Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dave McNeill on September 4, 2011 at 9:26

Apparently the residents of Whittington Road, etc, only go towards Wood Green. I usually duck into Trinity Road and then out of Clarence Road. Is this what you did? If so then I don't believe that constitutes a u-turn.

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Permalink Reply by Ed Balleny on September 5, 2011 at 14:37

If you are saying that you turned into Clarence road and turned round there and then turned right to go up towards the tube then I can't see how that can be classed as a U-turn. I do this every time I need to turn right and I haven't ever received a ticket and I have definitely done it a number of times in full view of the Smart car with the CCTV camera. The no U-turn relates to turning round the end of the raised central reservation that stops just opposite the junction with Clarence road. If they really are going to be fining people who turn in and round in Clarence then they I don't think they can defend this if you appealed. Has anyone else had experience of this?

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Simpson on September 7, 2011 at 21:15

The No Right Turn out of Whittington has been in force for over a year.

then is then a sign that says No u Turns on the Bounds Green Rd.

This is to stop cars doing U Turns in the middle of the road and causing accidents etc.

So... lots of people do what Dave (above) does.  Many do dangerous U Turns still.

The camera car is there sometimes.

BUT..... the new road signs, the car cameras are all to stop bad drivers and lots of horrid driving in our area. 

Please do as the signs ask and YOU will be OK and so will the residents.  And Haringey wont make lots of extra money out of your illegal driving.

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Dave McNeill on September 8, 2011 at 12:02

I have to say I disagree with you, Caroline. The manoeuvre I described above is not inherently more safe than simply turning right out of Whittington Road. Ignoring the suggestion of cynical money-making tactics, which I can't believe Haringey council would ever be culpable of, I can't think of a single good reason why there is no right turn here. If it's about safety, then why are there not similar restrictions at the end of Clarence and Truro Roads?

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Permalink Reply by Ed Balleny on September 8, 2011 at 12:10

The no turn right was primarily to stop the rat running from the A406 that was causing huge congestion in Whittington and the surrounding roads. There was a safety element as well as a large number of cars were speeding through the area when it wasn't so backed up with other drivers doing the same thing. The change was as far as I recall pushed for by the residents certainly in Whittington, Marlborough and Thorold roads. I appreciate it causes inconvenience for all local people looking to turn right but the inconvenience of having to turn in Clarence or take other legal turns somewhere elese seems a small price to pay for reclaiming Bowes Park from rat runners from the A406.

 

In terms of Clarence and Truro, I appreciate they do tend to take the traffic now from Green Lanes to Bound Green Road, but I do believe that there is less traffic on both these roads when compared to before so I think the restriction at Whittington is doing what it is meant to do. Also splitting traffic down two roads which are better designed for through traffic has to be the compromise. I accept if you are a resident of Truro or Clarence you might argue this differently!

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Permalink Reply by Judy on September 10, 2011 at 10:44

I have to say that people turning round just in the entrance of Clarence Road is extremely annoying to me when in a queue to get out of Clarence Rd on to Bound Green Rd during the school run.  It also causes back-ups as often a queue of cars is blocking the entrance to Trinity Rd where they want to turn round.  I also dislike the bad press 'rat runs' get.  So called rat runs cut waiting time in other places.  The recent blocking of turning left into Wolves Lane from the North Circ means I now have to queue all the way to the Green Lanes/North Circ junction instead of being home in 2 mins with no queuing and no fumes belching out for another 15 mins.  When cutting off the use of residential roads, do they really think that it is ok now to be belching more fumes over the people who live in and use the main roads?  Especially as blocking these precisely at the time when there are major delays caused by the extensive road works.  Sometimes I feel literally trapped inside the North Circ with the road works at Green Lanes/North Circ and the same at Bounds Green/North Circ.  20/30 mins to make the cross over the North Circ is standard with on hour being the longest - all for a less than 5 min 'normal' journey!

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Permalink Reply by Ed Balleny on September 12, 2011 at 10:41

Judy, you haven't explained where you live and where you are trying to get to, but by the sounds of it you are using Bowes Park as a way to cut out the congestion on the A406. I don't blame you we all like to reduce our journeys and no one likes sitting in traffic but if rat runs such as Wolves Lane and Bowes Park are blocked or made difficult then it is not surprising, I think the A406 is a perfect place for queuing and belching out fumes, certainly better than residential areas! If you want to avoid the slow section of the A406 to Green Lanes, then go up the slip road as though you are going on to the Cambridge Road, go over the roundabout and as though you are going back on to the A406 but then turn left just before you get to the A406 and then you can get to Wolves Lane that way.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on September 12, 2011 at 15:21

I'm going from Woodside Rd to Barnet.  I do sometimes go up Green Lanes but because of the road works the wait has been impossible.  I don't agree that the A406 is a perfect place to belch out fumes.  And most of the belching is from people queuing to get over it not on it!  And plenty of people live on Green Lanes and even the North Circ.  But the houses and flats are cheaper there so perhaps it's ok for them to put up with it as long as we folk on the leafy side-roads are protected!

EIMB said:

Judy, you haven't explained where you live and where you are trying to get to, but by the sounds of it you are using Bowes Park as a way to cut out the congestion on the A406. I don't blame you we all like to reduce our journeys and no one likes sitting in traffic but if rat runs such as Wolves Lane and Bowes Park are blocked or made difficult then it is not surprising, I think the A406 is a perfect place for queuing and belching out fumes, certainly better than residential areas! If you want to avoid the slow section of the A406 to Green Lanes, then go up the slip road as though you are going on to the Cambridge Road, go over the roundabout and as though you are going back on to the A406 but then turn left just before you get to the A406 and then you can get to Wolves Lane that way.

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Permalink Reply by Dave McNeill on September 12, 2011 at 15:41

EIMB said: "the A406 is a perfect place for queuing and belching out fumes, certainly better than residential areas!"

 

You should, perhaps, be aware that there is a plan to erect considerable new housing on the 406 near Wilmer Way, making it more of a residential area than it already is!

 

http://stopthea406flats.weebly.com/

 

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Permalink Reply by Ed Balleny on September 12, 2011 at 15:57

The fact remains that the North Circular and Green Lanes are major roads and therefore should bear the brunt of traffic. When the road works are complete then hopefully things will be better for everyone.

I think the roads on your side of Green Lanes (Arcadian, Woodside, Berkshire etc) naturally disperse the traffic better than Bowes Park did before the changes. The no right turn at Whittington has cut traffic and dispersed the rest into more appropriate roads. The pain is the queue to the A406 down Bounds Green road but we will just have to wait until the roadworks are complete.

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Permalink Reply by Ed Balleny on September 12, 2011 at 16:07

The A406 does have houses/flats but it has always been a major road and always will be. Yes the current roadworks make life unpleasant for both drivers and people who live there but hopefully this will be alleviated when the roadworks are complete. I am sure by the time these flats will be built then it will be a nicer place to live than anytime in the past.

Dave McNeill said:

EIMB said: "the A406 is a perfect place for queuing and belching out fumes, certainly better than residential areas!"

 

You should, perhaps, be aware that there is a plan to erect considerable new housing on the 406 near Wilmer Way, making it more of a residential area than it already is!

 

http://stopthea406flats.weebly.com/

 

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on September 13, 2011 at 0:42

I am not so hopeful, it seems that the 'new'  A406 in parts may have less capacity that the old one.

The wise transport planners have taken out the bus lay-bys and relocated the bus stops, so now when a bus stops or breaks down or and a passenger incident the A406 is reduced to a single lane.  Why anyone thought we need 20 foot wide pavements rather than a by lane or parking lay-by is beyond me.  All the more fun for when the Olympics takes out another lane! 

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