Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wightman Empty & Getting Peopled
On a quick trot down to Turnpike Lane I thought again how pleasant it is to see people out on the street. Click each picture for a clearer version.
Tags for Forum Posts: traffic, wightman bridge, wightman bridge closure
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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I'm only passing on the information I have been provided with so don't shoot the messenger (or call me orgasmic which I don't appreciate) while I explain how it was explained to me. The Traffic Management Orders, the legal documentation required to.close the roads, are project specific and time-bound and cannot be legally extended. If the Council wanted to close the roads permanently they can apply for new Traffic Management Orders but only after having followed due process including consultation with statutory consultees and the public and that takes time. And there simply isn't enough time to achieve that before the current TMOS expire. If they kept the roads closed without a valid TMO in place, that would be illegal and they could be sued. So in the long term, permanent road closures are a possibility, but come September the roads will have to reopen in the interim. If anyone can provide information that this isn't an accurate precis of the legal position with TMOs, I'd love to hear it.
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Keeping Wightman closed would be a monumental waste of tax payers money. Why make a decision to keep it closed after spending millions on replacing the bridge. Surely the council and tfl could not agree to replace a road bridge then close the road it serves. I imagine a footbridge would be cheaper.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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The bridge has to be rebuilt because this piece of Victorian infrastructure is slowly collapsing onto the railway line below it. I suspect the decision to rebuild was drive more by not having it drop onto the railway line as much as the road traffic using it.
So, if it were closed to road traffic, the rather more significant economic benefit of keeping the railway line open would likely out trump any economic benefit derived from allowing road traffic to flow over it- given the cars can use alternative routes and trains cannot.
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I think the point here is why build a £3.5 million road bridge to nowhere
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Understand the need to replace the bridge but surely don't rebuild a road bridge if you are going to close the road.
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Permalink Reply by Rich on
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I assume even if they did close Wightman permanently there would still be some need for access for residents, plus they wouldn't necessary have to break the road up quite as they have now I guess. Some clever one way systems to stop through traffic may be employed, plus Jewsons would need access for heavy vehicles, which I would expect they would still want to send over the bridge rather than down ladder roads.
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On our ladder road we get a lot less heavy traffic now that there isn't any point for them to flaunt the law/nowhere for them to go. It is blissful. All this talk about permanently closing roads - isn't all this part of the traffic study i.e. to reduce traffic for us all, reduce rat running and reduce speed?
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Well precisely - the Council will act on the results of the traffic study, not just bow to public opinion. But to think any of the recommendations or consultations can be achieved before September is unrealistic. The traffic survey has even been completed yet.
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The Traffic Study has barely started Antoinette...
In answer to Charlotte's question the Traffic Study will be rather more wide ranging than just focussing on Wightman as you might imagine- though one possible option the Study will examine will likely be the closure of Wightman (among others). It should report back towards the end of the year, sadly after the bridge has reopened.
A key element of any decision made will be the level of public support for various options that the Study might throw up. That means it is critical that all those that who are suddenly realising there may be the potential for meaningful change, and that have seen an example of the benefits the Wightman closure could have for the area, must stay engaged, keep talking on media like HoL to keep ideas flowing and awareness high, engage with their elected representatives to make sure they are fighting their corner, respond to consultation requests and feedback when the Study asks for feedback and (critically) attend the public consultation events that will occur over the 6 month period of the Study and where decision makers will be present!
This sounds like a big ask, but hopefully the Wightman closure will indicate the possible benefits of getting and staying involved. If we are to make real change we have to demonstrate to the council that there is significant backing for change- and that the call is not being made by a narrow group of locals with their own personal agendas. We hope a lot of the heavy lifting will be carried out by various community bodies, such as the LCSP, GRA, Friends of various areas (Duckets, Fairlands, the Passage, etc), but I would encourage you to feed your thoughts and desires through these community bodies to make sure you voice is heard. The worst thing that could happen is that people's attention fades...
Justin
Chair LCSP Traffic Sub-Group
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Justin, I meant to say the traffic survey hasn't (not has) even been completed yet.... you say "It should report back towards the end of the year, sadly after the bridge has reopened."
So as Chair of the LCSP Traffic Sub Group you are confirming my assertion that the roads will re-open in September...
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Sorry for the delay. As far as I am aware the roads are slated to reopen. I am not sure that Rory's contact in the London Assembly can help much on this as I believe it is in the gift of Haringey Council to make that decision.
Now, that does not mean that if public opinion were so inflamed at the risk of the road being re-opened that decision makers would simply ignore that opinion. September is a fair ways off as yet, and I suspect if the council wanted to keep the road closed it can do so.
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Not without a valid traffic management order it can't....that wouldn't be lawful. The current TMO expires on 31st August 2016.
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