Tessmo

Totally agree. Jon Relph from JKA Damp Proofing and Plastering came round to look at internal cracks in our walls (old cracks that had opened up during the heatwave), and damp in the corner of a bedroom (rainwater coming in from outside). He recommended a detailed course of action for both jobs, gave us a reasonable quote, and told us when he could start (we only had to wait a few weeks), and then he and his team completed everything with minimal disruption - always turned up on time, took great care to protect floors and furniture, and cleared up carefully at the end of each day. All skirting boards, dado rails, power sockets, etc fixed back - the only thing left to do is paint. Jon himself is friendly and kind and very knowledgeable about buildings (he specialises in damp proofing basements, but is happy to carry out work anywhere) 07713 187226

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And there will be wine!

Southwark is asking for feedback on the new junction layout. https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/quietway-7-dulwich-village-feedback/

A recommendation for Rupert at http://rgselectrical.com/, East Dulwich electricians. Rupert sorted out a problem with our kitchen lights years ago, but we called him back recently to instal exterior security lights. He's friendly and efficient, and gives you all the costs and options you need in order to make a decision. A great local business.

Marcus was exactly what we needed - a tiler who knew about plumbing. He was able to remove a tiling access panel to get to a broken tap, mend it, and put everything back beautifully so all the tiles looked as good as new. He was also at the end of the phone the following day (when he wasn't even in London) in order to guide us through a sudden leak in the kitchen. A grateful recommendation.

Not quite the right web address, Glemham - information about the alternative crowd-funded design for the junction is at www.dulwichvillageforum.org.uk. Posts go back to November last year. The Dulwich Village Forum also asked a public question at Southwark Council's cabinet meeting on Tuesday - how would the council measure the success of their own junction design (the one that's being built now) against TfL's 'Healthy Streets for London' http://content.tfl.gov.uk/healthy-streets-for-london.pdf which prioritises walking and cycling. The answer was that the recommendations in 'Healthy Streets for London' would form part of the 'holistic review' of traffic in Dulwich, which is apparently going ahead while the junction is being built. If anyone has any more news on this, please post it up here.

Lee Garvey came round at very short notice (happened to be in the area), worked out why a pipe in the loft was leaking, went off and got the materials, and fixed the whole thing within the hour. They're going to come back and add a cowl on to the pipe outside when the weather's a bit better (too slippery on the roof at the moment with all the rain). Thank you, EDF, for the recommendation - and a big thank you to Lee Garvey, too.

Another recommendation for Steve the Spin Doctor 07921 777428. The spring in our Bosch dishwasher door suddenly snapped. Steve asked us to get the spare part (very easy online by typing in the model number), and fixed the door today. He also mended the electric spark on our gas hob by...er...showing us that we'd accidentally switched it off. Very efficient, very reasonable price, came on time, cleared up afterwards - definitely recommend him.

Not ironic @Sally Eva. Maybe you're right, and the way zebra crossings are used at Goose Green could be improved. it would be good to look at this. But the idea is to have a low-speed environment - a design that makes everyone slow down.

@ bawdy-nan Yes, completely agree. School start and finish times have to be part of the analysis. From my understanding of Southwark's current proposal, the number of schoolchildren/parents/buggies, etc that would be stopped hallway across the road - using the staggered crossings that were taken away at the Townley Road junction because they were so unpopular with parents and children - hadn't been measured. The number of children, and the times when they'd all be bunched up in the middle of the road waiting to cross, had apparently not been part of the analysis for the official proposal at all... Yes, agree with you. Children must come first.

@wolfhound Answering your earlier post, I don't think we're talking so much 'shared space' as 'low-speed environment'. Shared space, as far as I understand it, can mean no road markings and no separation of different kinds of traffic. In the alternative junction sketch, there's a cycle track. There are also zebra crossings, which work well at Goose Green - a busy junction with cars, cycles, pedestrians, vans, lorries and buses. Nothing will happen with any alternative design at this junction unless it is safer for pedestrians and cyclists than Southwark's current official proposal. It's primarily a junction that's part of the Quietway, so it's got to be safe for inexperienced cyclists otherwise it's not fit for purpose. 147 people have contributed to the Just Giving page, and it's just ?20 off its target of ?4,000. So a lot of people are behind finding a solution that's safer for pedestrians and cyclists than Southwark's official one. It's come out of a 'Pedestrians Must Come First' campaign that's primarily thinking of all the schoolchildren who use this junction, so no one - no one - wants a junction that doesn't put small pedestrians first. Any sketch for an alternative idea is just a starting point - something to nudge Southwark into thinking about different possibilities. Let's wait and see what the traffic consultants come up with. I'm not an expert, but I understand that there is a lot of data to show that there is better safety with low-speed environments than with traditional traffic lights, which encourage sudden spurts of speed. How about contacting www.dulwichvillageforum.org.uk? Your views as a parent and a cyclist would be really valuable.

I'm pretty sure there was no public support for road closures in the public consultation. (Mind you, two-thirds were against the design that became the official Southwark proposal...) The point of the alternative design, as far as I understand it, is to make traffic move slowly but continuously, which should mean much greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians. It all depends on the detail, but that's what the independent report is for.

Thanks @gardnergirl - good to see this link again. It's hard to imagine driver behaviour changing - but a clip like this shows how it's possible.

@Mugglesworth The Southwark cabinet member in charge of making Quietway 7 happen (from Elephant & Castle to Crystal Palace) has said that he will consider the community proposal for the junction, which should involve taking notice of the feasibility study. But you're right. We can't assume anything...