Marmora Man

VikkiM, Thank you for the response. Good to hear that no decision has yet been reached. I look forward to following the discussion that the meeting on 5th Oct. As my EDF name suggests I live on Marmora Road - which has certainly become busier as a direct result of the installation of the lights - and I know that other roads, Therapia, Mundania, Scutari and Colyton Roads have all seen an increase in "rat run" traffic. The other points I have made in my note earlier in this thread stand - altho' I acknowledge that the recent opening of the Harris Academy may warrant a re-siting of the pedestrian controlled light crossing closer to the school if / when the traffic lights I object to are removed.

The BBC is flagging its research into the impact of public sector spending cuts. The story is on their Website - Here. Surprisingly, Southwark is reported as being fairly well placed with the overall ranking being 97 / 324 - certainly well above the median mark and on some measures way ahead of the pack on things such as vulnerable jobs (8/324), insolvencies (174/324), no of startups (14/324), house prices (19/324) and so on. Vulnerabilities include - "low social cohesion (322 / 324), high benefits claim rate (277/324) Do you agree? Edited to include more data

I have been contacted by a Tony Coppock in response to my letter to Southwark Council regarding the traffic lights at junction of Forest Hill Road and Colyton Road. He informed me that: a. No decision has yet been made b. That the council has received views both for and against the plan to retain the traffic lights. c. That the Chair of the Community Council will make the decision based upon views expressed by letter, at the forthcoming Community Council meeting and the results of a "consultation". Tony Coppock was unable to tell me how the Chair will reach the decision, whether a majority vote at the CC would hold sway or whether the Council's own safety assessment would be paramount. Nor was he able to tell me where the 5th Oct CC meeting would be held, nor who the chair might be. He did provide me the name and contact number of the chap "managing" the decision process. Philip Murphy - 020 7525 0814. I have called and left message asking for more details on process and the forthcoming CC meeting

Not quite ED - but close. Does anyone know what's being developed next to Honor Oak Station? I have spoken to the contractors working there but they seem to be simply clearing the land. It's not a station related car park - so what is it?

Walking over Tower Bridge this morning I noticed a number of padlocks, mostly single but occasionally in pairs, locked to the railings. On some, but not all, there were names or phrases written in a language I didn't recognise. I assume they represent some form of pledge of love / memory or similar - but have no idea where the idea originated. Is it particular to one country and maybe brought over by tourists? Is it a local London "thing", or some other UK based idea? Just wondering.

I would add to ArtfulDogger's comment that spending Southwark Council's money on promoting an already successful area may not be the best use of public funds. Most local traders would prefer a permanent reduction in business rates to a one off - and as AD has pointed out, poorly targeted effort.

Loz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There used to be a shop on Oxford St that sold a > t-shirt with "Nobody knows I'm a lesbian" on it in > big letters. I really wanted, but never had the > guts, to buy it. I thought a bloke wearing it > would be fabulous irony. And a tall, rangy, shaven headed black chap was wearing said T shirt on Lordship Lane yesterday afternoon - sighted outside Co-Op at about 4.30pm. I thought it looked ironic.

More details req'd. Might help if you specified what sort of uniforms? Girl Guides / Scouts / MacDonalds / Arsenal / MUFC / ???? Are they green / blue / yellow etc. Would any sane person want to wear all / part of the uniform as leisure wear? Maybe a picture?

NO seems to be the usual answer - this has ben asked before

Mrs MM is fine - next generation slightly concerned about loss of free bed & board in London!

Being able to pose philosophical questions at any time of the day - let alone 03.02 in the morning.

I have lived in, or been based in, London for most of my life. I love the city - have been to others that can compare in some ways but never have bettered it - Paris, New York, San Francisco, Munich, Singapore. With retirement now a far closer prospect than any other major event in my life I am beginning to consider options. Having been a sailor I want to be close to the sea. Having been a climber and still enjoying hill walking I want to be close to rugged countryside. Counting myself a Londoner I do not want to lose all that it offers me. Solution - downsize from Marmora Mansions in a few years time, buy smaller in Cornwall - use the difference in prices to improve pension - use extra pension to spend up to half a dozen, separate, mad weeks in London doing all that London offers - while still walking on Bodmin / Dartmoor and throwing stones into, or fishing in, the N. Atlantic in the remainder of the time. It's a dream - but, I hope, realisable.

Nunhead cemetery. Masses of blackberries.

Sad news for cricket this morning - taints not just Pakistan but the whole game. Perhaps this whole series and the records / stats that go with it should be wiped off the scoreboard?

Letter sent: See text should others wish to use as a template. Transport & Streets Department Southwark Council
 PO BOX 64529 London SE1P 5LX Traffic Lights ? Junction Forest Hill Road / Colyton Road Dear Sir, I understand that Southwark Council are intending to retain the traffic lights at the junction of Forest Hill Road and Colyton Junction. This despite the fact that Southwark Council indicated, when the lights were installed in September 2007, that this would be a temporary measure. As I am sure the Council is aware there were many local residents that objected to the initial installation of the traffic lights; there was no prior consultation but we accepted, once it was explained, that there was a need to improve access for large vehicles associated with the reservoir works. To decide now to retain the lights seems perverse. Apart from the logic of returning to the status quo ante - which worked to everyone's satisfaction, there are 5 following points to consider: 1. The Colyton Road / Forest Hill Road junction is just one junction of 7 in the 1.5 miles between the lights at Forest Hill / Wood Vale and Forest Hill Road / East Dulwich Road. In my experience over the last 6 years this particular junction is no more troublesome to exit onto FHR than any other junction. 2. Three sets of lights in 1.5 miles disrupts the traffic flow, as has been evidenced over the last two years. The lights create backlogs of idling traffic, extra noise and extra pollution. It upsets the timetabling of the 63 / 363 buses as it can take them an extra 5 / 10 mins to get from Forest Hill Tavern stop to the Peckham Rye stop. The purpose of a road planning is to facilitate sensible and safe traffic flow not to impede such traffic flow. 3. Many drivers avoid the lights by turning into Marmora Road or others off Forest Hill Road to turn relatively quiet residential roads with 20 mph speed limits into rat runs at peak times, usually travelling at speeeds far in excess of 20mph. This is particularly dangerous in the early evening (5.00pm - 7.00pm) when children play in the roads on their bikes and skateboards. 4. I understand a recent ?safety assessment? has been carried out. However, it was carried out with the lights in place and, almost certainly, reflects the cautionary principle so beloved of bureaucracy. There was no safety case made for the "temporary" installation of the lights - it was acknowledged, at the time of installation, that the reason for the lights was to facilitate traffic movements associated with the reservoir works. It is too easy for local authority to do nothing rather than make a positive decision to do the right thing. 5. To be arguing for retention of these traffic lights is going against the grain - the idea of reducing street clutter, traffic lights and other road impedimenta is now gaining traction almost everywhere. The concept has proved to be safer for everyone - with a reported 47% fall in accidents / incidents in Kensington where it was first trialed. I recommend most strongly that these lights are removed and the original traffic islands replaced. Yours sincerely

Originally posted in the Trades & Restaurants section but I feel it needs a wider distribution. Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere or before - if so I've not spotted it. Mrs MM and I ate at the Angels & Gypsies restaurant that's part of the Church Street Hotel in Camberwell last night. We had intended to eat at FM Mangal - usually a good option, but decided to check out the Church Street Hotel restaurant beforehand and changed our mind. It is truly excellent - fantastic tapas, a warm and friendly atmosphere and a good selection of sherries, wine and rum. It was very crowded and not having booked we were lucky to get the last two spots at the bar. Stand out dishes included - tuna tartare, with avocado & pistachio, clams with chorizo & spinach, a really good chorizo in Basque cider with a deep warm chilli bite. The churros and chocolate as a shared pud, as good as we've ever eaten in Granada, and a coffee served with flamed brandy, lemon & spices rounded off a beautiful meal

Apart from the logic of returning to the status quo ante - which worked to everyone's satisfaction, there are 5 following points to consider: 1. The Colyton Road / Forest Hill Road junction is just one junction of 7 in the 1.5 miles between the lights at Forest Hill / Wood Vale and Forest Hill Road / East Dulwich Road. In my experience over the last 6 years this particular junction is no more troublesome to exit onto FHR than any other junction. 2. Three sets of lights in 1.5 miles does disrupt the traffic flow - creating backlogs of idling traffic, extra noise and extra pollution. It does upset the timetabling of the 63 / 363 buses as it can take them an extra 5 / 10 mins to get from Forest Hill Tavern stop to the Peckham Rye stop. The purpose of a road planning is to facilitate sensible and safe traffic flow not to impede such traffic flow. 3. Many drivers avoid the lights by turning into Marmora Road or others off Forest Hill Road to turn relatively quiet residential roads with 20 mph speed limits into rat runs at peak times - usually travelling at speeeds far in excess of 20mph. This is particularly dangerous in the early evening (5.00pm - 7.00pm) when children do play in the roads on their bikes and skateboards. 4. The safety assessment was carried out with the lights in place and, almost certainly, reflects the cautionary principle so beloved of bureaucrats and loathed by me. There was no safety case made for the "temporary" installation of the lights - it has been acknowledged that the reason for the lights was to facilitate traffic movements associated with the reservoir works. The argument probably went - "if we remove the lights there might, in the future, be an accident and it may be argued that had the lights not been removed the accident wouldn't have happened. The council might be sued for taking the wrong action. Therefore we should take no action". It is so easy for local authority to do nothing rather than make a positive decision to do the right thing. 5. For Southwark council to be arguing for retention of the lights is going against the grain - the idea of reducing street clutter, traffic lights and other road impedimentia is now gaining traction almost everywhere. The concept has proved to be safer for everyone - with a reported 47% fall in accidents / incidents in Kensington where it was first trialled. I will be attending the Community Council meeting and I will be contacting the council to make the points above.

Too late for this year , but I hope it happens again next year for everyone;'s diary. Every Friday this August London Zoo opened late under the imaginative title of "Zoo Lates". Bars, selling wine, beer and cocktails, and caterers selling good burgers, picnics and other good food were set up in tents and it was possible to wander around seeing the animals while sipping a Mojito or glass of Pimms. All good fun - while watching the "Silent Disco" where all the dancers were wearing headphones and could hear the music but observers couldn't was hilarious. See the "naked ape" ate it's strangest. Recommended - a little more sun would have helped but still fun.

It seems, perhaps, that the reservoir work on Homestall Road and close to the Harris Girls School is about to complete. See: Homestall Road - Humps If this is the case will the council make good its promise to remove the traffic lights at Forest Hill Road / Colyton Road junction. Their installation created endless traffic queues where before there had been none, but did nothing to improve safety.

Time for our councillor to get involved. I can't locate the very lengthy thread about the installation of these lights, which were for the most part, deplored. The reason the council gave for removing the traffic islands and installing traffic lights was to make it easier for large lorries associated with the reservoir work to turn into / out of Forest Hill Road. Equally, removing / redcuing the humps on Colyton & Homestall Road were to redcue noise & damage from large lorries driving over said humps. If the restoration of the humps means the reservoir work is now complete then perhaps the council will make good its promise to remove the traffic lights which, it was stated in the original thread, would only be temporary.

AM - more research needed. Foie Gras from ducks is a substitute and not really the real thing - for that you need a goose and its liver. It's delicious lightly pan fried, served on a slice of toasted brioche with a glass of Sauterne. If you want to shift opinion - in any forum, you must engage. On EDF just posing an opinion without a supporting case is little more than graffiti.

Donald Severs house - seconded. Great place, can follow it with a Brick Lane curry.

I'll respect any view that is expressed clearly and coherently, but a raggle taggle rambling post will not win me over or persuade me to take he views presented seriously. The OP was such a post - I'm not surprised at the responses posted. You want serious - be serious.

Mrs MM and I are also having a London Mini Break from home. Our idea is to mix stuff that "should be done" in London and we have either never done or not done for some while. Therefore our list may include what others normally do - for us they would be different Plans include: Chelsea Physic Garden Tower Bridge Museum Victoria & Albert Museum Visit of fringe theatre show Visit comedy club RHS Gardens at Wisley (out of London but close) Take a guided walk thru' London London Walks Drink champagne in a jazz club Would also recommend Peckham Rose's bike tour. PR has spoken of this often and I think it's a brilliant idea.

In 28 weeks later there is also a 5 second glimpse of the rear Marmoraman's house, part of the Scutari scene mentioned by OP - which did improve my son's street cred for a while.