Hello Living Wightman Supporters!
Haringey has recently been consulting on its proposals for safety and accessibility improvements to Wightman Road and Alroy Road - a copy of the consultation document can be found attached to the first post in a HarringayOnline discussion thread here. Living Wightman has submitted the below comments - we would encourage our supporters to email their views and suggestions too, to frontline.consultation@haringey.gov.uk (consultation closes on 17th August 2018):
- Living Wightman strongly supports the removal of pavement parking in order to meet government design guidelines for minimum pavement widths, enabling full use of the pavement by pedestrians including those with buggies or using mobility aids or wheelchairs,
reducing damage to the kerbs, paths and underground services by parked vehicles, and improving the streetscape (including new tree plantings at the end of the new parking bays) in a residential area which has for too long been dominated by cars. Removing pavement parking is aligned with key TfL and Haringey strategies to increase the proportion of journeys made on foot and reduce reliance on motor vehicles.
Figure 1: Pavement parking makes walking unsafe or even impossible - Living Wightman also strongly supports the removal of “pedestrian refuge islands” which create dangerous pinch points for cyclists on an already hostile road with over 1000 vehicle movements per hour for most of the day (actually higher than some neighbouring A-roads such
as Turnpike Lane) and peaks of over 1500 vehicles per hour. Removing “pedestrian refuge islands” is aligned with key TfL and Haringey strategies to increase the proportion of journeys made by cycling and reduce reliance on motor vehicles.
Figure 2 “Refuge islands” are dangerous for cyclists - Living Wightman has serious concerns about the introduction of new “informal pedestrian crossings” to replace the refuge islands. We understand these crossings comprise simply of red anti-skid paint. We do not believe these are appropriate for a road which experiences traffic
volumes of over 1000 vehicles per hour, and are likely to decrease pedestrian safety rather than increase it. Creating new “informal crossings” is not aligned with key TfL and Haringey strategies to increase the proportion of journeys made on foot and reduce reliance on motor vehicles. We believe formal, signal-controlled crossings are needed on a road with the current volume of traffic. We note there is one new zebra crossing proposed at the top of Pemberton Road but there will be no other safe places to cross between this and the signal-controlled crossing at the top of Fairfax Road which is seven blocks and nearly half a mile away. As a minimum, we believe a further formal crossing is needed where the New River path emerges onto Wightman Road between numbers 201 and 203.
Figure 3: "Informal crossing" on Endymion Road is ignored by both drivers and walkers and has not created a safe crossing - Living Wightman requests that Haringey Council exercises its power to revoke the classification of Wightman and Alroy Roads as the B138. The existence of the classification undoubtedly misleads drivers to believe that the road is suitable for through-traffic and this
impression is reinforced by the cartographic convention of showing B roads as being physically wider than unclassified roads. Removing the classification would also remove the impression that through- traffic has superior rights to residents. Such a move by Haringey Council would be a clear and cost-free indication of its commitment to the strategy of increasing the proportion of journeys made by cycling and reducing reliance on motor vehicles.
Figure 4: Google and other maps suggest Wightman is wider than the Ladder rungs – it isn’t - Living Wightman is disappointed that the council is not moving forward with any measures to reduce traffic on Wightman Road. For example, modal filtering of Wightman Road would eliminate rat-running through-traffic and be strongly aligned with key TfL and Haringey strategies to increase the proportion of journeys made by walking and cycling and reduce reliance on motor vehicles. Modal filtering was supported by 61% (279/456 responses)
of Harringay Ladder respondents (and just over 50% of respondents overall) in the Council’s online survey at the end of the Green Lanes Area Transport Study in mid-2017. There was also evidence during the 2016 Wightman Road bridgeworks when the road had to be filtered, that air pollution improved not just in the local area but also more widely. We therefore request again that modal filtering of Wightman Road (or other measures to drastically reduce traffic) is re-considered, perhaps by introducing barriers or gates (similar to those used in residential areas to the east of Green Lanes such as Eade Road) along Wightman Road where some of the chicanes are proposed. A drastic reduction in traffic would also make the road safe for shared use and eliminate the need for any additional formal, signal-controlled crossings.
Figure 5: Modal filter on Eade Road allows walking and cycling but prevents vehicular through traffic - Living Wightman requests that the works contractors should be provided with a detailed itinerary of signposts and other street furniture that should be removed as part of the proposed works. Removal of redundant street furniture is often overlooked when new
streetworks are made. For example the signposts which currently signal the start and end of pavement parking will need to be removed. Any currently dropped kerbs with tactile paving that are not to be used as crossing points will need to be restored to level pavements.
Figure 6: Example of signpost to be removed - Living Wightman requests that further automatic traffic count surveys should be carried out once the works are completed, using pneumatic tubes at the same locations on Wightman Road as the previous surveys, to assess the impact on traffic volumes, speeds and quality (e.g. proportion of HGVs).
