to effect permanent improvement.
My essay of 161 photos featuring Wightman Road in July 2018 is here.
c. 2019, the Highways Department spent about £1,000,000 on tinkering with Wightman Road and they corrected some of their earlier mistakes.
The previous Leader's pet project (Borough of Culture) is having big public money spent on it and I hear, bigger money is going towards the Borough of Culture Legacy fund.
This is the ongoing Bread & Circuses Strategy to keep the peasants entertained. Meanwhile, the build-outs in Wightman Road are not maintained; here are photos of their state in 201.
The Highways Team love spreading out tarmac; presumably because, unlike earth, it's low maintenance.
Due to the way council departments operate in silos, environmental considerations seem not to figure in Highways' priorities. The more tarmac laid by their contractors, the more there is rainwater run-off. It's Cabinet job among other things, to knock heads together and not simply act as a rubber-stamp. Perhaps the Greens will induce a shake up and a shake out.
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I didn’t mean to or want to start a monster. All I asked is who to contact. I now have that name. That’s all I wanted. Let’s move on. Thank you.
James
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James, many residents in the Ward and further afield are concerned about traffic in Harringay. And even some on this noticeboard! I wish you luck with your contact.
Correction: I took the photos of the build-outs in 2019, not 201 (!)
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Admin for testingPermalink Reply by Hugh -
Sorry, James; perhaps not a very helpful late night response. I guess my point was that 20 odd years of disappointment has left me sceptical on the issue - and the history of this issue is very relevant to what happens in the future.
I think the cycling lobby id hopeful on seeing action on the cycling oriented pats of the plan. However the Green Party's Haringey manifesto for 2026 (HGP-Manifesto-2026-A4-WebFinal-v5.pdf) is strangely silent on the issue.
One of Harringay ward's new councillors Jo Kuper came to my talk at Wood green Library last month and we chatted afterwards. She was very friendly and came across as very competent and well-meaning. She's in the cabinet, and whilst transport is not in her cabinet portfolio, representing our ward means that it's very much an issue for her. So she'd definitely be on my list to contact with your question.
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Hi Hugh;
I sent a message to Gio shortly after I heard from Clive. Thanks.
I’m not going to reply further as I got the information I wanted. Once again, this was not meant to become a monster.
Cheers,
James
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Waking the monster.
The car-owners of the Borough may be attracted to the quote attributed (only) to Isoroku Yamamoto.
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