Camden High Street dumps the clutter

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Permalink Reply by james walsh on November 27, 2009 at 15:16

The other day while i was driving i did an experiment : i tried to read every single road sign that i passed. I could not make adequate progress because i had to slow down so much i got 'beeped' from behind and had to abandon the experiment. I proved to myself that nobody ever ever takes any notice of most road signs or markage because it is simply impossible.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on November 27, 2009 at 23:36

Narrowing the roadway in Camden High Street may be radical and popular. But there are also effective small-scale changes to give pedestrians more space.

When local councils talk about reducing street "clutter", they often focus on "street furniture" - the signs, poles, bollards, bins and railings. All well and good. But sometimes this overlooks the obvious - how different groups of people actually use our streets. Take, for example, the drivers who treat pavements as temporary parking - or for turning. Too often, the paving slabs nearest the kerb are cracked, broken and a hazard. (Even if fairly recently repaired or relaid.)

Then there are shops which informally extend their wares onto the pavement - narrowing the area available for pedestrians. Of course, there's another side to this. Traders can add to the liveliness and colour of the street. They can increase safety simply by adding eyes and ears. So I'm not proposing an anti-trader agenda. But some mutual balancing of interests.

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Permalink Reply by james walsh on November 28, 2009 at 1:12

I am a fan of street furniture, old letter or post boxes and telephone boxes or iron street lamps. Horse troughs are disappearing too fast and some iron railings are beautiful. It's hard to get inspired by street furniture when it is ubiquitous and void of the patina of time.
What do you think ?

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Permalink Reply by John D on November 28, 2009 at 6:45

I have a collection of photos of Haringey Council vans parked on the pavement, seemingly because the drivers are too lazy to walk a few yards.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on November 28, 2009 at 10:33

John, could I please ask you to photocopy or scan your photos and send them as a formal complaint/suggestion. Unless you happen to know the service responsible, send them initially to the Chief Executive. And please report the response you get on HoL.
chiefexecutive.complaints@haringey.gov.uk

I've not spotted our vans parked on pavements. But I've photographed and reported them on double-yellow lines. I know other councillors who've complained about drivers not using seat belts etc.

For all organisations: How you do it is what you get. So as a councillor I'm clear that, from top to bottom, Haringey staff and its contractors should model the behaviour we want.

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Permalink Reply by Ruth on December 3, 2009 at 9:04

back to the traders spilling out onto the pavement.... yes, its great to have loads of colourful fruit and veg but when its just piles and piles of toilet and kitchen rolls narrowing the pavements, particularly near bus stops, this is annoying and just downright sad. It ugly. I'd rather they keep such stuff inside and keep pavements clear. I also think that some of those small paper recycling bins are clutter really as they seem to be misused by many who shuff left over take aways into the mouths and they are an eyesore as well as limiting the pavement space. the area around harringay green lanes overground is particularly bad I think right up the corner of Stanhope. the pavement needs to be clearer round there. somedays you cant move

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on December 3, 2009 at 10:10

One problem, Ruth, is land ownership. A lot of shops were originally converted - perhaps a century ago or longer - from houses with small front gardens. Often this left a strip of private land adjoining the 'public highway' i.e. pavement. Here's an example (from 2005) in Tottenham High Road.

I was told that parking on this private strip was legal. (Though the wheels on the pavement were not.) But over several years I failed to get effective action to stop cars crossing both the public pavement and a bus lane. (Eventually Transport for London solved the problem by extending the railing.)

Of course, many traders are happy to use a private strip for their cars or their displays. The same traders are happy to let the Council pay for sweeping and repairing this land.

There's a more straightforward problem of encroachment - when traders are simply taking over a part of the public pavement for their display. This can be tackled - if there's a will to do so.

As you say this is a particular problem near bus stops if pavements are very narrow. And for elderly and disabled people and people with young kids. I've known elderly people suffer bad falls when they were accidentally pushed on a crowded narrow pavement. For wheelchair users these 'pinch-points' can be no-go areas.

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