Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wightman road - surely 6 lane junction at north end creates extra traffic?
There's a lot of ongoing discussions on this site regarding local traffic issues, with the volume of traffic on Wightman road a key issue, both making Wightman road unpleasant (even with the poorly signposted 20 zone), and creating more traffic on the ladder.
Given this, I was amazed a couple of weeks ago to see the design of the junction of Wightman road & Turnpike line, which basically tells drivers 'come on in, this is a big through road'...
Wightman road at this junction has an amazing 6 lanes, in strong contrast to the one each way further south.
Maybe traffic volumes would reduce if there was a redesign of this junction, narrowing down & making Wightman Road much less attractive to through traffic?
If you don't see the junction often (I was on a passing bus), then the google street view of the junction is here (if the very long URL survives...):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocod...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Apologies, my mistake I thought it said Rutland when I looked before, hence my question about the Gardens.
You most probably did see very few cars on Seymour. It's probably the one Ladder road that's benefited from the changes, as most Ladder locals will know.
If you buy a house on a relatively quiet road and it subsequently becomes a rat run as a direct result of ill thought out changes made by the Council, of course people will be miffed.
As you say, you haven't lived in the area long enough to have witnessed the changes. We're not talking about a typical increase of traffic caused by increased levels of car ownership in the city. We're talking about sudden and dramatic jumps directly related to traffic flow changes made by the Council.
There is plenty of evidence showing how increased levels of traffic negatively impact on the physical and psychological quality of life. It's not just people whining Dominic. People have seen a significant decrease in the quality of life in their homes and know that it is directly attributable to poorly thought through Council decisions. Should people just shrug their shoulder and conclude the Council knows best?
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Permalink Reply by Dom G on
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Hi Hugh,
My brothers have lived on Green Lanes for 15 years, so I've witnessed lots of the changes, but can't say I've lived through them. I also run a local company with several vehicles and know very well that the current traffic flow adjustments cause strange build-ups and bottlenecks and unfairly disadvantage some roads.
The difference in our approaches is that I would want to see traffic calming measures removed completely in most cases, not added to.
Of course traffic negatively impacts on people's lives - so moving our share from 'our' place to 'their' place is just selfish, I think.
Which are the roads that residents claim there are the most problems? I know the area well, I spend my life trudging these roads!
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Who says that's the difference to our approach? You're making assumptions. I'd be quite happy if the roads were put back to how they were pre 2000. That would work for me - re-open the Gardens & Hermitage, make the Ladder roads two-way again.
Moving traffic to the Ladder is just what's caused the problem. All I seek is to address that, whether that's by undoing the changes or making additional changes.
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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I think you are probably right Hugh.
All over London there are examples of large traffic management schemes, originally planned to make things better, which have been removed and where improvements to the quality of life for residents and businesses have often occurred virtually overnight.
i.e. Shoreditch one-way system.
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Permalink Reply by DavidJ on
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I have lived here for over 25 years and would say that the traffic calming measures have made a huge positive difference to the area. I am very, very glad we no longer have cars travelling at regularly at 40, 50 mph down these narrow streets.
Over the past 30 or so years we have allowed cars to dominate our environment to a remarkable extent. As others have suggested, it is difficult for some to imagine that streets had others uses, than as highways for cars, only a few decades ago.
We need to have fewer cars, fewer journeys. I would certainly support radical moves such as useage/ congestion charges that might have a widespread impact. In the meantime we can argue for changes at a local level - I don't think this is selfish it is simply a realistic means of achieving change . 'They' can argue for 'their' areas - rest assured 'they' are doing so.
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Yes, David, on Seymour it has done. You've been very lucky. Other roads have not fared so well. I think if the direction of travel on Seymour was reversed you may feel differently.
Glad to hear that nonetheless you support changes at the local level. Certainly much needed -
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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@DavidJ - that's interesting. Seymour is a road to nowhere now. I can't think of a desire line that it would be on, even the other way... perhaps left onto Green Lanes and right at St Ann's? Back then the gardens were open to through traffic so I can't think that this would have been more of a problem than what Hewitt has at the moment.
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@John. Precisely yes - it was the west to east route of choice. You could get directly on to St Ann's road with the right helped by the lights.
Green Lanes was always a very, very busy slow moving road which people would avoid. I know its heresy for a ladder resident to say but I don't think the gardens' closure made such a huge difference.
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Hi Everyone,
Maybe there should be a petition, then, to remove all the traffic management measures?! I must say that I did assume that people's thinking was more along the lines of the proposal by the ward officer. Those I definitely don't agree with.
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Have a read through this thread Dominic and if you look here, you'll see more plans afoot to divert even more traffic on to the Ladder. This crackpot idea had been planned previously and was withdrawn by the council after resident objections. Now, it seems, the othee side of the elections, it's back
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I can guarantee that the area as a whole would see a substantial increase in traffic volumes if the traffic management measures were removed.
In dense urban environments people will be deciding whether to use their cars for a journey based on a range of factors, including congestion, parking, public transport alternatives etc.
The most extreme example of this is the City of London - lots of rich people using public transport to get to work for decades (before the congestion charge) because (i) there's no parking (ii) there is little road space (iii) public transport is good.
Those of you who remember what happened when the M25 opened, with massive traffic on what was expected to be a free flowing, new road - should beware of anything that involves making driving easier in the area.
I personally don't want to go back to constant traffic jams in the gardens, the increased traffic on ladder roads that would be generated by opening up the gardens (particularly on Burgoyne, Cavendish, Duckett & Mattison I would expect), and the general increase in traffic in the area that would occur.
This isn't to say that the current ladder one way scheme is working - in my view increasing control on Wightman is the best way to reduce volumes on the ladder.
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