Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wightman Road closes but opens a new road to cyclists to the city
Has anyone noticed just how many cyclists are now using the closed Wightman Road to commute to the city? I've been watching from my bedroom window (on Wightman Road) for the last few mornings and am staggered by the number of cyclists (and also a fairly large increase in pedestrians). I am sure it's not just my imagination but the amount of cyclists riding along my route into St Pauls seemed to have jumped dramatically over the past two weeks. Could it be that the most terrifyingly dangerous part of the route has now been removed and there is now great joy to both new and old cyclists in journeying along Wightman Road, through Finsbury Park up to Manor House and then beyond into the city? I am convinced that people who would never have considered cycling because of Wightman have now made the switch and would continue if the road was made safer.
Endymion Road in both directions at 8.15am for the last couple of mornings has been pretty much as clear as it always is, certainly no huge build up of traffic. Of course I don't know what the current picture is at the northern Turnpike Lane/Hornsey end but I hope it is an improving situation.
I appreciate drivers have been inconvenienced and that some of the businesses on Wightman are suffering. It says a huge amount about the wonderful community here on the Ladder that there is already talk about how we can help them through this period.
The council took a bold decision to close the road while the bridge works advance but it has given us the unique opportunity to see what a wonderful place Wightman Road could be. It is a narrow, winding, hilly, wholly residential road which was never intended to take the 120,000 vehicles a week it is currently carrying. And before people tell us how it was our choice to live on a busy road and we knew what we were getting let me just say that when we bought our house in 1996 the road was nowhere near as busy and what it has become is neither what we and other residents expected or deserved. In time traffic will find another way and is a slightly longer journey really such a hardship when there are so many long term benefits.
The benefits of a long term closure are huge (though it may not seem so to drivers using it as a cut through) in terms of a healthier environment for Wightman Road residents and by default Ladder road residents too, a safe cycle way to the city, a much better environment for people to walk, reduction in vehicle traffic – the list goes on.
The Green Lanes Traffic Survey continues – I am confident that it will show that the key to the traffic issues on the Ladder start with Wightman Road, address that and the rest will follow. One thing is for certain – we can't allow things to go back to how they were before!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by andy h on
-
STOP, the estate agent speak. It's the 'Woodlands Park Estate' as etched into the house at the end of cranleigh rd.
It was written long before any of us existed and will be here long after we're gone.
That is unless we all get turned into Woodbury down and the ladder and gardens are Chinese buy to leave.
-
-
It would take me years to sort that out Hugh. Im a confirmed ludite.
Junction of cranleigh and blackboy, look for the narrow garage entrance on the right (looking back down cranleigh) and look up - 1st floor level - must have looked beautiful when first built.
-
-
You might be happy with the Salisbury but I'm ceding my fravorite boozers and my favorite beer. Redemption- hopspur.
The Salisbury won't stock it because they believe it's too partisan
-
Permalink Reply by DavidJ on
-
I would join in Redemption - but I'd prefer Trinity. Or does that have connotations too?
-
-
You'll have to ask Dave at the Salisbury. When I got 'TOLD' they had .loads of things on tap like 'red ale'
'Gunners gulp' and 'Manc munch'
-
-
My impression is that this week Green Lanes is generally less congested than last week - even though it was expected to be worse, due to the kids that get driven to school.
Presumably people are changing their travel patterns - as happens when road space is restricted. Conversely, providing new road space will increase traffic volumes, which given the already unhealthy levels of air pollution is not a particularly good idea.
Re Cycle routes - I do use Green Lanes, and it isn't very nice. A few things could be done to improve it, for example creating an easy (& legal) route across from Southbound Green Lanes to Lothair Road North, which can then get you into Finsbury Park.
On Wightman Road, I agree that it was quite nasty to cycle on prior to the closures, lots of bends and fast traffic. However, the biggest block for me has been the start of the route, straight up Cavendish Road, which is just a bit too steep!
-
Permalink Reply by Peter Chalk on
-
Does anyone know the formal procedure for applying for it to be made permanent? Is it Haringey's decision or the Moyor of London or both? Is government involved? Would a petition help? I have no idea!
-
Permalink Reply by Paulie on
-
I don't believe that the whole of Harringay north of St Ann's Road and east of Green Lanes is called or was ever called the Woodlands Park estate nor, indeed, that it has ever had an official name. Harringay Road and Glenwood Road are in that part of Harringay but the houses on both sides are clearly very different from those on Clarendon, Cranleigh and Conway Roads.
-
-
I'm not sure Paulie, I have only ever assumed that the area from woodlands park road to the end of cranleigh, including areas north and south of cranleigh (but not including black boy lane - it predates anything else I believe) would be part of it.
I did refer earlier to northeast harringay and woodlands park . But I guess you'd need to look at the old maps and exact dates of development to work that out.
But obviously at some point the developer or land owner had an idea of a grand scheme. Otherwise why commit the name to the side of a building.
I always liked the idea of 'the woodland park estate' in the days it was developed it shows ( if now misplaced ) a certain ambition.
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
