Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Traders fear parking charge rise from £2.80 to £6 will kill off shops
Traders in Harringay have hit out at parking charge hikes which they warn could spell the death of their high street by “driving away” potential customers. Shoppers will now have to shell out £6 to park for up to two hours on the stretch of Green Lanes next to the Harringay Ladder, and business-owners say the increase from £2.80 imposed by Haringey Council is already costing them dearly.
Clive Disney, 49, of Disney’s furniture shop, a family business which has been based in Grand Parade since 1913, told the Advertiser: “People are going to pull up to the meter, see the charge of £6 and drive off.
“This is going to have a really big impact, especially in the current trading situation. If times were good, it is something we would fight anyway but so many businesses are really struggling at the moment.
“Already we get so many people ringing up for a quote because they say they passed by and couldn’t find a parking meter or it was too expensive to stop.
“The trading estate is just up the road and it is free to park up there. We are supposed to compete on an even basis with those shops but it’s impossible.
“Once we have got the customers in the shop we can hopefully impress them with our service and the more personal experience of shopping at an independent, family-run shop like ours, but if we can’t get them in in the first place we don’t stand a chance.”
Shefik Mehmet, chairman of the Harringay Traders’ Association, called an emergency meeting of traders on Tuesday afternoon to address the issue.
He said: “I get calls every day from traders reporting back from their customers about parking problems. We are being classed the same as the Wood Green shopping centre area which is ridiculous. “This is going to make things very difficult for business-owners and we are going to see more shops closing.”
Councillor Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at the council, said that the rise in parking charges was the first since 2008.
“Careful consideration was given to the impact of the increased costs, and the changes were introduced in April following a consultation period, including a survey of visitors to the area,” she said.
“The popularity of Green Lanes as a shopping area means that demand for parking is very high. We hope that the new charges will encourage a turnover of use – discouraging drivers from taking spaces for too long and allowing more shoppers to visit the area, which will be of benefit to traders.”
Story from Haringey Advertiser
Tags for Forum Posts: high street parking, high streets
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JeremyS on
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Look, here's a revolutionary idea. How about selling stuff that people who actually live here want to buy? They could then thumb their noses at the council charges.
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Permalink Reply by JulieB on
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Good point, I live locally and very rarely use any of the shops on Green Lanes.
I think something should be done about the congestion on Green Lanes, I would go as far as permanent bus lanes and no parking.
There is metered parking at the end of each Ladder road and also in the little cross streets along the Gardens, and there are 3 frequent bus routes.
I am frequently held up in traffic by people coming out of shops, getting back in their cars and then doing a 3 point turn in the middle of Green Lanes.
Since I've lived in the area (8 yrs) a child and an elderly person have been killed on this stretch of Green Lanes so the congestion (and bad driving) needs to be addressed somehow.
We've had a massive hike in the price of residents parking permits so it's to be expected that metered parking is increasing also.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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It is the only road of its kind in London without a red route...
You very much underestimate the pedestrian fatalities.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Can you please post the figures you have, John, and say where they were sourced?
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John, I wasn't suggesting you were talking shit. Nor that there are no serious accidents or fatalities on Green Lanes; or the Ladder roads; or the Gardens roads. I was interested and assumed you'd got the figures.
What I do know is that both the Council and Transport for London use accident statistics to plan expenditure on new projects for road safety improvements and other related measures.
It may seem grisly to make decisions based on past deaths and injuries. But it has a grim logic.
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Ah yes, that's why they closed off the gardens.
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As you know very well, John, traffic calming in the Gardens was based on Bollardian Algebra, a very different kind of logic.
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Someone does have the actual figures for the ladder. They were being bandied about at an LCSP meeting a while ago and I think Hugh has them. I can't find them on here though.
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Permalink Reply by KP on
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Yep I agree JulieB. The traffic congestion along Green Lanes is a nightmare and think measures to discourage parking are welcome. Apart from buying a few groceries I never shop in the area either. If there was more variety it might become a lot more appealing for locals. How about a gift shop. A deli. At the moment I go to Crouch End for that type of thing. The grocery shops are great but they all sell the same things.
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Permalink Reply by Inkjetpack on
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So what shops would you like on Green Lanes?
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Or perhaps a wider question. What range of shops on Green Lanes offering what types of goods and services would persuade you to switch to local stores for a significant slice of your weekly household purchasing?
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