Gas works gridlock this summer

[Spartacus]

I think the concern is more to do with the sheer number of roadworks that are in the area at the moment. 

Gasworks are essential but anyone trying to get to Camberwell by public transport faces the choice of pavement widening by East Dulwich station or these gas works and road works at Camberwell Church Street.

Top this off with the ones on the south circular plus the ones on crystal palace parade and it does feel like we are slowly getting cut off from going anywhere.

Obviously some coordination isn't happening to get the timings right which is why people are discussing it. 

 

[exdulwicher]

  On 06/05/2025 at 15:50, Spartacus said:

Obviously some coordination isn't happening to get the timings right which is why people are discussing it. 

Expand  

There's a limit to how much coordination can be done though. Some of the works will have been planned a long time in advance. Some of them will be reactive and therefore urgent.

And there's a strong argument that a relatively shorter period of higher disruption is better than massively prolonged lower disruption.

[Rockets]

But surely some council bright spark could have worked out that putting temporary lights and contra flow on three of the four arterial routes in and out of an area probably wasn't the smartest decision and would create significant congestion.

Ex- how much of that was likely driven by the need to spend the council road budget surplus around fiscal year end? Is there a date where end of year budget works have to commence?

Edited May 6 by Rockets

[exdulwicher]

  On 06/05/2025 at 21:19, Rockets said:

Ex- how much of that was likely driven by the need to spend the council road budget surplus around fiscal year end? Is there a date where end of year budget works have to commence?

Expand  

You could honestly make a conspiracy out of anything couldn't you?!

That myth perpetuates because it's difficult doing roadworks over winter when it's cold and wet so once the weather improves a bit, they're out in force fixing winter defects so everyone goes "ooh they're using up the last of the budget..." 🙄

It's total nonsense. 

[Earl Aelfheah]

Who needs a continued safe and reliable gas supply anyway?

[first mate]

The issue is not the gas works per se, it is about this happening simultaneously with all the other large scale works. If these large scale gas works have literally only come to light at the last minute, then fair enough. However, if there was some forewarning then perhaps the pavement widening, non-urgent, but politically expedient, stuff could have waited.
 

Anyone know for sure how long these gas works have been in the offing?

[Spartacus]

These works are planned maintenance, not emergency work so coordination had to be made in advance with TfL and hopefully Southwark council which is why someone in either organisation should have said "hang on lads, this is bad timing" 

But who am I to spot the bleeding obvious ? 

Edited May 7 by Spartacus

[Johnjohn]

These works were in place this morning.

Northbound traffic backed up from the Nigel Road/Nags Head Junction all the way back to East Dulwich Road at 7.30am

I was on a bike, but this will cause misery for the many many people who travel to Peckham Rye station by bus .

As always with these works, the phasing of the lights was totally out of sync with the demands of the traffic, with the traffic back up a long way, so i hope the workers will adjust this.

Appreciate essential work needs to occur, but agree with the original poster that there never seems to be any urgency to complete the works quickly.

[Rockets]

  On 07/05/2025 at 09:38, exdulwicher said:

That myth perpetuates because it's difficult doing roadworks over winter when it's cold and wet so once the weather improves a bit, they're out in force fixing winter defects so everyone goes "ooh they're using up the last of the budget..." 🙄

It's total nonsense. 

Expand  

But they need to do all of them at the same time around the close of the financial year cos MArch and April are always such dry months 😉 - what's the catalyst for that then? 

So are you confirming then that if there is a surplus is can be spent any time after the close of the financial year for the council?

Edited May 7 by Rockets

[exdulwicher]

  On 07/05/2025 at 16:00, Rockets said:

So are you confirming then that if there is a surplus is can be spent any time after the close of the financial year for the council?

Expand  

I said nothing of the sort Rockets, stop trying to put words in my mouth.

You could of course just ask Southwark Council - in fact their finances must be available on their website, why don't you go and have a look through that seeing as you're always saying how you "do your own research" and how much you love council data.

Also the gas works will be paid for by the utilities company, not the council.

[sunbob]

  On 07/05/2025 at 11:21, Johnjohn said:

These works were in place this morning.

Northbound traffic backed up from the Nigel Road/Nags Head Junction all the way back to East Dulwich Road at 7.30am

I was on a bike, but this will cause misery for the many many people who travel to Peckham Rye station by bus .

As always with these works, the phasing of the lights was totally out of sync with the demands of the traffic, with the traffic back up a long way, so i hope the workers will adjust this.

Appreciate essential work needs to occur, but agree with the original poster that there never seems to be any urgency to complete the works quickly.

Expand  

Thank you for the traffic update.  Very important info I will pass on to someone travelling that way to an exam tomorrow. 

[Rockets]

Ex- I am challenging you as you are suggesting it is a myth that the council ramps works at the end of the financial year to spend any surplus and you claim it is actually because of the weather....but I am still trying to determine why so many non-essential works (like the DV, Melbourne Grove and A205 works) all seem to have started around the same time in March - hardly the most predictable time in terms of weather. 

I was not putting words into your mouth but posing a question...

 

[exdulwicher]

  On 07/05/2025 at 21:16, Rockets said:

but I am still trying to determine why so many non-essential works (like the DV, Melbourne Grove and A205 works) all seem to have started around the same time in March

Expand  

Please define "non-essential".

Why are they not needed (according to Rockets) but needed according to TfL / Southwark? 

The A205 works have been on the cards for years. Prevented by Covid initially, then by TfL's financial situation post-Covid, then by some unforeseen landowner / access issues. So these apparently non-essential works have been planned for years, it's not something that Southwark / TfL have gone "we're bored and have a million quid to spend, what can we dig up today?"

You cannot go around claiming that something is non-essential. You don't know that at all. Neither do I to be fair although at least I'm not going round claiming it. 

And regarding the phasing of works, I assume you're thoroughly up to date on the council's pipeline of schemes, prioritisation principles, workforce availability (and the tender / procurement process and timelines), supply chain limitations, related nearby works (both highways and other general building works), scheduled community events (probably not relevant to the pavement outside ED station but very much a concern if you're going to do work outside somewhere like Dulwich or Brockwell Park...), funding availability...

By all means ask the council though. Do post their reply up here.

 

[Rockets]

Ex- come on, you know what essential works are - if a water main bursts or the gas/electricity supply is cut - you need to get in there and fix it immediately to reconnect supply/repair the damage.

Three lots of changes to the pavement layout are not "essential" and should never have been scheduled to happen at the same time cutting 3 of 4 arterial routes into and out of Dulwich. Surely you be pragmatic enough to agree with that?

The timing of having all 3 at once was a disaster and responsibility for that lies with the council and I still believe two of them happened as the council needed to spend surplus as the end of the year.

 

[Penguin68]

I would hope that the council is concentrating on necessary works only (of course we know, vide what's going on in Central Dulwich that's not true), but some are more time critical than others. Things which are broken and dangerous need fixing first, then things which would benefit from improvement rather than repair. These can and should be scheduled to be of as limited a disruption as possible, and particularly scheduled in the light of other works 'on the books'. There is no evidence whatsoever of such joined-up thinking in the planning department, or any liaison between boroughs on work which adjoins other boroughs.