Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Life on Green Lanes Boundary: 2 years into the LTNs
I’ve lived on Green Lanes for a while now, and I wondered how other 'boundary road' residents are doing. While I understand the goal of the LTNs was to reduce traffic on side streets, the reality here on the main road has become incredibly difficult.
Two years on, the congestion outside my door feels constant. More worryingly, my asthma has significantly flared up recently, and I can’t help but link it to the idling engines and poor air quality we’re now facing daily.
Does anyone know if there are updated air quality monitoring reports for Green Lanes specifically for 2025/2026? And for those living on boundary roads, how are you coping? I’d love to know if there are any active resident groups focusing on the health impacts for those of us who weren't 'filtered'.
Tags for Forum Posts: traffic
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Grand Parader on
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Hi Jane - really good you posted. And sorry to hear you're experiencing worse breathing /increased asthma.
My perception is that I'd been experiencing progressively cleaner air on the street (Grand Parade in particular) - having lived on Grand Parade since the 80's and been a cyclist all that time, and a spell of buggy-pushing to local schools, the seemingly massive drop in diesel exhaust has been the biggest change - buses, taxis - all electric now, and a fair proportion of cars. The taste of diesel exhaust on your tongue is largely gone when cycling up the street. BUT interesting what Jamie says about brakes, tyre wear, road abrasion being a major part of particulates.
Reliable monitoring & statistics would be really useful as I'm not experiencing Grand Parade/Green Lanes traffic as being much different to any years/decades before. It's usually/often been a crawl. The minute it's less congested, cars/vans are moving faster, and it feels much less safe for cyclists and pedestrians (me at least).
Anyway I hope you find some relief for your asthma. I am also going to look at air purifiers - as all Grand Paraders get a lot of airborne dust from Green Lanes.
And for the record, there are likely 1500-2000 residents living above the shops, Harringay bridge > The Salisbury - usually missed out from Harringay residential campaigns /discussions.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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there are likely 1500-2000 residents living above the shops, … usually missed out from Harringay residential campaigns /discussions.
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It seems to me that this group of residents have a common interest.
Haringey Council prefers to deal with organisations (like themselves) rather than with individuals. This is why they listen closely to shopkeepers, collectively organised as the Green Lane Traders Association. As a lobbying group, the Association is effective in representing business interests. Only.
Unless GL residents organise themselves to represent their interests to the council, the ground (or in this case, the air) is ceded to those who have organised.
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As a pedestrian living to the west of Green Lanes and needing to go to a shop in GL, I use the Ladder Passage as far as possible to go north and south, in order minimise the time spent in the stench of fumes in GL. It serves as an open running sewer of pollution. The council has long felt powerless to take action. They care about air pollution, but not enough to do anything.
The Director of Public Health is silent.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Roberts on
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Thanks, Grand Parader, that’s really interesting. And heartening about the diesel, which makes sense. Where we are, past the Salisbury towards Turnpike Lane, there’s definitely more traffic, others including our taxi driver neighbour regularly remark on it too— though an upside I didn’t mention, is regarding speeding: cars used to literally race on this strip of road but now they can’t, ha!
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Permalink Reply by Itsjono
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This makes no sense. There’s no other north-south route. Traffic that used to use Green Lanes is still using Green Lanes, it just has fewer places to enter & exit. Where has the other traffic come from?
Bear in mind, there is 25-30% LESS traffic using Downhills Way. All that motor traffic used to filter north and south through the side roads between Lordship Lane and St. Anns Rd, but it could not go any further. It all ended up on Green Lanes, or Tottenham High Rd. So where is the extra Green Lanes motor traffic coming from?
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