Proposal Lordship Lane walkability

[Moovart]

1 hour ago, march46 said:

 

Have you raised your concerns about the flooding you mention to the council? I find Highways act quickly when these things are raised -

Perhaps you could raise the massive puddles in the pavement on the east side from Hansler Road to Whateley Road as I have found Highways have not acted at all in resolving these.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

On 11/11/2025 at 12:20, march46 said:

Is there actually any solid evidence that removing parking has a detrimental impact on local businesses - or is this more a case of unfounded fear?

I suspect many people overestimate how many shoppers and visitors arrive on Lordship Lane by car, compared to those who come on foot, by bike, or by public transport. 

+1

We have limited road space. We need to ration it and allocate it to the highest and best use. Prioritising parking for a handful of private car owners over literally everyone else (pedestrians, bus lane users and "normal" drivers) is loopy.

Shopkeepers *always* say that any change to parking will kill their business. It's never based on data and it never comes true.

Having unrestricted parking bays in front of a shop decreases access because people park there all day. Having short time-limited parking bays encourages turnover and lets drivers pop into the shops for quick visits.

There is a section of people on this forum for whom any change for any reason is undesirable and to be moaned about. It's not conservatism (in its non-partisan sense), it's nihilism. 

[Rockets]

Street lighting, paving slabs, better bike parking....anyone? Or is it all about the parking.....it's always about the parking...all the world's ills can be brought back to parking...

[first mate]

1 hour ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

  On 11/11/2025 at 12:20, march46 said:

Is there actually any solid evidence that removing parking has a detrimental impact on local businesses - or is this more a case of unfounded fear?

I suspect many people overestimate how many shoppers and visitors arrive on Lordship Lane by car, compared to those who come on foot, by bike, or by public transport. 

Why do you think Southwark Council has justified the potential introduction of paid for parking slots on LL and ED residential streets with the rationale that it has to balance the needs of residents with visiting shoppers in cars?

Do you think this was a decision based on no evidence at all? Were they lying or making it up?  Were they just saying this to allay shopkeeper fears about loss of trade if a CPZ is brought in?

 

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, first mate said:

Were they lying or making it up?  

#southwarkderangementsyndrome in action

[first mate]

Well DKHB, if, as a number of you seem to be saying, very few shoppers in cars visit LL, why would the Council feel it necessary to go out of their way to facilitate them by creating lots of new paid for parking slots. It is the Council who said they had to balance the parking needs of shoppers with those of residents.

Surely they would not say or do this without it being evidenced...would they?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

[Spartacus]

One thing that could help pedestrians and buses would be restricting M&S to rear loading and not blocking the bus lane or restricting sight lines for the crossing (zig zag lines.) This was one of two lorries unloading for M&S today 

[CPR Dave]

I agree. We should actually just close all these shops down and that would solve all the issues. 

[first mate]

On 16/11/2025 at 16:02, Spartacus said:

One thing that could help pedestrians and buses would be restricting M&S to rear loading and not blocking the bus lane or restricting sight lines for the crossing (zig zag lines.) This was one of two lorries unloading for M&S today

The problem there is that at the time the planning application went in for the M&S, the point was made many, many times by local residents that the rear entrance (on a residential street) was not wide enough or easy enough to access. Naturally this fell on deaf ears and council planning officers allowed themselves to be persuaded by planner computer generated modelling that large delivery lorries would be able to manoeuvre through the entrance and into the delivery area. 

With the passage of time what has come to pass is exactly what local residents anticipated and objected to; the M&S lorries hardly ever go into the delivery area, instead they park up on LL and on the residential side street (often blocking the footpath of the side street as they unload). To add to the problem, you have cars lining up on yellow lines to go to the car wash (often with engines running) and magically the increasingly plentiful council parking wardens never, ever catch them.
 

I gather local residents are also fedup of M&S staff taking fag breaks on the street and dumping the ciggie butts on the pavement, once they are through.