Applespider

My goal is simply to have people drive at whatever the designated speed limit is - not for any particular number on any particular street. I can see the point of 20mph in some places but the lack of infrastructure and enforcement means that the nutters driving dangerously won't stop. Excellent point on drivers potentially never having driven above 20-30mph. That surely needs to be addressed. Do you think we will ever get to a point where we end up with urban driving being one category of driving entitlement and carriageway/motorway being another? Or do you have other ideas to solve it? I just about remember the first time my instructor got me to drive along a 40mph stretch. It was scary how much faster you had to process stuff. And one of my most useful final lessons he took me out onto some single lane 60mph country roads to teach me how to judge speed into corners and then a stretch on a dual carriageway at 70.

If someone is driven over the edge by potentially arriving a minute later (appreciate it's not you Lois), then why are we letting them take control of a one tonne plus potential killing machine? Driving is a responsibility not a right. People in general have got used to driving much faster as cars become safer with better brakes, suspension and soundproofing. Which is great for those in cars and less good for other road users and pedestrians. Until lights etc are phased to encourage slower driving so that you don't feel like you are waiting, people will still feel frustrated. Plus if there is no incident, it feels like a victimless 'crime' and since we probably all feel like we are better than average drivers, it is easy to argue against. And I suspect there are very few drivers who could say they have never ever broken one (caught or not) so we excuse a crime of which we have all been guilty. Back in the 70s/80s, drink driving was so common that it was the norm. It has taken decades to make it feel wrong and I suspect making speeding seem antisocial will take a similar time. Unless of course driverless cars catch on before that and make both issues irrelevant.

Agreed - one at either side of the footbridge would be even better. At the moment, taking the footbridge (unless you get off the train at that end) adds footsteps for the majority of people disembarking. Those with Fitbits aside, it's human nature to take the shortest route even if it means a longer queue. Opening up exits at the footbridge would encourage those going to the bus stop (towards ED) to go that way. They don't have to be open permanently - just for an hour or so at each peak time. Then again, I'm pretty sure when the plans first came out for the station, those on EDF expressed surprise and suggestions (and not just on here) and sadly, have been proven right. So I'm not holding my breath for anything sensible to happen now.

TfL promised a new bus stop just up the road from the Grove by March 22 (after the old one was knocked down by a car in November 2015). Still no sign of it either. This junction is nasty enough at the best of times as a cyclist - since that left hand filter can leave you nowhere to go. Would be good to get it replaced again while it's still peak cycling season!

Got home today to find my postal vote on the mat. However - it's good to know that in future, it's best to get your request in very early so you get it more than a couple of weeks ahead just in case you are away for a fortnight over the election.

Thanks kristyl - that reassures me. But will double check proxy vote requirements just in case.

I usually vote in person but applied for a postal vote for the referendum in late May as I'll be away on the day. The deadline was 8 June so well within it. My normal polling card came through about a week later. A colleague at work (non-Southwark) has had her postal vote through although she always gets a postal one so not sure if they do two runs of polling cards/postal votes - previously registered and then new ones. Anyone else who recently applied for a postal vote in Southwark had it arrive yet?

Lowlander Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Clapham Junction to Waterloo is rammed in the > morning rush hour, you might have to let at least > 2-3 trains go by before there's space. Coming > back you can often get a seat at Waterloo though. > > I've taken the 176 back from the Strand at 1830 on > occasion and it's taken 40 minutes to Dulwich > Library, which isn't bad. Agreed on CJ not being a great option - and if there are any problems on Southern (common currently) sometimes just getting across platforms there (and then Overground comes in on 1/2) can be a nightmare. 40 minutes at 1830? Is that because it's so full, it's not stopping to let anyone on! On the cycling front, getting some free cycle training can help. If you're happy cycling just not at rush hour on unfamiliar roads, then the instructors can help with helping you find a route that you're comfortable with - and will show you options for tricky junctions etc. It was a godsend when I first started thinking about commuting to work (my sole journey on a Saturday pm had previously convinced me I'd never do it!)

Not a fan except at sale time when their prices become almost reasonable. If we really have to have gentrified chains, there are others that would be more welcome...

The gates are normally open well before 8. I usually cycle through just beforehand but have been 30+ minutes earlier on occasion and they have been open

Times of day? Any particular riders targeted (eg school kids? Commuters)

The South Circular routes are both backed up severely from pretty much as soon as temp lights go in. The Plough approach isn't quite so bad. You can't even jump on 363 to avoid since it is diverted up Barry Road and through the temp lights. They do seem to be laying the new Tarmac fairly quickly though so keeping fingers crossed that it might not take full 6 weeks

Bizarrely I got an email from Crown and Greyhound today (showing Dulwich Village address) reminding me to book a table for Mothers Day (link goes to page saying not taking bookings), telling me brunch is served every Sat from 12 March and about a beer festival in April. Their CRM engine might need tweaking

The Victoria route only works outside rush hour. Queues to get into the Tube station before 9 can be horrendous - particularly with bags since so many steps. And how quickly a Circle line train might come is a law unto itself - Victoria changing to Bakerloo at Oxford Circus much quicker. To be honest, if you're heading to Paddington to take get to Heathrow, it's quicker taking the District Line to Hammersmith and then crossing the platform to Piccadilly line. By the time you cross over to Paddington and wait for a Heathrow Express, it can be just as quick - and a heck of a lot cheaper.

I think they may close early if not busy. I went past around 9.40 last Monday night and they were clearing up with the shutter part down.

Hang about guys - there has been a question asked about sourcing but no response. Until we have one, let's not jump to assumptions that they buy poor quality meat from mistreated animals. Given Yianni's early interviews, that wouldn't appear to fit with his original ethos of quality.

It's certainly signposted on each side of the boundary there. I won't say it's enforced. ;-p The average traffic speed at rush hour is only 12mph anyhow so only makes a real time difference if roads are clear. I wonder if they could rephase traffic lights to give those driving at 20mph a green wave to incentivise drivers.

I am now craving a Dead Hippie. And yes, there might be a lot of burgers along LL but they won't make you lick your teeth in quite the same way. How long ago since they did the pop up in The Victoria (?) in Peckham? I do seem to recall reading an interview way back talking about their ingredients - sourcing the aged beef with the right fat%, getting the right bun that didn't fall to bits etc. I suspect that was in their Meatwagon days rather than Meatliquor since the scale of the business has changed somewhat. I'm really glad though that so many of you are anti-burger; should make it much easier for the rest of us to get in.

Deliberately didn't go that way after being delayed the last couple of nights. Got off buses two stops early and walked each time. P4s last night had an hour gap in service followed by 30-40 minutes stuck in traffic. Ouch

Really sorry to hear about this. I do hope your bike an be replaced and you don't feel too nervous to take that route again. It is one of my fears while cycling alone and I doubt there is much you can do realistically to stop them once they've made you their mark. It's been reported a few times on EDF over the years in different places - on Fountain Drive on the way up to Crystal Palace last year, on the old canal path at Peckham and on Court Lane where they held a rope across the road. Another reason so much CCTV is crap is that it doesn't get upgraded often and in the last 5-10 years when much was installed, the quality per ? spent was very different from now. CCTV also is generally high up enough and with enough of a wide angle to get a wide area and unless you zoom in at the point the video is captured, you won't get much zooming in on the recorded file.

Nice idea but probably ineffective. The MO is usually them ringing the door with a clipboard or a parcel - occasionally even in high vis vests unbelievably as passersby then think official! If someone answers, they blag their way out by claiming wrong person. If no-one answers, they try to jimmy the lick. Communal doors are often just on Yales rather than a mortice that are easy to get through. Once they are in, they have time to kick down secure doors knowing that no-one in. It's a horrible experience to come home too. Best wishes to those done most recently and fingers crossed they are caught soon.

Denmark Hill does have particular challenges that Forest Hill etc don't face. Most of the other local stations are busy 'inwards' in the morning and busy 'outwards' at night so when looking at ones with similar footfall, it's probably easy to say that 4 barriers/width of passageways/entrances is OK - since usually you'd have 3 one way and 1 the other. Denmark Hill in the morning has huge numbers arriving as well as departing. The queues only really appear at Denmark Hill for the 5 minutes after a train arrives. Then it clears and it's easy to get through again until the next one comes in.

If it's any comfort, if you make it to 4 times in a year with 3-hour power cuts, you can claim ?75 in compensation. I did it a few years ago after a spate of them. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/get-compensation-if-you-have-a-power-cut/

The design really doesn't help though - why didn't they make the temporary exit on the far side of the new bridge permanent at rush hours. I've also have left the old entrance/exit in place so that at peak hours you could create a contraflow (i.e. out the old exit and in the new entrance). At quiet times, you could lock those exits (a little like they do with some Tube stations) so that you don't need lots of extra staffing. Thankfully I don't have to do it every day but it must be energy-sapping for those who do.

It happened in the early hours of Friday morning. According to a woman who lives opposite, a car came down the hill too fast, mounted the pavement, smashed into the railings (you can see the chunk out of the stone as well as the railings being bent back) and ended up in the bus stop - after wiping out the bin and the bus stop. Emergency services were there until 6am and the pavement etc was patched up. As there's been little news about it, I'm hoping that any injuries were minor. Lucky there was no-one standing at the bus stop!