apmuso

Just seen this guy walking up Greendale towards JAGS. Clearly not well. Being aggressive with anyone who makes eye contact. Flagged a police car down and gave them his description and whereabouts.

MarkT - don't shoot the messenger. Just what someone told me in conversation. And obviously can't reveal my sources...

MarkT - you assume that the ED CPZ scheme will be rolled out in exactly the same manner as the Dog Kennel one. Not what I'd heard. ed26 - you shouldn't feel guilty about using MG! It is what it is. The main concerns for residents have always been congestion, pollution, damage and road rage as well as the obvious parking inconvenience, so any solution to mitigate any of those issues would be welcome. Agree entirely about the single or 2 hour window for the scheme. That's what we'll be campaigning for.

You're right intexas - it won't reduce the amount of traffic. We're a rat run - always have been, always will be. But every time I'm driving in Herne Hill in a CPZ road, I'm struck by the number of empty bays - which for us would hugely improve traffic flow. In my 21 years here, I have witnessed such incredible levels of congestion and really ugly road rage. There has to be a better way. We'd be up for making MG one-way, but the council have always rejected the idea.

Agree with intexas re front gardens. It is not a solution. However, our desire for the CPZ is not solely based on being able to park. The congestion on Melbourne is insufferable on most days at certain times, combined with air pollution, damage to cars and really worrying levels of road rage makes us think that a CPZ would go some way to helping.

Personally I'm for a 12-2 CPZ in the Grove Vale area, but I appreciate the arguments against. I can seldom park anywhere near the house on a weekday and the situation has definitely deteriorated (we've lived in the same house for 21 years). What I don't get is how vexed people are getting about it. As I understand it, the council are willing to implement a CPZ where there is enough support on a road by road basis, rather than firehose the area with them. Surely we wait and see what the response is and if we lose, we lose - unless there is 10% overspend on the leave side - I mean against side...

Please PM me if you know where on Melbourne Gr Marie and Richard live and I'll pop their card (wrongly addressed to us) round to them.

I've seldom been able to park on the same road as I live, let alone anywhere near my front door during the day for 20 years. The naysayers should try lugging a big shop and small children across a busy road, hundreds of yards to your door. I don't feel I have a given right to a space right outside my home, but if we were to simply demotivate commuters from driving and parking near the station by introducing a 12-2 parking zone, the spaces would be freed up.

Lived near ED station for over 20 years and, in that time, the situation has markedly deteriorated - both in terms of available parking and congestion, which often leads to angry (sometimes violent) confrontation and the occasional damage to vehicles. All the naysayers should come and experience it for a while... Bring on the CPZ.

None of the 40 odd Xmas cards that we sent arrived before Xmas, having been posted on the 15th and when I went to the sorting office at the beg of Jan to complain, I was told that two vans had been held up - one at gun point, the other at knife point - on the 16th Dec and all the post was lost. Don't doubt other posters' bad experiences, but clearly not all of their making. Mercifully, neither driver was hurt during the robberies.

Thanks! Sleep deprived!!

Hi James - as you know from previous correspondence, we back on to the site of the new health centre/school behind Melbourne Grove. We are still occasionally disturbed by generator noise in the night, but it's not generally too much of an issue. Last night, however, we were woken up at 4am by noise from the site - either them being robbed or, more likely, taking delivery of some materials. Can you let me know what's going on and get some assurances from the contractor that that will never happen again? Thanks. Andy

Hi James - as you know from previous correspondence, we back on to the site of the new health centre/school behind Melbourne Grove. We are still occasionally disturbed by generator noise in the night, but it's not generally too much of an issue. Last night, however, we were woken up at 4am by noise from the site - either them being robbed or, more likely, taking delivery of some materials. Can you let me know what's going on and get some assurances from the contractor that that will never happen again? Thanks. Andy

Hi James - wonder if you can help? We live on Melbourne Gr in ED and back onto the old hospital site. As you know, work has begun clearing the massive amount of rubble away. The only slight issue we have is that there is a generator being left on round the clock, which is really audible when we're trying to sleep. I can't see any lights being used overnight, so not sure what purpose it serves. Can you investigate? Many thanks. Andy

Delighted to recommend Fernando, who has worked wonders in our garden over the last couple of weeks. He is really hard working, reliable and very friendly.

Very happy to recommend Nick and his team, who have completed a number of different jobs for us to a very high standard over the last few weeks. A recommendation not just based on the quality of the work, but on how easy they were to have around. Always punctual, polite and incredibly respectful, on top of being really diligent and tidy. Will definitely get them back whenever there's anything else to do.

Think it might be a breed too far for the first dog experience! Appreciate your thoughts.

Hi there - we are on the verge of getting a family dog and are drawn towards the Viszla, but would love the opportunity before we meet breeders to chat with a local owner about the pros and cons of this unique breed. Are they as mad and dependent as many say? Any advice will be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

Fair enough re the schools. But presume it's only bad at 9 and 3.30? You're right re MG - it's not a bad place to be (!) and clearly, we've lived this long without a cpz... All we can do is imagine what it must be like to park near your front door. Oh - the luxury....!!

But BNG - the catchment for the schools means that any congestion you suffer is caused by your neighbours. What we're talking about is a perceived increase in commuter traffic from outside the area using our roads as car dumping grounds, just so their commute is a little less painful.

But this is a proposed 11-noon metering system - some way removed from the schemes you describe elsewhere. Everyone is free to park for a limited period at all other times. I absolutely understand about the horrors of exclusive residents' parking as in Fulham and Chelsea etc - but this is a scheme fundamentally to stop commuter parking near the station. It has little to no impact on anyone else.

Penguin68 - just as long as you're alright then. Until you've experienced it, not sure you can appreciate how frustrating it can be for almost everyone I speak with locally. Fair point on the train issue though.

So hang on - let me get this straight. What you're saying is that it could also be lazy fellow East Dulwichians who might be forced to take the bus or walk to get to the station, making it more more possible for the residents of Melbourne, Derwent and Elsie etc to park in 'our streets', thus reclaiming 'our streets for ourselves'. Not sure I've 'fundamentally misunderstood' anything. IMHO you understand.

I agree - the consultation needs to be inclusive of all those streets affected - either directly by the cpz or indirectly by any 'creep'. Although as Councillor Barber intimated: 'Herne Hill area did see some scope creep but their (sic) is a limit to how far people will park and walk and instead use a more local station to where they live.' That's surely the point isn't it? If I'm forced to park outside someone else's house on Ashbourne or Chesterfield, where are they parking? If the proposed 11-noon enforcement is introduced, with one fell swoop those commuters who drive, park in our neck of the woods and then take the train from here, will be forced to take the train from further out. I think it could really benefit us all. Platforms and trains will be less congested and the roads and parking will be slightly more pleasant. What's not to love.....?!!

Bobby P - I can guarantee you there is a majority of residents on the station side of Melbourne Grove who would back CPZs - I speak to my neighbours. It's not small-mindedness to want to try to change the commuting habits of people from outside ED. Why should we not want to keep our streets for ourselves? People who drive in from miles around and park outside my house for ten hours a day are the problem. It's not a compromise of urban living to want to park somewhere within 300/400 yards of one's house. That's a nonsense if you think so. And why wouldn't you want to try to make your urban existence better? I'm guessing you haven't tried unloading a car full of toddlers and shopping on a street where there's nowhere to even stop let alone park. I find the notion that CPZs are the thin end of the wedge and we're on a slippery slope if we have them risible. I want a better life for everyone in East Dulwich. I wouldn't be at all happy if the problem was just shifted a few streets away. It's shifting the mindset of lazy commuters that's the issue. If we make parking more problematic for them, then our roads are less congested for us all.