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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

I noticed one of the items on the survey from the traffic workshop was:

Allow cycling along Harringay Passage

I was under the impression that it was already allowed. Certainly Google, Garmin and OSM all have it marked as a cycle route.

It's not technically a footway as it doesn't run alongside a road so I'm not sure exactly what the legal status of it would be, I guess it would be a footpath. There'd probably need to be a bye-law in place to prevent cycling.

Anyone know what the position is here?

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I have a "ring-ring" bell rather than a peremptory ping. I ring it incessantly on the Lea towpath, as if to say "Hi, I'm behind you and about to overtake, so provided you don't make any sudden movements, neither of us will end up hurt, or wet!"

At least there is a bell.  Sometimes it's assumed we have eyes in the back of our head.

This is what Cycling UK say (extracted from their web page here);

Cycling is legally permitted on less than a quarter of the Rights of Way network in England and Wales; in contrast, Scotland’s Land Reform Act (2003) opened up most of the Scottish countryside to cyclists, as long as they abide by an access code.

England has 146,000 km of public footpaths, and Wales over 26,000 km. These are mostly rural rights of way specifically restricted to pedestrians and the right to walk along them is legally protected. If most English footpaths were opened up for cycling, it could more than triple the mileage currently available to cyclists in the countryside.
Unless the landowner permits it, cycling on a footpath in England and Wales normally constitutes trespass, making it a civil but not a criminal matter. A local by-law or Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) covering a particular footpath, however, can make it an offence.
Although there is no legal right to cycle on footpaths, some are regularly used by cyclists. If enough cyclists use a footpath in this way without the landowner challenging them for (usually) 20 years, then a restricted byway may be claimed through ‘presumed rights’ under s31 of the 1980 Highways Act.

Agreed - the passage is small and if people use it for cycling people will get hurt.

Agreed. Cyclists in the passage are annoying and can be dangerous especially for the children who use it. Please don't, or if you have to take your bike down I expect people to get off and walk their bikes.

Just like they didn't on the footbridge at the end of Wightman when the roadbridge was being replaced ?

Completely agree about the unsuitability of the passage for cycling and the need to be courteous to pedestrian who are the priority user.  Having said that, it should also be appreciated that it is the only safe option for when my children are cycling with no other options other than Green Lanes or Wightman road.

Safe cycling at an appropriate speed is not dangerous. Furthermore your post seems to suggest that even pushing cycles down the passage is to be discouraged which is a bit much.

If it became a "route" I think that would be terrible but I don't mind the odd cyclist using it to avoid contravening the one way system.

I do occasionally cycle down the passage and while I always stop and give way to pedestrians, esp people with children or pets, I do feel it is a bit of a squeeze....

 

 Cyclists, please ring your bells! As pedestrians, my children and I have had a few near misses  with cyclists. As they were coming from behind, we didn't even know they were there until they whizzed past. So I think it's more polite and safer for the cyclist to alert the pedestrian. Even when the cyclist has the right to be cycling somewhere, pedestrians won't necessarily be aware of their approach. 

I do cycle through this passage occasionally as an alternative to Wightman Road – and I certainly wouldn't cycle down Green Lanes!

I do think it's fair to treat pedestrians as having a right of way, i.e. come off the bike if it's too busy for a smooth ride, be polite and patient with people, never whizz past anyone! Bell ringing can be an art, as some bells go too loud and startle people, or don't go off when one wants to ring gently. Squeaky breaks sometimes work better than bells ;).

A two-way tolerance is what we need. More than rules that will give rights to some people and not others. We all need this path.

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