Can Southwark council please open gates at Peckham Rye Park earlier?

[DJKillaQueen]

Well the point of closing the park at night is for public protection as much as anything. Sure, vandals and the like will get in anyway. I think the Bowling Green hut was burned down while the park was closed for example. But I don't think we should make it as easy as possible for vandals and robbers to get in to the park nor encourage people to be walking in there at night. Unlocked gates would I believe increase the likelihood of crime and vandalism. There is no lighting in the park either.

[davidh]

djkillaqueen cannot be real. he/she/it is a very serious pain in the rear end (the one near the lavatory block so stop moaning).

[Frankito]

Davidh, come on be constructive, she is only expressing an opinion, not one with which I necessarily agree, but an opinion all the same..

[DJKillaQueen]

Ty Frankito...and besides...it would be no fun if you were either talking to yourself or had nothing to chew on!!!!! Might even get some bolt cutters and unlock the gates for ya.....just to be nice :))

[elloriac]

It's hardly difficult for vandals, robbers or any nimble person to get into the park, the fence is not very high! Anyone who wants to get in can do, quite easily - without even using the bent areas in the fencing. I've seen even the shortest Harris Girls School students clamber over relatively easily.

The difficulty comes for those of us with dogs who can't manage it...

I agree that it would be nice if the council just left it open, there are plenty of local parks that are open all night and day, including Brenchley Gardens and One Tree Hill. I'm not aware of them being local crime hotspots.

People can chose whether they want to walk through in the dark, you would soon realise that there are no lights on the paths.

[James Barber]

the parks are locked shut at night time partly to protect people from becoming victims of crime and partly to help protect the huge investment in these parks. it doesn't guarantee no vandalism but it is believed to significantly reduce it.

could the park be unlocked earlier. couldn't the friends of peckham park form a rota to unlock at dawn?

[bonniebird]

I think that some local, earlybird dog walkers/joggers could be trusted, they are usually regular, was thinkig along the same lines JB

[Frankito]

Can we give some keys to DJKQ, I trust her these days. Anyone who carries bolt cutters in their clutch is worthy...

[Marmora Man]

the parks are locked shut at night time partly to protect people from becoming victims of crime and partly to help protect the huge investment in these parks. it doesn't guarantee no vandalism but it is believed to significantly reduce it.

James how exactly does locking the gate achieve these things?

1. Grown ups deciding to walk in the park in the dark can make their own minds up - they don't need the Lib Dems or others to make choices for them.

2. Protecting the huge investment - when anyone reasonably nimble can leap over / squeeze through the existing railings. How does a padlock on a 4 foot gate do this?

3. "Believed" to reduce vandalism - where is your control, how are you measuring this?

Give us all access 24/7 to the park and cut out the cost (in time if not money) of locking and unlocking 7 (?) gates dawn and dusk every day.

Baa humbug - idiotic thinking on the council's part.

[NowAndHere]

@MarmoraMan

completely agree. locked gates don't stop anyone if they want to get in but as there aren't anyone inside they got easy job to do vandalism - no witnesses at all...

[Frankito]

Thanks NowandHere for your PM..!