
first mate
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Everything posted by first mate
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Roadworks in Lordship Lane at end of North Cross Road
first mate replied to Sue's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
James, what crashes? Sorry, this is not the amazing improvement you claim. People would have visited the market without any of this. As it is, one pedestrian reports that they recently tripped as the cobbles are so badly laid. When the market is on much of that area is shut to traffic anyhow, so I really don't get the points you are making. Just go a little further down to Upland and Crystal Palace and the paths are appalling and, of course much of the road and pavement now building sites. Those poor shopkeepers are also probably losing trade. What about looking at that? -
Traffic jams around Red Post Hill/East Dulwich Grove
first mate replied to maxwelland's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Wulfhound, I would suggest the changes are not being "done right", if they were I submit that opposition would not be so great. people drive for complex reasons, trying to solve all that in one cackhanded effort is not the way to go. -
Traffic jams around Red Post Hill/East Dulwich Grove
first mate replied to maxwelland's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
wulfhound, I see little ire directed at cyclists, many who drive also cycle when they can. Any ire is directed at Council officials who have conceived this agenda and its execution and who claim widespread public support based on consultation. I am glad that cycling, uber etc.. works well for you and your family. For others it does not. That is the reality. -
TG, as you have said, it is in part a generational thing, younger people are making choices based on what works best for them and as pressures increase they will arrange their lives to maximise what continues to work best for them, this probably will involve reduction of car use. However, these sorts of largescale societal changes take time to filter through, they cannot be shoehorned in within a few years. The population explosion will place pressure on other infrastructures, sewage and waste water for instance, but we won't be advising people to rip out their toilets and bathrooms, will we? Sorry, a slightly facetious point but the current approach is ill thought out, crude and heavy-handed.
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Traffic jams around Red Post Hill/East Dulwich Grove
first mate replied to maxwelland's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
TG, again, no, it is not " encouraging" it is purely punitive and will massively increase levels of resentment and, I suspect, risk taking, creating more danger all round. Stress is also a killer. This is an attempt to solve a very complex issue with a very simple solution- force as many people as possible to stop using a car by clearly and deliberately making life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible, simpulz. In reality it does not work. Most of all, there has been no widespread, public consultation on this. That is an astounding fabrication and distortion. It is also sheer madness and folly to force change without overriding public will. We all have children and young relatives who cycle at every given opportunity, as did many of us at that age...it made financial sense and we were fit enough to do so. But most of these youngsters do not have the same responsibilities that come with age. We do not tend to live in small communities of related, supportive family networks, those responsibilites may require frequent trips well away from home and of the type that might break the bank and brain if only available by public transport. Many of us also have jobs with equipment that cannot be carried in bicycle panniers or carried around on buses etc.., are you suggesting we just find new jobs? -
No TG, they do it because they can and it suits them at this juncture. I am not advocating everyone driving into London; many of us need a car for work outside London or other important reasons but, if S'wark has its way, will be simply unable to own and keep one in the near future- sorry that is just not pragmatic and will put a lot of people under a lot of pressure. Again change should happen but not at this speed.
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TG, yes space on streets if every private car owner gets rid, but then there will not be enough zip cars for all, given that S'wark wnat to avoid parked cars to amke cycling easier. Nor will people be able to easily access get into country etc.. unless they are fit enough to cycle that far, and let's not get into family commitments and so on. Public transport is unreliable and expensive too. Sorry, as I said, these measures smack of bright eyed fanatacism and not much pragmatism. Agree re Boris but, though undeniably intelligent, he is a master of gesture politics; detail has never been his thing. Wholsale redesigning of our streets and car ownership in 5 years is all about detail.
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TG, it is too much too soon and it will create a lot of stress and anger. I accept it is being done with good intentions but it has not been properly thought through, that is evident from everything we have seen thus far. It is also pretty outrageous that claims to full public consultation are being made, when we know this is not the case. People will not have access to cars if they cannot park them and if they are to be 'designed' out of residential streets in 5 years. There is unlikely to be a time in the near and medium future when everyone that might need a zip car at short notice will have access to one- where will all these cars be kept?
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Traffic jams around Red Post Hill/East Dulwich Grove
first mate replied to maxwelland's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Richard Tudour, Until I scanned S'wark Labour's recent 2015 cycling strategy doc, I would have treated your view with some caution, but now find you are correct. The Council is deliberately planning to make car ownership as difficult as it possibly can and in 5 years wants us all to walk or cycle. The key phrases, and I quote, are they will either "calm" or "design out" cars/traffic on residential streets as well as remove parking on any main roads ( extensive double yellow lines then). Of course, they wnat to ensure that these changes cannot be undone so this explains the unseemly haste with which a host of yellow lines, proposed road blocks, changes to routes, rearranging kerbs, 20 mph, etc, etc are suddenly appearing. The greatest scandal of all is that they say we have been extensively consulted on this and agreed to it. If that were so, we would not have the plethora of threads on the subject as residents slowly wake and smell the coffee. -
Jeremy, exactly, where is the evidence that developers sit down and think how can we build decent, affordable property for lower waged, first time buyers. The evidence vis a vis markets is on this page, the developer on the site under discussion here could have built 8 flats but dumped that option, chossing instead to build two penthouses...not likely affordable for your average nurse, young teacher et..
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Tigres Prides, Yes S'wark Labour, seemingly supported by the Lib Dems, have a five year plan to: "calm" or "design out" cars on residential roads and to remove parking on main roads. This is just the beginning of a series of "exciting" initiatives to get us all out of our cars and walking or cycling everywhere. For anyone who wants to read it it is all there in the latest cycling strategy document which also claims that a fullscale public consultation has taken place ensbling the above to go ahead. Allegedly, we support this. So, our roads and traffic infrastructure are, at great expense, being deliberately torn apart so that we can be managed out of our cars and forced into transport habits deemed most appropriate for us by this Council and its supporters. Meanwhile, on another thread one poster reports that the new and unnecessary, though expensive, works on Nx caused her to trip. Calls for improvement to paving on many streets in the area have been dismissed...not enough money. Councillors are also way too busy rearranging our lives, our roads and waging war on all car owners.
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Having skimmed the Southwark document two things really leapt out, the clear aim to calm or 'design out' traffic on residential streets as well as remove parking on busier roads. The second was that allegedly extensive public consultation has been carried out. This is the first I've heard about these much more ambitious plans. According to the document we are just at the beginning of these 'exciting' changes and this is a 5 year plan. I am beginning to think they really intend to make car ownership impossible.
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Upland Road / Crystal Palace Road junction
first mate replied to RobMiller's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
I hope that the shop owners get some sort of compensation for loss of business? It is crazy and I cannot understand how the Council have allowed this to proceed... everything is at the convenience of the developers and hang everyone else. -
Upland Road / Crystal Palace Road junction
first mate replied to RobMiller's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Are those double yellows new? -
Roadworks in Lordship Lane at end of North Cross Road
first mate replied to Sue's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Dear Councillor Smith, No doubt 20 mph has been brought in with the best intentions but the reality does not square with them. Please, if you have not already, do drive at various times when traffic is at its worst and try the various hills for yourself? I understand that you hope it'll all turn out for the best but the road to getting there is proving dangerous and stressful all round, and you don't know how long the process of adaptation will take, if ever..I, like many, do not feel it is worth it. No problem with 20 mph on residential roads but not necessary on main artery roads and, it would seem, the police agree? -
Roadworks in Lordship Lane at end of North Cross Road
first mate replied to Sue's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Great to hear from you Councillor Smith and I for one hope you are a regular visitor from now on. Aside from comments about the woeful progress of works on Northcross Road, could you also kindly take a look at threads on 20mph as well as mass objections to closure of various roads and extending double yellow lines? I think you'll find that very few ordinary posters on here are politically motivated they just want Councillors to listen to valid objections and try to intervene/ represent local interests rather than appear to be intent on driving through manifesto pledges come what may. -
Hi Bobbsy, We agree. 20 mph on residential streets is entirely sensible and I fully support that but on main roads, without adequate enforcement all round, it seems to be creating problems, not solving them. However, it seems that political vanity (manifesto pledges) will always trump commonsense.
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bobbsy, I believe you, since very few are adhering to the limit. However, weaving in and out happens a lot and it is hard to maintain the limit, monitor other drivers who don't wnat to, as well as monitor blind spots while also negotiating parked cars/stationary/indicating buses, and when the odd cyclist suddenly whizzes either side of you to get in front, right in the blind spot.
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On the flat is one thing but it is up and down the quite steep hills in the area that are most problematic. To maintain 20 it means applying brakes most of the way down with other irate drivers pushing to get by, and many cyclists, quite understandably, freewheel down at a much faster speed, often weaving as they go. I think 20 has to apply to all road users to be safe.
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former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?
first mate replied to James Barber's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
James, thanks for raising this and letting people here know. Why do you think this is now on the agenda, what is the rationale? -
Charter School East - consultations
first mate replied to @Woodwarde's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
James, might have known that sooner or later you'd get CPZ back on the agenda. -
Chazzle, obviously a different kind of development, but with The old Iceland site there were robust objections which were accepted by planning and carried for a number if applications, then on further appeal those same objections were suddenly overturned and rejected by planning. Do stay positive but try to make your objections as watertight as possible within planning law/policy for the area. I have seen a number of cases where there has been clear breach of policy but planning has folded under repeated applications from the developer, and the same reason given each time, that planning fear if it goes to appeal and they lose that costs will be awarded to the developer....bad PR, setting precedents etc. However big developers know this as do Councillors, so what we end up with is an elaborate and protracted "planning dance" but with outcomes that may not concur with the local policy.
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Renata, Will we be told when these cameras are operational and will there be clear warnings on the roads that 20 mph is being enforced? It is currently difficult to maintain 20 mph solidly as drivers are intimidated into going faster by other drivers; cyclists weaving in and out at speed, especially down hills, are another problem, all of which make attempts to stick to 20 mph more hazardous. What level of error/ leeway will these new cameras give, if any? If any councillors have not yet tried the drive up and down Dog Kennel and Sydenham Hills and maintaining 20 mph all the way I would urge them to do so.
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