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Remember when flaws were found in certain publications, from academics with ties to LCC and Sustrans that supported LTNs as a way to reduce car use and traffic - even on non-LTN roads. The flaws outlined showed that traffic had increased on high-density housing 'sacrificial' roads. And yet the statisticians, academia and clan-air activists that pointed out these flaws were accused of many 'sins'.... Well - here we are https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/29/sholto-david-biologist-finds-flaws-in-scientific-papers

I love real black pudding and was very surprised by the vegan version....weirdly similar to a cheap ‘real’ version. We had homemade daal tarka and vaala urid daal with rotis yesterday, entirely vegan, entirely delicious 😋 Burn’s night was Scottish humour in a way, about how awful the food was..... of course Scottish cuisine now is amazing with all the produce, but then. Haggis 🤮

I have one in my freezer..... but try SMBS on Lordship Lane, they usually have them, but might have run out by now?? Or forget veggie haggis (too salty) and have vegan black pudding instead. Or go for the more traditional Scottish delicacy - powsowdie 🤢

They are obsessed... just clean our roads of leaves, litter and dog poo, empty the bins and keep our storm drains working..... please stop with this nonsense!

East Dulwich Grove where children walk to school hasn’t been cleaned for ages, slippery and dangerous. Calton Avenue, cleaned on a regular basis. If you live on a wealthy street your road is cleaned more often....have noticed this for years.....

Ha ha ok... I did wonder, I personally don’t mind CPZ zones, so not an (anti) by the way...but the cost is a disgrace. Only mentioning because we walked past 4 on Melbourne Rd/Lordship Lane corner and as you say having ‘a fag’ and a heated row at the time. Walked back that way after buying fetid dairy goods and veg to walk pass the same group having more fags and a more reasonable gossip.

It's been a mess for over five years or so....

ATCs do not count accurately in slow moving traffic. Traffic diverted to boundary roads causes slow moving traffic. ATCs have been used on boundary roads to measure traffic to 'prove' that there is 'no increase' in traffic compared to traffic measured by actual counts (not ATCs) before LTNs in place. So - I agree with Prof Aldred that ' reports used Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs) to monitor traffic, in most cases ‘tubes’ across the road” “These are imperfect. Parked or very slow-moving motor traffic may affect results' Southwark Council used these before and after 'counts' to claim that small traffic increases on boundary roads were not significant and would soon decrease as a result of increased use of cycling and walking for short local journeys. East Dulwich already had one of the highest percentages of walking as a local transport activity pre-LTNs and the majority of car travel in ED is due to long journeys/ school runs from outside the area for private schools/ commercial traffic. So..not a conspiracy - but certainly incompetent, flawed and lacking scrutiny throughout.

Rachel Aldred’s latest report - Changes in motor traffic in London’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and boundary roads - a meta -analysis “There are known issues with data quality. Usually, reports used Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs) to monitor traffic, in most cases ‘tubes’ across the road” “These are imperfect. Parked or very slow-moving motor traffic may affect results" “We have not accessed raw data directly from counters, as this would not be feasible for so many count points, schemes, and boroughs" “it is important that boundary roads are not forgotten. They do experience often substantial traffic burdens, and just over half the boundary roads in this study saw increases over the monitoring periods" "There are limitations to what one can conclude from average daily motor traffic counts. For instance, changes in motor traffic volumes do not correlate linearly with congestion, which is time-specific, nor do they directly map onto air pollution where speed and other variables play an important role"

I know, it is hilarious the conspiracy theory that one Dulwich is some sort of cover organisation for nefarious activity...jeez. Although, if you look at the early days on twitter and the smearing by the Cycling Lobby LCC of people (teachers, nurses, mums, health visitors, WHO clean air campaigners to name a few), who didn’t want closed roads in their area - one can see where this behaviour stems from. Apparently they were ‘mis-informed’, anti-vaxers, climate deniers, right-wing...... well you remember. Its just a group of people concerned that some of theses policies don’t work and may have the opposite effect, one can choose to agree or disagree with points they make. One can even agree with one of their arguments, yet disagree with others. See how it works?

Aaah the Daily Mail... Aaah footage.. a morgue worker.....well that sounds like it simply must be an actual bona fide, truthful, factoid.... here are some more IDF factoids..... The ‘calendar', a paper on a wall of a hospital that they said was a ‘list of terrorist names’ – Those who read Arabic recognised it as having the days of the week written on it. They said they targeted a car with “terrorists” in Lebanon. It emerged that the vehicle had three little girls, their mother and grandmother. Only the mother survived the shelling. They showed a video of a nurse in a hospital in Gaza saying Hamas is holding people as human shields. That video was debunked as fake and that the woman was a Mexican-Israeli actor. And of course Shereen - RIP, murdered by Israel.

If one hears the apologists for the war on children in Gaza, they use this type of detailed description as an excuse or rationale for killing children, even descriptions that are not necessarily verified. Poetry is more powerful than crass descriptions - not mine, I’m no poet.. “I wish children didn't die. I wish they would be temporarily elevated to the skies until the war ends. Then they would return home safe, and when their parents would ask them: "where were you?", they would say: "we were playing in the clouds"

‘Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph’

If you can't march and protest against the killing and genocide of families and children... because you are frightened about 'virtue signalling' then ..... I'm at a loss about what you would be bothered to protest about. Now they are telling Palestinians to move to bunkers and shelters (that do not exist) so they can bomb the s**t out of South Gaza. Probably about 6,000 dead children now... and more about to die ...but you know ... choices..choices...

So they have spent money on research...to prove if one closes a road to traffic ...it has fewer vehicles travelling down that closed road. They really are geniuses! Next. A research trial to see if a tree is cut down, fewer birds sit in the tree. A research trial to see if sunflowers cut down, fewer bees will visit the sunflower. A research trial to see if a hospital is closed, fewer patients will be treated. I’ll set up a research fund for the three above, I think you must agree all very useful subjects, on wildlife, the bee population crisis and the underfunded NHS...... So send me your cash, NOW, for this important research.

Yep, Green for me, some excellent green cllrs in London.

Although.. now I'm hearing she abstained!!! If this is true - disappointing and very weak and makes my voting decision very clear - Not Labour.

BIG respect to Helen Hayes... might be tempted to vote Labour after all... at least Nationally....

We joined the march at Vauxhall Bridge, saw lots of kids and families calling for peace and a seize-fire, people wearing their kippah, keffiyehs, people with olive branches and obviously flags and placards. It felt safe, impassioned and meaningful.

If anything, walking is now more of an obstacle course in the morning for me - cyclists on pavements, scooters on pavements, abandoned Lime/Forest bikes. Walking is cheap, free and accessible and very good for a healthy life - Councils should do more to provide clean, even and pleasant pedestrian access. Southwark was influenced by the cycling lobby through LCC which is predominately run by white. middle-class men and by long-term lobbyists that wanted Calton/ Melbourne/Ashbourne and Gilkes closed, so they could live in a 'nice' quiet street. The council took advantage of cash from this Tory Gov to make really bad policy, that has no effect on active travel or reducing motoring pollution. It hasn't increased active travel, it has made bus journeys awful for many and it has increased traffic on roads with high density housing.

Near the Village end of ED Grove, if you walk down on the JAGs side you will see them....it’s shameful that with the local housing crisis these huge homes have been left empty.

ED Grove really cannot accommodate more traffic and the crazy parking of parents/guardians dropping off children -there is already a mega-nursery about to open. ED Grove is already the busiest 'school road' in the area.

Where it still is seems an obvious site - it hasn't been built on yet. The School has attracted a lot of money from central and local government and a school/residents local amenity would encourage closer ties with the School and the residents. The School would gain a teaching area for children to understand horticulture/ nature and the residents gain a 'garden' - gain gain. It could also easily have a public gate in from the street and a school gate in (with a pass code) - to ensure safety and privacy for the school as well as access to the residents. Any fundraising could be later on next year - as long as Southwark agree to fund some. I'm crazy busy with University teaching and research, but happy to contribute to the written bid -read over it ...edit/add if someone writes a draft and knows maybe the hard of the school?

Buses through LTNs is an excellent idea... if I remember locally the vocal Melbourne Grove residents that campaigned for a closed road, also campaigned to stop the 37 going down their road 5 years before - as it impeded traffic... If the 37 went back down Melbourne now it would benefit the School and would relieve some of the issues for that route as bypassing LL and the queue the other way into ED Grove. I also think Black Cabs as well - my friend with mobility issues relies on black cabs - as roomy for her multiple issues, but it's now a longer route adding 30 minutes to a previously 15 minute journey due to LTNS. If current LTNs are inspected, rejigged and rethought - along with some A road and boundary road spend to make these roads safer, less polluted... then.....

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/news/2023/sep/southwark-council-launches-cleaner-greener-safer-fund https://www.southwark.gov.uk/engagement-and-consultations/grants-and-funding/cleaner-greener-safer?chapter=2 If anyone has time before the closing date of the 15th Oct?