Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The scandal of idle roadworks and the state of our roads
Any of us who have had regularly to cycle or drive through north London over the last eighteen months will surely have pulled out most of the hair they have left.
The general m.o. appears to be to close a whole lane on a key route through London, dig up that lane, install stop/go lights, then do virtually no work for the next three weeks. Half the time I pass these works at around half eight in the morning and there is no-one working on them. Why not? Why are they not obliged to work night and day - with floodlights - until the job is done?
Today, having once again had to wait at the stop/go lights on Green Lanes by the climbing centre, I finally cracked and called Thames Water to complain. A very nice operator made enquiries on my behalf and came back to say she would be making enquiries with the TW planning department and calling me back within a day. Before ringing off I asked if others had complained. She said there had been numerous other enquiries and complaints - incluing even the police.
A recent article in the Standard -
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23804056-london-on-d...
- suggests something - finally - is being done, but I cannot see how it nearly goes far enough.
Has anyone here got any ideas - I'm sure you have - on what pressure we can put on the utilities / local / national government over these issues?
I should add I am also aggrieved, as a cyclist, at the state of the road surface after all these works. All I can say is that I am glad I have a hybrid bike as I think a racer would fall apart now on the roads of Haringey, Hackney and Islington...
The general m.o. appears to be to close a whole lane on a key route through London, dig up that lane, install stop/go lights, then do virtually no work for the next three weeks. Half the time I pass these works at around half eight in the morning and there is no-one working on them. Why not? Why are they not obliged to work night and day - with floodlights - until the job is done?
Today, having once again had to wait at the stop/go lights on Green Lanes by the climbing centre, I finally cracked and called Thames Water to complain. A very nice operator made enquiries on my behalf and came back to say she would be making enquiries with the TW planning department and calling me back within a day. Before ringing off I asked if others had complained. She said there had been numerous other enquiries and complaints - incluing even the police.
A recent article in the Standard -
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23804056-london-on-d...
- suggests something - finally - is being done, but I cannot see how it nearly goes far enough.
Has anyone here got any ideas - I'm sure you have - on what pressure we can put on the utilities / local / national government over these issues?
I should add I am also aggrieved, as a cyclist, at the state of the road surface after all these works. All I can say is that I am glad I have a hybrid bike as I think a racer would fall apart now on the roads of Haringey, Hackney and Islington...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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People do complain about British roadworks. It seems like the Japanese are prepared to work through the night. Perhaps that's why they have some such astounding roads.
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Permalink Reply by Malcolm on
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Lovely pictures, but having lived in Japan I can confidently state that they have such amazing roads due to the venal pork barrel politics that results in almost all the countyside being carpeted in concrete so that construction firms can fill their coffers.
I vividly remember hiking up a hill, in the middle of nowhere, and coming across a small stream. The kind of thing that here would not even merit a bridge - it was step-overable for a dwarf. But there it was, in a lovely concrete culvert running straight down the side of a hill, miles from anywhere.
The Americans may have bridges to nowhere, but the Japanese have learnt from their erstwhile masters and now have bridges, streams and roads to nowhere for nothing.
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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Idea:
Repair the surface of speed humps so they are lovely and smooth and build extra speed humps over any further potholes/fissures in the roads.
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Note to self:
Stop wasting good jokes on this lot (use only cliches).
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Permalink Reply by Adam on
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David Rennie from the Sustainable Haringey Transport Group has successfully persuaded Haringey to install tree gates on his road in Ally Pally. More here
I will post his 'artists impression' of what it will look like in the next few days.
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Permalink Reply by dan burgess on
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loving that Adam. any ideas who was responsible haringey side?
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Permalink Reply by Martha on
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Dan - I totally agree with you. Have even thought about assisting the holes - now trees would be a fantastic idea!
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It's not road works but the councils newest traffic calming measures for summer, winter was potholes. One day when Haringey has got rid of all the vehicles and we are all starving they might ask themselves where it all went wrong.
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Permalink Reply by PaulG on
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Quite right Jim. Have done - in a pleasant way of course.
Having said that, seeing those who carry out the works sat in their van at half eight reading the paper while I battle into work does test one's self-control somewhat...
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