Ben House (Haringey Cycling Campaign’s coordinator) and myself had a really interesting Sunday morning recently. This was because The Ranty Highwayman AKA Mark Philpotts – the mobility visionary – came to visit us here in Haringey.
Ben and I had seen him in December at the LCC awards, and we invited him to give us his thoughts on what should happen with Green Lanes. He shared his ideas as we cycled along it, and there was also some drama.
So what did he think?
First off, we looked at the junction at Manor House, and he did this shrug below.
“Nothing will have changed here in the last 30 or 40 years. This has largely been like this since the 60s or 70s. It needs an overhaul, with less traffic filtering through, but so buses can travel with ease.
Then we hit Green Lanes – one of the only two routes directly through the borough. The alternatives are Wightman Road (debacle of parked cars on a narrow road), and routes with very steep hills. To start, we inspected the only stretch of it with a cycle lane and wands in Haringey.
Mark’s view: a great start … but. “These must be temporary” he said, about the wands [ed: they’ve been there over two years]. “And then after, you’re thrown into a bus stop and a junction”.
His advice: “Sort the junctions out, and then get a proper kerbed cycle track here, where the track is a few inches higher”. Lovely stuff yes please. Like the Lea Bridge Road, he said.
I looked for photos, and found one with Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman and Mayor of Hackney Caroline Woodall in. This looks absolutely ideal.
He also said: “Get rid of those lines in the middle. Let’s let drivers feel more of the pressure of the space. They can let each other go and take it in turns if needed”.
We cycled along, and hit the next part of Green Lanes, home to two lanes of parking, and no cycle lanes. It was time for another signature Mark shrug. He said:
“You can have 2 of these:
- Two way traffic
- Parking on both sides
- Space for cycling
Pick two”.
Interesting. We know which two we’d pick (it’s not the car storage, in case you’re wondering).
We then hit the road, forced to cycle in the lane with the traffic with the parked cars to our left.
Mark explained that because of the door zone, he needed to stay in the – middle of the lane. And then something dramatic happened – he was honked and beeped!
Really intimidated by this driver behind him who wanted him out the way. It was weird to see it play out – all he was doing was cycling along the street, where did the driver expect him to go?
Of course the driver didn’t get very far and soon stopped at some traffic lights.
Mark was level with the window, and asked them to wind it down to chat, and they wouldn’t.
We stopped for a breather and to have a chat – I was pretty cross of course. If this is what it’s like on a Sunday morning. Imagine it on a weekday. And imagine how a less experienced cyclist would feel.
But Mark made a great point, that this driver who was beeping would be much happier if there weren’t parked cars along and he could be in a separate cycle lane, as it wouldn’t slow him down.
So – many drivers might also be up for a new design, so pesky cyclists don’t get in their way!
We then enjoyed this cycle sign, after the beeping. What does it mean in this context? Who knows?!
Another shrug was necessary of course…
Further along, there was some parking on the pavement.
Mark explained that this was a lower shrug.
He had a look, thinking that loading bays might be needed, and there was some disabled parking. But couldn’t the loading bays be around the back? Hmmm.
Here, he made a good point. The pavement has been extended for people crossing the road, and there is an island in the middle, but on a bike, this would lead to a pinch point. (Hence the pinch gesture).
We then went to Lucia, near Wood Green to warm up, and bought two giant bagels and lots of coffee – because people on bikes are great for business!
I was delighted with how Mark’s orange T-shirt matched with the place. In the cosy warm, Mark said that he thinks Green Lanes could be like Middenweg in Amsterdam. Take a look below. (Photo by Mark).
Mark has written extensively about Middenweg, in this post on LinkedIn.
“Most of this stuff I’m talking about is not a technical issue. We know how to do it. It’s a political issue.
You need political will to do it”.
Right!
Coming up to the May elections, we’d like ALL parties standing to put building a safe route for cycling through the borough in their manifesto. It would be better for drivers, those on bikes, and pedestrians too. And the businesses would thrive I’m sure.
Mark’s off to look at plans and have more of a think.
We’re really grateful to Mark for coming all the way over to Haringey. He used to be a transport officer at Havering Council, and now works as a consultant, talking to councils and businesses about what designs would work.
If you’d like to know more about what he does, you can contact Mark via his website and BlueSky.
