Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Hewitt Road - oil slick - update
Residents asked me to follow up the issue with the speed hump/service cover and resulting loss of oil from vehicles which (having driven too fast over it) leave a trail of oil.
Here is the response. The replacement cover should fix the issue but of course the larger problem of cars speeding down our roads continues. Its an issue I will continue to address with the council.
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Your enquiry about the Statutory Undertakers service cover in Hewitt Road outside no’40 LBH/2953114
Thank you for your enquiry.
A site inspection has confirmed that the speed hump has been constructed to the correct specification and conforms to the Highways (Road Hump) Regulations 1996, which is laid down by the Department for Transport. The speed at which you approach the hump should take account of the roads layout. The Highway Code states that 'the speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed irrespective of conditions. Driving at speeds that are inappropriate for the road and traffic conditions can be dangerous'.
However, it would appear that the cause of the problem is likely to be the protruding sewer inspection chamber near the speed hump outside no’40.
We will therefore ascertain who is responsible for this cover and request that they arrange replacement for a more modern style cover that will be flush with the carriageway when installed.
Engineering Projects Team
Project Engineer
Sustainable Transport Group
London Borough of Haringey
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gordon T on
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Hey presto!
1) A pair of 'RAMP' roadworks signs (the freestanding sort, white on a red background) are now placed either side of the road immediately before the hump.
2) There are spray-paint markers (looks like marking for where work is to take place) at one side of the road (parallel lines 2-3 metres apart, plus the word hump) a few metres uphill from the current hump.
Good work, Emine and Mr Beattie.
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
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That's great news Gordon! Now let's hope we reach a long term solution to this problem. If I get any further updates I will of course let you all know.
Cllr Emine Ibrahim
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Now you're just repeating yourself, Clive. And repeating what I've written. But unfortunately without adding anything useful.
Alan, I'm sorry that my thanks and acknowledgement of your efforts have annoyed you. I'd like to think that I've already added something useful; and as for repetition, there's much repetition in this thread and yes, repetition to which I've contributed.
I think repetition is an important part of a campaign, even if it might appear less than perfect form.
Sometimes my experience with the council is, sadly, that valid points need to be repeated ad nauseum before municipal stonewalling is overcome. Sometimes, when there is determined stonewalling, only two things seem to have effect: adverse publicity and the threat of legal action. Unfortunately, both seem to apply here.My sole object is to get this particular problem fixed for local residents, rather than attempt to make wider political points. (However, cuts or no cuts, the Council has in the past been obliged to pay out considerable sums in connection with accidents). Some of your valid points might be better placed in another thread.
I think you too readily dismiss the relevance of the likely legal dilemma faced by the Sustainable Group, particularly if there are pre-existing claims for losses.
I make no apology for repeating the call for some form of warning sign. At the risk of irritating you further, I may continue to call for this, believing that (a) it could be a while before there's a permanent solution and (b) without it, future claims could exceed previous/pending claims.
I found that in a case with which you're familiar (concerning the chief Alexandra Palace miscreant), it was only insistence, persistence, determination – and including repetition – that finally brought about a form of justice.
Councillor (Highgate Ward)
Liberal Democrat Party
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Gordon I did see your message about a sign saying "ramp".
The wording doesn't add much to the obvious existence of a speed hump and I think it deliberately avoids describing the actual risk (of grounding).
I'm not sure its an adequate warning; I thought your own suggested wording would have been more accurate and helpful. If the sign has only just gone in, we'll have to wait and see if it reduces the incidence of oil tank breakage and oil spills.
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Morning Thérèse
Thanks,
If by, a proper traffic survey of the whole area, you mean the ladder roads, then this is properly a matter for local (Harringay) Councillors.
In general however, I agree with you about the need for a better system than speed humps. They have quite a list of drawbacks.
Often the speeding driver does not own his vehicle, does not pay for vehicle maintenance and may be being time-pressed by an employer. Outside my flat there's a Traffic Calming Table (a kind of stretched speed hump). I'm not convinced it's slowed traffic.
When buses (the W5 route) cross it at speed, often the whole house vibrates. There's a double whammy: hitting the approach ramp and then landing on the other side. They require extra maintenance.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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The LibDems offered a comprehensive traffic survey in their manifesto, but obviously that didn't weigh very heavily with the voters.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Neither irritated nor annoyed, Clive. Just hopeful that as you begin four years as a councillor you'll soon realise that while it can be useful to prod the Council into solving one problem at a time, there are also important medium term goals.
A key one is the value of "co-production" with other agencies and, crucially, with residents. Let me give a slightly longer quote from Cass Sunstein following his three years as Head of President Obama's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
“This was my biggest surprise, really, in Government. The extent to which learning what the public knows is fundamental to not erring in Government. Greater simplification of the rules promotes informed public comments. And informed public comment promotes simplification. It’s not just sensible to provide people with an opportunity to comment on rules before they’re finalised. It’s indispensable; a crucial safeguard against error."
This is partly about the sovereignty of ‘We the People”. About self government and political legitimacy. But it’s more than that. It’s a point about mistakes and about how to avoid them."
- Cass Sunstein reading from his book “Simpler” (Link to this point in his talk.)
Arriving at a point when vehicles are no longer driving over a hump and bashing their oil sump against a metal cover is a small useful step for the residents and drivers in Hewitt Road. It's not a giant leap - or any sort of leap - for Haringey Council as an organisation unless something is learned and changed.
There's also a danger of the wrong learning taking place. In this case, if it simply strengthens a defensive culture. If the lesson is that action is needed only when there are enough lawyers outside circling the Council and firing negligence claims over its walls.
And talking of walls, I think the reason you succeeded in exposing Charles Adje in the Firoka scandal was not because you repeated the same points ad nauseum to overcome municipal stonewalling. It's because - as lawyers sometimes say - you and others built a wall of evidence one solid brick at a time. A wall which Cllr Adje could not demolish.
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Alan I agree with you about the undesirability of individual redresses brought about by legal action.
Sadly, and currently, this can sometimes be the only avenue left open to residents and citizens. I've followed closely several High Court cases where recourse was taken as the last resort and because there was no other way for a fair or reasonable outcome.
I agree about the tendency to a defensive culture. Who do you think should have prime responsibility for reversing this regrettable trait?
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"... the most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen." — Louis Brandeis. U.S. Supreme Court Justice
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Alan I thought you would duck that one and say (in effect) everyone!
i.e. no one takes responsibility.
The best answer of course, as to who is most responsible for reversing any tendency to a defensive culture at a council, is surely the ruling or Majority Group.
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Ah, yes, how convenient. It's the Labour Majority Group's fault.
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