In my last post on this subject which covered the first meeting, I wrote "This really is a great opportunity to make some significant quality of life enhancing changes to our neighbourhood."
That meeting was on 13th October. Last week, on 24th, there was a follow up meeting. We were presented with a summary of the first meeting interpreting what the consultants described as "what people think they want". (Yup, I picked them up on that one.).
You'll see the range of ideas covered is quite broad, but then we were encouraged to be broad. We were also told to think about plans for the Green Lanes Corridor, not just the road itself.
At last week's meeting we were presented with three plans. Copies of the diagrams representing them are attached below. In each case I was at pains to get a very clear articulation from the consultants of what the objective is for each plan. I have recorded these below. The plans are:
1. Duckett's Common
Primary objective: Though not clear from the diagram, the primary objective is "to create a safer" pedestrian crossing at Frobisher Road".
Secondary objective: To create more public space (in the area opposite the Queen's head, by moving the point that the feeder road from West Green Road joins Green Lanes).
2. Salisbury/Warham Street improvements
Primary objective: "a better shopping environment"
This plan involves widening pavements between Hewitt and Warham. Buses will be prioritised. This will have the effect of constricting the flow of all other traffic along Green Lanes.
3. Sainsbury's
Primary objective: Ease traffic flow (by eating in to the Arena Car park sufficiently so as to 'indent' the bus stop)
Secondary objectives:
a. to make it easier for pedestrians to move about (through shifting crossing opposite McDonalds to north of the Bridge and by improving the crossing at the Green Lanes end of Williamson Road).
b. to improve the entrance to Harringay
So that's yer £1.2m gone. At the first meeting expectations were raised that the safety, quality of life and health issues created by high levels of traffic in residential streets could be addressed.
This time round - who knows why - all options on that score have been closed down.
I'm aware that the Green Lanes crossing at Frobisher has been a key concern for local people fro a number of years. So that one gets a tick from me. But, actually the major money in that plan will be spent creating a public space. Very nice; laudable idea, but this is in in an area where we already have public spaces Duckett's Common and Green Gate Common. More would be nice but are not a priority at that particular point. And for that reason, newpublicspace, you're fired.
Wider pavements and stuff between Hewitt & Warham. Again nice, but not my priority.
Moving the bus stop in? I can live with that as a reflection of resident's priorities. Since the council messed up that end of Harringay we've needed something improved. This will help somewhat. And I can see the sense of easing/changing pedestrian movements in that area. Sure why not.
So in summary I see a couple of nuggets that reflect what residents have said in several surveys that they want, but I don't see these plans taken as a whole as reflecting the priorities of local people.
Ach, who cares.....only £1.2m......it's not our money......let's just let them spend it how they want, eh.
Anyway, let's try something new to comment on & discuss this issue:
Vote and comment on the plans and add your own ideas here
Tags for Forum Posts: consultation, green lanes corridor, harringay regeneration 2012-13, traffic
Are the local councillors helping with this at all? After all this is the sort of thing we voted them in for. Shouldn't they be leading this from the front? It's very disappointing to see neither hide nor hair of them now they've been elected.
Good point. Are there any on this list?! I guess not or they would have replied by now?
It is a fair point. They are all signed up. I've also written to each them. So far I've heard back from Karen Alexander with words of support and asking if she can help. I've suggested one or two options. Gina was very good at voicing our needs at the recent TfL funding meeting, but I haven't heard back from her or David yet.
I've just checked and none of them has had the chance to sign the petition yet.
I received an email from Gina Adamou this morning in which she explained that she has been asking for for Ladder traffic to be included within the scope of the TfL funds. She has also written to the council asking the council who made the decision not to consider re-opening the roads in the neighbourhood that have been closed off, but has yet to receive a response.
For me it flashes quickly through black , but then shows up fine. Anyone else having trouble?
Update on petition
After just a week - and the week before Christmas at that - we have 264 signatures. Cllrs Gina Adamou and Karen Alexander have both signed. We've yet to succeed in winning over Cllr David Schmitz.
Haringey's new petition scheme has set levels which trigger actions by the council. 2,200 signatures triggers a debate by the full council. However no distinction is made between borough-wide petitions and local ones. A phone conversation with the officer responsible confirmed that the 2,200 figure was set with the borough in mind. He also confirmed that there is no 'discount' for locally targeted petitions.
2,200 people is just under 1% of the borough's population. That's the level the council has determined is so significant that it warrants a full council debate.
Our petition represents a proportion of Harringay's population 50% higher than that level. So if the council follows the spirit of their policy, we have very good reason to expect that the views of those who have signed are seriously considered.
Good news.
If you've friends and neighbours who haven't yet signed, remind them that all we're asking is that easing Ladder rat running is taken into account, and get then to sign up.
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