Nero

The Lane would be much better if the wardens prevented the illegal parking that goes on there day in, day out. Failing that, leave the buses on diversion.

With me it is more to do with the lack of faffage than speed, especially when I have an out-of-towner and their child with me. Something in me can't avoid the feeling that going south (ie to Croydon) is the logical thing to do rather than getting a bus and then a train to London Bridge. Anyway, we shall see...Thanks to all.

James, I reported to the environment line at Southwark that the grit bin near to the Plough at the very top of Barry Rd was full of water and had no lid. Nothing has been done some six weeks after I reported it. It's an important junction, so could you ask whether it will be either removed (cos it is now useless and waterlogged and full of rubbish) or replaced. Thanks.

Ta. Is it New X or New X Gate I should go to?

Hello I'd like to travel with a friend and their 6 year old to Brighton on a Friday in December. I'm minded to take the bus to Forest Hill, then the Overground to West Croydon and then to East Croydon to pick up the train to Brighton. I don't fancy schlepping all the way in to Victoria from up near the Goodrich School, hence my southern trajectory. Good idea? How is the interchange from W to E Croydon? Or is it best to go to London Bridge and do it that way? Any tips welcome. Thanks.

James, What is the very latest and most reliable information you have on a Bakerloo extension? Is there anything that is being mooted right now and anyone that we could lobby to make it happen?

Good news indeed, so thanks for letting us know about it. Could you acknowledge the frustration of SE London residents regarding comparatively poor provision of rail transport and see whether a rail stop at Camberwell could be built? Ideally, if I were asking for the rail equivalent of the moon, I'd like the Bakerloo line to come to Camberwell, but I understand that is much less likely than a new stop on an existing overground line. And finally, the 63 bus stops at Brenchley Gardens and could really do with being extended to Honor Oak Park so that more people can make use of the very good new Overground services from that station. Try walking up the hill from the last 63 stop to get to the station and then consider whether my request is valid! Regards, Nero

The likelihood of a Tube station in SE22 is practically non-existent, and that of one in Camberwell is nearly as unlikely, but a stop on the train line at Camberwell would be a relatively inexpensive way of offering SE5 residents a way into and out of Elephant, and then beyond. That would take pressure off the buses which are often crowded and which bunch up due to congestion and their constant stopping and starting. In the meantime I suggest walking more. Distances that seem biblical shrink remarkably when you put your best foot forward.

I'd recommend silk longjohns and undervests for the cold. I've not been to Finland but have been to very cold parts of China (-25C during the day) and the silk really helps keep you warm when you are out. Your trip will also be a good chance for you to get to know the Moomins.

The story in the Standard also says that the developers of Battersea Power Station are required to pay some ?200m to help with the extension, so it is not just a case of TfL/Ministry of Transport dishing out the cash. On a more positive note, I have been using the Overground service from Honor Oak Park and have really valued it, even if I have to yomp (ask yer dad) from Goodrich School to the station.

So, James, does that mean that we in effect have to like it and lump it, or is there another attempt to get the 63 to go to Honor Oak Park station? I saw a billboard outside the newsagent's last week which was headlining a story about the 63, hence my interest.

The new Overground service is very good - fast, fairly frequent, extremely clean and quiet and - becauase all the carriages are interlinked - a safer feeling. The only thing against it is getting to Honor Oak park to get on it! I know there is a thread about the 63 and wishes for the route to be extended so it goes to HOP, but I am 'just saying' here that now we have a good, new service that is crying out to be used - to return the investment in it - it seems very daft that there is no bus service that will take you there from SE15/22.

James, Does the rubbish that people put into the bins up and down Southwark get divided and recycled or does it go straight into a landfill/incinerator?

Barbara Ehrenreich is your woman on this topic.

I think it greatly depends on what time of day you are travelling and where exactly you live. If, for example, you are near to Goose Green, it would make sense to board the 176 and grit your teeth, especially if you want to travel around 08 00 on a weekday. If you live nearer to Barry Road and want a door-to-door service, get the 12, but be prepared for a journey of at least 50 minutes. Trains are faster, but when you ahve to get to the station, wait, get off, change, then get a Tube or a bus to your final destination, they lose their original selling point.

I think it depends on what the flyer is about. 97%+ of all flyers I receive are to do with cleaning, ironing, gardening, or fast food. If I got a flyer for a service/business that was for something different and that was visually arresting, it might attract my custom.

If none I hope you never will. You've either been lucky in London or you're a recent arrival. Hmm. Don't agree. I'd guestimate that at least 90% of people I know or have daily dealings with (colleagues, neighbours, friends of friends etc) have never been burgled. My badly protected student house was burgled when we were all out, but that is the extent of it. I don't think I am 'lucky' because I don't think there is an evil tide of illegal house-entering that's swamping SE22, and because I take precautions and try to keep my local environment as uninviting for burglars as possible. It's not a gloat nor a sideways dig at anyone who has been burgled, so please don't jump on me for that. I just don't like such scaremongering/doom-laden lines as the one I reproduced above because they don't do anything to help. Boards like this are helpful in alerting people to the dangers and to recent examples of burglary/muggings etc, but they can distort the true picture by creating a constant and self-feeding howl around of bad news.

I think it is a helpful intervention because it is precisely that - an intervention, designed to show another facet of the argument. I do think it is silly that a four year old should be sued, but I don't think it silly that a group of mothers can pretend they didn't know - at the very least - the potential for harm that allowing their children to cycle fast along a pavement might have. Sure, kiddies on little bikes are right to cycle on the pavement, but only if they need to, ie. just because they can doesn't mean they should be doing it as a matter of course. That exemption doesn't stretch to older children, and definitely not to any adult. Teach the child to push his or her bike along the pavement until they come to a strech of road they feel safer to ride on. That way s'he'll learn about give and take as well as road safety.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11657376

My nana would often cover our bitches' tuppences with extemporised knickers, often made from those ultra-flimsy, white plastic bags you used to get from the butcher. Well, when I say 'get' I mean 'pinch'.

i picked it up on the bus last night, and liked it. It is, though, not as much as a laff as the 'Metro', nor is it anywhere near as good a read as the real Indy or Guardian for that matter. I can see it being pulled in about a year or so because I don't believe people, now used to free papers, will pay even 20p for it, even if it is a better quality read.

Thanks. It will be likely that I will be going on my own. (I work v long shifts and lots of w'ends but I get a Mo-Fr off every five weeks, so I wd plan to use that week and another couple of days to make up a week, hence my lack of interest in wild nightlife.) Also, I hear that tall people are not likely to be good skiiers/boarders. I am 6'5'' and would like to know whether this is an old wives' tale or has some truth. I want to ski because I like cold weather, snow, speed (eventually) and feel I am missing out on a good experience but am pretty realistic about what I can achieve as a late starter.

I am happy to go, ski, eat and sleep, sans partying and all that. I just want to be able to learn as much as I can without getting overloaded in about a week or so. I suppose I would be happy to pay ?750 for flights (tho train wd be nicer), accomm, gear hire and as much tuition as is useful without getting burnt out. Maybe this estimate is way too high or way too low. I simply have no idea right now! Snowboarding appeals, but I am, let's say, over 35, so don't want to be all 'dad rock', even if I am pretty fit. Thanks for all the info so far. Wd appreciate anything else you can tell me!

Where is a good place for a first timer, probably travelling alone, to learn to ski? Austria? Wd be interested in pretty intensive tuition, maybe 1-1, and not that into the apres ski.

Needs a log in. Any chance of posting it some other way?