They are resurfacing Holloway Road at the moment. Changing junction heirarchies, altering bus lanes, installing temporary traffic lights. It’s tedious to say the least.
Last year it was tiresome heading north. Any bus heading north from Hi&Is took aaaages getting from there to Holloway Rd tube station and it it was quicker to get out and walk. And now they are slowing up the eastern side as they make further changes, meaning that heading south takes aaaages, especially in the mornings and exacerbated by a stupid bit of replanning opposite Holloway Rd station. Let me elaborate.
A yellow box restricts access. That’s great, and it ought to stop traffic from clogging that junction. But cars come out of Hornsey Rd and turn left (southwards) and block the way for buses that get stuck at the other side of the junction because those cars obstruct the access to the bus lane on the other side. Aaaagh. Often it takes three changes of the traffic lights before a space is available. And lots of bibbing and parping and sighing and swearing.
Only good thing about this is that from the front seat of a southbound bus (this is from a No21 to Lewisham) I can get a good view of how the tarmac road surface has been scraped away to reveal the old cobbled street (yeah yeah; setts). A layer of Holloway history revealed; it must have been an even noisier road in the past.
I’ve written before how this road must’ve been completely woodblocks as there are a few old man hole covers in the vicinity that still contain woodblock infills (see the A-Z listing at the top of this site). I’m not sure if the woodblocks predate or follow the cobbles/setts (advice please)
Further along the route 21, just before Essex Road there is a man hole cover on the left side within an accessway leading to what would have been the rear of the terrace. Two of the outer segments look to have remnants of wood in them. I need to go and poke it with a stick of some kind to be sure before I add it to the list. I will update you soon.