School coaches Townley Road

[snowy]

If it's a traffic offense, then regularly reporting the coaches to the Met via https://www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/

[edhistory]

Someone at the school is party to the coach contracts.

Who is this person?

[Townleygreen]

just look up this page, the info is there

[edhistory]

I'm interested in the identity of the person who signs the contacts.

A step towards personal legal nexus.

[Lynne]

Alleyn's grounds are classed as Metropolitan Open Land in Southwark's Open Space Strategy. MOL is the same as Green Belt, in effect.This doesn't mean it can't ever be altered, so creating parking space doesn't seem unreasonable to me. They've just built new classrooms there, after all.

[Townleygreen]

Lynne, the new building on MOL land was 9 years ago. The present building work is on their existing footprint, ie they are replacing existing buildings with new ones.

[flocker spotter]

Southwark Council needs to get some parking attendants down there and fine them every time they park inconsiderately.

[Lynne]

OK, so the new classrooms are replacements. That doesn't alter the fact that MOL can be reversed.

Of course, if anyone who wanted to make a point was prepared to park legally along Townley Rd every day so there wasn't room for the coaches, this might get the point home.

[edhistory]

Townleygreen Wrote:

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> the new building on MOL land was 9 years

> ago.

That's OK then.

[singalto]

I drove past the school today at around 1.30pm and there were already coaches parked there, a couple not in the coach parking area which was totally free of coaches!

[Townleygreen]

I think the coaches should park outside Chener Books, eh, John?

[edhistory]

The Junior School are said to be good at arithmetic.

Here's a puzzle:

How many coaches could fit on the school drive?

[intexasatthe moment]

Oh that has made me laugh edhistory .

Should the question " Compare parking enforcement and numbers of penalties issued in Lordship Lane with same in Townley Rd ." also go to the maths dept ( lots of scope for graphs I feel ) or ,lets think ,Sociology A level set ,Citizenship ?

[Bicknell]

edhistory Wrote:

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

> The Junior School are said to be good at

> arithmetic.

>

> Here's a puzzle:

>

> How many coaches could fit on the school drive?

But Alleyns don't want them on the drive, do they? I heard they thought it would spoil the look of the school.

[intexasatthe moment]

"I heard they thought it would spoil the look of the school."

Thank goodness - one for the Art Dept,I was worried that we were getting a little too Science based here .

[Asset]

I of course have had no response from any of the recipients of my email.

Don?t get me started on the day-to-day problems, caused by the school traffic, for the close residents...

I would practically welcome a CPZ (that?s how bad it is) but have been told by Alleyn?s bursar they would ?fight it all the way? if I lobbied the council to have one put in place. Charming!

[intexasatthe moment]

Michelle that sounds awful .

Assett - not good . I can't help wondering why this road doesn't seem to have any traffic warden presence like other roads in Southwark ?

Does anyone know chapter and verse re legality and enforcement relating to blocked roads ? Can the police help if the road is blocked as per Assett's pic ?

Can fines be issued if photos with reg nos and time and date provided ? Or does a Traffic Warden have to be there at the time ?

>Posted by Glemham November 06, 11:56PM

Local residents are only too well aware of this ongoing and completely unacceptable situation with coaches and school parking in Townley Road. We frequently monitor the dangerous parking, ask drivers to turn off their engines, take photos and send them to local councillors and Helen Hayes MP. Last year saw the publication of the Foundation Schools Coach survey: [consultations.southwark.gov.uk] which promised much but delivered nothing. Please support us by sending your concerns to local councillors, Helen Hayes MP and the Transport Manager for the Foundation School coaches who is based at Dulwich College: [email protected].

Glemham what sort of response have submissions /complaints had ?

[TheCat]

The things is they don't even need to reallocate land....all they need to do is open the two gates to the massive semi-circular driveway in front of the main old school building and they could park at least 4-5 coaches there, and get them off the road....

EDIT: Sorry...i see this has already been flagged above....

[Jennys]

Could the Dulwich Society help perhaps.

[Cora]

On my way home from school pick-up this week a P&J Ellis Coach was double parked preventing an ambulance with siren and lights from getting through....I will email the the addresses above and cc James Barber in. Wish I'd taken a photo...

[Penguin68]

On the basis that the school presumably is contracted with the coach company (even if it does not control the actions of the coach drivers) it might be worth writing to the school enquiring whether their insurance covers them for being sued should there be loss of property or life consequential on the blocking of access to emergency vehicles by the coach companies with whom they work, as the the problem of coach parking has been made clear to them on numerous occasions such that they could not claim ignorance of it. I doubt, based on some of the photographs I have seen, that fire engines could necessarily get through, and even where drivers moved to allow then to this would necessarily hold up their access.

Institutions more frequently respond when their wallets, rather than their hearts, are tugged.

Cross posted with Cora above - but - exactly!

[Glemham]

Thanks for the prompt intexasatthemoment.

The Transport Manager for the coach service has agreed to meet with a group of residents after a meeting he is due to have with Alleyn's. I'm waiting for suggested dates. Please contact me directly if you'd like to be involved in this meeting. I'll post the result on the forum.

I have also heard from Helen Hayes MP: "I have contacted both the Council and the Metropolitan Police about the parking taking place on Townley Road. I am sorry to hear that this situation remains on-going, and am concerned by reports that residents have felt they treated inappropriately by the coach drivers."

It appears that, surprisingly, the situation isn't a matter for the police. Helen has had this reply from the Parking Services Manager at Southwark Council:

"I have organised for additional parking enforcement officers to be deployed to Townley Road at the school end times. There are dedicated police resources in Southwark paid for 90% by TfL who work around school safety. Parking services are engaged with these officers around parking at schools."

I hope this information is useful. I and my neighbours will continue to monitor coach and other parking, and will keep in contact with Helen Hayes.

[Bicknell]

Is there a phone number for the Parking Services Manager at Southwark?

[Glemham]

I don't have contact details for the Manager but this link might help:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/parking/report-a-parking-enforcement-issue

[Glemham]

A few local residents met with the Foundation Schools' Coach Service Manager, Leslie Okyne. He has only been in post since the summer and is based at Dulwich College. He is very aware of the problems in Townley Road.In the short term he is hoping to stagger the arrival of the coaches for picking up outside Alleyn's. Although the 'coach base' is for 7 coaches, currently 13 are in use. However drivers who arrive later are finding parking spaces already taken by parents and visitors, including other coaches bringing teams for sport. The situation is further exacerbated because when the road was resurfaced in the summer some of the double yellow lines were not replaced so there is more parking space for cars.

It's obvious to residents that there needs to be a concerted effort by Southwark Council, Alleyn's,and the Coach Service to find a long term solution for Townley Road. In particular we would ask that

1. the suggestions from last year's Coach Services Study https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/quietway for shuttle buses to and from a coach park on the South Circular be given more serious consideration;

2. that Southwark more rigorously enforces traffic and parking violations, puts back double yellow lines, and considers having parking restrictions in the afternoons on weekdays outside Alleyn's say between 3 and 4 pm;

3. Alleyn's does more to control the congestion outside the school for the safety of all who use Townley Road at the end of the school day.