one at a time, here is a proposal which would almost completely eliminate non-residential through traffic from all of the northern Ladder roads.
The north of the Ladder are the five streets Frobisher, Lausanne, Hampden, Raleigh, and Sydney, along with Wiloughby Rd and Duckets Common. This is an area of similar size to the Harringay Gardens, which gets a lot of car and truck traffic travelling through as a short cut and not stopping in the area. Here is a single small, simple, and cheap fix that would almost completely eliminate all of that through traffic:
Installing a gate preventing traffic entering or exiting from Frobisher Rd to Green Lanes (also see red circle on the map at the bottom for the location). Along with eliminating the through traffic on the residential streets it would also eliminate that traffic from the streets along two sides of Ducketts Common giving a dramatic improvement to the quality of one of Harringay's few green spaces. But wait, there's more, if all that isn't enough this would also relieve congestion at the busy Green Lanes / Alfoxton / Frobisher intersection allowing the traffic there to flow more smoothly. An initial reaction might be to think this traffic must just get displaced onto other Ladder roads, but no not really, most would get displaced onto Turnpike Lane and Green Lanes, "A" roads which is where that through traffic is supposed to be anyway, not on residential streets. There is a possibility some of the East bound traffic coming from West Green Rd might still be tempted to detour via Falkland Rd. The solution to that is to switch the direction of Falkland Rd, which would make the detour not worth it and the traffic would instead go up Green Lanes and left onto Turnpike Lane, which is exactly where we want it. The Falkland Rd residents already want their direction changed anyway, and, if the Hewit Rd change goes ahead then this Falkland switch will aid that by adding another West-to-East road to share the Hewit traffic. So win win win all around!
What do you say, how about it?
Update: Instead of the Falkland direction change (crossed out above) it turns out that a better solution for this and Falkland Rd is to have a No Right Turn in to it from Green Lanes, see here for more.
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rom Hampden Road contacted HoL to help get the word out about the group's forthcoming zoom meeting.
Jim said:
We are expecting the next round of consultation for the Ladder traffic project to launch in November.
If we want to see change, improve air quality, reduce through traffic and create safe spaces for our children, we all need to get involved.
So, if you live on the Ladder, please join our next meeting and help secure a greener, cleaner, healthier future for the Ladder"
More about the Harringay Ladder Healthy Streets group on their website.
The meeting will include the latest news on the Ladder traffic project and will feature a guest who's been involved in introducing a low traffic neighbourhood elsewhere in London.
The meeting will be on Zoom at 8pm on Tuesday 11th October.You can register on Eventbrite here.
I would personally urge as many people as possible to join in. Ask questions and express your views so that the traffic measures for the Ladder that are championed to the Council reflect as wide a range of opinion as possible. It's going to be happening here on the Ladder. So, get involved and and try to help shape it or sit by and watch it take shape despite you.
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d of attention. We have been looking out, in particular, for lengthy sections where the tarmac surface is so bad that it needs replacement, rather than mere patching. We have also looked out for sections where there are paving slabs which have subsided and which need to be reseated in order to make them stable and to prevent people from tripping on them. We have been doing this because, the Council’s cabinet will shortly be deciding which repairs or replacements should be given priority this year.
Below is a list of the sections of roadways and footways which seem to us to be the most in need of work, in the order of priority. If anyone feels, though, that we've got anything wrong (whether giving too much prominence to some repairs or failing to mention others) then please make a comment, by 10th June, either by a posting on this site or by email to David.Schmitz@haringey.gov.uk As I go for a run most mornings I'll be pleased to have another look straight away.
Once again, what we are dealing with are the worst sections, where mere patching won't do.
As regards patching, it is correct that the Council has recently been attending to a number of potholes, and obviously any such work is welcome. However, and rather surprisingly, their approach in deciding whether or not to repair has been to measure the depth of each pothole and to base their decision on whether or not the depth exceeds 30 mm.
This seems to be an odd approach because it can lead (and from what I can tell is leading) to potholes being filled which slightly exceed 30 mm while potholes a few feet away are being left, even though they are only slightly shallower. Because a major part of the expense lies in getting people and machinery to the site, rather than in providing the tarmac for filling an extra hole, this seems to be a false economy, as the shallow potholes will soon easily become deep enough. Moreover, some potholes are dangerous, even if they are less than 30mm deep. They can, for example, form a rut which could cause a bicycle to overturn. I will, of course, be questioning this practice with Council officers.
Here, now, is the list which Karen and I have prepared: FOOTWAYS
Fairfax Road: Many paving slabs are subsiding and need to be reseated; the tarmac is in need of relaying throughout on both footways.
Lausanne Road: Tarmac requires complete relaying on both sides. Sydney Road: Tarmac requires complete relaying on both sides. Hampden Road: Tarmac requires complete relaying on both sides. Pemberton Road: Tarmac requires relaying between no. 40 to Wightman Road on South footway. Alfoxton Avenue: Many paving slabs are subsiding and need to be reseated. Harringay Gardens: Many paving slabs are subsiding and need to be reseated. Endymion Road: Many paving slabs are broken and require repair or replacement. Colina Road: Many paving slabs are subsiding and need to be reseated.
ROADWAYS Seymour Road: The roadway requires relaying between Wightman Road and Harringay Passage. Beresford Road: The roadway requires relaying between Wightman Road and Harringay Passage.
Raleigh Road: although 1/3rd of the roadway was completely re-laid, 2/3rds has not been and requires this.
Colina Mews (south of Park Road): The roadway requires relaying.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
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l our walled off front 'gardens' belong to us.
However, my argument in favour of M.K.&Sons at No.7 would be more one from 'use and custom' over 20+ years in their case, and that of their predecessors back to the time of Messrs Dawes at No.7 and Messrs Durant at No.3 a century earlier. In the case of M.K.&Sons' Grocers that use and custom has consisted of two or three weekly deliveries from the wholesalers using their own van. I think that has established the 'prescribed rights' on which the brothers have based their objection and on which I have made mine.
A look at three of the paired photos of this stretch of Wightman Road in Hugh & Alistair's Then & Now Album may be of interest. Clearly this short 'mall' of shops, like those opposite (from the Railway bar/Shelton Hotel to Umfreville Rd and between Umfreville & Atterbury Rds) has been devoid of any fixed obstuction or extension since the area was built 120+ years ago. Instead what we see are three uninterrupted and well-paved frontages with a succession of attractive shop fronts each shaded by an equally attractive awning.
Surely a strong 120+ year-old argument, ab hac urbe condita, for not allowing some tatty permanent obstructive extension now ?
At least two of the above posts argue for allowing La Vina its decking as a means of safeguarding the future of a local business. Precisely my reason for opposing their decking as an obstruction to the future of a local business.
M.K.&Sons Grocer/Off Licence/Newsagent is the last "corner" shop serving the Wightman Rd community until you reach the Ser Aydin "supermarket" a kilometre away at No.280 on the corner of Hampden Rd. (The nearest shop is the newly named 'Istanbul' Greengrocer/Off Licence across the (very steep) railway bridge on Quernmore Road by Stroud Green Library.)
No doubt all three of those local 'malls' have fallen on evil days as far as external appearance and vibrant business is concerned. (I wonder why!) No doubt, also, La Vina is the most attractive and vibrant of the whole lot. Let's make sure their plans for their own success (by attracting smoking diners) doesn't make life and business more difficult for their longer established neighbours.
btw: Is there any budding business(wo)man out there who would like to rent or buy No.5 Wightman Rd for some venture to appeal to the discerning residents and the passing commuter trade? Your success could help spur both La Vina and M.K.&Sons to raise their game.
Finally, Adrian, we are not going to remove those other parking 'obstacles'. They are the only two mature trees surviving over several hundred yards of Wightman Road!…
fell foul of Council plans and policies.
The planning application was refused, but it's being resubmitted and tonight there's a developer-run consultation meeting. In checking something on that, I came across a the Draft Site Allocations Development Plan document which shows that the site has been earmarked a a "Housing Trajectory Site".
Housing Trajectory sites are sites of over 0.25Ha in size which do not require an allocation. This may be because the site already holds planning consent, or be- cause the Council believes their delivery can be adequately managed using poli- cies contained in the 2006 UDP or its future replacement, the Development Management DPD, when the site comes forward.
To the cynic this may sound like a planning application is a done deal.
That was surprise enough. Imagine my surprise, however in the remainder of the document I saw I saw quite how much of Harringay is also included in this category or in the "Site Allocation" category these latter are "key development sites which will accommodate the majority of development in the borough over the next 20 years".
For the avoidance of doubt, there's:
1. The Hornsey Station Development
2. Jewsons on Wightman Road
3. Vale Rd
4. Arena Retail Park
5. "Greater Ashfield Road"
6. St Ann's Hospital.
I'm not quite sure of the implications of this, but I think a few of us ought to get interested sharpish. There's a consultation period ending on Feb 28th. It's up for discussion in the area forum - Tuesday, 21st January.
Full DPD document attached.
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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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four carriages which were "quadruple articulated" on five bogies and known as "quad-arts". The articulation kept the overall length down which was necessary with the restricted platform lengths available at such stations as Moorgate. The carriages were of the compartment type with what are now called "slam" doors. Each compartment seated 12 passengers ("customers" were still in the future!) and the whole train 648. Overcrowding is not a new thing so there could be another 200-300 passengers standing.
The large pipe on the locomotive running from the smokebos to the top of the side tank was provided so that the exhaust from the chimney could be deflected into the tanks when running in the tunnels between Kings Cross to Moorgate. This worked to a certain extent but it was always a bit "smokey". In the sery early days the engine crews were given permission to grow beards to give them some protection although the "atmosphere" was reckoned to be good as a cure for asthma and bronchitis!
Provision was made in the design of the carriages for motor bogies to be added as there were proposals for the suburban lines to be electrified. The LNER, as it was then, suffered badly from the 1930s depression so electrification had to wait to a different age.
These trains, in two sets of five carriages (hence "quint-arts) were first introduced on the suburban services out of Liverpool Street Station and the weight of all the extra standing passengers on the Enfield Town branch caused the underframes to deflect so that some of the doors could not be opened!
The photo also shows the new section of footbridge leading from Hampden Road to the booking office. The original was destroyed when some bombs fell on the tracks during the Second World War. The damage to the tracks was quickly repaired but it was some years after the end of the War before the section of the footbridge was replaced and then without the roof of the original.…
needs resources to even up the dialogue with a bloke running a local website in his spare time.
Fairview has used its corporate might to present an exhaustive planning submission. Both the design and scale of their submission is self-evidently aimed at maximising the chance of their success. I have pointed freely to that submission.
What I have also done is to try and bring a little balance to the planning process. The way it works right now is that developers have a huge amount of resources with which to make their case. For their part residents have whatever time, knowledge and organisation is available to them. Very often all three things are running on empty and most often their voice is a tiny squeak that doesn't get heard or gives up the ghost before the finishing line.
I've tried to shine light on a parts of the case that might otherwise not get visibility and on the law that would otherwise stay unknowable. It's not my place to augment the ample resources of the developer. What I CAN do is to act honourably enough so as not to conceal the facts they present. This much I have done by freely linking to their submission papers. You'll note a the complete opposite approach from the developers however. Why do you think they set up a totally separate website?
I have a free and clear conscience as to what I have done. Please explain exactly what else you think I should have done.
Let me repeat once again my position on a development on the Hampden Road site. I'm in favour of it. But I'm not in favour of an inappropriate development such as the one that is currently in submission.
As to the casual slinging of accusations of nimbyism, please read my post from a few months back.…
mmunity the development occurred in and it is supposed to be used on a variety of projects locally to enhance local infrastructure.
Priorities can include:
Road and footpath improvements
Tree planting
New or improved play spaces and facilities
Community safety measures (eg CCTV, lighting)
New or improved cycling facilities
Traffic calming measures
Improvements to school grounds and buildings
The improvement of local facilities such as libraries, community centres or sports halls
The council are now consulting about how this ‘neighbourhood portion’ is to be spent. To give you an idea what we are talking about, this is from the relevant page in relation to how much has already been collected and how much may be if current developments go ahead:
CIL Area
Neighbourhood Portion of CIL Received
Additional CIL Funding Expected based on existing Planning Permissions *
Zone 4 (Harringay and Noel Park wards)
£249,440
£515,738
Zone 6 (Seven Sisters, St Ann’s and West Green wards)
£5,423
£110,203
Zone 6 is the gardens… It is not clear if the additional £0.5m is the total CIL expected for Zone 4 or the amount of the ‘neighbourhood portion’ we might expect in this area. I have asked Zena to clarify if she can and will come back to you on this.
This looks quite interesting and you have until 30th Nov to get your ideas in.
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Added by Justin Guest at 14:41 on October 10, 2018