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Satnav turns quiet street into rat run
Anna Davis, Evening Standard16.11.07
For nearly 30 years Lynn Charalambous has enjoyed working in the peace of her hairdressing salon in a mainly residential street in north London.
But thanks to a quirk of satellite navigation systems, her shop is now filled with the sound of car engines and motorists swearing and even fighting, as hundreds of vehicles are guided into the same road each day.
She is just one of the residents and workers of Whittington Road, Bowes Park, who say the traffic has become intolerable since satnavs turned their street into a rat run.
The mini-computers are suggesting it is the quickest route between the A406 North Circular Road and Bounds Green Road. Mrs Charalambous, 53, said: "I have seen people fighting because no one will give way.
"One day I saw a small van come down the road. A man hooted at him and the guy climbed over the bonnet of the car and started banging on the windscreen. I can laugh now but it's actually quite scary.
"My niece and nephew were here last weekend and we had to close the door because of the language the drivers use. The road used to be a nice community area but it's got to the stage where I have to put a bolt on the door."
Residents said more and more lorries and coaches were using the street.
Caroline Simpson, chairwoman of Bowes Park Community Association, said the situation was so bad that when drivers eventually did pull over to give way to oncoming traffic, motorists behind them simply overtook and pushed in. She added: "I hear honking horns, and people screaming abuse.
"I have often seen motorcyclists riding on the pavement to get past the traffic.
I once saw someone get out of their car with a claw hammer. People get out and threaten to punch each other.
"In the last year the traffic has been much worse, simply because of satnavs."
Haringey councillor Matt Cooke has asked Transport for London and the local council to look into the problem.
"If satnavs can update when there is an accident there must be a way they can be changed to show inappropriate routes," he said.
However a spokesman for Haringey council said it did not give information to providers of satnav systems.
A Transport for London spokesman said it has no jurisdiction over manufacturers of the devices.
Reader views (5)
The real solution is to provide a realistic A406 that is dual carriageway from Barking to Chiswick, and the same for the South Circular Road. If London had decent roads then people wouldn't need to take rat runs and people like me wouldn't have emigrated because of the nightmare traffic situation.
- Barry Graham, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Whittington Road has been used as a rat-run for years, since back before sat nav was affordable. The problem isn't sat nav - it's how congested the North Circular gets around the stretch from Palmers Green to New Southgate where it comes down to one lane (while the rest of the North Circ, at least as far as Hanger Lane, is 3 lanes). There had been plans to sort that section out, but budgetary contstraints (IIRC, Ken didn't want to pay for it all out of London's budget but central government wouldn't pay for it either) caused a heavily diluted solution to be approved, so the rat-runs will continue to be used. Restricting one road at a time just shifts the traffic to the next road.
- Leon, Southgate
I agree with Ade. Some of the people using the this equipment are just plain dumb and lazy and not using commomn sense.
I have seen "Local Traffic Only" signs used as a deterrent. I doubt that there is much mileage in trying to get suppliers of the equipment to change.
I have a sat nav in my car which I find useful but I do not follow it blindly. Nor do I use it in built up areas. My advice to drivers is: Switch off the voice instructions, and use a map to work out where you want to go and the best way to get there before you set out.
- Albert Hall, Brighton, England
I live in Whittington road and it feels like living in a very busy congested main road. The problem is this area have being abandoned by our local MP and local govermment.Our letters and complaints are ignored.
- Maria Gorham, London
If the manufacturers do not want to accept resonsibility for correcting the problem, then surely the highways agency can take it upon themselves to issue a permanent "traffic warning" on the road to deter people from taking the route. The most useful step, however, would be for them to but barriers on entrances to the street and issue keys only to residents, as is done occasionally on other problem streets around the country. As always, this will only be done if people complain long and hard enough, and invariably, some fatalities will also be required before they get off their fat backsides.
- Ade, Twickenham
