former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[Beau9999]

Re wheelie bins on the road as mentioned by 1921, I can see the point of view of the bin and driveway owners.

Some driveways are not wide. There maybe a space in between two properties or driveways big enough for just a small car to fit in. However, once there is a small car parked there, this will make getting in and out of a tight driveway into and from the narrow road difficult as the visibility of the oncoming traffic on the road is significantly reduced and there might be risks of touching if not hitting the parked cars when trying to get in and out of the driveways. But when a normal size or big car van truck parked there, as this is normally the case by the desperado car parkers, the front or back of their vehicles or both front and back sticking out effectively blocking the driveways no matter how little which make manoeuvering in and out of the driveways more difficult.

Therefore, driveway owners resort to putting bins out on the road on this small gap, as this would be the case if on a refuse collection day, trying to discourage people park their cars there. However, most desparados would shift the bins on to the pavement in order to park their cars but they would never put the bins back on the road when they have their convenience and just simply drive off. This make the wrong impression to the pedestrians thinking that why the bin owners put their bins on the pavement.

Unless the council is willing to do something, or even put double yellow lines in between this small gap of space, desparados with big vehicles will continue to park there blocking driveways, and driveway owners will continue to put their bins on the road to discourage parking in order to have risk free access to their own properties.

[James Barber]

Hi Baue9999,

Not every home can store a green wheelie bin, a blue wheelie bin and for some also a brown wheelie bin or a brown food waste caddy in a front garden/driveway.

If someone is partially or totally blocking a drive way then the home owner can call parking enforcement and they'll send someone out. In extreme cases a local surgeon on call the Police had to intervene to help them get out.

Registering a driveway so that parking enforcement can just ticket partial or fully blocked dropped kerbs is one way forward.

[James Barber]

Hi Baue9999,

Not every home can store a green wheelie bin, a blue wheelie bin and for some also a brown wheelie bin or a brown food waste caddy in a front garden/driveway.

If someone is partially or totally blocking a drive way then the home owner can call parking enforcement and they'll send someone out. In extreme cases a local surgeon on call the Police had to intervene to help them get out.

Registering a driveway so that parking enforcement can just ticket partial or fully blocked dropped kerbs is one way forward.

[Beau9999]

Hello Mr Barber,

It is well and good that one can call parking enforcement. I am sure the weekly frequency, if not daily, would have been too much for everyone even the parking enforcement. Who would have the time to wait for the parking enforcement to come out to resolve the situation? Not to mention that you still have to find the culprit driver to move his or her car. Once or twice maybe. Eventually, even the parking enforcement would not even want to respond. I am afraid the parking enforcement system is not really efficient. Direct confrontation with the culprit drivers, whether by property owners themselves or by parking enforcement/police can escalate things. One also has to take into consideration that culprit drivers know where the complainants live.

Best regards

Beau

[mynamehere]

On this subject James, wheelie bins and where they are kept, the south end of Upland Rd has houses built on slopes with no provision for bin storage. 50 bins and more take all the pavement as well as being ugly. Solutions. Few owners take the cost of building recessed storage so

1. The Council helps with cost to home owners

2. A parking space is allocated for the bins in an on street built enclosure like allocated cycle parking on street

Doing nothing is what we?ve had. It?s ugly and blocks the pavement.

[mynamehere]

Separately

We?re losing our street trees on Upland Rd and there?s no announced plan to replace them. I accept the trees have gone through disease and safety. But it seems in 2018 we have no solid knowledge of which trees work and how to plant them subject to street and pavement restrictions.

Quite honestly I despair that each and every amenity to day to day quality of life has to be begged and fought for. While a line of trees down a city street is not the canopy nature needs it does help fight pollution, noise and there?s just no end of words to describe urban design and children?s mental health.

[mynamehere]

These two problems have been conflated by the Council in this way:

We cannot have trees because double buggies and wheelchairs cannot pass (not true and in any event the majority of london pavements compete for space).

Bins blocking most of the pavement well that goes unremarked war after year.

Loads of beautiful and creative ways to touch all bases: traffic calming no speed bumps bins pavements trees the whole shebang

Build out judiciously

[alex_b]

James, a few houses on our street are empty and undergoing major renovations. The builders have taken to using wheely bins to reserve spaces outside the property (in addition to the space taken up by skips). Who should I contact at the council to stop this happening as it's really adding to the parking pressure around here.

[ruffers]

Just move the bins.

[James Barber]

Hi alex_b,

As per ruffers, I would move the bins.

I've also seen rubble bags used to reserve parking on East Dulwich Grove eastern end. Again I would move the rubble bags.

The problem comes if the builders take umbrage.

If you're concerned about this I could ask the council to remove the bins permanently.

[TreacleRabbit]

Re: builders using bins to 'reserve' parking. This is happening every day on our street too. I don't mind if it's irregular to allow for deliveries, but it's just for them to park their vehicle outside. is there a permit they can get to ensure parking/space on delivery days?

[James Barber]

Hi TreacleRabbit,

I don't know and will find out.

[James Barber]

Hi TreacleRabbit,

I don't know but will find out.

[FallingDownMoment]

Hello James,

I wonder if you can help me before I have to go to the police.

My car (taxed and insured) was parked on Crawthew Grove this morning, but when I returned mid afternoon it was gone. I was just about to report it stolen when I noticed a strip of new tarmac about 6m x 30cm where it had been stood (where the red car now is in the attached photo). Someone said a green van had been working there, so I?m assuming it was Conway, and that they moved my car to do some minor work.

I can?t find the phone number of anyone to help on the Southwark website, and having called Conway I was told they have ?probably? moved it, but just get transferred to an answerphone. I?ve spent the last 90 minutes wandering the streets in the rain looking for my car in case it has been dumped nearby, but there?s no sign of it.

There have not been any notices through the door about any work, nor have any of the lamp posts nearby got any notices on about resurfacing. As of yesterday there were no notices on the car, and I have specifically checked that it was not in an area affected by the new yellow line painting.

I know I shouldn?t complain about road improvements, but unless its well advertised in advance or an emergency, is there any legal right to move a legally parked vehicle?

I have a five year old who needs to be 100 miles away tomorrow, and an elderly mother with mobility issues, not to mention a business appointment in Cambridge, and no transport. Please can you help me find my car (silver Volvo V60 - happy to PM registration).

Thank you,

David

[Jakido]

Try this - https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/parking-services/trace-towed-vehicle-tracing-service

[FallingDownMoment]

Thanks Jakido, that's a useful link. Sadly no sign of my car in there though.

[goldilocks]

I think in this instance unfortunately you'll have to go to the police and report that your car appears to have been stolen, regardless of the 'legality of moving your car', on face value it isn't where you left it and preliminary enquiries haven't yielded any results!

[FallingDownMoment]

Hi goldilocks, I'm afraid you're right - I've just reported it to the police online.

If it turns out to be the council's contractors, I'll be livid, and it seems like a waste of over-stretched police resources. Not that I expect the boys at the crime lab are working shifts on this one... (possibly NSFW language

).

Thanks.

P.S. here's pic forgot to attach photo to my OP.

[rch]

mynamehere Wrote:

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

> Separately

> We?re losing our street trees on Upland Rd and

> there?s no announced plan to replace them. I

> accept the trees have gone through disease and

> safety. But it seems in 2018 we have no solid

> knowledge of which trees work and how to plant

> them subject to street and pavement restrictions.

>

> Quite honestly I despair that each and every

> amenity to day to day quality of life has to be

> begged and fought for. While a line of trees down

> a city street is not the canopy nature needs it

> does help fight pollution, noise and there?s just

> no end of words to describe urban design and

> children?s mental health.

Hi mynamehere... I totally agree with you!

As I have been posting here for a couple of years now, there is funding and technical ways to get around the new street tree planting policies, but I haven't been able to circumvent the "official" communication obstacles.

I suspect we're going to have to wait until the May council elections are over and then start bashing away again...

[eastdulwichhenry]

Hi James

Do you happen to know why a big black wooden fence has been put up on Abbotswood Road by the DHFC car park, and also a metal fence along the road leading to the Greendale passage?

I think someone else asked in the forum but I haven't seen an answer. As local resident I'd like to know whether it was the club or the council who did this, why they did so, and.is it legal without planning permission etc?

[James Barber]

No I don't. I will pop along and take a look and then try and find out.

[BrandNewGuy]

eastdulwichhenry Wrote:

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

> Hi James

>

> Do you happen to know why a big black wooden fence

> has been put up on Abbotswood Road by the DHFC car

> park, and also a metal fence along the road

> leading to the Greendale passage?

>

> I think someone else asked in the forum but I

> haven't seen an answer. As local resident I'd like

> to know whether it was the club or the council who

> did this, why they did so, and.is it legal without

> planning permission etc?

They have been put up by Meadow Residential (not the club), the owners of the stadium. Those fences are on their land, I believe, and the consensus is that they're there partly to inconvenience the council who have taken back control of Green Dale fields, as it will prevent them from gaining full access via that route.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Hi James. Is there a reason that Lordship Lane hasn't been gritted?

[loubelou]

Hi James,

Just to reiterate the above from rahrahrah. Is there any decent explanation as to why the roads in and around Dulwich haven't been gritted?

There has been extensive coverage that we were going to get snow so surely plans should have been put in place?

Thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi loubelou,

What councillors have been told is salt was spread on main roads and bus routes Monday and Tuesday nights. That as the snow mostly came at night when few vehicles around to churn the snow and salt up that it hasn't had the full impact.

This i what councillors have just been told:

"Gritting

? We have two gritters with an additional spare available at all times

? We have pre-treated at the following times and dates:

? Monday 26th 20.00 all major routes with a 12gm/m2 spread rate)

? Tuesday 27th 20.00 all major routes (8gm spread rate)

? Wednesday 28th 07.00 all major routes (12gm spread rate)

? Every time we go out on all major routes, we cover 168km (93 miles)

? Tonnage of salt used in last 3 days = 40 tonnes just on road treatments

Please note that at these significantly low temperatures the effectiveness of salt is severely retarded. Below -7 degrees it will have little or no effect in preventing ice formation, it just slows the process down.

Detailed info and the Winter Service Policy & Plan can be found at the following link:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/street-care/gritting

Pavement clearance

We have 230 staff working between 06:00 and 18:00 to clear snow from pavements across the borough and grit around schools, transport hubs and shopping areas.

We have 331 staff working between 08:00 and 16:00 to carry out pavement clearance on our housing estates.

"

I've not spotted anyone around East Dulwich with one of the 80 Mechanical Street Salter operated by street cleaners - have you?