Alleyn's coaches causing traffic problems YET AGAIN - and here's the photos you wanted

[James Barber]

The land is metropolitan open land and legally very hard to developed - else the Dulwich Estate would be sorely tempted to sell unleased sports grounds for housing.

I you have specific instances I can approach the school but I've taken up generalities several times now and the responses can only really be also generalities back.

[Curmudgeon]

I'm afraid you are being misinformed there James

The coaches do not park in the clearly marked coach bays: there is space for 3 coaches opposite the school, but not immediately outside the gate and 2 spaces outside the gate. There seems to be an issue with parking in the 3-spaced bay .. suspicious minds might infer that the students don't wish to walk that far.

The coaches park on the DOUBLE yellow lines making it difficult to swing them round; they also park on the single yellow lines and directly opposite each other so that the road narrows uncomfortably.

You know if the coach bays were full and then they waited on single yellows it wouldn't irk so much.

But this conversation goes round and round.

[peterstorm1985]

Has anyone got photographic evidence of what they are doing? I've often found that a couple of snaps sent to the right people makes all the difference. Pictures tend to stop that endless round of conversation.

[James Barber]

Exactly.

Some specifics would really help pin this down.

[intexasatthe moment]

Do traffic wardens ever visit ?

I frequently see them in other locations ,but have never seen any in Townley Rd .

Though I avoid the road during term time because the coaches ,cars picking students up ,general congestion put me off .

[Curmudgeon]

Some photos from today at 3.15pm for you as requested

Unusually there wasn't a coach on the other side of the road however the positioning of the black coach well outside the coach bay, on double yellows and very close to the bollard is rather typical

This is just outside the gates close to the security hut

[Zebedee Tring]

I also walked past Alleyn's just before 3 o'clock today on my way to Herne Hill and took photos of the black Addison Lee coach on the double yellow lines. When I returned around an hour later the coach was still there, no passengers on board but the engine going. Another coach was parked bang opposite the black one and between them they were causing traffic in both directions to back up as the road width was much reduced. There were so many coaches and minibuses parked along there (the minibuses parked with 2 wheels on the pavement)that it seemed very dangerous for the school children who were crossing the road. Incidentally I have seen coaches parked there with their back wheels on the zebra crossing before now. Why no traffic wardens? Outside Jags at 4pm today the situation was a little better but at least one coach was parked on the zig zag lines at the school gate.

[Zebedee Tring]

Our photo shows the number plate of the Addison Lee vehicle: BN58AKG

[James Barber]

Please email me the pictures.

[Zebedee Tring]

Here are the photos, James - I hope! I'm not very good with photo attachments:

[Zebedee Tring]

Hi, James.

Yesterday we used my wife's phone to take photos of offending coaches. Today I used my own phone but I am currently having difficulty in downloading the photos that I took.

At 3.25 pm I took photos of Excalibur coach number YN06JXA which was parked on a yellow line adjacent to Alleyn's Field and of Merlin Tours coach number P270 HBC on a yellow line just next to the main school entrance. There were spaces available in the coach bays. Neither of them was in the process of picking up Alleyns kids at the time.

The drivers of both coaches took issue with the fact that I was taking the photos. They both told me to "get a life" (clearly a cliche much beloved by coach drivers) and one of them said that he had been allowed to park outside the bays for 11 years. One of them said that if I didn't like it, I should move.

Not only are coach drivers in breach of the law, they are insulting local residents. This is just not acceptable and Alleyns should be told about this in no uncertain terms.

[Curmudgeon]

Alleyns don't care unfortunately

[Zebedee Tring]

James, I have checked the parking restrictions at and near Alleyns. The coach bays are reserved for coaches Mon-Fri between 8 and 10 and between 3 and 5. Signs prohibit parking on the yellow lines at these same times and make no exception for waiting on yellow lines. So Alleyns' claim that the coach drivers are legally allowed to wait on the yellow lines during the prohibited hours is incorrect. The coaches certainly have no right to park on double yellow lines at any time.

I would be interested to hear Alleyns' reaction to recent emails on this subject.

[James Barber]

Hi Zebedee Tring,

I've just downloaded these pictures to my work computer. Will now email them to my council email account and then email them to Alleyns for comment.

Could YOU PLEASE email them direct to [email protected] in future PLEASE PLEASE! with details about when they occurred.

[Green Goose]

Boring, boring boring! Get a life FFS.

[Zebedee Tring]

If you don't like the thread, Green Goose, you don't have to read it. I would avoid reading a thread that you had originated if I found it boring, but I would have the good manners not to contribute to the thread to express my boredom with it - and not to use offensive abbreviations such as "FFS".

[sillywoman]

Don't rise Zebedee. GG only posts to bait, as a quick look at his thread history shows. I know from experience that he/she is frankly an odd poster

(http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,239732,page=6)

[Zebedee Tring]

Thanks for the tip, sillywoman. I like a quiet life and try to give odd people (or indeed odd posters) a wide berth.

[James Barber]

Hi Zebedee Tring,

I've just received a response which has been delayed by the three days of Blackberry problems. Apologies for this delay.

The feedback I've received is that both coaches are not part of the regular coach service. one was a visiting school and the other related to school trip.

I will go back and ask about what procedures Alleyns think they could have to ensure. Visiting schools are briefed in advance and also coach related to school trips.

Further information they've provided is that the existing coach bays do not reflect the regular coach service requirements ie. Bays on sides that coaches can't really use for their routes. I'll now ask a Village ward councillor whose ward this location is in to lead on this with an offer of assistance from me if she needs it to help come up with a permanent solution.

[Curmudgeon]

Thank you James

Would your contact need a daily photographic record of the coach situation as this is not a 'visiting coach' issue - but a daily one as you are well aware from a variety of posts.

Or do you think this person might actually be able to get daily traffic wardens to visit

[James Barber]

Curmudgeon,

That is a kind offer. I don't think that necessary for now.

Talking to the coach service it appears they don't need so many bays on one side of the road but the other due to the direction of ingress and egress from the area. So let's see if that, which won't happen instantly and would involve asking the local community, can be fixed which would result in coaches not being outside bays.

And clearly the leaving engines running - that would be a useful thing to log please.