James Barber

Can we all have a cease fire. The debate is being lost in a mist of frustration. The term traffic calming belies the blood pressure raising it can cause! Catching people who break 20mph speed limits would be the Police. All revenue raised goes to central government treasury and Southwark Council doesn't see a penny of it. If councils did, then council finance officers would be beating councillors doors down asking for more.

Hi intexasthe moment, Apologies, I thought I'd made the rational clear but clearly failed. The southern end of Barry Road is subtely different to other parts. It has a bend in it and an adjacent school and nursery. Changes to the junction of Underhill Road/Barry Road are in the process of being made - new yellow lining. This then leaves crashes at the sotuhern end of Barry Road to reduce.

Hi intexasthe moment, Sinusoidal humps are much better than cushions and angular humps. But they're still not flat roads for those that suffer from any jolting. Several people have highlighted they don't like any humps and bumps but for roads where the mean average is great than 24mph I can't see how we avoid them. What do you think?

Hi intexasthe moment, The southern end of Barry Road looks the same but subtely different in having a school adjacent to it. It also has a bend in it which appears to also contribute to crashes.

Heber School/Road. Local elections will take place on Thursday 6 May. Despite media speculation whether Gordon Browne will call an election earlier or later I don't think he's decisive enough to go earlier. So a double national and local election on Thursday 6 May seems certain. Heber School is one of the polling stations for East Dulwich. On the basis of a double election, after the polling stations close at 10pm all voting boxes for College, East Dulwich and Village wards will be taken to Heber School and verified. This means checking voters haven't placed national voting cards in the local elections box and vice versa. It also means checking that the same number of voting cards handed to voters are in the voting boxes. Once verified they'll be resealed and national election boxes sent over to Lambeth for counting and local election boxes sent to the Peckham Academy for counting from 1pm that Friday. BUT it does mean that Heber School and Road will have considerable toing and froing from around 10pm to my guess around midnight. I've asked the election officers to write to Heber Road residents to tell them this. I'm not expecting huge disturbances but it seems at the very least polite to explain the unusual goings on that will be taking place.

Hi intexasthe moment, I was also concerned that the plans for the 20mph speed limit area appears to wrongly show part of Barry Road as already 20mph. As I've said we've spent many hours getting to the point of 20mph strategy but I didn't proof read the letter or final map. I wish I had. When I asked for Barry Road to be a trial site for averaging speed cameras two reasons were given by traffic police that the trial could'nt take place on Barry Road. 1st some bits at the northern end 40mph, 2nd that testing it would involve high speed cars circa 100mph and the Police did'nt have the resourcs to stand at everyone gates ensuring H&S. So I'm frustrated to now hear view that all Barry Road is 30mph. I'll have to walk it to check for myself. As you've mentioned I've previously posted a map of Southwark roads with crash sites marked with red dots. The highest number of crashes were shown along places such as Lordship Lane and other big through routes with reasons to cross the road such as shops. However. it did also show the proposed part of Barry Road as having more crashes that busier through routes. I suspect this is in part as lots of families cross to get to and from a local school where a tight bend is located (junction with Etherow) and where current 30mph speed limit causes problems. For these reasons I hope residents do choose to go for 20mph speed limit that includes the southern end of Barry Road.

Hi Whoosh & bil, Completely understand your point and the one previously made about some passengers finding speed humps and cushions excrutiating. But before these measures people drove at excessive speed and crashes were much higher. In East Dulwich we're gonig to try a 20mp speed limit area without such measures. But such schemes apparently only work where the mean average speed is around 24mph. So for roads that were previously greater than 24mph average speed what would you suggest instead of humps and bumps?

I've had a query about the efficacy of car clubs replacing private vehicles. Will dedicated car club spaces casue more problems than they help resolve? The most recent data published on this is from carplus whose data states that ?one car club car replaces around 23 private cars? http://www.carclubs.org.uk/22/benefits/benefits.html TfL identified in 2008 that car club members reduced ?car use by an average 36 per cent and that almost a fifth of members sell a car either immediately before or after joining? http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/car-club-strategy.pdf In my mind it's quite clear that car club spaces will make East Dulwich even better. We're due 14 in the very near future.

Hi dukesdenver, I know this is counter intuitive but Townley Road is in Village ward so I'm afraid I don't. I'm sure if you contact Village ward councillor [email protected] she'd be happy to find out for you.

Please tell me you've reported this theft to the Police...

At last a Police force has engaged professional mathematicians. The LAPD are working with University of California. They?ve come up with two equations that could explain crime hotspots into two types. If I?ve understood correctly: ?supercritical? - small spikes in crime rates pass a critical threshold and create a local crime wave. ?subcritical? - when a particular factor such as a drug den causes a large spike in crime. They state that the equations suggest that rigorous policing could completely eliminate subcritical hotspots but simply displace supercritical crime. So the key would be keeping below supercritical thresholds and quickly dealing with subcritical factors. Any local mathematicians available for pro bono work?

Hi ruffers, My memory has failed me on speed cushion heights. Sorry. The maximum recommended appear to be 80mm and Southwark works to 75mm to allow for a mm or two either way. The Department of Transport recommendations can be found here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tal/trafficmanagement/speedcushions?page=2 Wood Vale forms the boundary between Southwark and Lewisham. The SW quarter is in College ward and the NW quarter is in Peckham Rye ward. The Lewisham side is in Forest Hill ward. Electoral maps website: http://www.election-maps.co.uk/index.jsp appears to show the border being on the western side of the road which would imply Lewisham are accountable for the maintenance. To be honest it will take as much time to pin down who's accountable as reporting the issue. So I've reported the issue with junction of Wood Vale and Langton Rise. Is that ok?

Hi Spartacus, Apologies for not posting a response. I've been told they are going to colocate with the garage place and be scaled back to 8 vans. I'll chase enforcement officers to double check their understanding. If your correct the propreitors have not been fully frank with officers.

Hi dbboy, I thought the purpose of residential streets was for people to live and enjoy their lives in peace and tranquility. I thought main roads were to collect people and vehicles from residential roads and help deliver them to their destinations. For example Matham Grove - its been made one way and all East Dulwich Grove traffic wanting to turn right onto Lordship Lane is sent down it. This has made Matham Grove really unpleasant for the residents since this was introduced an age ago. Past traffic planners had little regard for people and their lives. Gradually the harm caused is being unravelled and streets made fit for people rather than speeding cars. Streets with high volumes of vehicles are less social as residents find it hard to be good neighbours with people across the road. They often as a result have higher crime and usually are more deprived because more affluent people vote with their feet and move.

Hi KalimityKel, Despite very big mature trees Goose Green does seems to get waterlogged. Perhaps it need some extra drainage?

100mm

Hi Barry, Southwark Council is currently renewing Melbourne Grove. I'm assured very soon the road will be renewed and then sinusoidal humps will be placed on Melbourne Grove section between Grove Vale and East Dulwich Grove. To preserve the newly renewed pavements, pavement parking will no longer be allowed from the 8 March. So the road will be narrower and another reason it wont be suitable for buses So how do we ensure when the train service is disrupted by engineering works that the rail replacement buses know not to try using Melbourne Grove as part of their route? Is this a contractual thing between your rail company and the bus company providing the rail replacement buses?

Hi Brum, I think it unlikely but I have asked whether this could be considered when another residents asked earlier this week.

Hi Loz, No thoughts to making it one-way. The residents have'nt asked for this. It's a residential street used as a rat run. On one-way streets vehicles travel faster as they don't have to think of what might be coming the other way. My first thoughts would be passing points if it gets really jammed. The advice I've received is it would settle down and people would spread their routes out. Equally travelling down Mebourne Grove is currently more attractive than other routes as the humps have'nt gone in yet. Let's wait and see how things settle down.

Hi KalamityKel, Hmm. Good question. I'd guess only Derwent Grove, some of East Dulwich Grove and Grove Vale would park there. As a precaution I'll request that for some of the latter two and the all of Derwent Grove that letters be delivered. I can't imagine residents in Tell Grove or Elsie Road would park on Melbourne Grove. I guess also seeing no other car parking on the pavement will give strong visual clues. People commuter parking if they were away next week would'nt get a warning before a fine but agian I'm hopeful the visual clues would be enough.

Melbourne Grove parking chaos. For many years pavement car parking has been allowed on Melbourne Grove (between Grove Vale and East Dulwich Grove), this stems from it being a previous no.37 bus route and ongoing rat run. With the complete renewal of the pavements it has been an intention for pavement car parking to end and car parking only be allowed on the road. Soon the road will be renewed and sinusoidal humps installed making Melborune Grove a less appealing rat run. Allowing pavement parking on the new paving slabs will see it wear out very quickly. Also, the pavement is blocked for people with pushchairs, etc. On Friday council officers told the parking ticket contractor to enforce this change. Unfortunately this was before the residents had been told or all the signs allowing this were removed and this instruction did not follow Southwark's normal procedures. I was immediately alerted to this by an understandably angry group of residents. I visited the site and the residents told me exactly what they thought and they were right. I apologised that they'd been issued parknig tickets and promised to get things sorted out. I now have confirmation that all issued parking tickets will be cancelled. The one remaining sign allowing pavement parking will be removed today. Today the attached letter explaining what happened and apologising will be delivered by council officers to all residents. From 1 March any pavement car parking on this part of Melbourne Grove will be given a and warned that from 8 March parking tickets will be issued if they park on the pavement. If any Melbourne Grove resident or visitor has an problems or concerns please do contact me.

Hi siduhe, The contract with Veolia states kitchen waste must be universally collected no later than 2015. But they get performance bonuses for collecting more recycling than the target. My understanding is that once the new Integrated Waste Management Facility is built finishing 2011/12 Veolia will have the capacity. So realistically Veolia will need to start collecting kitchen waste during financial year 2012/13 gradually phasing it in over the following two years. Normally East Dulwich and the Dulwich area generally, with so many street properties, is used to test these things. In the mean time we've had a great 3 month trial in East Dulwich where we've used our Cleaner, Greener, Safer pot of money to enable local businesses Palmerston, Franklins, Blue Mountain Cafe, Sema Thai, Pretty Tradditonal, Vintage Pretty, Mon Petit Chou and Suzanne James to send food waste for composting. Hopefully, they'll keep using the commercial composting service into the future.

Hi themaninblack, It would be all those but also less attractive. Paving slabs do allow some drainage whereas tarmac doesn't. So flooding risk would increase. Perhaps residents should be asked what they want - paving slabs 3 months looks nice costs more vs. cheaper quick and cheerful?

Apologies for the length of this post but rather complicated answer. A while back some I was about whether Southwark?s recycling plans moving from its current partial separation to commingling is such a good idea. Council officers and fellow councillors have been really patient to explain the full logic of why this was deciding. Some East Dulwich residents suggested material should be separated at the kerbside, citing high quality valuable product and WRAP and EU recommendations that prefer kerbside separation. However this has around 10% less recycling and severely restricts the opportunities to add additional materials to the collection. Southwark?s current "kerbside separated" scheme already has a high amount of co-mingling. Paper collection was originally for white paper only but now also collects a mix of white and coloured paper, plus card and cardboard. Seven years ago glass had three containers at bring sites for the three colours of glass, we now mix them. Cans and plastics - consists of 2 types of can (steel and aluminium) and up to 15 types of plastic. This mix (of cans and plastics) already has to go to a Materials Recovery Facility. To operate true separated recycling, we would need vehicles with 24 compartments to operate the current collection, or 25 compartments to add tetrapaks! Mixed recycling services are considered a better approach than source separated collections in inner city, urban areas, such as Southwark. Mixed collections are more prevalent across London's inner-city councils as they are operationally more efficient, allowing faster loading which helps where on-street parking and heavy traffic prevail. They also allow safer rear loading as opposed to side loading. Mixed collection services are more convenient for residents to use and easier to communicate to short-term residents and those for whom English may not be the first language. For all these reasons Southwark Council is moving to borough-wide mixed recycling services during 2011, ahead of the opening of the new Integrated Waste Management Facility that is planned for Old Kent Road and due to become operational during 2011. Mixed collections will reach East Dulwich during the summer and allow even more different types of items to be recycled. Let me know if you?d like to know anything else about recycling.

Southwark Cyclists pointed out the following mapping area on the Southwark Website. Useful to view by different layers of details: http://maps.southwark.gov.uk/connect/southwark.jsp Regards james.