File:Mud Mound on Tottenham Green.jpg

English: 13 April 2013. A "desire line" crosses Tottenham Green to and from the bus stops. It began as walkers feet made a narrow path. And has turned into a mud highway.

During many months while this problem was getting steadily worse, 'high-level' meetings have taken place between regeneration experts and "stakeholders" about regenerating the Green.

My original guess was that perhaps none of these important people use High Road bus stops. But Cllr Richard Watson corrected me. He's one of the Tottenham Green councillors and chairs the Stakeholder meetings. He agreed with my point about ongoing maintenance and said the Stakeholder Group raised this several times.

Which poses the question: what would it take to get these basic issues tackled? Not simply in responding to reports - but having an effective monitoring and maintenance system in place. And an attitude change where staff of the Council and other agencies don't walk-on-by. Why did Haringey fail for so many years in looking after and cherishing this green jewel? ___________________________________________

§ Aerial view of where I took this photo. § Wikipedia page on Desire Path. § Page of comments on Desire paths on the blog called "Metafilter". Includes comments on two good reasons why it's a bad idea to follow straight desire lines on paths which ascend slopes using switchback paths. (Called Hairpin bends or turns in British English.)   The first reason suggested is that switchbacks ease the climb or descent for people who can't easily manage the climb - including disabled people.   The second reason is that: "A desire path straight up the hill creates a channel water will run down, and erosion will start ripping that up quickly. ... "The switchbacks are there to keep waterflow under control just as much as they are there to ease the climb/descent."   Tottenham Green isn't "the wild". But looking at this mud mound and the photo below in March 2013 after rain, it seems likely that water run-off combines with people's feet to further compact the soil and damage the grassed areas. § In a long and interesting article commenting on flooding in England in January/February 2014 the Environmental campaigner George Monbiot made a similar point in about the rate of water flow in rivers and streams which have been straightened and canalised. "Drowning in money: the untold story of the crazy public spending that makes flooding inevitable" The Guardian 13 January 2014.

This article was reprinted in a selection of George Monbiot's writing, in the book "How did we get ourselves into this mess". Published by Verso Books in 2016. (Paperback forthcoming 2017.)