James Barber

I agree with PeckhamRoase. Dawson's Heights open grass area, at the very top, is definately worth a traipse at any time of the year. It's a bit unloved at the moment but even now is one of London's great secret viewing areas. Would'nt it be great if for London Open House weekend in September views from the top floor of Dawson's Heights could be arranged....

Hi rgutsell, GLA Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon has agreed to ask a question at the next GLA assembly in January. Clearly noisy night buses with the noise standards allowed by TfL being louder than an alarm clock going is a pan London wide issue.

Hi sian, I'm really sorry to hear your rubbish wasn't collected successfully today. They're normally very good. Pretty manic time for them as not only are they catching up with collections but also, much more to collect from each household. I'd like to properly raise the Call Centre behavioural problem. It would be useful to know the time you called, whether the operator was male or female, your normal name, address and phone number you rang from. Officers can then check what took place. I'd really appreciate if you could send an email with this information to [email protected].

Hi Penguin68, Many thanks for this extra granularity. Didn't know it would become 5 years. An improvement. The surname restriction bit seems excessive. Guess aimed at avoiding everyone waiting until the last possible moment.

Hi rgutsell, Great idea but small matter of how to fund its running costs and refurbishment.

Hi Sue, I completly agree. I took part in the Scurtiny review of the 2008 Freedom Pass process. I very strongly suggested biannually was bizarre and a waste of people's time and energy. However, Southwark Council is one tiny cog in the overall scheme that supports national legislation. Regards james.

Sorry Sue, but Freedom Passes apparently do have to be renewed biannually. We'd prefer them to be ten yearly but this has not been agreed on London wide basis or nationally. Some concern that as each Freedom Pass is worth quite a lot of money entitlement has to be checked every couple of years. And before you ask no I don't know of any elixhirs of life. Full details from Southwark Council.

Hi rgutsell, Trying to summarise this. You live on East Dulwich Grove bus route 37 where Trident 2.2/Enviro400 buses are used. I've not found anything googled that these present a particular noise problems. The Volvo B7TL buses used on 176 bus route do seem to have a noise issue that even after being modified to reduce fan noise down from 92dB(A) to 85dB(A) but they don't use East Dulwich Grove. But I think you've raised an important pan London problem. The noise limits for buses may be appropriate for day time use where lots of other noises around and buses don't stand out so much. But for night bus use these noise limits seems entirely unreasonable. Noise limits set at 84dB(A) are noisier than an alarm clock which is 80dB(A). You can't have the equivalent of alarms clocks going of throughout the night and not be driven to the edge. On this basis I've asked GLA member Caroline Pidgeon who chairs the Greater London Authorities TRansport Committee this year to ask whether TfL accept that 84dB(A) is an unreasonable noise limit for buses operating in the dead of night and when will bus service procurement result in quieter hybrid bus operation at night time.

Freedom Pass 2010 renewal. If you're over 60 years old or know someone who is or disabled and they/you want a Freedom Pass for free bus journeys applications need to be submitted between 4 January and 13 February. My understanding of the process is: For Older Persons Get an application from local Post Office FROM 4 January. Fill it in then take it back to Post Office with proof of age, proof of address and photo. Post office issues a receipt. Post Office send form and photo to a documentation bureau. Bureau issue Freedom Pass within 10 working day via 2nd class post. For Disabled Person Freedom Pass. Get reassessment form from Southwark Council. Apply with required proofs and photo. Southwark checks form and if necessary arranged for occupational therapy assessment. Applicant takes letter of authorisation, prooft of age!, address and photo to Post Office who issue a receipt. Post Office sends documentation to documentation bureau. Bureau issues Freedom Pass within 10 working day via 2nd class post. Any problems let me know ASAP. Last time these passes were renewed it all went pear shaped across London. Everyone working really hard to avoid this. So any problems please tell me.

Hi Burbage, Amazing post. I'm surprised to find myself wanting more information. I've googled B7TL to find it's a Volvo bus. Do you know what bus types provide East Dulwich night buses 12, 37 and 176 and how I could find out their official noise ratings and where would I find TfL and EU noise limits? I found this Volvo B7TL bus info.

I left work, near London Bridge, at 5pm. No.40 bus got as far as M&S on Walworth Road. After an eternity realised I was going to have to walk home. Home for 6.45pm. Very friendly crowd all walking southwards. Wife rang asking me to collect some milk! So if you spotted a tall chap with 4 pints of semi skimmed milk - that was me.

I was involved in this as Southwark's Cycling Champion councillor. Balfe's Bike's bid for the lease. They won with the best offer. That after taking further much more detailed professional advice about how to make it work commercially, Balfe's realised that major renovation and reshaping of the building would be required. That this would require planning permission and any encroachment outside the current curtilage might involve Metropolitan Open Land with all the planning issues that involves. I suggested that the current public feeling was such that it would be a protracted process with an unclear outcome. Probably more realistic for Balfours is to hope for a bouble shop unit in the current shopping parade. I suspect that the end result might well have ended with public lavatories a la London Recumbents in Dulwich Park. It would have taken a decent bike shop a little further away from East Dulwich ward but it would have grown and been an asset to trying to get local people to cycle more. On balance I'm delighted Balfe's are not moving. I think the vision they had was great but the wrong side of East Dulwich Road to make it really work. More importantly a small business can't survive and thrive with such big hurdles revitalizing the Peckham Rye Common toilet block. I suspect any small business will be reticent to bid. We run the risk of a big chain being the only sized organisation that is able to take on conflicting public opinion and the resources required. OR a vacant building is left on site and the site remains under used and without the security that passive surveillance from use brings.

I've asked the council officer in charge of gritting about salt bins. Before I give the feedback I suspect as it rarely snows and stays in London salt bins are not valued by residents and tampering with them is not socially unacceptable. Apparently, the salt bins Southwark have get stolen, used for rubbish bins, get emptied for fun outside winter time "and generally get used as play things". But that Southwark can call upon 500 people to help clear snow. I saw lots out and about in East Dulwich quiet residential streets from 7am today when I was out delivering Christmas cards. I didn't see any yesterday as they would have been working on priority 1 and 2 areas - shopping streets, around busy pedestrian areas.

The snow on Monday was unforecast. We don't have weather conditions to grit 'just in case' every single winter day. We'd all be alarmed at the council tax rise that would require. So Southwark Council officers constantly monitor Met Office weather forecasts. They regularly measure road temperatures for freezing conditions. If it looks like freezing or snowy conditions they grit main roads first. If bad weather arrives they then grit main roads, roads and pavements that are busier or have a gradient, then after all that they start on quiet residential roads. So frankly, yes everyone was caught out on Monday and the main roads had not been gritted in advance and the roads then jammed with stuck vehicles. And boy was it a pain to get home and around. I've attached the council's winter snow plans. A couple of changes I'm aware of. We now have 3 gritting lorries and 80 mechanical gritters for pavement use. I spotted 3 in use in East Dulwich early this morning on our quiet residential roads.

Hi Tarot, Not sure how I can help?

I've contacted the Southwark Council manager responsible for the gritting. He told me that the Met Office weather forecast has proven wrong and the snow arrive much earlier than forecast - hence the gritting was completed in time. He did assure me that all the gritter lorries are out and will be all night. That the 40 manually propelled gritters (useful for pavements etc) have been use and he expects to have all 80 out in use tomorrow. He also explained that he will be calling of up to 500 staff to help get things moving. Apparently this afternoon everyone wqas due to start worknig on the 3rd level priority streets when the snow arrived. Hope this explains what has and is going on.

Not sure how many East dulwich residents this affects but until March Farquhar Road bridge is closed for strengthening works. If anyone needs more info let me know.

Hi tiger ranks, I can assure you Southwark constantly monitors the weather and 12 hours before bad weather is due to arrive has three GPS monitored gritting lorries out covering its 340km of roads and pavements. We also have 300 core street cleaners who get diverted to keeping pavements and roads clearer when needed. Some of these use manually propelled salt spreaders that can reach the places the big gritters can't easilly reach. Also, fleet of vans to get the grit from the depot to where needed. We have 950 tonnes of salt stored at the Bournemouth Road depot. For more details please look at - Winter Gritting.

Hi Victoria, Yes, I've just found the same Lambeth Press Release. Makes intereasting comparison. States Lambeth has extra 250 tonnes of salt this year compared to last making total Lambeth salt stocks of 600 tonnes and 120 street cleaners to help keep things moving. I wonder whether these salt bins is how they're storing the extra 250 tonnes. Anyway, Southwark has 950 tonnes of salt at its depot and 300 streat cleaners to keep the streets moving. So I suspect the difference is Southwark have over twice the number of street cleaners to keep streets clear and rely on that rather than salt bins. On reflection, although salt bins sound a great idea, Southwark has 340km of roads it maintains. So that's 680,000metres of pavements (ignoring estates pavements and roads, pedestrian only). Even a 1,000 salt bins ie. one every 680m (one every 1/2 mile) would'nt make much difference. It would sound good though. Eitherway, its snowing now and its back to square one :(

Southwark Council website gives its winter plans. I've also attached Southwark's Winter Plan. I'd welcome comments and feedback that I can take up. Following is extract around pavements: "In severe weather conditions, when snow or ice remains for some days, consideration is given in the following order to the treatment of pedestrian routes, footways, stairs and pavements - Town centre streets and main pedestrian routes - Shopping frontages if on a footpath - Busy pedestrian routes - Hospitals and doctors surgery frontages and routes - School frontages and routes - Community centre frontages and routes - Steep sections of footway and footpaths - Predominately elderly residents areas and sheltered housing units - Other residential areas The council can only grit council owned highways and footpaths. If you require any more information, please contact us on 020 7525 2000 or at [email protected]." Is this sufficient? and the right order to prioritise? Tell me what you think.

Hi Steady Eddy, I'm sorry I've disappointed you but what you ask for is not possible. When residents, whether they live in East Dulwich ward or not, contact me for help they provide personal details and details of personal problems. I can't in good faith pass around those details as you've requested even if I wanted to. However, I do explain when residents come from a different ward that fact but that if they want me to help I'm happy to. I'm positive some East Dulwich residents will have asked councillors from other wards for help as few know the artificial ward boundaries. I've had one piece of casework handed to me from a Tory councillor. I've never had a piece of casework handed to me from a Labour councillor. On this basis your request seems partisan. You've clearly indicated that you don't like Southwark Council being led by the Liberal Democrats. If your motivation is party political then I'm happy to meet with you and debate but this thread is aimed at East Dulwich residents highlighting issues and concerns.

The Bishop pub on Lordship Lane has had another car crash into it yesterday afternoon - we'll try and get bollards placed to protect the pedestrians and pub users from this. Third car is 18 months. Apparently, it was a parked car in East Dulwich Grove that presumably didn't have it handbrake on.

Hi Steady Eddy, Many thanks for letting South Camberwell deal with any concerns they have. Also, thanks for the useful post about Greendale.

Hi Gimme, I will communicate with the relevant managers after the weekend. I can't guarantee that the contractors behaviour wil change instantly.

Hi Gimme, I believe that any vehicle that stops should stop somewhere safely and without compromising anyone else's safety. I can understand, if such a rule exists, enforcement officers being allowed to temporarily stop but only safely. I'd hope that any enforcement officers would use their judgement carefully about when to enforce and when to be more understanding. However, most of us seem to take on a different persona when we're behind the wheel. Equally, I don't expect enforcement officers to feel the need to describe some parts of East Dulwich as code red areas where they have to take extra precautions for their own safety before visiting. This is East Dulwich not the wild west. Hope that makes sense.