Sephiroth

if you have to ask, Pete... 😉

it's coming (even as Tories debate jettisoning Yet Another leader beforehand) soon and I for one can't wait to see the back of these inept political pygmies Starmer's Labour are nowhere close to perfect but I can see all manner of wheels beginning to turn just by dint of basic competence and basic acknowledgment of geography (leading to more alignments and agreements with EU for example) But what will happened between now and election day? How will Reform impact things? Any thoughts?

Back in the day (12-13 years ago?) when Scott and co @ Capital pubco revamped it I used to enjoy walking over from East Dulwich Grove and even had an after party for my 1-year old's birthday there. But it was a big old unit that never found its footing IMO. Neil (who managed Bishop and Actress for spells) was looking after it but felt it a bit removed So when the Green King takeover happened I assumed it was doomed. Shame - I have good memories

None of this is difficult to comprehend other than your fixation so the Streatham implementation can be tweaked and successfully introduced there because it still sounds like the sheer number of cars is the problem, not LTNs And we can either let the number of cars increase or we can look at many different ways (including LTNs) that check their numbers

“Traffic hasn’t disssapearwd” ”of course it has - most of it goes” so no then. Traffic has not disappeared. If people in an LTN are happier, why has it worked there and not elsewhere? why has it not worked in Streatham specifically? ”trust me” - unlikely but let’s hear the real reasons (I didn’t say roadworks were only reason either)

Traffic hasn’t disappeared in LTN areas has it and it wouldn’t in a more universal scheme LTN aren’t a silver bullet and should only be part of a wider approach But you can’t wait for everything to be in place If Streatham didn’t work out there were reasons (scheduled roadworks played a part) it doesn’t mean it can’t be tweaked and retried if people IN LTNs like them why would Streatham be different “where would that traffic go?” well eventually drivers will get the message and not drive so regularly and save it for more necessary trips

Have you deliberately ignored the bit where I said there will always be traffic? why are you painting a picture that no one is proposing? low traffic helps every single person in the scenarios you paint disabled people, heart attack victims, delivery drivers - all will benefit with fewer vehicles on the road

And why can’t you make all of London a LTN? It’s clearly possible. I’ll go further. It’s clearly necessary between where we are now and where will be in the future there are obviously going to be demarcations where people on either side of the line go “hey!!” ( see also tax brackets) but lower traffic is the only future for successful cities (other things need to happen in tandem. Public transport and local facilities. Some cities will get this right. And London, with its “no mate. No!!!” Attitude might not. Or people might change their minds and London will lead the way)

Or. And hear me out those neighbouring boroughs could introduce LTNs as well, and make their populations happier reducing traffic. Makes. People. Happier Come on. You’re so close. You can do this

I can see why you have a problem with the narrative but I can’t see why LTNs are a problem per se if you reduce traffic, most people are happier. That doesn’t mean some traffic isn’t still necessary - clearly some traffic will remain necessary. But the people who complain the most.. well.. the are just complaining about their inconvenience in a world where cities have to find a way to deal with increased traffic in a finite space

So you have doubled down on your Peter walker obsession and have nothing to say on the value or popularity of LTNs got it

And I did ask that question you keep highlighting the point. So what’s the problem with people inside LTNs liking them ?

So you are adopting a tactic of what? Disputing a report by posting like a hyperactive 17 year old who has read some Chomsky? m should LTNs be popular with people in Sheffield? Chatham? If LTNs are popular why is it a bad thing? (and do try and be holistic in any argument. Clearly the age of endless car expansion is coming to an end. Just like many earlier industrial ages ended. It’s progression and not some woke agenda)

Sunak’s own report. Which you can be sure would want to contradict mayor https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/08/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-generally-popular-report-ordered-by-sunak-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I moved to ED in 2001 so I remember the "shallow" version of eD before the extension out the back but nothing before then Always glad when I come back to the area to see the place still going

Taking any kind of journey in a car these days is a real lottery - the roads feel like they have been abandoned to the elements. I had to drive through Kent towns at the weekend and I tried different routes there and back - both times felt like an assault course that Sydenham hole might be "marked for repair" but it will only be filled in with cornflakes (I exaggerate) and will be in a worse state a couple of months later of course councils have been starved of cash by government so this is one area that has been cut back - but it's another very visible sign of the state of the nation

Agree with Sue - seems unlikely that the whole space would operated by another pubco - it's massive (and not cheap) Details still seem to be up on Savill's so not sure it has been acquired by another pubco https://assets.savills.com/properties/GB0456L118507/dabf92f615b3ea6592283d295cc7b440-london-capitol.pdf

"Diplomacy is really the only way out. " But how does this work in this situation? Who does it involve? What sort of outcome would you want? And why would Putin "diplomatically" agree to it? I know how diplomacy works - but it requires engagement from stakeholders.

When has that ever been true tho? Many of the household names we use daily today made fortunes in world war 2 we could go back to empires maybe. It’s what Putin is trying to do I dont care if it’s companies, Tories, corbynites, pixies or leperachauns. Putin needs defeating and I would take help from any and all to ensure it but even if I was as suspicious of bae or whoever - just going “that’s enough now” and giving Putin what he wants would be shooting outselves in the foot and will lead to millions of more deaths and if anyone is happy with that then yeah. I will judge them

At which point of the Second World War would you have drawn a line and said “that enough bloodshed/profit for whoever. Let adolf have what he wants” The answer? it’s going to be a combination of superior bombs/guns AND diplomacy. And diplomacy will only be entertained when Putin is beaten if their is “another way” perhaps you could use history or maybe your Quaker faith to guide us I don’t believe I have personally attacked you. I have taken your publicly posted position and called it a disgrace Which it is. Objectively no one likes the war or the losses or the bloodshed but if you think appeasement will end it then you are naive at best. But to suggest it’s being sustained to profit western companies is immoral that doesn’t mean companies won’t profit. Vaccine companies profited from the pandemic. But they were necessary as well.

Russia invades Ukraine with clear eyes in other European territories, murders people and you, you start a thread implying all of this just for western profit an absolute disgrace

Obviously the place underneath Dulwich Cafe no longer exists but the concept/"organisation" lives on https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080979353803

awful story - I get so angry

4th anniversary yesterday lads. no celebrations? no one?

And 8 years (eight!) after the referendum what is it about ending freedom of movement that British people don’t get? anyone? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13009671/amp/brits-forced-leave-french-homes-brexit-rules-visa-rights-thrown-out.html