Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Call for Temporary Car-free Streets in Haringey
A growing number of voices are urging Haringey Council to introduce temporary car-free streets. This has been made possible by a recent change to Government regulations that makes it easier to close off streets to cars during the current crisis.
Local authorities are being given greater powers to create car-free streets during the coronavirus pandemic so walkers and cyclists can practice social distancing more easily.
Brighton and Hove City Council has already closed one major road to cars, with officials also looking at other areas where streets could be closed to traffic.
If councils in England want to close streets to cars it ordinarily takes weeks to implement, but new Government guidance introduced on April 21 cuts red tape so local authorities can speed up the process.
However, the Department for Transport says such measures are only “temporary” and “will be withdrawn once conditions allow”.
Cllr Kirsten Hearn, cabinet member for climate change and sustainability, has shown Haringey's customary lack of enthusiasm for controlling car usage in the borough. She issued a statement responding to the calls saying,
Any decision has to be balanced against the requirements for essential travel during this period, including for critical workers, emergency vehicles, public transport, deliveries and loading activity."
Tags for Forum Posts: coronavirus, traffic
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 0l7ft44vlytse on
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Go down Green Lanes and you'd be hard pressed to know anything was different - there is no safe way to travel in the area apart from the car. As soon as you leave Harringay, Wood Green & Tottenham people are out on bicycles and walking.
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Ah yes the bog standard Haringey pro-car statement... Just Kirsten Hearn has replaced "shoppers" with "critical workers".
Poppycock. As usual.
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Would you care to amplify your post so that it makes some sense? I find its meaning baffling.
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Whenever anything that would vaguely threaten the car-centric state of this borough is suggested, the council rolls out all sorts of rubbish about "balance" and all the reasons why investing in active travel is a bad thing.
As I say, one is always "shoppers" - since that's out of the window at the moment, she's gone for "critical workers" instead.
I'm not sure how much clearer it could have been.
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Indeed; the notion that "essential travel" can only be undertaken by people using motor vehicles is infuriating.
One bit of good news, in late March I got in touch with Cllr Chandwani about the narrow pavements outside the shops on much of West Green Rd, and, a mere 2 months into a global pandemic claiming hundreds of lives in the UK everyday, they are about to re-allocate road space to pedestrians.
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More news, Haringey is in the top ten again.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsand...
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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Unfortunately, regarding grand parade and green lanes, the trades association just have too much power over the councillors.
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I imagine they do in some shape or form...
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Such a missed opportunity. I think it's tricky though, don't we all use delivery services a lot more these days? Whilst I'm very pro car free streets I can also see the logistical challenge.
I do notice that traffic is busier probably because people aren't using the tube as much.
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I think one of the problems is that the cars visiting green lanes park in the ladder and garden streets, and so increasing traffic.
I would personally have GL as a red route.
People will say by doing that even more cars will park on the ladder and gardens streets, however, I feel there will be only so many spaces to do so. Thus resulting in less people driving into the area in the long term.
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