Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Could we do our own traffic survey?
There are only six roads that cross the East Coast Mainline between Arsenal's stadium and the North Circular, all are single carriageway (Seven Sisters, Endymion, Turnpike, Buckingham, Durnsford & Blake) of which only three have classifications. I suspect that much of the illegal commercial through traffic that the ladder sees is because of the nightmare faced by drivers using the North Circular just north of us. Perhaps all our problems will be solved in 2012 when trucks from depots east and west of us can head straight up to the North Circular confident of being able to head across North London without the logjam that is the North Circular from the A105 to the A109.
So I've been thinking for sometime on how we could do our own traffic survey. If someone asks I'll give you the geeky background behind my plan but here's what I've come up with so far:
1. We'd only need to survey the ladder (Finsbury Park to Turnpike Lane) as the gardens have no through traffic.
2. The survey would run for an hour or two one morning and evening but not necessarily on the same day.
3. It would probably require about 33 people, all conducting the survey at the same time.
4. We would use "sheets" of paper specially laid out to record the last three letters of registration numbers.
5. Each set of sheets would be valid for a certain intersection+direction and a certain time period, e.g. 10 minutes on Endymion/Wightman inbound from Green Lanes and timings would be re-calibrated by switching over to the next sheet.
6. There would be columns on the sheets to record "registration suffixes" under different categories.
7. You would guess given the time/category/rego suffix a vehicle's journey through Harringay once you got all the data together.
Here's an example of what I mean
With this raw data and a computer model of our "network" we could determine not only how much traffic we see but why and then maybe someone could actually do something about it.
At this stage I'm after constructive criticism and more ideas but I'd like to actually be doing something by September.
So I've been thinking for sometime on how we could do our own traffic survey. If someone asks I'll give you the geeky background behind my plan but here's what I've come up with so far:
1. We'd only need to survey the ladder (Finsbury Park to Turnpike Lane) as the gardens have no through traffic.
2. The survey would run for an hour or two one morning and evening but not necessarily on the same day.
3. It would probably require about 33 people, all conducting the survey at the same time.
4. We would use "sheets" of paper specially laid out to record the last three letters of registration numbers.
5. Each set of sheets would be valid for a certain intersection+direction and a certain time period, e.g. 10 minutes on Endymion/Wightman inbound from Green Lanes and timings would be re-calibrated by switching over to the next sheet.
6. There would be columns on the sheets to record "registration suffixes" under different categories.
7. You would guess given the time/category/rego suffix a vehicle's journey through Harringay once you got all the data together.
Here's an example of what I mean
With this raw data and a computer model of our "network" we could determine not only how much traffic we see but why and then maybe someone could actually do something about it.
At this stage I'm after constructive criticism and more ideas but I'd like to actually be doing something by September.
Views: 81
Tags for Forum Posts: Ladder traffic solutions, Wightman Road, lorries, lorry, speed humps, traffic, traffic survey, traffic survey 2010
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Comment by dan burgess on June 3, 2010 at 13:23
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i'll happily join your survey
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Comment by Hugh on June 3, 2010 at 13:48
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And, goes with out saying of course that I will.
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Comment by andy thomas on June 3, 2010 at 14:25
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@Adedayo: I agree with you that these trucks are going about their business and I'd be the very last person to heap yet more restrictions, regulations & red tape on anyone's business. But the fact remains there is an access-only 7.5 T weight limit on these roads which were built in the early 1900's for nothing more than the odd horse & delivery cart. The damage these things do to roads, housing stock and infrastructure such as sewers and storm drains is well known. Like all of us, businesses need to adapt with the times and to changing legislation; Endymion Rd and Turnpike Lane are built to withstand heavy traffic - to get from Green Lanes to Wightman Road or vice-versa using either of these main roads represents a detour of no more than 1.5 miles from any point on the ladder; is that going to put any firm out of business? I rather doubt it.
As for 2-way traffic, most of the roads in the ladder have the capacity to accommodate this plus parking without the need for partial parking on the pavement - some of the roads at the Finsbury Park end are very wide indeed. I accept that scratches & dents sometimes occur but that can happen anywhere - my wife's car got more dents & scratches parked outside my son's school and in Sainsbury's car park than it ever did in our street. And most drivers of modern cars fold up their mirrors when leaving them (some cars do this automatically).
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Comment by Antoinette on June 11, 2010 at 13:56
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Three things to add to the mix......
1. Firstly, with my "data protection expert" hat on - there are no privacy issues around recording all or part of a car registration number, as this information on its own is officially not "personal data" as it is defined under the DP Act. In my opinion, you should either record the Reg No. in full or not at all. I'm not sure what it adds to the quality of the data....? However, if you were to video passing traffic (as someone suggested) and from the footage you could see both the driver's face and their registration number, that would be "personal data" and that has various implications which are far too dreary to explain in detail. You can, however, film traffic as it drives away (as the driver’s face is not recorded).
2. With my “motorcycle rights campaigner” hat on - could I also ask that scooters (and separately) motorcyclist numbers be included, as Haringey like many other Councils, appear to have nothing more than guess-estimates on the number of bikes owned/used in their borough. Any data would be helpful in putting pressure on Haringey Council to pay proper heed to our motorcycling issues. If you’re happy to add bikes, I’m happy to chip in my time.
Lastly, is a Saturday morning the best day for your trial run; wouldn’t a weekday be more appropriate?
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Comment by John McMullan on June 11, 2010 at 15:27
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1. I hate motorbikes.
2. I see no reason to include motorbikes, they're not a congestion problem.
3. It's a Saturday because I'll find it easier to get volunteers. The real thing will really take some planning.
4. We record only the last 3 characters because it looks like recording all if them at the required rate will require superpowers.
5. We're recording what we're recording to see why cars use our residential streets. I actually expect to get a lot of information.
Thanks
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Comment by Clive Carter on June 11, 2010 at 16:19
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I love motorbikes, own and run one. In many ways, they're a congestion solution.
Agree Antoinette that the authorities don't pay proper attention to motorcycling issues. Especially provision for parking them in the Congestion Charging Zone in central London. (the authorities probably would be happy to levy the congestion on bikes, but bikes' only number plates face rearwards while the congestion charge cameras only point at the front of vehicles to grab the plate number.
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@John: what is the problem with motorbikes?
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Comment by John D on June 11, 2010 at 18:18
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We're recording what we're recording to see why cars use our residential streets.
I trust we are also recording what we are recording to see why vans, lorries and HGVs use our residential streets ?
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Comment by Birdy_Too on June 11, 2010 at 19:29
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I am free that morning as long as I can come on my scooter, pick you up John I have a spare helmet?
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I just don't like motorbikes. They're also harder to record because of the numberplate issue.
I had the day off today and wandered up and down a fair bit, the amount of legal and illegal commercial traffic was an eye opener. It is a focus of the survey, please read the form closer.
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