East Dulwich Councillors - useless (?)

[BARA]

BARA had always had excellent responses from all three councillors - they do hold their surgeries twice a month at the East Dulwich Community Centre in Darrell Road. Second and Fourth Thursday of the month 7 - 8 pm.

Alternately you could post a question on SoapBox at the Dulwich Community Council. I believe the next meeting will be held on Monday 15th October at Christ Church Barry Road (Southwark.gov.uk - community councils - will give you venue and agenda)

You can also get the councillors on their phones - James Barber 07903 964 130. Jonathan Mitchell 07903 967 911 and Richard Thomas - as listed previously. You will probably have to leave a message but they will get back to you. Richard has now returned from paternity leave. He is now the father of 3 young children and probably not getting much sleep.

James is very interested in 'educational issues' and having a young family himself is very hot on safety.

Dulwich Community Council is a good sounding ground for all manner of things relating to Dulwich

We had the same problem at St. Anthonys' School Etherow Street, when my daughter was there. In the end the police and traffic warden targetted the area and gave parking tickets out. One mum was so furious she attacked the police officer and was promptly arrested! All the schools have the same problem - they were even double parking the cars in Etherow street causing hold ups with the buses coming through. For the 6 years my daughter was at St.Anthonys - zig zag parking was the most talked about issue at the parents meetings. We got a week or so's compliance by the parents but nothing long term

[DG]

I'm going to contact all three again, will let you know how it goes! As my partner lives in a different ward, we'll try them too, I'll report back.

[DG]

Done, along with Kim Humphreys, Lewis Robinson and Michelle Holford (Conservative)

Will report back!

[DG]

Have also contacted Duncan Jackson, Safer Neighbourhoods policing, for the fourth time.

[Lewis]

OK. I have been contacted this morning about this matter by a constituent in College Ward. I will write to the Head today, asking if a reminder/warning can be sent out to parents about not parking on the yellow markings outside the school, and that if the problem continues a parking enforcement "sweep" should be done. I'll copy it into my colleagues in East Dulwich, as the school is in their ward, and parking enforcement.

Lewis

[DG]

Police have now replied:

I apologise that you received no reply to your earlier email I also share your concern that parents are stopping or parking on the zigzags infront of Heber school. Officers on my team have on several occasions attended the school at opening or closing times (this subject to shift times) and have spoken to parents. This is something that we will continue to do, as I am sure you understand on some occasions we are unable to attend due to other commitments elsewhere on our ward. We have three other schools that we take policing responsibility for and I have to split my officers between them.

Parking or stopping on yellow zigzags infront of schools during school opening hours is an offence against section 36 of The Road Traffic Act 1988. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have other issues to raise.

[DG]

Two Libdem councillors have apologised for not replying and said they will take the matter up, conservative cllr for college ward has fwded query to ED cllrs and said he will take it up.

[reggie]

Well there is always the tories. Robin Cruickshank Hilton has been so busy planting trees that we just had to write a song about her.Luckily she is still smiling about it which is good cause we live on the same street. Planting trees and a sense of humour...not bad....well its still not enough to make me vote for them.

If you have Itunes try this link.

Robin Of Dulwich

[Cllr Richard Thomas]

lesalden Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>> As one of the unsuccessful Labour candidates in

> East Dulwich I will refrain from smirking. The

> voters decided to elect three councillors who did

> not live in the ward rather than three who did. At

> least they could have knocked on our doors!

it is a fair cop! I have recently moved from SE22 to ... SE22! remind me in which bit of North London

Tessa Jowell lives Les?.

[EDmummy]

Cllr Thomas, I was sure this thread was about local councillors- the thread about Tessa is elsewhere! I do seem to remember the previous elected representatives walking up and down the streets of ED several times a year to ask if there were any local issues we were concerned about. Prior to the election I couldn't get you off my doorstep - haven't seen you at all since. I will vote for the cllr who will deliver effective local services - whatever their colour.

[monica]

"whatever their colour"??? what do you mean by that edmummy??? strange thing to say.

Cllr Richard Thomas is a good councillor and i speak from experience because he has helped The Snub cause and after attending meetings recently he has worked hard on other causes too. Give them a chance to help with issues that you do have locally

[Frisco]

"whatever their colour"??? what do you mean by that edmummy??? strange thing to say.

I suspect that EDmummy means their political colour (Tory = blue, Labour = red, Liberal Democrat = Orange). E.g. I will vote for the candidate who will deliver effective local services, regardless of their political colour. It a political term which has nothing to do with race, if that's what you were thinking.

[EDmummy]

Thanks Frisco! Thought is was a term in common use. I certainly did mean political colour. It helps to be a little politically savy if you are going to use political chanels to force change. Remember - most politicians (and I am happy to offer exceptions to this rule) are not strictly in it for "the people". It takes a certain amount of ego to do the job (I know, I worked in the House of Commons for several years).

[monica]

Thanks frisco i was slightly confused

[sian]

I won't vote for any member of this lib dem tory council again not least because of the shambles that is the Walworth Road "improvements". Each day this week I have had my normal bus journey from ED take up to 3 times longer because of the utterly pointless pavement widening.There have been no signs of course of any actual works being carried out. This reflects the Lib Dems' obsession with the north of the Borough. What is this work for? Do they think wider pavements will turn Walworth Road into the Ramblas? Why don't they do something useful like carry out the long overdue review of primary school places for the south of the borough?

[DG]

With regard to my original query, I am a bit disappointed that none of the councillors has done more than acknowledge and say they'll speak to the school. I was hoping that some of the many traffic wardens that swarm around LL might be diverted to issuing a few tickets, about the only thing that will make a difference to the selfish people who are blocking the zig zags.

[ben]

DG

Concerning your original query - last week I saw a big black 4x4 type vehicle drive onto the zig zags to park while the lady driver was on a mobile phone........

[macroban]

It would be interesting to publish the registation plate numbers here, but I doubt Admin would allow it.

[downsouth]

sian Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I won't vote for any member of this lib dem tory

> council again not least because of the shambles

> that is the Walworth Road "improvements". Each day

> this week I have had my normal bus journey from ED

> take up to 3 times longer because of the utterly

> pointless pavement widening.

I used to take the 68 bus to work along this route. Becuase of the delays and being late daily I now drive to Brixton. Not only a waste of tax payers money on the widening of wide pavements but also of the inconveience to those trying to get to work.

[best legend]

I am one of the Heber Governors and will raise this at our next Governors meeting (two weeks time) to see what we can do. This is a common problem for east dulwich schools. Hopefully if we raise awareness among parents that this is not acceptable then it will not be such an issue. We would be happy to work with the Council to try and address it. However I think the most effective way to tackle this is to make the parents who are doing this aware that it is wrong, puts children at risk and is upsetting for other parents. Heber is a good and improving school with a very active parent and friends group.

[EDmummy]

I've seen several near misses at Heber. Absolutely frightens me, especially when it is raining and visibility of drivers is not always at its best. Lets hope we can get something done about it.

[budding S]

I've had very good support from Cllr James Barber over a planning application.

If you get together as a gang with others similarly offended you've more chance of a hearing. The ticketing of parents dropping off outside schools was thought to be one of the reasons Camden(???) council changed hands at the last local elections............ Might explain the reluctance.

[Fuschia]

The traffic wardens just engage themselves in the more socially useful practice of lurking in doorways until the parking restrictions come into force on Lordship Lane and pouncing on those stuck in the Somerfield checkout queue! Perish the thought anyone might suggest they divert their attention to where inconsiderate parking is actual a danger, eh?

[DG]

best legend Wrote: However I think the most effective

> way to tackle this is to make the parents who are

> doing this aware that it is wrong, puts children

> at risk and is upsetting for other parents.

I have actually spoken to a number of the parents who are offending, they all have excuses why it's OK for THEM to park on the zig zags... as if THEIR car is transparent and isn't going to be the cause of a child getting squashed trying to cross the road. It's not the case that they're not aware it's an offence. They just don't see why they shouldn't go ahead and do what they want anyway. Typical selfishness and laziness.

I'll watch with interest to see whether a polite request to the parents by the school makes any difference. A friend's nephew was killed crossing the road outside his school, so I take this very seriously.

[Ko]

Could the school try to put some red cones out in the morning and hometime?