Nigello

The restrictions on access to Dunstan’s have resulted in, surprise surprise, illegal and hazardous parking on Goodrich and Upland and Dunstan’s (the bit not restricted). The school does nothing to police this even though it has bought (with public money or money from PTA, etc.) portable bollards which it ought to use morning and afternoon to prevent parking on zigzags and DYLs. Basically, the problem has been shifted from one street to others.

Pedestrians don’t saunter in cycle lanes, so cyclists ought not to ride on footpaths. Not cycling on footpaths is polite, rational, reasonable, hazard-reducing and orderly so why is there support for pavement cyclists? It’s a vote for selfishness and inconsiderateness which we don’t need any more of. It’s endemic, which suggests to me that those who do it are indeed anti-social, even if they think that because they are helping reduce congestion and pollution, they can do as they please and disregard the rights of pedestrians and wheelchair users.

More and more drivers ignore the zebras - ie. when a passenger has set foot on one they still drive on. I wave like a loon at them for ages rather than shout or gesture. It works because they think “do I know that person?” before the penny drops and they realise they’re poor and dangerous drivers. Plus, it’s fun to have others stare at them.

Yes - I saw the first one I’ve seen this year more than a week ago. Lovely things

I saw a brown grasshopper, about 2” long, on my window frame today, which although is close to lots of foliage and not far at all from trees, is far from grass. It surprised me to see it there.

I read about this on a Southwark email but don’t know the process. I remember I matched the criteria. Please could someone provide a link or phone number.

They love bog-standard suet balls with seeds in them and also will take cheese rinds and stale cake/bread.

Four parents on (racing) bicycles on the footpath with kiddies riding beside on seen within five minutes on E D Grove this morning. When I pointed out that it was for pedestrians I got hard stares - pretty common to be angry once thry are told they’re in the wrong (especially when they always knew they were!). Also, two parents on Road on bicycles as their kids cycled very acceptably and legally on the pavement.

I was told by an employee of a DV business that a drunk driver slammed into it late one night, destroying it in part or wholly and it won’t be replaced - at a cost of 20k or so (according to this person).

Agreed - if part of the reasoning for the deployment of these cycles and scooters is accessibility and ease of movement then their poor parking has to be judged against these values also.

The signs say nothing about term time as far as I can see so yeah, the council would then stand to make money from fines related to restrictions that were put in to deal with school term-related concerns. Perhaps Southwark has a department of “and they wonder why they don’t like or trust us”?

The system at TJC is exemplary. The staff are efficient, professional and kind and patients rarely have to wait more than ten minutes before being called. Sounds like a “bright idea” thought up by faraway dullards.

Lots of the pillar boxes I’ve seen recently in SE22 each have a sticker saying that collection tiles will change to “no earlier than 09:00” on weekdays. It’ll be 07:00 on Saturdays. This is compared to the usual 17:30/18:00 now. So, seeing as most people send mail during the day and often in the afternoon, their sent mail will be take one more day to arrive.

So, do you stay up till 10pm then book your slot for more than one (maybe three or more) sessions and always turn up? This system is no way for a publicly-funded pool whose bosses (Southwark) pledge to make “sport for all”, etc. I just don’t accept that everyone who wants to swim should need to book at least a year since the Covid threat was deemed weak enough to lift restrictions in all other areas of life. People’s plans change, the weather puts them off (or propels them to swim). I just can’t accept that this system is the right one. It’s condescending and exclusionary and that’s the very opposite of what a council (of any colour) should be aiming for. I’m still waiting for my reply from the head of leisure so I’ll try and try again.

People abuse the system as it is. They book as soon as the slots open and sometimes don’t attend. It’s unfair - the diehards take a lot of the slots leaving fewer open for less dedicated swimmers, whose lack of zeal and military-style forward planning skills are punished, in effect. A review is needed to be able to compare the two systems fairly. There was no clamour for the booking system before the pandemic. It’s laziness on the part of the authorities that’s keeping it there.

I think the booking system should be withdrawn for at least two months so that comparisons can be drawn. That’s a fair way of doing it and it won’t cost a thing. It’s paternalistic and sits uneasily with me; as if there are not enough regulation and restrictions in life already!

I agree it’s a pain and a menace. It’s all comers - yoovz, yummy mummies, OAPs, trendy daddies, MAMILs. Every one of them thinks the rules don’t apply because “insert solipsistic excuse here”. If you do it, you’re selfish and irresponsible (but you’re likely not to acknowledge that to yourself to protect your shaky self image).

And they’ll STILL want you to book and never fine the people who actually manage to reserve a place and then don’t turn up. It’s completely irrational to ask people to book to swim outside of special pandemic measures. I wrote to my councillor and leisure head but got no reply.

Dulwich Pool is, er, up the spout anyway, at least yesterday.

The app is a doddle. I don’t use the actual e-bikes but have it to report badly parked/poo-smeared ones!

The app allows you to send an image and location details of badly parked e-bikes and e-scooters. I used it twice today…

There are mobile numbers and email addresses for park officers on the information boards in the park. There is also the office near the Japanese garden/back of toilets. Did you phone any local bird or animal welfare group?

Bus lanes absolutely do not need to run 24/7. It’s pernicious and hectoring on the part of TfL and councils and sometimes increases the amount of particulates due to the resulting traffic queues. I don’t have a vehicle of any kind (and haven’t since 1999), no bicycle and walk and take buses mostly so I’m not a petrol head by any means. I just favour pragmatic interventions over dogmatic totalitarian approaches.

Same here - I was told no GP appointments at DMC on the day I rang but was offered a place a few hours later - oddly apologetically - at TJC which I took gladly. I think it’s a good system and shows flexibility on the part of the local NHS bosses.

Southwark could blitz areas that either could cause people to feel insecure and criminals to capitalise on that feeling, like badly lit areas or streets with litter and vandalism. I get that an area doesn’t cause crime - people commit crime - but a holistic approach helps.