Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
We need a Traffic and Parking Review in Harringay
Harringay desperately needs a traffic and parking review, we have got to the stage that the amount of traffic coming down the ladder roads really needs to be dealt with. I will be writing to officers and the lead member because we can no longer I believe sustain this inequitable distribution of traffic in the area.
This morning on my way to work I witnessed some amazing community action and spirit from businesses on Green Lanes. An elderly man was hit by a car turning right out of Pemberton Rd. Whilst I didn't see the accident I did see the shop owners come out and one young woman from the jewellers recorded the driver who we initially thought had abandoned his car and fled the scene. The driver did come back as he had gone to get help, however the locals were not taking any chances. I looked like a leg injury and the police assured me he would be ok, however it could have been far worse.
I am receiving emails from residents angry at the level of traffic coming down their roads which is impacting on their houses and quality of lives. I would really be interested to hear more residents views on the issue.
Emine
Harringay Ward Councillor
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jayvee on
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Cllr, are you referring to the rising bollards on warwick gardens? What would you like to see them replaced with?
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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There's nothing much wider than a refuse truck.
Emina, whatever happened to your promised action re the missing 7.5T signage on Turnpike Lane westbound at Wightman Rd ? It's still not there.
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
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Hi John D
Do you mean West bound or south bound as I have previously reported this.
Emine
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As stated, I mean the signage for westbound traffic on Turnpike Lane.
You may have reported this but after six months nothing has been done.
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An access only sign is also missing from the top of Burgoyne. I reported this a year ago and have not received a reply to date.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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They're almost all missing. Strange that.
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They're not needed at the top of the ladder rungs as the signage on Wightman ( in theory ) covers them.
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Quite right about thinking about the wider area.
On the east side of Green lanes, the diy-turnpikelane area: Stanmore/Waldeck Carlingford/Langham road suffers from Green Lanes traffic going to Belmont / West Green Road overspill / ratrunning and Alfoxton Avenue avoidance. Some drivers, including far too many 7.5 tonne (and larger) lorries seem to be unwilling to turn from Green lanes onto West Green road via the traffic light, taking Carlingford instead.
In the opposite direction West Green road traffic lights are being bypassed by traffic from Belmont and West Green road. Stanmore X Langham road bears the brunt.
Rat running through West Green -> Vincent road happens once the traffic lights at belmont turns red. It fascinates me that Linden road got the royal traffic calming treament while completely failing to address the Belmont induced traffic overload in the surrounding streets.
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Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on
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Bit late to this but I'm glad that other people have highlighted the rat runs of Vincent Stanmore and langham rds. I asked the council to check the speeds of cars coming of Belmont and heading down langham rd, or the other direction coming up from west green to and was advised that the average was less than 30, which is complete tosh. This was back in 2006 and since then there have been some minor calming measures but cars still accelerate till they reach the humps at either end. A chicane in halfway up would have been ideal, and why can't we have signs to light up when cars go over 20mph as are in evidence all over crouch end?
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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Harringay needs more than just a review – it needs a comprehensive traffic survey as a matter of urgency. Piecemeal tinkering does nothing but shift the problem from street to street and does nothing to solve it.
What would a comprehensive traffic survey throw up and what would it recommend? The council have shired away from tackling this because it falls into the box of “too difficult and too expensive to solve” so it gets swept under the carpet.
There are a number of issues to consider:-
1. The single biggest elephant in the room is of course the closure of Hermitage Road and the gardens. This has had the most negative effect on the ladder roads by pushing all the extra traffic our way. There can no solution to this without looking at opening or partially opening up these roads. The area can then be looked at as a whole which will make traffic reduction and calming strategies easier to implement. The Labour councillors for Harringay ward need to be prepared to go up against their colleagues in St Anns to push for this to happen. Residents in Harringay should be demanding this of their local representatives.
2. When the 20mph scheme went in on Wightman Road I (as local councillor at the time) asked that something be done about the traffic islands which cause particular problems for cyclists. My suggestion that at the very least road markings around them were used to visually narrow them, thereby stopping cars overtaking cyclists at these pinch points was never taken up. Another thing I asked the council to look at was narrowing Wightman Road at a couple of points (there are some good examples in adjacent boroughs) to stop HGVs (though still allowing emergency vehicle access) but again, the council dismissed the idea.
3. The issue of HGVs using our residential roads. Whilst a lot of work has been done to reduce this, it is just a start. The real issue is with enforcement. I have asked for some figures from the council regarding the number of HGVs caught on the camera at Wightman Road/Turnpike Lane and the number of fines issued, paid and appealed, and as a result dropped. The figures are depressing. In the period May to October 2014 1265 PCN’s have been issued in Wightman Rd for the contravention code 52G for vehicles exceeding the weight restriction. The number of PCNs cancelled for various reasons is 511. The number of PCNs paid is 457. Presumably the rest are still pending. Before a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is cancelled Haringey require some form of proof of the right of access such as a delivery note or something similar and if the vehicle owner does not provide this any representations are rejected and normal recovery processes applied. As an example of the potential level of legitimate access, one of the hauliers delivering to the rail depot on Hampden Road can have as many as 10 or 12 deliveries in one day.
4. The issue of the one way streets and how some bear the brunt of more traffic than others. When this was established many years it would have made sense to make Warham Road west to east thereby eliminating the heavy traffic flow running from Tottenham as this is a natural course. When work was being done earlier in the year to deal with the Hewitt Road traffic issue, David Schmitz and I (as ward councillors at the time) suggested to the council that Warham Road should be reversed and adjacent roads looked at very carefully to establish most favourable routes from east to west and then come up with a strategy to address this. Of course, as I have said previously, tinkering like this is unlikely to produce long terms results that work and the only way to do that is a comprehensive traffic survey.
5. Finally, air quality and pollution. The ladder and particularly Wightman Road suffer poor air quality and high pollution. The council has failed residents by not effectively dealing with the issue of HGVs which contribute to poor air quality which in turn affects residents health. I am at the moment looking into this aspect to see if there is any way this can be used as a lever to get the council to take more responsibility.
When David Schmitz and I were councillors for Harringay ward we recognised the problem with traffic on the ladder needed addressing as a matter of urgency. Together with local residents, residents associations and local safety groups we constantly kept pressure on the council to resolve the problem. Indeed, the need became so great that we pledged, backed by our local council group, that if we had taken control of Haringey Council back in May, a comprehensive traffic survey (despite the cost) would be carried out immediately after the election.
It is essential that the current councillors representing this ward pick up the baton on this and keep running with it until they get a win.
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Thanks for the comprehensive summary Karen. Do you know if air quality surveys have been done for the area? This could be an in road (mind the pun) for residents challenging Council inaction on this issue.
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