BrandNewGuy

El Presidente Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Penguin68 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Actually, it's a very good idea if it's taken > up > > by those who otherwise wouldn't exercise. > > > This is exactly right. And even then the cost > benefit of a programme like this is much more > complex than simply saying it will reduce > pressures on the NHS. Running or walking round the > park would have the same effect. > > Making things free is good PR (as evident from the > largely uncritical welcome here). But is not a > sustainable policy at a time when councils have > less money to spend. It's not to see it's not a > nice idea with some value. But it's about > priorities - ultimately I think it takes resources > away from other services that are better value and > more important. But is the cost that great? It's not much more than the loss of revenue that would have accrued during those hours under the current regime. Yes, running or walking would also be beneficial, but in the same way simply providing libraries doesn't get people reading ? 'nudging' them by means of reading schemes, book clubs, live readings etc does. Which is how I see this scheme. And even good ideas might also be good PR :-)

Hence the free provision proposed. Then no excuse :-)

Indeed ? it's younger poeple they're after.

Either head to Trastevere (the 'left bank' of the Tiber) to avoid the tourist traps, or the Testaccio district south-west of the Forum, which is gentrifying but still 'working class' with lots of good places to eat and drink. The good thing with Rome is that if you're not in the expensive or touristy parts of town, pretty much every restaurant/trattoria will be fine ? otherwise they'd go out of business :-)

As the article said, the contract is due for renewal/change at the same meeting. Watch this space...

Maybe, but the Council has made health and well-being a priority for the borough, which can only be a good thing. How it works in practice remains to be seen, of course, but I support the principle that people shouldn't have to pay just to keep fit.

Well, East Dulwich to Bond Street, say, is 7 miles in about 40 mins (via London Bridge).

"'Free swim and gym' was one of the flagship pledges in Southwark Labour's 2014 election manifesto. A pilot scheme offering free access to leisure facilities for under-18s and over-60s was introduced last year. Next week Southwark's cabinet will rubber-stamp the arrangements to extend free swimming and gym access for borough residents aged 19 to 59 with effect from late July this year. According to a report to be presented to cabinet by Cllr Barrie Hargrove, the council will offer free access to gym and swimming for all Southwark residents all day on Fridays and during the afternoons and evenings on Saturdays and Sundays until closing time. Southwark Council officers who live outside the borough will also be eligible for the offer. In his foreword to the cabinet report, Cllr Hargrove cites the swimming baths opened in Grange Road by Bermondsey Borough Council in 1927. "Built in this part of London under the guidance of Bermondsey MP Alfred Salter, he was later heard to remark by responding to complaints by his detractors about the cost of this initiative that he only wished he could make the use of the swimming and bathing facilities free for residents," wrote Cllr Hargrove. "So I cannot overstate the degree of pride I feel on helping to lead on this initiative being delivered by Southwark Council to provide free access to swimming and gym facilities in our borough." The launch of universal access to free swimming and gym use will be timed to coincide with the start of the school summer holidays at the end of July this year. The cost of the new scheme has been built in to the council's new contract for the management of its leisure centres. The contract is currently held by Fusion and a new deal is due to be approved by cabinet next week. Last week the council confirmed that The Castle ? the long-awaited new leisure centre at Elephant & Castle ? will open in April this year." http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/8634

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi BNG, > In the past I created a thread for every > consultation I came across affecting ED but was > discouraged by Admin from continuing this. It > could swamp the forum. One thread could get really > jumbled. But not if it has its own section. Admin?

It's a 'no' for me, alas, but Mrs BNG will be there.

Hmmm, every village has an idiot. Any suggestions? ;-)

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Look at the boris bike map - a massive hole in > provision over SE London. > Look at the cycle superhighways - a massive hole > in provision over SE London > Look at the tube map - a massive hole in provision > over SE London > > It's really not good enough But I'd suggested that things have improved. 'Good enough' is a difficult one to pin down - particularly if you moved here knowing full well the existing provision. As for Boris bikes, they're not really a practcal commuting option from here for getting into the West End, City or Canary Wharf. And as for cycle superhighways, I suspect that any mass use of bikes will happen not simply on cycle superhighways but on all roads. I wonder if a concentration on superhighways is similar to the misguided postwar designs for car use to build motorways and dual carriageways through and into city centres.

Couldn't agree more. Perhaps Southwark Council might like to have a dedicated section of the forum to post details of all consultations that affect East Dulwich. Councillors?

As consultations go, it's not bad ? there are no leading questions along the lines of 'Do you think extra traffic calming measures should be in place?' etc. It seems the council have rowed back somewhat from the community council's initially hasty reaction.

Glad you liked it, Foxy. Perversely, as a real ale drinker, I don't mind if they're occasionally intermittent ? by midweek any pub that's much busier at weekends will probably have a few casks that are getting too 'old' if they haven't sold out. I'd rather the manager takes them off sale than carries on serving flat stale beer - which is what happens in a number of alleged 'real ale' pubs I know.

Another bus etiquette rage-inducer: one empty seat left on the 176 from Waterloo yesterday evening. Politely ask young woman to move her bag. She does so grudgingly and I sit down. A number of stops further on, a ?double seat? becomes empty about four or five rows in front of where we?re sitting. Young woman next to me pointedly puts down her book and stares at it, as if suggesting that I should move there. Sod off ? I?ll decide that, not you. If you have such a loathing of other people using ?your? bus, get a bloody taxi next time.

What's more, Mrs E has failed to disclose her past as the housekeeper at Rawlinson End.

But London Bridge services are more frequent than they were in 'the old days' ? when there was a skeleton Saturday and evening service and nothing at all on a Sunday.

It's not perfect but it's far better than it used to be. We didn't even have the Overground a few years ago.

dbboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We need to oppose local station ticket closures at > all costs. They need to be staffed to deal with > problems, queries, enquiries, issues and ensure > the public's safety. But as I said earlier, they plan on keeping staff at stations - just not in ticket offices. Whether they'll hold to that, who knows, but the current proposal is not to remove staff from stations altogether.

Lynne Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They've only just spent all that money on Denmark > Hill > It's going to make all these stations feel very > secure for passengers! About these changes, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink say: "Where sales from ticket offices are low, we want to bring staff out from behind the windows and on to the concourse to work where they?re needed most, as Station Hosts, providing assistance and helping sell tickets from ticket machines and their own handheld devices. All the affected stations will be staffed for longer as a result ? at all but two they would be staffed from the very first train of the day to the very last, seven days a week. This will drive other customer benefits ? we?ll also be able to increase the opening hours of facilities passengers have told us are important, such as waiting rooms, toilets and lifts." So perhaps the stations might feel more secure than they are now. http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/about-us/news/modernising-our-stations/

And interesting that last year wasn't the highest in terms of numbers. Perhaps the chaos at London Bridge during the first half of the year made people change their commute for good.

KateA69 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Having spoken to about 30 retailers today in Herne > Hill they are all concerned about their > livelihoods. Just Williams isn't just about the > kids, its about the whole community, and people's > livelihoods, their jobs. It takes a huge amount > of guts, innovation to run your own business. So > to totally focus on yummy mummy comments is to > belittle the issue. Sure profits have to be made, > but its about being reasonable and balanced. Do > we really all want a community taken over by the > big profiteering companies, that drive out the > very shops that drew us to these great places we > all live in. What happens when not only these > shops go, but some of the essential shops, such as > the local laundrette, for those that don't have > their own washing machine, the local garage to fix > cars, the local shoe mender - where we will get > this stuff done - or are we looking at the next > level of socio-economic cleansing? Using the kids > as an excuse to switch-off frankly doesn't cut it > as a reason to switch-off from this campaign when > its people's jobs at stake. Everyone has a right > to express an opinion, whether they are adults or > children, and good on them for learning to speak > out now when they are young, and not focus on more > petty issues and become cynical adults. Agree. There's something childish about the 'have a pop at the toffs' tone of some of these comments. Tiresome.

Had a very good (50% off) meal at The Cherry Tree last night ? well cooked and served up with a smile. Fair value even at the full price. We'll definitely be back to eat ? we already like the bar area and the beer selection but hadn't tried the food before.

That pointless ramp in EDG by the corner west of Dulwich Hospital is crazy. It also has next to it the remnants of tactile paving for a crossing that never happened. Probably because it would have been suicidal to use...