Crouch End - Liberal Democrats keep up pressure on parking chaos

11.27.57am GMT Tue 20th Nov 2007

Cllr Weber and residents of Stanhope Gardens and Claremont Road.

Lib Dem councillors in Crouch End have vowed to keep up the pressure on Labour parking boss Brian Haley, to ensure that solutions are brought forward for the parking chaos in the Crouch End area. Residents of Crouch End met with Cllr Haley for a tour of streets affected by acute parking displacement. During the two-hour tour he met with four groups of residents. Lib Dem Cllr Lyn Weber instigated the tour to firmly ram home the seriousness of the parking problems.

Cllr Haley heard from residents about the severe problems in the Claremont Road and Stanhope Gardens, as well as several other areas in Crouch End with severe parking problems. He witnessed vehicles reversing down roads; the difficulties posed by no parking spaces, and heard distressing stories of a young child in pain who had to be carried to a far-off car to get to the Whittington Hospital; a dog being hit; road rage, small business being affected by lack of access to houses, and much, much more.

Several times the Safer Neighbourhood police team, whom Cllr Weber had invited to give advice to residents about how to handle increasingly angry incidents, were also put to good use directing traffic. A ballet of vans was reversing, but Cllr Weber says that when the police aren't about there have been incidents of no one wanting to give way and a lot of shouting, vehicles being damaged and frustration boiling over.

Cllr Lyn Weber comments:

"Cllr Haley was very late, and I can't begin to describe the frustrations we went through. However he has now seen and heard for himself, that a large swathe of Crouch End is having serious difficulties and he needs to be kept to a plan of urgent action " .

"Whilst Cllr Haley was short on concrete answers, he has assured residents that a consultation will occur in the New Year. Excuses from the Council over funding just won't wash. If Haringey Labour can find £10 million to cover losses on IT upgrades, surely they can find the small amount of money needed to tackle this misery for residents. An acceptable solution needs to be implemented as soon as possible not in some vague time frame or subject to funding. Residents deserve better."