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Southwark Council want to know what we (the public) would like them to do to make cycling better in Southwark. They are asking for comments from both cyclists and non-cyclists. If you would like to have your say, please go to www.southwark.gov.uk/cyclingstrategy. Apparently you can enter a ?100 draw for your trouble.

It is a sad fact that life has become so unimportant, we rush to get things done, to get to places without a thought of anyone else apart from ourselves. I am a driver, and would like to stress a careful driver, but there are lapses in judgment that are caused by the distraction of trying to reach a destination that, five minutes faster, but things have changed. There are far more vehicles and far more cyclists on the road. I am not trained, and the cyclists are not trained, and now I notice pedestrians are not trained to cross the road. I do find myself surrounded at times especially on Brixton Road by cyclists all vying to be ahead of the queue, it is sometimes like the start of the tour de France. On top of this you have pedestrians walking between the vehicles because they can walk 5 metres to the lights. I sometimes cannot move from a traffic light as I have a cyclist on my right, left in front and rear. Then you have the idiot impatiant drivers who have now resorted to hooting the horn once the amber light appears once the light changed from red. On top of this you have the pedestrian who, although the red man shows starts crossing with a pram on a phone, then you have the school mums who think they can cross between the the traffic to save the one minute extra walk to the crossing or those who see a bus and who just run out dodging the traffic. On top of this it is a worry when I have indicated for the past 50 metres ahead that I intend to turn left, but the cyclist does not slow down because he is in the bus lane that I cannot go into until the junction, but as he got his speed does not want to stop. Then the pedestrian who does not check if a car is going to turn into the road that i am turning into as they just walk out into the road. It is a continual vigil, which I undertake and many sensible drivers take, but caution can also be a danger, as drivers cannot check everything. It is really really difficult but in all this, drivers have to be mindful of other vehicles and the laws as well. We all need to work together, and all need education to make our roads safer. There is good and bad in all off us, it is the need to understand as time passes we have a chance to enjoy life, but if we try to rush time we may meet death.


When you take all this into consideration, what laws or redress do either pedstrians or cyclist have apart from their own lives and why be so frivolant. Is it not a matter to be more mindful of your own actions, be more patiant, learn the rules of the road, and this is not just to cyclists but to pedestians, cyclists and drivers.

  • 1 month later...
At the Dulwich end of Greendale the light by the two rows of wooden bollards hasn't been working for a while, making the bollards hard to see until you're right on top of them. I narrowly missed crashing into one yesterday. Reported to Southwark today but apparently it may take them 10 days to respond.

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