Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The Hell that is Wood Green
Yesterday, I had the misfortune to find myself in the shopping mall. Walking out the big automatic doors and into the crowd of Star Wars pub extras who were smoking, spitting and squabbling on the footpath I witnessed what for me sums up the whole carbuncle on the arse of Haringey that is Wood Green High Road. One of the characters stormed through the crowd with his status dog in tow. I was reflecting on the fact that ‘status’ dogs don't seem to work (as the people who have them only ever seem to be what everyone else in society would consider low status). Everything suddenly went quiet except the ever present sirens. The status dog had stopped and released its copious bowels all over the footpath. It was like turning on the light in an HMO; the cockroaches screamed and scattered. The dog owner laughed and walked on. It was probably one of the most disgusting things I have seen or smelt in London. Eventually the crowd returned and watched the next horde trample the mess up and down the road. There was no-one to turn to, no-one to clean up and more importantly no-one with the authority to challenge and/or shoot the dog owner. Things just returned to normal.
The whole experience made me think how the council, local police and traders believe that we're all animals if they are happy for us to have to deal with this every time we go to the High Road. It's easy enough for me to hop on a bus and head off to Crouch End or Islington or even Enfield to shop but if you're older or disabled and have trouble getting around or not enough money for the bus it must be pretty grim to face it every day. Imagine how the standard little old lady dreads heading out into the crowds, litter, phlegm, smoke and anti-social behaviour of Wood Green every morning to get the milk.
Short of manning water cannons at each end of the High Road and employing some mercenaries with batons to control the crowds, I don’t know what can be done. Are there any clever ‘nudges’ or interventions that could improve Wood Green? Is it a matter of tarting the place up and hoping that the crowds respect their new surroundings? Is it signage to remind, and in many instances educate, people that spitting, littering and barging into other people is just not the done thing? Or do we just give up, bulldoze the lot and install a waterhole in the middle and let the law of the jungle and the status dog owners prevail?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jamie To on
-
I have experienced it and so has my family (one member only being about 6 months old so I am sure he did not antagonise or intimidate others)
-
Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
-
I had my iphone stolen 2 years ago was pick pocketed. It was at Stratford Westfield.
-
Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on
-
Gosh Sharon thats pretty lucky, I consider my list pretty good considering the number of years I have lived here! possibly walking along with me artisan loaf poking out of a john lewis canvas shopping bag won't be helping....
Agree on the Brent Cross and Westfield front I dislike them both immensly and would avoid at all costs , much prefer pottering around different shops that are not all chains
-
-
I totally agree Tamara, but to avoid trouble its best to stay away from areas with antisocial behaviour. It is a shame one has to result to this.
-
-
to be fair there has been a lot of trouble in Upper Street lately and I love shopping at the little shops there, thats the problem her ethough isnt it - people are really put off by the seemingly threatening groups and actual anti social behaviour of some people. The problem with WG is that there are too many areas for people to congregate and not enough room to walk on the pavement freely agree needs prettifying a lot - and also proper policing to make sure that people behaving in an anti social way understand that thats not ok. hopefully you will feel safe enough ot come back one day!
-
-
Thanks Tamara. Unfortunately Haringey Council don't seem to be doing much or care or the police so my only choice is to avoid Wood Green all together. Even if you do not go to trouble, trouble will come to you.
-
-
oh thats awful for you and your family, no-one should be subjected ot that kind of abuse - I know weirdy cycle man went for my husband and I when we were pushing the buggy along and I was pretty terrified about protecting my kid. Its a shame that no-one is taking you seriously and that you can't go to your local high st
-
-
some awful guy that followed us through the high st last summer and started screaming abuse at us for no reason we were just walking along minding our own business with the kid in the buggy, he started to threaten my husband saying he was going to hurt him and then threw his bike to ground and stood blocking our path telling us he was a lawyer and he was going to sue us... we had to call the police as we were pretty terrified - he went off when I called them and they didnt track him down, have never seen him again and I have no idea what on earth we did to upset him!
-
-
-
Yes it is awful to live in Haringey full stop. My sister was also walking my little nephew in his little buggy. He was asleep and some idiot thought it was funny to pop his balloon and almost knocking his buggy over. When we confronted the culprit my sister was addressed with verbal abuse. Would you take your family down Wood Green let alone a little baby?
-
-
-
Only about 2 weeks ago, there was a young lady who lived about 10 doors away threatened to burn me and my neighbour alive in our houses. The police have been completely useless.
I had a man living next door (rented accommodation) lining tvs out on my front wall. When I asked him nicely to remove them, he told me the wall did not belong to me and put his hand down his pants and told me I needed a bit of that.
-
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
