Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

I was going to post this in the thread on discussion about large vehicles using ladder roads (http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/council-vehicles-given-...), but thought better of it, so just in case a new thread.

John McMullan mentioned the fact his house is riddled with cracks as a result of the speed humps outside his house. I have increasingly noticed large cracks appearing in my own house (15 feet from the raised crossing for the Passage Way on Pemberton). I am getting increasingly nervous about them (especially one in my floor in the kitchen). Yes- I have a tree in the back...

When we moved in I asked an old time neighbour what the score was, and whether these houses are just subject to the kind of movement that gives rise to such cracks (being based on clay ground and having limited foundations etc). Interestingly she mentioned that a lot of houses were damaged and cracked as a result of the V2 that took out the 30 or so houses where Fairlands Park currently sits.

It would be really useful if anyone out there has any thoughts about how seriously I should take the cracks I am seeing around the house, and if they have any advice as to who I might talk to so as to have them checked out. Most are cracks in walls, and ceilings, often to not appear on the other side of the wall, do not seem to give rise to any cracks in the external brickwork, but have affected the kitchen floor (near a 5 year old extension)...

Tags for Forum Posts: speed humps, traffic, wightman road, world war II harringay

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It was a V1.
V1... V2... It had V in it and made a big hole for sure. :-)
sorry for my ignorance Justin, what is V1, V2?
Commemorative Plaque - Highbury corner

And here's a map showing where the bombs fell in Harringay, within a thread that will give you a bit more background. Yasmeen.
Hugh. Thanks, that was intersting. I have to say I have always thought there must have been some bomb damage in this neck of the woods. The two things that strike me are (1) there are remarkably few aricraft dropped bomb sites given the strategic and concentrated nature of the rail lines in the area (though aerial bombing was notoriously inaccurate) and (2) how many V bombs there seem to be in such a small space. I thought there were only 2 (up in Hornsey and Fairfax/ Falkland Rds). I know neither V1 or V2 were very accurate, but they seem to have actively targetted this area. I wonder what the density of such bombs in other areas was, and if they were as high. Anyway, I digress..
come to think of it I have cracks appearing all over my house too :( have no idea what it can mean.
Have a look at what this individual from Bromley has researched and campaigned on re road hump vibration damage. TfL are apparently choosing to ignore the problem as are apparently Bromley Council.

Might be an idea is dig up some reearch being done on this. It's clear lots of dwellings are being affected by this problem.
I was looking at this website this afternoon and feeling slightly obsessive and weird. As I walked out of the office I was fantasising about a situation whereby we had our road resurfaced like the the floating voters of central Harringay. I would offer the people installing the road hump back in outside my house some money to bugger off and not do it. I just wondered how much I would have to offer.
I contacted the council about this a while ago and got the below response:

I do understand your concerns of structural damage caused to buildings in close proximity to road humps and your concerns are a common view expressed as a result of noise and vibration that can be experienced as some vehicles pass over these features.

The Department of Transport commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to carry out track trails to assess the effects that road humps might have in generating ground-borne vibrations when vehicles are driven over them for a sustained period. The results were used to calculate minimum distances which would be desirable for road humps to be sited from dwellings, according to different soil types. Predications have also been made of minimum distance within which sustained vibration exposure may cause superficial hairline cracks and for minor structural damage as defined in BS7385. This study showed that even very minor hairline cracking should not occur unless the road humps are placed less that 2m from the dwelling (for London Clay soils type).

The report concluded that it is very unlikely that the introduction of road humps pose a significant risk of even minor damage to property. Other research carried out by several London Boroughs could find no conclusive evidence that ‘vibration’ from traffic calming measures has caused any structural damage to adjacent properties.

Road humps were introduced along Falkland Road to slow vehicle speeds as part of a 20mph scheme. The humps were designed in accordance with Traffic Calming and Regulations Act. Road humps are spaced no more than 80 metres apart as this keeps vehicles travelling at a consistent speed between the humps, which would reduce the noise and vibration effect residents may encounter. We are currently expanding the 20mph zone to incorporate Wightman Road and its 7.5T weight restriction signage; this should improve the area by reducing traffic speed and volume.


I then repleid saying I was not satisfied with the response and gotthe below reply:

I sympathise with your concerns regarding the level of noise and vibration experienced as some motorists travel over the speed hump outside your property.

Transport research Laboratory (TRL) which is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for testing all aspects of transport, carried out these trials on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT). Their trials included all different types of vehicles travelling at different speeds over humps. They concluded that vibration caused from vehicles travelling over traffic calming features will not damage a property as long as its more than 2m from it (for London Clay soils type). I acknowledge that there is increased vibration when heavy vehicles and speeding traffic pass over humps but these scenarios were included in the trials.

As you will appreciate we can not test every road hump that is installed in the borough, so as with many other London Boroughs we comply with the DfT recognised TRL trial results and national regulations and DfT traffic calming guidance to determine feature design, type, size and positioning before implementation.

There are acceptable vibration limits which are set out in the British Standard 7385 (1993) but you may find a traffic advisory leaflet 8/96 more reader friendly and this can found at www.dft.gov.uk. If you wish to carry out a ground-borne vibration test for your dwelling there are consultancies to undertake this which can be found online, also if cracking is occurring in your property you may need to contact a structural engineer to determine the cause.

If you need more advice the department for Transport have specialised department called Driver Information and Traffic Management Division which can be contacted by telephone on 0171 271 5185.
Did they check a 12t skip truck (with skip) at 30+ mph? Just curious.

To be honest the noise is worse than the vibrations.

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