Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Why is Crouch End high street so much cleaner than Green Lanes?
I recently noted that people queue for buses in Crouch End but not Green Lanes and wondered why.
On my most recent excursion I noticed how markedly cleaner Crouch End is on a Saturday morning compared to Green Lanes and again wondered why?
Both are very busy on a Saturday morning (Crouch End arguably more so). Both have lots of cafes and restaurants. Both have bus stops.
But Green Lanes is littered with rubbish.
Why is it so?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton
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You make an interesting point, Oli Brown. Do you have Japanese family or family history? Have you studied in Japan?
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Permalink Reply by Jamie Harper
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Here's a question, Alan. Do you think responding to race-baiting is even mildly constructive?
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Jamie Harper, Am I responding to race baiting? Ae you referring to what I posted to Oli. I naively posed questions purely from curiosity.
Posters for the film Alien proclaimed "[n space no one can hear you scream."
On HoL in Cyberspace no one can here us laugh or cry.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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I WAS much impressed with the cleanliness of Tokyo's pavements.
Another thing that grew on me was the Japanese footwear tradition.
When I stayed in the Tokyo Youth Hostel, at first it seemed odd to be required to take off (one's outdoor) shoes and then switch to slippers for indoors.
After a bit, it seemed perfectly sensible. When later returning to Haringey, the practice of wearing outdoor shoes inside seemed odd at first. I'm sure we've all trodden in dog mess at one time or another.
We can learn from other cultures.
In Finsbury Park a while ago, I button-holed a local Japanese lady in Finsbury Park. What she was doing was astonishing. We had quite a chat. She had become so disgusted with the litter on the north side that she, being a good citizen, decided take matters into her own hands: and pick it up herself. Naturally she is a supporter of The Friends of Finsbury Park.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson
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I think footfall is an important consideration. Anyone who has been to Camden Town and Green Lanes on a Sunday afternoon can see a similarity - huge numbers of visitors. The difference I think is that Camden have a plan where there is a comprehensive clean from the Stables Market to the tube station and up to the top of Parkway. An army of cleaners hit the area and by the evening it’s clean. As Green Lanes has become a visitor destination it needs a similar approach that includes the side streets. The most persistent littering I see at the junction of my street with GL is takeaway food waste.
What seems to be missing from this discussion are ideas for a solution.
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As a bit of an addendum I found some figures from a few years ago that estimate the daily footfall on Green Lanes to be around 20,000 on busiest days. It quoted a Haringey report which I can’t trace so I’m not able to post a link.
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Michael Anderson, please don't underestimate your own practical contributions to this discussion.
Only three hours ago you described Camden "where there is a comprehensive clean from the Stables Market to the tube station and up to the top of Parkway."
Haringey simply needs the money and the staff.Liz Ixer again reminded us of the voluntary effort put in by a citizen group, in reporting dumped waste etc. My original memory is of a successful scheme suddenly shut down. (Liz, do you know if it was ever written up?)
The days are racing till the May elections. A perfect time to find potential candidates strolling along our streets gathering votes. And surely the best opportunity to draw their attention to the rubbish problem if that's a priority of yours. I suggest huge warm grins if they ring your bell. Then say: "It's nice of you Party People to call round with your grinning leaflets. But could you please spare ten minutes for some brisk steps along the street from waste pile to waste pile. We'll consider a similar length stroll to vote for you on Polling Day in Merry May.
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Haringey simply needs the money and the staff.
Haringey Council has money but have all but lost control of salaries near the top. National Pay Scales are blamed, but this racket is unlikely to be reigned by the New Labour Government.
In London, our council has the largest number of employees—or among the most—who are paid six-figure salaries. The number is about 40 staff who are paid between £100,000 and c.£200,000 p.a.
Annual pension contributions are real money with real benefit. If one includes them, then for example, the Director of Culture benefits by around £195,000 p.a. This reflects the value that the leadership places on Bread & Circuses. It's easy to spend other people's money and no one seems to care about this profligacy.
The leadership might claim they pay to get the best, but the massive wage bill at the top is not always reflected in stellar muncipal performance. The massive bill for "senior" managers often reflects how much it takes to attract staff to work for this council … at all.
The quantum of taxes poured into the six-figure club means that there is less money available to employ more staff at the lower end.
This top-heavy council does need more staff: doing practical stuff that residents can see. The whole system needs reform.
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Permalink Reply by Liz
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As far as I know, there was no evaluation of the programme. We were switched from Environment to Enforcement and started going on walkabouts to identify problems, losing the original draw which was the “green” nature of the programme. Then they tried to get us to work with the police which was very far from the original remit of education and discussing solutions to the problems of environmental crimes in our areas. Then, without warning it was shut down (but at least they didn’t want the tea towel back). The council may have other ways to engage now but with no more area assemblies (problematic though they were at times) or community volunteering programmes that I’m aware of (except those in parks), it makes it much harder for people to feel part of the solution.
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