Urgent: Help Reopen Closed Melbourne Grove and adjacent roads

[march46]

Which is why a School Street is some form would be good, to encourage parents not to drive (or at least not to drive as close to the school as possible, and park badly)

[alice]

Goodrich road should never be closed as the exit from the school is a tiny gate in the iron railings. The 2 large entries on dunstans and upland both promote and make possible social distancing.

[Rockets]

But sorry can someone tell me where these huge lorries are supposed to be going and by which route? I have never seen anything larger than a delivery van (with Co-op or Sainsburys) on it on any of these roads.

[malumbu]

Pugwash Wrote:

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> I think the main problem in Goodrich/Dunstans/Upland were irresponsible parking by parents. Dulwich Hill SNT spent many hours over the last couple of years trying to educate these parents, some who were very abusive to other road users and residents.

We were quite successful and not too much abuse. Day one a police officer was with us that helped. We'd hand out leaflets and try to gently persuade. A few parents, irrespective of genders or background, would give us grief, but there was also a sense that many were embarrassed. You'd keep calm, and ask them to read the leaflet in their own time. There was plenty of street parking not far away but some would find this too inconvenient. And then our kids went to secondary school and sadly the problem repeated itself with the next generation of parents.

[Abe_froeman]

Nigello, it sounds like removing the street furniture and resurfacing the road would be the best way to solve your problems.

[Roky Erickson]

Nigello Wrote:

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> It is also a fact that the school head and teachers do not live near here yet seem to think that they have the right to say what ought and ought not to happen to a part of the neighbourhood that is home to people permanently.

Here's another fact -- it's called a 'School Street Programme'. So, of course, the school have the right to say that. However aggrieved you seem to feel about your mysterious monster trucks, surely even you can see that there would be no Programme on which to have a 'say' otherwise ? Where the teachers may live is considerably less relevant than the fact that many hundreds of children are travelling there every single day. So, of course, their needs are going be prioritised over yours. If you find that so egregious, then perhaps you shouldn't have elected to live directly opposite a school, 20m away from a school gate !!!

It also goes without saying that, of course, if the road safety situation on Goodrich was even remotely close to being as you describe, the school and council would have acted. If there are really big heavy lorries careering past the school gates regularly, do you think they would have look to implement a 'School Streets Programme' and ignored that ? Why ? How ? Of course not. They looked at the traffic and road safety situation thoroughly, and decided that measures other than the one which would best personally suit you, served the greater good. To suggest that the teachers have some kind of other agenda here is not just offensive, it's insane.

And that is that. For everyone's sake, I think let's move on !

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

The contempt that Nigello has for Goodrich School, its staff and pupils is pretty repugnant. Why is it that all these pro road closures, pro LTN etc are such vile individuals??

[Bic Basher]

I don't believe for one minute these huge lorries are going down Goodrich Road. Apps will usually send my cab along either Barry Road or Wood Vale to get to my place rather than use Goodrich or Dunstans Road as a shortcut.

[Spartacus]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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> I don't believe for one minute these huge lorries

> are going down Goodrich Road. Apps will usually

> send my cab along either Barry Road or Wood Vale

> to get to my place rather than use Goodrich or

> Dunstans Road as a shortcut.

I've witnessed large lorries, including Conway and others using the Barry Road entrances into Upland, Sylvester and Whateley roads to get to lordship lane.

I will speculate that they are coming from the rye end of Barry road and down side streets rather than going down the main roads to east dulwich roundabout. Possibly but not verified, to avoid traffic that is heavier due to the LTNs and closed streets.

No traffic studies are bring conducted to look at weight of vehicles using our back roads vs main roads

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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> I don't believe for one minute these huge lorries

> are going down Goodrich Road. Apps will usually

> send my cab along either Barry Road or Wood Vale

> to get to my place rather than use Goodrich or

> Dunstans Road as a shortcut.

The GPS systems used by hauliers 'usually' default to roads only suitable for HGV's, much like on Waze you can choose car/cycle/walk routes.

I've seen John Lewis vans etc and the odd delivery of steel for extensions or loft conversions but never anything bigger than that. Not saying that once in a blue moon you don't get the odd driver of anything bigger trying to take an ill advised short cut but I wouldn't say it was a regular thing (source: resident for nearly 30 years)

[smooch]

interesting how so many schools (and children) are now suffering from walking past idling traffic caused by LTNs. How many schools/Nurseries on East Dulwich Grove?

[Rockets]

I do wonder if people see a large lorry and automatically presume it is taking a shortcut when in fact it is making a delivery that cannot be done in a smaller vehicle. Conway lorries are a good example, I have seen them being used to deliver materials for the plethora of pavement replacement works that have been going on across East Dulwich over the last few years.

I very much suspect HGV drivers don't take shortcuts down side-streets as they know how easily they can get stuck - if they meet something coming the other way they have a problem.

[alex_b]

ED - NAGAIUTB Wrote:

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> Bic Basher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I don't believe for one minute these huge

> lorries

> > are going down Goodrich Road. Apps will

> usually

> > send my cab along either Barry Road or Wood

> Vale

> > to get to my place rather than use Goodrich or

> > Dunstans Road as a shortcut.

>

> The GPS systems used by hauliers 'usually' default

> to roads only suitable for HGV's, much like on

> Waze you can choose car/cycle/walk routes.

>

> I've seen John Lewis vans etc and the odd delivery

> of steel for extensions or loft conversions but

> never anything bigger than that. Not saying that

> once in a blue moon you don't get the odd driver

> of anything bigger trying to take an ill advised

> short cut but I wouldn't say it was a regular

> thing (source: resident for nearly 30 years)

I had a chat with an HGV driver stuck on the corner of Maxted and Nutbrook. He was very embarrassed and waiting for the police to guide him out. He said that his companies commercial route planning software had sent him down that route even though its unsuitable for HGVs. The answer is for the council to designate the roads access only for HGVs which will eventually filter into the route planners and satnavs

[Spartacus]

Rockets Wrote:

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> I do wonder if people see a large lorry and

> automatically presume it is taking a shortcut when

> in fact it is making a delivery that cannot be

> done in a smaller vehicle. Conway lorries are a

> good example, I have seen them being used to

> deliver materials for the plethora of pavement

> replacement works that have been going on across

> East Dulwich over the last few years.

>

One lorry I could agree but on one day this week I saw four Conway large lorries going past on one street so unless they are digging Criss rail 3 or a new underground station in East Dulwich then I dispute the assumption that they aren't taking short cuts but working on the pavements.

[devs]

Im going to be contentious here...Other than the side streets being narrow, why would anyone object to lorries going down them anyway? Barry Road is wide but it is residential. Lordship Lane is also residential(I live on it). Would it not be fairer to share out the traffic evenly?

And perhaps enforce the 20mph speed limit.

[Spartacus]

devs Wrote:

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> Im going to be contentious here...Other than the

> side streets being narrow, why would anyone object

> to lorries going down them anyway? Barry Road is

> wide but it is residential. Lordship Lane is also

> residential(I live on it). Would it not be fairer

> to share out the traffic evenly?

> And perhaps enforce the 20mph speed limit.

In a nutshell side streets are narrow, without passing room for a lorry and car to go in opposite directions so one or the other will have to back up or cause a log jam of vehicles

The lorries thunder down the roads (not respecting the 20 mph limit) and if they hit a pedestrian not expecting them on a quiet street then it will be quite nasty.

Basically side roads aren't designed for regular use by big lorries

[devs]

Of course, you're right. Most side roads are too narrow (although I reckon Court Lane is almost wide enough to be a main road) I just think that rather than the closure of side roads, traffic should be more equitably distributed over ALL roads. Furthermorr, Lordship Lane is supposed to be 20mph. Why have a speed limit if its not enforced?.Money could have been put into this enforcement rather than the divisive LTNs.

[AylwardS]

In case anyone isn?t aware the consultation on the Dulwich road measures is open until 11 July https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/dulwich-review/

I may have missed this on a post on this thread, and if so apologies, but as I walked along East Dulwich Grove today I had a thought that a one way system might work for the Council and for those using the roads. Although I live in the area and walk down Melbourne Grove every week I?ve not driven down it for years - since the footway parking was removed.

Elsie Road could stay closed off - this is used by children to access the primary school. Derwent Grove and Melbourne Grove could be reopened and made one way in opposite directions. This would halve traffic on each of these roads, reduce traffic on East Dulwich Grove and provide access to businesses / parking. The older children should have / need to develop road sense.

We live in London and its never going to be traffic free. The status quo doesn?t work. Closing streets to traffic, with timed restrictions or planters, doesn?t work for all locations.

[heartblock]

just to reiterate

the consultation on the Dulwich road measures is open until 11 July.