QueenMab

Yes let's all focus on what the nanny did "wrong", rather than the nutcase who tried to drag a child into a car. I'm amazed at some of the responses on here

There were police all over the place this morning, including at the school gates. Which would suggest this is being taken seriously by them, as such police presence is not usual.

I went a couple of weeks ago and it was chaotic. I'm hoping it was just teething troubles. Unhappy to see tea had gone up from ?1.40 to ?1.80 though. Also, tea was being served in pots but milk still dispensed from a rancid communal jug which doesn't really work when you've got a pot of tea so I had to go back to ask for a second cup to put the milk in.

Have you tried the Family section of this site?

Well I've been taking my son to school via that junction every day for the last year and a half and they have been there every day...!

The lollipop man and woman are not new additions, they have always been there, prior to the works being carried out. You'll notice they are stationed at all major junctions near schools.

I saw that too. A beautiful send-off. I'm sorry for your loss, pat.

It's hardly a mix of "arrogance, sloth and self-entitlement" to ask a public representative on a public forum why a traffic system which costs thousands to implement isn't working properly. Anyone?

" that's a 'job' which is basically unpaid and frequently unappreciated" Well fair enough, but he's put himself up for the job nevertheless. As it stands, it would just be nice to have someone say, "I'm sorry about your near-death experience, I'll see what I can to do make sure this never happens again", rather than "here's 50+ pages of impenetrable local council reporting, only of tangential relevance to your situation, crack on".

To be honest I'm not interested in reading through 50 pages of local council guff about this: that's your job Mr Barber. What I want is some kind of assurance that a dangerous junction next to 2 schools is going to be made safer for everyone. Can you provide that assurance?

Yep. I was nearly taken out by a coach this evening turning left out of Townley into East Dulwich Grove. I was waiting in the ADVANCE STOP BOX, waiting to go straight ahead and the coach managed to come up behind me and turn right across me. I managed to get off my bike and out of the way just in time but it was incredibly close. If the promised advanced filter cycle lights actually worked, this could never have happened. It really is only a matter of find before someone is killed or seriously injured at this junction. Why aren't the advance filter lights in operation? Who do wec need to contact to get this implemented?

I'm a cyclist who takes a child on a bike but I've seen this chap and he is indeed a liability. I've seen him have a near accident once already after once of his dogs got frightened by traffic and nearly got entangled in the bike . Cycling along with two dogs on leads is idiotic at the best of times, with a child on the back, it's lunacy. Not sure there's anything anyone can do about it though I'm afraid.

Bonaome, all I can say is that I cross that junction almost EVERY DAY, from Green Dale over to Townley Rd, and I never feel completely safe doing so when there is oncoming traffic. Are you disputing the number of near misses I've had? Do we have to wait for a fatality before what we already know is "proved", i.e. it is dangerous? I've been cycling in London for 15 years and I am pretty much fearless, but it's obvious to me this this junction is poorly designed and needlessly dangerous. It simply needs to be safe for EVERYONE. I do also wonder why Alleyns and JAGS can't be asked to find room on their ample acreage for the excessive number of coaches lining Townley Road each day, it makes that road slow and unsafe for everyone at critical times. It also doesn't strike me as the safest place to have kids boarding and alighting coaches either.

I'd just like to add another informed voice to say that as both a motorist and cyclist who uses this junction on an almost daily basis, as it stands this junction is is INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS for cyclists. (It's dangerous for motorists too but you're probably only going to get a dented car or whiplash, rather than knocked to the ground and killed). Please believe me, it really is only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured here. I've lost count of the number of times I've nearly been hit by traffic turning right from Townley Road, both on a bike and in a car. The problem is that cyclists and cars going straight ahead from Green Dale (which is itself a major cycle route up to Denmark Hill) have priority, but right-turning vehicles coming from Townley Road very often simply do not see cyclists (or motorists) coming the other way, and hence turn right across their path. Many drivers in fact assume they actually have right of way over traffic coming the other way and will shout aggressively at you, having narrowly avoided hitting you. A No Right Turn is a good solution from this point of view. An advance signal for cyclists going over would definitely help as it would avoid cyclists waiting at the junction from entering into conflict with traffic. HOWEVER, this does not help cyclists who are not already waiting but following the flow of traffic coming down from Green Dale and across the junction, so it might reduce but not entirely avoid the likelihood of an accident. Genuinely, my only concern with this junction is that it be made safer for everyone. As it stands it really isn't. Hopefully Southwark can come up with a solution which prioritises safety whilst causing the minimum of disruption.

They might want a living wage to do so, mind. Which might explain the apparent delay. EDmummy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd pay staff to work 24/7 to get it ready before > Christmas to see that Louisa 😉

My car wing mirror got clipped today (Fiesta Zetec). The whole unit has come to pieces, although all the pieces are intact. This has happened before and I managed to piece it together again, but this time I don't seem to be able to reassemble it. It would be crazy to take it to a garage to get it done as they will probably charge me a fortune for a 2 minute job, also I need it fixed this afternoon. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this?

I went to look at First Steps having been recommended it by a friend. Logistically it didn't work for us, but I went to view it a month or so ago and I thought it was lovely, would have no qualms sending my little lad there.

Another vote for Roz. She's frankly performed miracles with me and my partner. I went to her on the basis of a recommendation here and would heartily recommend her as a couples counsellor to anyone else experiencing relationship problems. If she can help us, she can probably help anyone.

Dulwich Fusion has improved since the summer but it's still badly ventilated and changing rooms are getting tatty despite being newly fitted not long ago. Also their pilates classes are oversubscribed, making them not worthwhile. I'm thinking of letting my membership lapse and going elsewhere.

Going eastwards along East Dulwich Grove (away from Lordship Lane) is pretty grim purely due to the lack of space and proximity to parked cars and the buses going up and down. I always feel harassed or hemmed in by drivers who feel they ought to be bombing along there but who are unable to do so as there is not quite enough space to get past a bicycle. I did see a consultation being circulated about this a while ago but I don't know if the proposed measures will go ahead. I agree about the bottom of Denmark Hill, it's awful and that route made more inconvenient still now with cycle path being close on the Caldecot Rd cut-through. I'm also annoyed about the lack of cycling route provision at St Agnes Place, which is the short cut/safe route between Camberwell New Rd and Kennington Park Rd, avoiding the Oval junction.

It's OK, I just discovered that amazon.fr have all the Mini Micros in a range of lovely colours and at the same price as UK plus free delivery, so I got one in orange. HURRAY.

That one is nice ChiefJeff, but is still definitely pink.

Believe me I have scoured the internet looking for alternative colours available for sale in the UK and available before Christmas and there are NONE, not even on their own website. The bigger Micro scooters come in other colours, but not the Mini, which is the one suitable for my son. Occasionally you might see a special edition available for around the ?100 mark but frankly that is an insane price to pay for a scooter.

OK so this is driving me mental now. I can only find Micro Mini scooters in blue or pink (or lilac, which is still pink,as far as I'm concerned). I want to get my son one for Christmas but I hate the blue for boys thing and I don't want to buy him a pink one either for the purposes of making a reverse gender stereotype statement. So.... can anyone suggest sturdy alternatives to the Micro Mini that come in colours other than flipping pink or blue?