Received a late evening yesterday from Cllr Lyn Weber (Crouch End) about the residents of Claremont and Stanhope roads in the Highgate / Crouch End area who are now in a completely desperate situation re parking. What has happened is that with the advent of the Highgate Station CPZ, the Hillside CPZ (on the Islington side of the borough boundary) etc – this little enclave of roads finds itself much sought after. The still free parking there is now used by some people in the streets with a CPZ so that they don’t have to pay, seemingly all the motor repair shops who want to park the cars they are working on somewhere (and they arrive four at a time on vehicle transporters), and all the other people who want to park for the station or wherever – and these streets are the last, nearest ones left available.
The consequence is that residents cannot get to park anywhere near their houses – if they can find space at all – and now want a CPZ themselves, not surprisingly.
I have written to Haringey Council about this anyway – and am waiting for a response. But Cllr Weber has met briefly with Brian Haley and been told that there is no funding before 2008/09. It really can’t wait. And given that these schemes bring in a revenue streams for the council you would not think it beyond their wit to borrow from the 08/09 fund to bring the implementation of a CPZ forward – and then pay back out of the early proceeds?
So – Lyn had organised to meet a few of the local residents to look at the situation and decide a way forward. Even though it is mid-August and many people are away – still the parking stress was clear. And several young mothers came with their children to emphasize the fact that if you have young children, buggies, shopping etc – parking a ten minute walk from your front door is a nightmare. Another women was telling me that she was often having to park such a distance a way that she had to walk alone down a street where she was actually scared to do so alone at night.
Cllr Lyn Weber will be organising a meeting with Brian Haley as soon as possible. He had suggested October – but we want that meeting now!
Lynne Featherstone 
I’m starting to see the same thing on Shepherds Hill as well; the people who parked in Priory Gardens prior to the CPZ around Highgate Tube station are now parking outside my block about half way down Shepherds Hill.The other day I had to park on Stanhope Road as it was the only place within five minutes of my flat.I’m not a fan of a CPZ (although I suspect I would have been had I lived closer to Highgate Tube).
Nothing happening?The streets are congested with commuter parking.Emergency vehicles and all manner of large vehicle cannot negotiate the roads. No enforcement. Anyone out their proposing to relieve this situation.
I live up the top of Ferme Park Road just outside the CPZ “CE-A” that was introduced recently. I work strange shifts because of my job and sometimes I get home in the middle of the night and can’t even park in the same post code yet alone the same road. The other night I had to park almost in Western Park that is at the bottom of the hill.
Also the parking is made more difficult by the knock on effect of the CPZ. More shoppers, even more residents avoiding their own CPZ and of course the plethora of white vans, motor homes (that people live in) and commercial vehicles like tow trucks and 5 tonners.
Haringey Council must be most inept council I know and believe me I have dealt and worked for council. There powers of hindsight are akin to a dead parrot and when you ring them up and ask to speak to someone all you get is gibberish and excused that the person you want to talk to “is at a meeting”. That is roughly translated to having a fag or a cup of tea.
It comes to something when I and my neighbours daren’t even move the car to go shopping or go to the park for instance. I also watched on their car park attendants standing on the corner of Ridge Road and Ferm Park waiting for the clock to turn 10am. I just get the impression that this is just a money making exercise to prop up a council thwart with financial problems (We all remember the Alley Pally problems). Lets face it they can’t run Social Services without giving Haringey a bad name so what change have they got with parking?
Why oh why didn’t some brainless official think of the problems this would cause? I despise councils and CPZ’s but Haringey should of done the whole area in one go instead of doing it dribs and drabs. I can guess that a lot of these council employees don’t live in Crouch End and certainly don’t think of the problems they have caused.
Perhaps a demo is in order?
Alan
Ridge Road