Nigello

Ha! Raggedy flyers on lampposts and mini billboards attached to public fences etc are an eyesore - another form of littering. . In the short term, asking those businesses who dump their rubbish (vegetable matter, hair extensions, cigarrette ends) to not do it under pain of a fine could be a simple way of making the area a more savoury place - which would be a benefit to everyone, including the business owners themselves.

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. It's warming and chilling and not very long!

I thought the format of the new M and S will not be the "grab and go" kind but more of a standard supermarket, selling fruit/veg/dairy/meats as well as packaged foods. I do miss Iceland, which was great for a pretty wide range of staples at great prices and agree that some ED residents will now be inconvenienced, having to travel further afield for the same, keenly-priced products. Maybe the bosses at M and S could - as a way of accommodating those who have been put out - stock cut-price basics, given that the assumption is they have been reading the EDF for ages?

Agreed that SWE and Cafe Viva and Miss Tapas are good but the general state of that bit of Choumert Road - with lots of vegetable/fruit remnants in the gutter and bags/cardboard boxes/general litter strewn around - makes it somewhere you'd not really want to linger.

They have a specific, dedicated lane (which can also allow buses and bikes/cycles) that allows them to "race" along, aided by a guiding wheel that skims along a curb. They're cheaper (the buses are just normal buses and are simply modified) and much more easy to install.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_guided_busways_and_BRT_systems_in_the_United_Kingdom

We could have had a tram, from Peckham to Aldwych (and perhaps further) but it was scrapped. Gudided buses could work, but they're not trendy and swanky enough for the local politicians, who want shiny, heavy rolling stock.

I hope the very sensible idea of extra/express buses will be adopted. It pains me that solutions - even ad hoc ones - are hard to come by. Getting people up the hill at the top of FHR to the HOP station on an "emergency" extended 63 would be great as well!

The doors were always meant to be open as they were designed as a replacement for the old Routemasters which had conductors. No conductors = closed doors = no movement of air, given that the new ones have sealed windows and only feeble air-con. At least because there are two stairwells, people do not congregate around the middle door (back door on conventional buses) which is my bete noire.

Ladygooner, See my response from the GLA ransport head a few messages up. (Short version - no.)

Foxy, You got a partially good result but only after a lot of faff. You really ought to demand to speak to the practice manager and put it in writing and copy it to Helen Hayes. For added effectiveness, add the URLs to the various EDF threads.

NB - This is the same as a reply I just wrote to the James Barber thread, which featured the Southern situation. I agree it is not acceptable and I hope that heads will be banged together (bosses', politicians' and union chiefs') to get a better timetable. It highlights - again - the lack of appropriate levels of transport provision (at least at rush hours) in SE22/15/5 etc. I wrote to Helen Hayes earlier this year (March, I think). She passed on my queries and concerns (and suggestions, such as more buses or express versions at certain times) to Mike Brown, the London Transport Commissioner who in turn wrote back to me (via Fiona Lampard whose title is Assembly Management Manager, Government and Stakeholder Relations, Group Public Affairs (her capitals). In essence, what I learnt is that Camberwell station could be reopened but it would have a knock-on effect on other train movements and that it is being looked into; that 40s and 176s "are well used during peak periods but....below capacity as passengers can board these buses at these times. There is not sufficient demand to justify the cost of introducing more buses along the routes. The major cause of bus delays is traffic congestion, rather than dwell time at stops. Therefore an express service would not necessarily be quicker than a service that stops more regularly." So, if you want to get in touch with Mike Brown vis-a-vis the extra pressure on bus routes given the Southern debacle, please do so via [email protected] . Why not copy in the Mayor and Helen Hayes too?

I agree it is not acceptable and I hope that heads will be banged together (bosses', politicians' and union chiefs') to get a better timetable. It highlights - again - the lack of appropriate levels of transport provision (at least at rush hours) in SE22/15/5 etc. I wrote to Helen Hayes earlier this year (March, I think). She passed on my queries and concerns (and suggestions, such as more buses or express versions at certain times) to Mike Brown, the London Transport Commissioner who in turn wrote back to me (via Fiona Lampard whose title is Assembly Management Manager, Government and Stakeholder Relations, Group Public Affairs (her capitals). In essence, what I learnt is that Camberwell station could be reopened but it would have a knock-on effect on other train movements and that it is being looked into; that 40s and 176s "are well used during peak periods but....below capacity as passengers can board these buses at these times. There is not sufficient demand to justify the cost of introducing more buses along the routes. The major cause of bus delays is traffic congestion, rather than dwell time at stops. Therefore an express service would not necessarily be quicker than a service that stops more regularly." So, if you want to get in touch with Mike Brown vis-a-vis the extra pressure on bus routes given the Southern debacle, please do so via [email protected] . Why not copy in the Mayor and Helen Hayes too?

THe idea was that the "New Routemaster" would, like its predecessor, have the back door open which would have allowed the movement of air, but that is only the case on a couple of routes in central London.

The 176 is direct but it takes a long time, and it forever stops half way to change drivers (something that rarely happened, if at all, until about three or four years ago). Also, the 176 is jam packed from The Plough to Denmark Hill every morning at rush hour and vice versa in the late afternoon.

It doesn't take that much effort to canvas opinion, monitor it and then ask the offender to take the offensive item down, so the "what aboutery" reasoning doesn't hold water. It's not particularly ugly, it's in good nick and it's promoting a local business but if it's allowed to stay then others may well do it and that would look bad. Still awaiting answers as to whether the steam fairs/circuses are allowed by Southwark to post bills/placards if they take them down afterwards......

I think I read that the capping aspect will not be part of the fares freeze, if I read the piece in the Standard correctly. Mr K is right to freeze (some) fares and bring in the "hopper" free bus transfer scheme but the money has to come from somewhere. I'd happily put up with smaller buses on certain routes during non-peak times, which would also help reduce noxious emissions. I doubt it will happen though, given the inertia over the perfectly sensible and simple idea of extending the 63 to Honor Oak station.

I think it should be taken down. If a firm wants to advertise it should do it properly: social media is free and local publications like SE22, Dulwich Diverter etc won't be that expensive. I agree it is not distasteful or ugly but it is easy to set a precedent. On the subject, are the fairs and circuses allowed by Southwark to put up ad hoardings if they take them down after the event?

I have pointed out to James that the Goodrich/Dunstan's corner would be a good site for a shelter, given that around ten bikes are often chained to the railings there. Message him if you agree.

I agree with RT: Lord Palmerston is a good venue, as is Artusi (if open this early in the week for lunch) and Franklin's. The cafe, more of a restaurant, at the Dulwich Picture Gallery is good too.

At least it is not just a simulacrum of a fountain, as is the case with one near the pond. Way back when, I queried this with the council, which told me it was an artistic suggestion/memorial and was never meant to be a real-life one. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,40940

If you suspect something is going on that is wrong, then alert the staff or call the police. I agree that there it could look suspicious but it could also well be completely innocent.

DL gives out five sacks per person, which I think is quite a lot, especially given that most people have brown bins. How about a three-per-person limit?

Could have gone to helping improve rail services to SE London and/or putting in a tram or even a trolleybus system from Camberwell (for example) to Aldwych. It is a nice looking project but it ought never to have been a priority.

I get that there will be competition from indoor pools that are nearby at Peckham Pulse and the new(ish) leisure centre on CPR and that there is a lido in Brockwell, but I still think it could be a winner, especially if it can accommodate all the different kinds of swimmers with good lane discipline and early/late opening hours etc. If it were heated, all the better. Things like pesky trees dropping their leaves in the water and general maintenance can be easily managed. If the council is not paying for it - which is what I heard on BBC London radio the other day - then that means other services won't be badly affected.

After a while it is hoped/envisaged (yes, this is politico-speak, so don't hold your breath) that it will be possible to make multiple changes within the hour window, so you would be able to use three buses, for example, for the price of one. The ?6.40 (?) cap on Zone 1 and 2 for all forms of transport is pretty good so the added bonus of a "free" bus ride is welcome. Thing is, though, where will the shortfall be felt? Will the Peckham--Aldwych--King's X tram ever be resurrected? Will people ever learn to not congregate around the doors/pram area/go upstairs? Will the 176 ever become slightly less quiet than a sonic boom?