Jump to content

Traffic chaos in Dulwich Village - does anyone know the cause?


gkb

Recommended Posts

Dulwich Common still closed this morning. It seems me pretty obvious that Court Lane needs to be reopened. Could then maybe close off the various side roads at the Court Lane end of them to discourage ?short trips? from within the area, and keep the closure on Calton Ave near Gilkes Place, but open Calton to traffic going from DV into Court Lane (admittedly this would disrupt the SUV waiting area that seems to have developed at the Calton end of Court Lane - it was raining yesterday and there were about 8 cars parked up/ idling while waiting for children...)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Closing the South Circular due to an emergency was always going to cause jams all over the place. Having Court Lane open would just have meant Court Lane and Calton Avenue would also have been jammed as well as well as all the other roads. It wouldn't have meant there wouldn't be jams this morning.


Despite that, I look forward a conspiracy theory from the usual suspects about how Sadiq Khan himself put a hole in the water main because he owns a palace on Court Lane and is part of a plot led by George Soros to short BP...or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have been keeping an eye on google maps this morning and watching the roads change colour. Interestingly, the process seems to start at on EDG at the Townley Road traffic lights, with traffic then extending back to Lordship Lane well before problems start anywhere else. I wonder if that?s always the case? The traffic problem on EDG seems to start a good 20 mins before it starts elsewhere.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having seen the closure (and traffic) this morning I agree rah that this would've been catastrophic with or without LTNs. Today is not a normal LTN and I'd advise against getting in cars unless you really have to. It's the worst I've seen in 11 years of living here, there wasn't much surface water on south circ (unlike last night where it was flodding into the park) so hopefully it will be open soon.


However the LTNs have removed what little slack there was from the road network. Even small hold ups (minor roadworks or two buses passing) are having a magnified impact on congestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The south circular was completely closed in both directions due to a burst water main. Nothing to do with LTNs. Confirmation bias much?


The whole point of a local road system is that closures can be anticipated (they will happen, just don't know when) and if roads are open the traffic can be diverted/ divert itself. So the gridlock is a result of, yes certainly, the primary cause of closure but also the secondary effect of enforced (not accidental) closures of many of the relief routes. So the gridlock (or the worst of it) is absolutely a function of LTNs. I have lived in this area for over 30 years and some closures caused by force majeure have been a regular feature - up till now relieved (at least for 'locals' by the use of alternative routes through the 'Dulwich's'. These (well some of these) have now been cut-off by fiat not accident or incident.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, not confirmation bias, I think people are just commenting that blocking some of the larger roads off reduces redundancy in the network. That?s a fact. Whether or not that reduction in would solve/ partially solve issues in any particular instance is a different question and will depend on the incident causing the traffic problem, surely.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course traffic would have been bad with the A205 being shut but it is certainly made worse because of the LTN closures. That's commonsense as there are fewer roads for the traffic to try and find a way around the closure - especially east/west.


If you think it is bad today imagine what it would have been like if the additional closures the council wants to put in place would have been in.


It is, of course, an extraordinary situation but you have to acknowledge that having roads closed does create an impact and this is the second example in a week.


The same happened after the motorcycle accident on the southern end of Lordship Lane this week. Police closed the road in both directions and traffic travelling southbound had no option but to go east and the areas around Upland, Goodrich, Dunstans became gridlocked as it was the only route around the closure due to the closure at DV. Of course, that was for a much shorter period of time but it does show the impact closing roads has.


Interesting to see Cllr McAsh has been caught in the traffic chaos (one presumes on a bus or bike) and he responded to a post from the EDSTN lobby group as they got their defence in early (anybody else noticed that the pro-closure lobby groups are going into overdrive ever since Cllr McAsh's post on the LTNs).


Link to comment
Share on other sites

The situation was made worse when some dickhead managed to push over the temporary plastic barriers (installed on the pavement to replace the permanent barrier some other dickhead knocked over a couple of months ago) and an additional section of permanent steel pedestrian railings...on the corner of College Rd and the South Circular. The steel barrier is now poking out into the roadway and can't be moved. That happened right in rush hour peak.



...but probably that was also the fault of a Stalinist planter outside a hairdressers...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The situation was made worse when some dickhead

> managed to push over the temporary plastic

> barriers (installed on the pavement to replace the

> permanent barrier some other dickhead knocked over

> a couple of months ago) and an additional section

> of permanent steel pedestrian railings...on the

> corner of College Rd and the South Circular. The

> steel barrier is now poking out into the roadway

> and can't be moved. That happened right in rush

> hour peak.

>

>

> ...but probably that was also the fault of a

> Stalinist planter outside a hairdressers...


I'm sorry - what point are you trying to make here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Total nightmare around Townley road this morning!


My feeling is our learned council will go the same way as our appalling national government within 12 months. Hordes of the angry unemployed masses going to do for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I?m not biased, I?m very much for positive actions to decrease road traffic and pollution. Extra protected cycle lanes and better pedestrian access. More charge points for electric cars and investment into public transport. The point is that in the 30 years of living in ED roads have had incidents that have caused traffic to be diverted, but with LTNs poorly planned an incident can cause more chaos and pollution as there are less ?escape? routes. Calling people biased or labelling them as car loving etc. does not actually move the conversation on. By the way..... I passed at least 10 adult cyclists using the pavement instead of EDG this morning on my walk, one nearly hit a mum with her two kids walking to school...dangerous, noisy and polluting.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a hole is the south circular and peoples solution is to divert all the displaced traffic down side streets? I thought you were terribly worried about traffic from side streets being displaced on to main roads?


I would ah e thought that this is exactly the time for ensuring people have safe alternatives to the car!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes but safe alternatives to the car is not just making it worse for the car.


How about making all public transport free.


Encourage electric scooters, making them abide by the same rules as cyclists.


Encourage motor scooters which would ease congestion and lessen pollution.


rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There is a hole is the south circular and peoples

> solution is to divert all the displaced traffic

> down side streets? I thought you were terribly

> worried about traffic from side streets being

> displaced on to main roads?

>

> I would ah e thought that this is exactly the time

> for ensuring people have safe alternatives to the

> car!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There is a hole is the south circular and peoples

> solution is to divert all the displaced traffic

> down side streets? I thought you were terribly

> worried about traffic from side streets being

> displaced on to main roads?

>

> I would ah e thought that this is exactly the time

> for ensuring people have safe alternatives to the

> car!


Oh dear you miss the point entirely.....rahrahrah do you not ever get the sense you're losing the argument?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • A repetitive tried and tested cycle that seems to be slowing down in London thankfully. Brixton was the start. Councils consciously and purposely let an area decline until that area is next on the list for social and ethnic cleansing and ultimately gentrification. In come the first wave of arty/ creatives to squat and house share. A few coffee shops and cool but inexpensive cafe/ bars and art spaces open up. The crackheads, dealers and other assorted criminals who were once left to operate openly and brazenly to sell, shop lift, mug, beg, purchase,  publicly consume on decent folks doorsteps, stairwells,in bin sheds and without fear of the law begin to be targeted, rounded up and moved on. A few more jaunty and sustainable coffee shops/ bars appear . The Guardian and other facilitators in the media jump on the bandwagon, first claims of vibrancy are rolled out. Next step a few cool retro clothing shops pop up selling ' reclaimed Levi's for more than they originally cost and ten times the price of what the recently departed charity shop charged. Foxtons open a branch and the arty types and first wavers/ drivers have there first moan about there initially paltry rents going up. The guardian do a generic lets move to Brixton, Dalston, Hackney, Deptford, Walthamstow type double pager. Interview a graphic designer or two who have just bought a former crack den on the manor for next to peanuts. They will later bemoan the next wave who have more money than them. Cool, edgy and vibrant are now the buzzword bingo must use lingo. Few more coffee shops ( how original ) Pop up everything,. Organic and sour dough move in. The night time economy starts to thrive, more cool bars and eateries open. More squats and the last crack house that was once one of many are cleared out. Second wave is around the corner.   All of a sudden there's a visible police presence again and the streets are safe for fun seekers with plenty of disposable cash to chuck about on a dose of vibrancy with added coolness. By this stage even the locally brewed beer is organic. There's queues outside the newly arrived organic, sourdough, artisan and sustainable bakers. Instagram has Brixton trending. The greasy spoon of thirty year has gone cause the lease is up and the landlord has hiked the rents up by 60/70%. Followed by small family run independents that served the community  for decades and more.  The local characters, activists, eccentrics are getting less and less. There's a new show in town for a week or two and until the next brand arrives. Brewdog move in. Former job centres are converted into bars but peak edginess means it's still called the job centre. Followed by a couple more chain eateries. The resident DJ'S and music venues are replaced by another generic brand boasting guest chefs. The Guardian lifestyle section is now on it's fifth or sixth orgasm. Turn a few pages and hypocrisy is rampant with articles on the evils of gentrification, foxtons, capitalism, social cleansing and unaffordable housing. The middle classes continue to arrive in there droves to buy into the vibrancy and multiculturalism supposedly on offer. There isn't much multiculturalism going on at the packed latest place to eat, drink and fart. The multiculturalism on show comes in the form of bar staff, doorman and cheap as chips uber drivers and delivery workers. Rice and peas, jerk everything, red stripe at six quid a can from some hipster haunt that is currently flavour of the month and the place to be seen. The first wavers are now blaming the latest hedge funded brand that's pulled into town for driving gentrification and there soon to be hastened departure to be first wavers again somewhere else. Less cool but up and coming here we come. Covid has certainly helped/ been a factor in slowing down the process of gentrification. I also think it may be the driver for almost putting a stop to it. Remote working, less need to move to London to be near an office, less disposable cash, sky high rents, worthless degrees that relied on that disposable cash , different priorities, knife and gang crime and a large dose of much needed realism has put a huge spanner in the works for the shitty process and cycle that is/ was the gentrification and social cleansing of working class London. Manchester and Liverpool is next on the list for the planners. Thankfully.
    • Can you just queue up to withdraw cash or are other transactions like stamp purchasing required?  Do M&S do cash back?
    • Or don't stop using cash. Stop using your phone or even your watch as a banknote. At the same time avoid the risk of having your card cloned at cash points, by hand held card readers, oyster readers and point-of sale terminals to name a few. God only knows how much damage we're doing to the planet because all the above must require a hell of a lot of resources and juice from the grid. It won't happen though. I know of quite a few people who deem carrying cash about as a pain/ chore. But not a big lump of plastic with a screen and full of personal information that can be easily gleamed. I feel the same about carrying a phone about so i don't most of the time. I'll be in the minority but certainly don't see or treat a phone as a necessity.  You can't get a banknote out of your sky rocket with a phone in your hand. It's become a source of dopamine for many. It's an addiction for many. They're an easy target for thieves. They're a godsend to cyber fraudsters who are stealing billions and are doing so without the need of cash points.
    • There used to be an Osteopath at The Gardens (not physio) but they have since left.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...