sim1

Thank you all, that's great news! I will relay the message and hopefully she can get it booked.

Thanks, Sue. To be honest I am not sure what's going on there. I am posting for my mum and she said she had a bounce back on the email address provided and endless ringing with no answer phone when she called. Would be great if it was still going, but no luck so far...

Hi, Does anyone have a recommendation for Windows laptop repairs locally by any chance, please? Netquest Consulting seems to be permanently closed as far as I can establish. Thanks!

Depends how long you need it for, but we've done Virtuo https://www.govirtuo.com/uk a couple of times when we needed a car, and it's always been a really great experience. Need to start the registration process ASAP, though, as it's all app-based, so need to get through the security / driving license / DVLA check process. Hope this helps.

What I find the most depressing of all this is the "rip it out and start again" narrative. Now, I totally get that some?people?living on certain roads don't feel they benefit from the Dulwich measures, and some even find it's worse than before. I get it. But the thing is, the current schemes are benefiting a huge amount of people, and many people - us included - are now relying on these small stretches of safe routes.? Fair enough some don't agree with the current measures, but I think it would be absolutely awful if everything would just be ripped out without other safe measures having been put in place first (whatever those may be?!). That would be like throwing people who have made a positive change to active travel under the bus (or more likely a large SUV in the case of Dulwich). The Council's plans to reduce the timed restrictions to 4:30pm across Townley / Dulwich Village / Burbage Road and Turney Road in December are really depressing for starters. Looks like kids coming home from after school clubs and people cycling home from work, visiting friends, family, or cycling home from the shops will soon have to battle against lots of big metal machines again. In the middle of winter when it's pitch black by 4:30. Not that it's perfect now (the Council should have stuck to their original plans of filtering Burbage and Turney, for example), but I can still remember what it was like before the timed restrictions went in and despair of the fact we will soon be faced with it again. There was a time when I was seriously hoping that we might finally be on the cusp of starting to plan for a network of safe routes, but recent announcements of rolling back measures is just making me feel really down. We will probably still be fighting over a few square metres in Dulwich Village by 2040, when the rest of the world is burning...? I get some people don't like the current scheme, but ripping it all out without having a safe alternative in place? It's incredibly sad...?

heartblock Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > https://www.peabody.org.uk/media/12948/guide-to-se > tting-up-ra.pdf > I thought about starting one.... I would say go for it heartblock! Metallic, I hear what you are saying, but if something very transformative happened on my road, the first thing I would do is to discuss it with my neighbours and work out a plan between us. Yes, there might be disagreements and different opinions and people be affected in a different way, but at least everyone on the affected road will have a chance to be involved. It's a better chance to being listened to seriously than individuals being shouty on various social media channels and online forums. The situation is obviously not black and white, I don't think it's as simple as being pro-closure or anti-closure. Personally, I think we are moving in the right direction across London, but obviously it is going to be a very long process until the traffic beast is tamed. And for EDG at a very local level, getting together as an RA would I am sure help with working together more effectively with the Council.

Is there an East Dulwich Grove Residents Association through which to channel these issues? Personally, the changes are having a transformative and really positive impact on how my family gets about the area. However, judging from the various threads on here it seems to be mainly EDG residents that are negatively impacted by the changes in road layouts. Operating through a RA might give EDG residents a better way of working with the Council to find a solution to your specific problem? Apologies, you might already be doing this, was just a thought.

Hm, there does seem to have been an official VR campaign by Visit Dubai a couple of years ago, which seems to have been legit. However, that does not explain why these headsets seem to be appearing in the area now? Here is the Oculus page with details of the campaign a few case studies down: https://www.oculus.com/blog/new-webvr-experiences-entertain-educate-and-let-you-explore/?locale=en_GB

Rockets ? I sympathise completely with the challenges of chauffeuring various children around. Reading that did remind me about the excitement when me and my friends turned 10 and we were legally allowed to be on the roads on our bikes by ourselves (back on the Continent). It was our pass to freedom! We used our bikes to get everywhere ? to school and back, to our friends? houses, to the lakes in summer and to the ice rink in winter ? come rain, snow or shine ? we were on our bikes. It was freedom for us and it also meant our parents didn?t have to spend time playing taxi service. That?s what I would like for my kids and not being glued to the steering wheel being stuck in traffic and stressed thinking I will be late for a conference call. (It would also make the roads clearer for people who would actually need to use the car for their work). Also, let?s not forget that the majority of households in Southwark do not have access to a car, so parents playing taxi service to their kids is not an option for most. With free bus travel for the under-18s put on ice, walking and cycling will be the only way for many to get to school come September. Guys and St Thomas? hospital has also this week put out a plea to Councils to make it safer for its staff to walk and cycle to the hospital. Redistribution of roadspace simply needs to happen, and fast. That doesn?t mean EVERYONE needs to stop driving, it is also about ENABLING people that don?t have a car to get around, safely, by whatever mode of transport... I am also frustrated with the Council?s approach, as I don?t think its going fast and far enough, but I also realise that there are budget constraints and am relieved that at least something seems to happen, even if it?s just in dribs. So I am certainly not going to put spanners in the works for the Council, by joining the OneDulwich pressure group. Looks like all across the country that same conversations seem to be happening, so Dulwich is by no means special in that sense...

Hi Rockets, Thanks for your message. I do understand what you mean, and sometimes I dare to dream of cycling through the streets without being chased down the road like a fox on a fox hunt, however, I have just come to realise we need to start somewhere and that especially the closure of the DV junction is a good starting point as even a little bit of safe stretch of road is better than none. And from what I understand this is only the first set of announcements and that moree measures are to follow. Just to give an example, Lambeth has installed a tiny section of segregated cycle path and save crossing on the Rosendale Road / Norwood Road junction recently. It's only a few metres long, but it allows cyclists to cross the road safely to get to the park. That tiny section has made such a difference to me and my family and I make a quite substantial detour just to use that junction. It is such a shame that just because we are on a bike we always have to take really indirect routes. Personally, I would love a segregated cycleway network connecting West Dulwich, Herne Hill, Dulwich Village, Brixton, Camberwell and Peckham, however, that would mean a lot of on road parking would be lost, which would no doubt create a lot of resistance. The trouble is, something has got to give.

I have been following these threads for ages and it?s just got to the stage where I have to get things off my chest. I live in Goose Green Ward and have to cross Dulwich Village by cargo bike with my two kids sometimes up to six times a day. Used to do a half a kilometre detour through Dulwich Park until lockdown because the DV junction felt too treacherous. Since lockdown, I have tried to avoid using the Dulwich Park route and use DV junction instead as the main path is very busy due to people taking their exercise (rightly so I must add). In the early days of lockdown my 5 year old daughter was also able to ride on the roads around Dulwich, which was a joy to see. She was so proud and happy. Unfortunately, that already came abruptly to an end by around week 5 of lockdown, by which point roads felt too dangerous again. At the same time we try avoiding her using the pavement to cycle as people on foot understandably have their concerns about that. Anyway, I am back to having to do my detour and avoid the DV junction because it?s become so busy with impatient motorists. A few days ago I got very badly verbally abused and cut off from trying to get to the safe space in front of the traffic lights that left me very shaken (also not nice in front of my kids). Now, I have cycled all my life and I am used to getting close passed, cut off and overtaken at speed pretty much on a daily basis (more often than not on Turney Road, that famous cycle Quietway), but the situation is starting to really get my down. A few months ago, a motorist in a parked car opened the door in front of us when I was cycling with my toddler, which meant I came off my bike. Luckily there was no car coming in either direction or it could have ended very badly. It just left us very shaken. Now, every morning before I get on my bike I get a knot in my stomach and try to push away worrying thoughts about something bad will happen on the road today. Now I get it, when I am in a car I also feel slightly disconnected to what?s going on outside as I am in a safe bubble, so it?s hard to understand how terrifying it is if you are walking or cycling and someone refs an engine or close passes you at speed. Trust me, I get it, but I just find it very depressing that every attempt of infrastructure improvements gets voted down. I cycle all year round come rain and shine, but the handful of times I decided to take the car I instantly regretted it. For example, one time I had a late school pick-up in December. I decided to take the car, but not because of the bad weather, but because of fear from speeding close passing motorists in the dark and the fact that the park was closed and I would have had to use the DV junction. Anyway, it took me 45 minutes to do a 2 mile journey, compared to the 15 minutes it would have taken me on the bike! Both my mum and my mother-in-law have been pondering about getting a bike, but they are not going to cycle until they feel safe. My 80 year old granddad back on the Continent gave up his driving license voluntarily due to health reasons and now happily cycles around in his electric assisted pedal bike. I think change is possible if we imagine it. A number of times I have been against Southwark?s Healthy street proposals because I did not like their disjointed approach (and would have preferred an area-wide approach like Lambeth), but I have now come to realise that actually, I am part of the problem by blocking any improvements. We really need to start somewhere so the current plans get my full support. Also, in terms of Dulwich Village shops being concerned - I would love to stop off and do my shopping there if I wasn?t too scared to use the junction! For example, I was so excited about seeing the Railton Road Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme as it will mean I will actually be able to get to Brixton, which has many useful shops. On the other hand, I like the shops on Bellenden Road, but it's so unpleasant cycling around there and has limited bike parking. If the Council manages over time to connect the dots and connect communities by making the roads safer for people no matter what mode of transport they might use, I think we will all be much happier. It will necessitate change in behaviour, yes, but I think it will be worth it. Apologies for the long message, I will stop now!

We have been having a great experience with the school! Sent you a more detailed PM.

Yes thanks very much for finding out. Saves a lot of frustration!

Does anyone know if it will stop at bus stops not normally on its route, such as Heber Road or Melbourne Grove? Thanks

I would like to recommend Jon - he has been cleaning the windows for our house and my mother-in-law's and has been doing a great job. Very professional and friendly service - reliable, on time and very detailed work.

Sorry post in wrong section...

Would be amazing to have something like this in the area. Especially something that is flexible and does not have to be booked ages in advance. Something like an online booking system where you could see availability in real-time would be great. But that might be a bit tricky to set up, especially having the legally required number of childcarers available when child numbers vary. Anyway, as I said, would love it if it existed!

Hi, I am also a first time mum-to-be due in May and would appreciate a link to the FB page. Many thanks! S

We live around that area and never had any issues with it to be honest. We were worried about the exact same thing before we moved to the area, but thankfully our concerns were not justified.