TFL scores Harringay's connectivity as amongst best in North London

Extract from PTAL map showing Harringay  where red equates to central London connectedness levels

Tipped off by a recent Jim Waterson/London Centric's post, I spent a few minutes exploring TFL's PTAL scoring map (Public Transport Access Levels ). Used mainly for assessing appropriate housing densities in planning, it also offers an interesting insight for non-professionals, if used with care.

I say 'if used with care' because in some respects it's a rather crude tool. It scores the public transport connectedness of every location in London depending on walking time to the nearest public transport node, frequency and speed of service.

Extract from full PTAL map with Harringay circled in red. 

Most of central London is 5 (shaded red). As you travel outwards the scores descend down to the lilacs of 1 and cross-hatching of 0. Harringay ranges from 5 to 2. Fair enough as far as it goes, but is still offers some odd results. For example, just above the Passage on Hewitt Road, you're in PTAL 2 territory: walk 2 minutes down the hill to number 130 and suddenly you're in PTAL 5. And again the bottom part of Allison Road is in PTAL 4, whereas the same part of Hewitt Road, equally near to the bus stop outside Salisbury Promenade is PTAL 3. 

So, a useful tool, but I think it needs reading with some finesse. It also reminds us that despite the through-traffic drawbacks of Harringay, we live in a very well connected neck of the woods as far as public transport in concerned.