‘Daddy, can we please cycle to Finsbury Park again this weekend?’

wightman photo

Last summer extraordinary things happened in one part of Haringey. It was a summer of fun for kids: on roads and streets where before there was only bad air and road traffic noise, now there was the sound of kids playing out. Street football was a daily occurrence, children were using the road to cycle to school and there was even the occasional lemonade stand. It wasn’t just children who were joining in with being more active. Adults across this large area realised they didn’t really need the car for their shorter journeys – walking was nearly as fast and made them feel pretty good now the air was cleaner. Cycling to Finsbury Park to pick up the tube was quicker than the bus and nicer than cramming onto the packed trains, and getting there on a bike suddenly seemed easy now the journey could be done mostly without having to ride with speeding traffic.

Surely this was all the work of a council fully committed to the health of their residents, the sort that would make bold claims about making their borough the most liveable in London? Sadly this utopia did not last. While other boroughs nearby were permanently closing roads to through traffic to entrench a new, healthier lifestyle in their boroughs, Wightman Road and its adjoining roads were reopened as through routes for motor traffic. The weekend bike rides to the park had to stop.

‘I’m sorry. There’s no safe way to cycle there now’.

As a cycle campaign we are of course primarily interested in high quality provision for cycling that allows anyone to feel confident using a bike to get around. This has been the focus of our continuing engagement in the Green Lanes Area Transport Study. There are many ways to achieve this but many options that improve conditions for people on bikes also have much wider benefits for those in the area – even if they never cycle. For example making areas more healthy and liveable, reducing air pollution and even reducing journey times for drivers by lowering overall traffic levels and simplifying routes. If you live in or travel through Harringay or the Green Lanes area, you have until Sunday to complete the council survey on future options for Wightman Road and the surrounding area. We believe this is an issue primarily for local people to decide, so please take a look at Living Wightman’s advice on how to complete the survey. While some of the options presented can deliver a suitable cycle route (in particular we recommend you support the proposal for a northbound cycle track on Green Lanes, desperately needed in an area with no safe north/south routes), the option to ‘filter’ Wightman Road will deliver multiple health and air quality benefits as well as a safe route suitable for all-ages cycling. Many parts of this borough are already ‘filtered’ to through traffic. Other boroughs which are right next to Haringey are showing how such schemes, if well managed, can reduce traffic over a wide area. The use of Wightman Road as a conduit for through traffic has negative consequences for the areas to the north and south that also have long-standing issues with excessive through traffic.

The council’s response to the issues encountered on Wightman Road is a real test for them – are they serious about tackling pollution and unlocking the massive potential for active travel in this borough? Or, as suggested by the recent consultation on the Wood Green AAP, is the future of our borough just as polluted, congested and unhealthy as our present? This is your chance to tell the council what sort of place you want this borough to evolve into. Don’t miss the chance to have your voice heard.

News

Around Haringey with Cllr McNamara & Cllr Mallett

September 19, 2014 admin

Cllr McNamara with his ‘new’ steed. Haringey Council pool bike number 4.

3 and a half hours pedalling around the middle third of Haringey, so useful that Cllr McNamara wants to repeat this in both the West and East of the borough in the coming months.

Here’s our notes from our first Tour de Haringey (& more photos below)

Ref	Location	Comment
1	Lymington Avenue/ Ashley Cres	Good example shared use pedestrian area, suitable where relatively low cycle numbers. Shared use “Pedestrian priority” signage needed
2	Lymington Ave / High Rd	Shared use, improvements in progress, signage essential as above
3	Sandlings/ Whymark Rd	Bollards difficult to negotiate (sharp turn from LCN 54). Move bollards back and increase spacing
4	High Rd/ Turpike La Junction S bound	No space to access ASL. Improve access for cycles as sketch attached
5	Turpike La/ Langham Rd	Good shared use area planned. Cycle access points and area of shared use need to be clearly marked/ signed, to avoid disconcerting pedestrians
6	Langham Rd/ Westbury small private shops cut tro’	Inconsiderate (and illegal) cycle use, No Cycling sign needed
7	Harringay Rd closure	Cycle gaps unusable, complete redesign needed with generous space ?use bollards
8	Harringay Rd	Needs to be 2-way for cycles, for access to St Ann’s Rd
9	Park Rd	Stop rat run by making No right turn at High Rd
10	St Ann’s/ Salisbury Rd	Very dangerous left hook turn, extend pavement to tighten turn from St Ann’s
11	Woodlands Park	Excessive rd width and turn radii. Extend pavement to give tighter turns and improve pedestrian safety. Double yellow needed at junction
12	St Ann’s/ Brampton Rd	Parking bays (next to zig-zags) obscure view of zebra. Move parking to Brampton Rd
13	St Ann’s/ Brampton Rd	Bus stop hemmed in by car parking. Traffic review of St Ann’s could cover this and points above
14	Ladder Roads	One ways deter cycling (though Harringay Passage helps by allowing walk through to next road). Select 1 or 2 roads for trial of 2 way cycling
15	Warwick Gardens	1^st Bike Hangar in Haringey. There is a demand for further provision. Officers should identify locations where notifications can be combined with other work, to save cost. See also detailed notes attached (to follow). Fencing is due to be renewed
16	Green Lanes	Cycle numbers high in rush hours, good S bound bus lane. Wide cycle lane can be provided N bound, without any reduction in road capacity
17	Green Lanes/ Endymion/ Hermitage	Danger from N bound fast left turn to Endymion . Only 1 S bound lane is really needed (S bound beyond to Manor Hse is 1 lane) so space can be reallocated to cycle lanes feeding to ASL’s at both junctions
18	Entrances to Finsbury Park	Additional entrances near Hermitage Rd and Wightman Rd would be great benefit to cycles and pedestrians. (see drawing attached)
19	Endymion/ Wightman roundabout	Fast and some aggressive motorists- redesign needed. ?Possible speed table at W approach and other calming
19	Wightman Road	Very hostile cycling conditions, aggravated by pinch points at numerous traffic islands. Potential for reduction in car parking. Could this be on alternate sides of road to give chicane effect, with islands removed and speed tables at junctions? Possibility of parking on side roads and 45deg echelon parking at wider side roads?
20	Western Road/ Mary Neuner Road	Some traffic too fast at bends. Provide cycle lanes to protect cycles and reduce apparent road width. Investigate safe pedestrian and cycle access to Alexandra School and Nursery. Railing at bend is too long and inhibits access to nursery Further suggestion from HCC- reroute through traffic from N of Western Rd and from narrow Hornsey Park Rd, to Mayes RD/ Coburg Rd/ Mary Neuner Rd
21	Penstock Path	Prevent parking next to end of path

Uncategorized

Green Lanes Public Realm Improvements – Our View

June 14, 2013January 26, 2014 admin

The Statutory Overview and Scheme overview Document (the plans unless any objections) can be viewed here:

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/gl_snp_booklet_final_digital_copy.pdf

As mentioned by Geoff on Harringay Online ”This is the one opportunity to have a close look at all the detail and to make constructive comments.”

Views and comments are invited and welcomed and the closing date for these is Friday 21st June 2013.

‘If no major objections are received’, works are planned to start in July/August 2013 and will last 9-12 months.

Comments should be emailed to: frontline.consultation@haringey.gov.uk
or posted to: Frontline Consultation, London Borough of Haringey, FREEPOST NAT 20390, PO Box 264, London N22 8BR

A number of people have enquired about what the proposals include for cyclists? Well, here’s our letter to the Major Schemes Project Manager:

Co-ordinator: Michael Poteliakhoff

Mr Stephen Jones

Major Schemes Project Manager

Sustainable Transport Group

Place & Sustainability

London Borough of Haringey

2nd Floor, River Park House

225 High Road, Wood Green

N22 8HQ

Green Lanes Statutory Notification / Scheme Overview

Thank you for your email of 5^th June.

The report of consultation on this scheme confirmed:- “Cyclists do not regard either Green Lanes or Wood Green as cycle friendly, but Green Lanes is seen as offering a more adverse cycling environment than Wood Green”.

Unfortunately nothing, apart from new cycle parking, is included in the proposals to address this. The consultation also confirms 9% of trips to the Green Lanes centre are by bicycle, compared with 10% by car. The available car parking is already fully used and there is no scope for increased provision, so encouraging cycle use is a “near market” which can benefit local shops, who of course are in competition with supermarkets, with large free car parks.

Haringey Cycling Campaign participated in the initial consultation on this scheme and proposed improving cycle access by ending one-way traffic restrictions for cyclists on local roads. Most of the “Ladder” roads are presently one-way. As many are long roads with a considerable gradient, this discourages cycle use. There are also recommended “London Cycling Guide” cycle routes converging at the end of St Annes’s Road. As illustrated in the Scheme Overview cover, cyclists use this route and cut through to Green Lanes in front the “Salisbury” pub. HCC suggested this be allowed for in the scheme, but there is no indication of dropped kerbs, or shared use, to allow this. There is also no indication of how cyclists are to access the one existing contra flow cycle lane at Colina Rd. Clarification of the proposed work here and at the St Anne’s Rd junction is essential. Please see below an extract from the TfL London Cycling Guide, showing local routes.

No doubt one reason for the ending one-way restrictions not being included in the proposals, is the consultation finding that a majority of interviewees were not in favor of cycle contra flow. This very much depended on how the question was asked. Cycle contra flow is a relatively new concept in this country, with very few examples in Haringey. As such, many people might think it sounded unsafe and would instinctively be worried about it. If it the question had been put in the context of a strategy for environmental improvement and reducing traffic congestion, supported by illustrations from Denmark and Holland, I am sure the results would have been different.

Simpler ways of providing cycle contra-flow with fewer signs and markings were enabled by amendments to the regulations introduced by the DfT in 2012. Pro-cycling boroughs such as City of London and LB Camden are already taking advantage of this by implementing cycle contra-flow as standard on their one-way streets. Haringey will not compare favourably with these boroughs if they do not take this opportunity do the same. At the very least future ending of one-way restrictions should be allowed for in the current work, so HCC propose that all the new road narrowings have an adequate width for cycle contra flow (4.5m). In this way the work would be “future proofed”.

The plans note that existing road markings not shown, are to remain, implying the existing bus lane is to be retained. HCC welcomes this (the overview could be clearer on this point). In addition, although pavement widening is mentioned under “General upgrade and renewal” it is understood there is to be no realignment of kerbs to the main thoroughfare. This opens up the possibility of a northbound 2m width cyle lane to operate at the present times when car parking is not permitted. This would be a great benefit to cyclists and with a good width slower cyclists will not be intimidated and are more likely to “stop and shop”.

I look forward to your response.

Michael Poteliakhoff
Haringey Cycling Campaign

cc Cllr Nilgun Canver, Cllr Toni Mallett

Tag: harringay

Support Wightman Road filtering – complete the council survey by this Sunday 14 May!