Hi Folks,
Many people are not doubt well aware of the ongoing issue of excessive traffic on Crescent Road and surrounding roads (Palace Gates, Outram, Victoria etc). It's got to the point of being not just inconvenient for locals, noisy and polluting but actually very dangerous, with cars, lorries and motorbikes frequently mounting the pavement on Crescent Road in particular and endangering lives.
This issue needs serious attention, and got fantastic focus at the recent PGRA AGM. There are a variety of possible solutions which would maintain, even enhance the shopping parade on the Triangle (unlike what happened to the Grosvenor Road shops), ease congestion for local car-owners and make the area a safe healthy place to live. There are successful examples in Hackney and other boroughs, dramatically improving life in comparable areas.
If we can successfully persuade the council to act, the transformative potential is absolutely huge, could greatly improve all of our lives, as well as lining up with Haringey's latest transport and public health strategy, and the reopening of the Palace.
Tom's excellent Twitter account is drawing attention to the situation on a daily basis. Do follow, retweet etc:
https://twitter.com/CrescentRdChaos
To help supplement this and approach the situation from as many angles as possible, we're planning light-hearted but impactful and visible demonstrations, to alert rush hour rat-runners (and hopefully the council and media) to the issue. There is another meeting with the council planned in January too, which will likely be limited to small numbers and, if like the last, may be difficult.
I'm hosting an ideas-gathering session tonight at my place. All are welcome, if you have ideas that you'd like to contribute, either about creative demos, communications strategies or overall tactics. 6:30-8pm (potentially followed by the Starting Gate quiz). If you'd like to come, message me on here and I'll send my address (just by the Triangle on Crescent Road).
Best wishes,
Michael
Replies
It will be interesting to see how your request for a Play Street goes. residents in Albert Road tried several times but were refused - due to blah, blah, blah. When actually what Haringey meant was it would disrupt the rat run through the area.
Hello.
We had a good meeting. We're going to do a doorstep survey to gauge opinion on the issue, also seeing how many would help a request for a play street day in the new year, and possible direct action (fun protest) as and when.
Grant's doing the questionnaire, and hopefully 2-6 of us will be knocking on doors on Crescent and Dagmar Roads shortly.
The next meeting with the Councillors (PGRA representing us) is scheduled for January. This was just a fringe meeting, fuelled by my desire to help put pressure on the council, who were apparently not very helpful or responsive at the first meeting (held earlier this year).
What was the outcome of the meeting with Cllrs?
Mike, were there any specific outcomes from the meeting? A brief update would be great.
Great initiative, Mike! I unfortunately can't come to the meeting this evening, but would very much like to find out what happens.