malumbu

The sun is out and we should all be happy. This has become a bit of an ear worm after I by chance heard it on TOTP 1980 something or other but should cheer all of us up. The ragamuffin dress no doubt influenced by Dexy's but unlike the throwaway cliche Eileen stage of their career (and Dexys did excellent stuff before and after) this is timeless. [Heavens just realised how influenced this was by Dexy's young soul rebels]

In the midst of time I used to go to a hippy CND festival with a few tens of 1000s of others. Cheapskates, new age travelers and then later on drug gangs used to jump the fence leading to larger crowds and a bit of aggro. Every year locals used to complain and the local authority threatened to not give a new license. Fast forward 30 years and it is probably the best festival in the world, with 200,000 punters, almost doubled in number by workers, about the 15th biggest settlement in the country for a few days. It may have lost it's hippy roots but a massive success. Criminality and anti social behaviour is down, traffic congestion is horrendous, and I expect a few people to upset the locals by peeing in the petunias. Even festival goers will get peed off by drum and base from 10 to the early morning. Like it or loath it the people in Shepton Mallet, and local villages have come to accept it. Many will see the cultural value, economic boost to the area and some young and less young will be thrilled at the chance to get a free day ticket.

Went through the Rye today and they were playing music through the PA, with the sun shining it wasn't quite Glastonbury but felt like summer. More like summer than the endless building work going on around me. I wont be going but I think it is great that we can use our public space for mass entertainment.

Well actually the money goes to all residents in the borough to provide services etc which has to be a good thing. So if you think about it like this you will be much happier. In fact I will thank you for your good citizenship.

Thought that the good citizens of SE22 and beyond would be interested in the attached chart showing sources of NO2 emissions, an earlier post said that it was all large vehicles and cars were not the problem. Diesel cars are responsible for around a third of the emissions from local traffic. The good news is that with the introduction of the latest Euro standards for diesel cars, that stop manufacturers cheating in the tests, NO2 emissions will continue to fall from diesel vehicles as the fleet turns over. This is helped further by expanding the ULEZ - I understand that half the vans in outer London are older and more polluting vehicles - surely the citizens of Bexley, Harrow, Sutton and Enfield will be pleased.

In deed, I like the cut of your jib, young fella me lad. (something from Blackadder, feels like Lord Melchett). Sadly the only way to do this is average speed cameras. That sounds a little negative in that it involves fines and enforcement, but what you quickly see (from my experience on the M4, and in France) is that quickly you get much smoother flow with most vehicles doing similar speeds, reducing congestion (vehicles bunching due to slowing down and speeding up) improving road safety, reducing bus travel times and reducing emissions.

Well I have to disagree with much of the recent argument. Cars aren't dangerous. Bikes aren't dangerous. Walking is not dangerous. But it is the driver, cyclist, or walker than can be dangerous. Every accident has a cause, virtually always a driver, cyclist, walker, or other road users (OK probably a bit difficult to blame a wild animal for causing a collision). But due to the weight/speed/momentum the motor vehicle will normally cause far more harm than an impact with another type of road user. But in my spirit of only posting positive things, thankfully most drivers, pedestrians and cyclists are competent and courteous.

I'm only posting positive comments on this site now. I hope you get a chance to read Souhtwark's biodiversity plan. https://www.southwark.gov.uk/parks-and-open-spaces/ecology?chapter=3 Looks like they are doing lots of good things. I'm trying to adopt meadow management for much of our lawn, going beyond the No Mow May. Cutting three times a year, April, August/September, and then October/November. I'll be doing this by hand! The yellow rattle has now established, clover coming into flower. Other seeds and plugs generally didn't work, but the yellow rattle will compete with the grass, allowing other flowers to establish in years to come.

I got caught in a CPZ a couple of times - not in London. The penalty notice if paid within two weeks was fairly reasonable, but on one occasion there was no ticket. I explained to the local authority that I would have paid quickly (as I always do) and whilst they had photographic proof that the notice was served, they kindly reduced the fine by 50% I'm only posting positive comments on the forum from now on.

Thanks to Mr Chicken to responding to my points yesterday. Rather than more tit for tat nonsense I am only going to post positive things on this site now, please avoid ludicrous comments as it can be quite challenging to resist. Right over to another "Southwark is rubbish" thread to post positive things.

Keep the positive comments coming folks. Appreciate it.

Oh stop the sweeping statements/generalisations Nigello. I'm always surprised how many of the 'active' members on this site loath cyclists, and that includes some of you who cycle which is one hell of a paradox.

Nice one Claresy. Good to hear someone being positive for a change on this forum. Booooo Alice, just because you don't like them.

What is the fairer scheme? I'd really like to know. Serious question. One that could be delivered. "It’s time the council stopped telling residents it’s for our own good and, instead, come up with a better and fairer scheme that doesn’t displace traffic, doesn’t discriminate against vulnerable, vehicle-dependent road users, and doesn’t damage local shops and businesses" On the posts about cyclists and the Court Lane junction, dangerous cycling has been discussed in other threads, but to repeat myself (a) this is a country wide issue (b) serious accidents between cycles and pedestrians are low in number (particularly compared with collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians [our personal experience tends to exaggerate this - "I had a near miss therefore all cyclists are riding dangerously) and (c) electric scooters, fully electric bikes and delivery cyclists will become a much bigger menace* *maybe we should all boycott deliveroo etc until they employ their riders, make sure they are trained, properly equipped and carry out due diligence on this. And pay them more! - It may cost you more for your takeaway but the roads and pavements would be safer.

Do you really spend all your time at Dulwich beach Rocks noting down all the near misses between pedestrians and cyclists? I've used it numerous times both on foot and on bike, but not seen anything untoward as yet. Not even sure how you would police cyclists dismounting. I'd spend money on average speed cameras on Brenchley Gardens instead.

From my understanding gold finches have benefited in recent times from garden feeders, with increased numbers as other species decline. We've a flock both in the front and back gardens, but not yet reached earlier year's peaks. https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/goldfinch

Just responding to the post mentioning Helen Hayes. Thought you good folk would want to be reminded how much the environment has been neglected under recent governments.

FFS I assumed from the title it would be about not mowing your own lawn - we are leaving ours till June. Why don't you just title it "evil corrupt Southwark Council's destroying wildlife". If you have a problem them complain to the Council and then report back. I'm going to calm down and post something about goldfinches elsewhere.

I've looked at the evidence. There are thousands of posts on this thread, the earlier one, and many others such as CPZs and the like that drift into LTNs. But I haven't got the inclination to wade through all of them to give a detailed analysis. So I will go on my empirical views. Firstly returning to the Guardian article, whilst sadly some opportunist conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers and haters have attached them to anything anti-car, I doubt whether most concerned about restrictions on motor vehicles are in this camp. It's like saying that those with a good reason to vote Brexit align with Farage, Rees-Mogg and Tommy Robinson. I reckon it is about 60/40 those opposed to restrictions and those like myself know that there is a need. Although in terms of posts it is skewed due to one or two who are rather excessive. You know who you are! So I think it is loosely Those who oppose restrictions on private cars as a whole and believe they should be able to drive where they like, when they like, how they like and where they like. The petrol heads Those who are affected by LTNs either because of where they live, or where they travel And those who seen to have an obsession with Southwark Council These are not mutually exclusive but I expect the most are in the latter two categories and understand the climate emergency and harm from poor air quality, but don't agree with the measures being introduced. The challenge is it is so hard to break the habit of driving for perceived convenience (or oddly enough enjoyment). Fiscal measures ie charging people and increasing the general costs of motoring eg fuel duty don't have a significant impact. Nor the whole public duty, community, environment etc. And reducing the convenience - longer journeys/time, reduced parking (back to Bic's point about congestion around Goose Green). Not sure what the answer is. Well apart from road user charging, but that aint going to happen in the short term.

The last Labour Government had plans for a national framework of Low Emission Zones. They also put in place the Climate Change Act that placed legal targets for cutting CO2 emissions - which we are now failing. The coalition government went backwards on this, and successive Tory governments talked the talk without walking the walk, resulting in some of the mess we are in today. Hopefully Helen Hayes is old school and believes that drivers can no longer drive when they like, where they like, how they like if we are serious about saving the planet.

Calm down calm down. I can quote that (for younger Readers the three scousers/Harry Enfield and Friends) as I once lived in Liverpool and whilst having a spat with a neighbour a local in a shell suit intervened to try and sort out our differences. No it wasn't a mushroom induced dream, but it was the 1980s. You are both right. Those of us who moved here three decades ago had fairly modest salaries and neighbours and never expected the property market would get silly, particularly as the market was depressed for almost ten years. People like me are still very careful with our money, which goes back to my early days of boozing using pocket money and a paper round, and going through higher education without a massive debt. It is me you hear near Gail's in the Village talking about needing to remortgage the house to eat there. But the demographics have changed and newbies buying (and renting?) in the area are a very different beast, with more expendable income even after paying for a subterranean extension and private education for the kids, and are probably less likely to check the prices in Gail's There's a more serious conversation about demographics, wealth and the like. I expect that that generations younger than me are more happy to splash the cash on frivolous things like takeaways..... Maybe I am just a dinosaur 😀

Today it was announced that there would be a 2/3rd likelihood that the 1.5 degrees threshold for global temperatures indicating that climate change is accelerating. What will you say to your grandchildren when they asked you what you did. Oh we campaigned for the status quo. Get some perspective rather than your own parochial self interest. Wouldn't your efforts be better placed trying to make a difference? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65602293

The Sun article glorified football violence. If he is a reformed character helping sick children in a hospital or re-homing orphan animals then I'd love to know. Otherwise hurting people for entertainment, as opposed to say joining a boxing or martial arts club, sounds like he is (or was) a psychopath, As for your disdain for locals you can look at it two ways. Very similar to football. In the past it was real and edgy but with violence (be it the Old Den or Lordship Lane). Gentrification has it's annoyances, commoditisation of football has in part destroyed the game I love. I find it hard to go to Dulwich Hamlet with all the recent newcomers who have little or no footballing heritage. But I welcome the safety and quality of both football and Lordship Lane. OK off to the best pub in Britain (the Blythe) to watch moneybags state funded Manchester City in the semi. Join me and we can continue the chat. There will be Millwall and Palace watching but no bother! And a pound a pint cheaper than SE22 (and a real pub, the Castle is the last one left in Dulwich). Heavens there are about four different threads in my post.

Sounds charming - www.thesun.co.uk/sport/22134815/millwall-hooligans-ginger-bob-fights/ The Sun refers to the reformed football hooligan but just talks about the violence. Are you a fan of the 'reformed junkie and racist' too - Roy Larner, who I witnessed on Rye Lane giving his unpleasant views on Muslims?

Heartblock I was commenting on your earlier post. Just some information that people may find interesting/helpful. To correct myself as PM has been cut from motor traffic, other sources, and particularly in winter wood burners, are having a greater percentage impact. That subject has been covered elsewhere. The link to the government's air quality strategy is relevant, essentially getting local authorities to do the dirty work. Worth looking at the national monitoring programme: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/network-info?view=aurn Set up initially to determine national compliance with air quality standards. For reasons unknown there is no longer a monitoring station in Southwark https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/interactive-map And the London air quality monitoring programme https://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/publicbulletin.asp Two monitoring stations in Southwark but Honor Oak is the nearest to SE22 - obv Honor Oak is in Lewisham