Low traffic neighbourhoods are a mass demonstration of Haringey's contempt for disabled people
- By Brian Leveson
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- 30 Dec, 2022
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Haringey must STOP the daemonisation of severely disabled people who have unfair and costly restrictions to health and social care due to road closures.
The stated objectives of the road closures
We know residents want people-friendly neighbourhoods. We will reclaim local streets for the people living there, making them once more safe, welcoming and liveable spaces where people meet, chat, socialise and where children play.
The introduction of measures under our ambitious Haringey Streets for People project will cut road traffic and pollution, as well as improve the walkability and cyclability of the local area, creating active travel corridors between local amenities.
This initiative will be a key driver towards a safer, cleaner, greener, fairer and happier borough.
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/roads-and-streets/haringey-streets-people
Haringey's contempt for the view point of disabled people is neither 'people-friendly' nor fair.
Haringey was already in a poor state when it comes to the inclusion of severely disabled people - particularly children. This is an issue we have campaigned on extensively for example inclusion of disabled people in forums. Haringey have not been inclusive.
- Meetings are repeatedly held at inaccessible venues - on upper floors or without changing places toilets or inadequate blue badge parking arrangements
- Pressure groups, like parks forums and cycling groups are not inclusive of the most severely disabled.
- Officers and Councillors demonstrate contempt for severely disabled people in meetings through behaviours like turning up late for meetings and bolting as soon as they end, sharing cabinet papers for comment with less than 24 hours notice, repeatedly interrupting people with speech impediments and the chairs of the local partnerships board of social care users
The 'trolling' and 'daemonisation' of people who aren't happier and find the road closures unfair
The claims made about those of us who are not 'happier' about low traffic neighbourhoods are quite unbelievable. Mainly because they aren't true. I have recently been informed that I am so 'right-wing' that I am closely connected to Nigel Farrage. Of course The Nige (as we call him) popped over for Hannukah (he's so inclusive of all people) and we raised a glass to celebrate the state of post-Brexit UK (total mess).
Some of the unhinged comments, from all sources, are wholly and entirely without evidence.
Being deamonised is something we are used to in this household on the basis that we fight for the rights of our disabled child and we are a Jewish household.
The insane claims come from all sources - current and former Councillors, cycling ambassadors, cycling groups - are all designed to turn people against those of us who aren't happier and find the road closures unfair. Some of the more insidious claims are that we are fighting the 'common good'. This is just a disgusting agrument - with pro-LTN people advocating against exemptions for ambulances and Blue Badge Holders!
Some of the unhinged comments, from all sources, are wholly and entirely without evidence.
Being deamonised is something we are used to in this household on the basis that we fight for the rights of our disabled child and we are a Jewish household.
The insane claims come from all sources - current and former Councillors, cycling ambassadors, cycling groups - are all designed to turn people against those of us who aren't happier and find the road closures unfair. Some of the more insidious claims are that we are fighting the 'common good'. This is just a disgusting agrument - with pro-LTN people advocating against exemptions for ambulances and Blue Badge Holders!
Villains with disabilities is a common trope
According to the book Disabilities: Insights from Across Fields and Around the World, disabled students are two to three times more likely to be bullied in comparison to their nondisabled classmates. The disabled villain trope contributes to this phenomenon in overt and subtle ways https://thenoraproject.ngo/nora-notes-blog/the-problem-with-the-disabled-villain-trope
And now the road closures to further exclude already socially isolated severely disabled people
We are really unhappy about the unfair impact of the road closure across Tottenham, Haringey. But the counter-argument is always the dangerous 'common-good' rationale. Warnings from history should be screaming in your ears now about the daemonisation of a group of people who go against a political leaderships perception of a "common good".
- No spontaneous travel for the most severely disabled: We can travel though Low Traffic Neighbourhoods under the exceptional individual circumstances policy if we have pre-approval from the local authority for every single trips, paperwork in order and have made a strong enough evidence-based case including doctors letters.
- Haringey's streets are not Health streets for us: The streets are not 'healthy' streets for wheelchair users - and there are laughingly insufficient plans to make them so (A budget of £120,000 per annum to address drop kerbs).
- Barriers to accessing essential appointments: The increased costs of our trips is becoming a barrier to accessing hospital appointments (of which we have a great many).
- Increased cost of travel: A recent trip from back from Islington cost us £48 in taxi fares, £10 of which was from South Tottenham to West Green Road.
- Lack of social infrastructure for severely disabled people:
There is no, and hasn't been for the lifetime of our child, no appropriate social groups that meet his needs (the nearest is in Islington and costs £120 a day, excluding travel)
or therapeutic facilities eg the nearest warmest accessible pool is in Finchley.
- The risks generated by longer journeys are life threatening: some immediately so - like 2 hours stuck in the West Green Road Closure led to a seizure; some more medium term - like the increasing spinal curvature; some longer term - like breathing in toxic fumes generate by the stationary traffic on our neighbourhood roads or that are kicked out by the four ancient Haringey SEND transport buses that park next to our kitchen every day, twice a day (we are not just breathing those noxious substances, we are eating them!).
- And then, just cycling and 'healthy streets' advocates trolling and being aggressive on social media towards disabled people. Any claims about the need for access for disabled people are attacked by cycliing advocates keen to push a pro-cycling agenda over a pro-inclusion agenda through the daemonisation of car drivers as 'killers' and 'causing disabilities' masking a reluctance to examine how the conduct of cyclists on pavements
further excludes disabled people e.g. Risks to more vulnerable users created by illegal cycling and e-scooting on pavements, abandoned dock-less bikes and e-scooters, cyclists using blue badge parking bay posts to lock their bikes on (one of my first EVER tweets!), cyclists jumping through lights at pedestrian crossing, cyclists cycling on pedestrianised areas.
Shame on you all and shame on the leadership that says it will 'co-produce' services - just NOT low traffic neighbourhoods
"We need a council that knows its people, that listens – really listens – and collaborates with them.
“We’re not here to do things to or for people – we’re here to work with them to make things happen. I want to see Haringey become a truly, genuinely collaborative council. It’s how we’ll achieve the kind of change we were elected for.”
“I want the lynchpin of my administration to be about co-production and co-design and being a more collaborative council".
“I am a working-class woman from an ethnic minority background, so I am used to people who want to talk on my behalf".
“My own background has shown me that the way we engage and talk to our residents is a crucial component moving forward. I will be using all my insight and experience of living in Haringey to help make a difference.”
'New' leader' Peray Ahmet, May 28th 2021
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/news/cllr-peray-ahmet-appointed-new-leader
The costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable - but ONLY IF they are mini-cab drivers who work for Mike Hakata - but severely disabled people in Haringey can....
Once upon a time Mike Hakata wrote a fairy-story in a letter that he said at the time was ensuring that "the costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable" but was really about the business he worked in for decades, the mini-cab trade.
“For many drivers in our wards, these costs will be too much to bear and they will be forced out of their jobs. Other drivers will be thrown into in-work poverty and forced to work even longer hours to get by. As the Labour Party we must be firm that the costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable.”
And yet that is EXACTLY what is happening in Haringey, who have refused to give exceptions for London's fully accessible fleet of 21,000 black cab taxis.
“For many drivers in our wards, these costs will be too much to bear and they will be forced out of their jobs. Other drivers will be thrown into in-work poverty and forced to work even longer hours to get by. As the Labour Party we must be firm that the costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable.”
And yet that is EXACTLY what is happening in Haringey, who have refused to give exceptions for London's fully accessible fleet of 21,000 black cab taxis.
Is Mike Hakata STILL protecting his mates in the mini-cab trade, at the cost of access for disabled people?
Haringey have refused to give exceptions for London's fully accessible fleet
of 21,000 black cab taxis because
"Despite stakeholder feedback that exemptions for taxis and other private hire vehicles are important means of transport for some disabled people and other people with access needs, it is not currently feasible or practical for the Council to administer, manage and enforce exemptions where the transport is arranged on an ad hoc basis and the vehicles are subject to regular change and advance notice cannot be provided of the registration details. It is also the case the vehicles exempted would also b making transport journeys at other times with other occupants in the car that do not require an exemption and there is no way to distinguish between journeys. As such, taxis and other private hire vehicles are not included as part of the LTN Haringey Exemptions Criteria and Applications Process.
To be clear, we asked for an automatic exemption for ALL 21,000 London Black Cab Taxis that are fully accessible as they are the only vehicles we can use - but with only 500 non-black cab taxis that are fully accessible it looks to be very much like Mike Hakata is still protecting his mates in the mini-cab trade by not granting exemptions London Black Cab Taxis.
"Despite stakeholder feedback that exemptions for taxis and other private hire vehicles are important means of transport for some disabled people and other people with access needs, it is not currently feasible or practical for the Council to administer, manage and enforce exemptions where the transport is arranged on an ad hoc basis and the vehicles are subject to regular change and advance notice cannot be provided of the registration details. It is also the case the vehicles exempted would also b making transport journeys at other times with other occupants in the car that do not require an exemption and there is no way to distinguish between journeys. As such, taxis and other private hire vehicles are not included as part of the LTN Haringey Exemptions Criteria and Applications Process.
To be clear, we asked for an automatic exemption for ALL 21,000 London Black Cab Taxis that are fully accessible as they are the only vehicles we can use - but with only 500 non-black cab taxis that are fully accessible it looks to be very much like Mike Hakata is still protecting his mates in the mini-cab trade by not granting exemptions London Black Cab Taxis.
We need exemptions for London Black Cab Taxis
There are
very few fully wheelchair accessible vehicles, let alone taxis. We have found it difficult to buy one, with delays of at least 18 months and there are very few that can be hired.
Accessibility features of a London Black Cab Taxi
Accessibility features of a London Black Cab Taxi
- 21,000
- All are wheelchair accessible
- Ramps
- Shields
- Most have a variety of aids including intercom / hearing induction loop
- Fully wheelchair accessible
- Straps and locking points
- Only 500 are wheelchair accessible
- They don't have the other features such as intercom, loops, shields.
Not contemptuous towards disabled people - come join us ...
If you thought SEND was bad - the NHS is seemingly prepared to throw away money to private companies
About 3 or 4 times a year we get the euphemistic message 'Parents please note we have put a letter in your child's bag' - its a world away from how a child's death was handled in my child's first school
More of a trial by ordeal than a well organised clearly set out administrative process for moving the care of vulnerable young adults from Haringey's Children's Services to Adult Services. We have been failed at every stage of the process.
Never EVER get on the bus without a camera running if you need the priority wheelchair space
The reality of using a London Bus in the teeming rain on a Sunday afternoon is no joke when the parents of a paraplegic person in a wheelchair clash with the self-entitled buggy-pushing parents of toddlers.
At 3pm today I received some barefaced lies from Haringey Council Adult Social Care in response to a photograph I published online yesterday and the media interest it generated
Haringey SEND Transport are insisting that a 17 year old minibus with no air conditioning is a suitable vehicle to transport my paraplegic son in this heatwave. The appalling conditions inside the minibus inside the bus is something they knew about last summer, yet they have to date done nothing whatsoever provide a suitable minibus this year nor appropriately mitigate the temperatures inside the minibus.The conditions inside the minibus are so bad that they triggered multiple seizures during the heatwave as my son has epilepsy, which they SEND transport department know about and they also know that they are triggered by heat.It is not just son who is impacted: last year we know of one child who died on Haringey SEND Transport in the summer heatwave and another who had seizures.
I am simply asking a question - are we all absolutely certain that the road closure / travel restrictions (commonly know as LTNs) placed on some of the most severely disabled people who are wholly reliant on cars are absolutely necessary
Haringey's road closures exemptions policy for disabled people is not fit for purpose, unduly burdensome and intrusive - it's time to stand up against the pro-LTN lycra-clad cycling bullies
Is the argument for and against exemptions for disabled people in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods really a case of GOOD versus EVIL?
