former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi Vanessa3,

I wouldnt expect Southwark to change this crossing as one reported crash involving slight injury over the last 8 years have been recorded at this site. Lots of other East Dulwiuch locations with more danger and crashes

I'm afraid which should be dealt with first.

Hi fl0wer,

What a tricky problem.

Can you please email me direct when you (or anyone else) spots such an example. Southwark Council would then have a chance to enforce laws and regs about waste transfer, fly tipping etc.

[Zenoria]

Hello Mr Barber,

Any developments on the ED Warehouse property and whether the landlords are getting their restaurant application through? If not, is there anywhere online I can check for updates without bothering you on here? As you can tell from my forum name, I do have a vested interest in what pops up there!

Many thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi Zenoria,

The last I've seen on this was a direct email to local ward councillors about a month- 6 weeks ago.

I've not seen any planning application and have just checked. If you spot any notices on lampposts please prod me!

[fl0wer]

Dear James,

the whole point about the fly tipping is that it happens in the middle of the night, when offenders believe they won't be caught. This is why grotspots need security cameras. As I said before, your own teams will be able to tell you exactly where they are most often called to pick up the trash.

And the whole point about Letting Agents is that it's their job to oversee the quality of the work being done for their clients, but they can get away with the sort of abuses described, because nobody is adequately supervising them. Trading Standards? or another department? needs to set off round the borough and get all local branches of Estate Agents back on their toes IMHO.

[James Barber]

Hi flOwer,

For Southwark to undertake undercover surveillance it would need to obtain a RIPA agreement from local magistrates. Magistrates wont authorise this for this type of incident.

But examples like the oroginal one with a named person, at a named address should be enough for officers ot trace back the companies responsible.

[James Barber]

The pavements on North Cross Raod southside near to Lordship Lane are a real pickle around the UK Power Networks entrance.

Starting on Monday for up to two weeks we're repaving and sorting htis out.

It's part of a Cleaner, Greener, Safer application made much earlier this FY.

Attached is the scope of the works.

[fl0wer]

OK James, time to come up with your problem solving method now.

I have done a little research on the govt regulations for security cameras.

I have done a little more on the roles of magistrates.

It's not a good look, the Council offering reasons for fly-tipping to remain incurable.

[James Barber]

Hi fl0wer,

Fly tipping in curable.

People do get caught.

[kiera]

James. It was back in November that I raised the issue of the railings at the kerbside restricting the view of drivers exiting Whateley Rd. You arranged for the council to review the situation, to establish whether these railings are necessary or whether they are actually a hazard to road users. You said you were treating this as a road safety issue, that you were using cleaner greener safer funds and that you hoped the assessment would be conducted soon. What happened? Why don't the council treat it as urgent when it is an issue of road safety? My concern is primarily for cyclists in Lordship Lane, who may not be visible to cars pulling out of Whateley Rd. As it is, the driver's view is obstructed, not only by the railings, but by the various bins lined up against them, including Southwark Council recycling bins. You said that accidents are a known problem in this spot, so why are the council so apparently uncaring?

[olly]

Hi James,

I see that Underhill Road is currently being marked up around the existing speed bumps. Are we getting new bumps or resurfacing?

[James Barber]

Hi Kiera,

I've chased council officials about the safety survey of those railings and what their findings have been.

We've even offered to pay for this short survey with our devolved CGS revenue budget.

As soon as we know the outcome will let you know. Sorry it's taking quite so long to make happen.

[Penguin68]

I see that Underhill Road is currently being marked up around the existing speed bumps. Are we getting new bumps or resurfacing?

Road signage went up only this morning (I think) to say that resurfacing works would happen on 11th March. This is the first (and only!) notification I have received (I live close by one of the signs) - only 2 working days from the start of the work.

I am glad I don't at the moment have to park on the street, otherwise, had I been away on a long weekend (I was, Friday - Tuesday a couple of weeks ago) I might not have been able to take the ncessary precautions to move my car.

I am in College Ward (boundaries of) but it wouldn't surprise me to know that this work extended back into ED ward.

Thanks a bundle, Southwark, for your policy of timely notification to residents of road works due. Not.

[Sistermills]

Very surprised to return home to Pellatt Road today to see cones and a notice on the road about work to be done on Monday, having received no letter giving notification of this and after checking with my neighbour she hadn't received a letter either?! Was it selective letter dropping, not sure why that would be as the cones and signage are right outside our properties! I hope no-one on the road has gone away already or they will return to find their cars missing, as the signs very nicely state cars left parked will be removed! Really not good enough.

[worldwiser]

James, I wonder if you could illuminate us on how our local roads are selected for resurfacing? It seems utterly haphazard since pretty much all the residential roads in the area are in an equally distressed state. How come Silvester, Goodrich and Pellatt are the lucky ones? Why not, say Lacon, Crawthew and Archdale? Be interesting to see how these things are assessed - is it a vote?

[James Barber]

Hi worldwiser,

Two avenues.

Southwark Council employs consultants to produce an annual road condition report. The majorityl of ?4.2m is allocated on this basis. Slips and trips also inform this.

Each ward also have ?36,000 devolved capital spend to allocate to highways. This year and last we allocated funds to fix Goodrich Road (Barry Road to Friern Road), eastern end of Pellatt Road.

The issue is a huge capital backlog. I know my political group are committed that if we take control of Southwark Council in the 22 May local elections we will used some of the next 10 years ?1bn capitla spend of Southwark Council to fully catch-up all highway repairs. This would cost circa ?18m.

[James Barber]

Thought this interesting - Caroline Pidgeon?s Questions to the Mayor ? 26 February 2014

Dulwich Common Junction Traffic Lights

Question No: 2014/0489

What work is Transport for London carrying out to install a much-needed safe crossing at the junction of Dulwich Common and Lordship Lane and what is the timescale for this work?

The Mayor

TfL is carrying out a study to determine the best option for providing formal crossing facilities at this location. This work has commenced and will conclude this year.

[bawdy-nan]

hooray for any kind of help with crossing the road there!

[Penguin68]

James

I know this falls (just) outside your bailiwick, but the resurfacing of Underhill Road which was undertaken today appears to have removed the road-humps from the section re-surfaced (and introduced, as far as I can see, a slightly steeper camber). Do you know whether all the road humps in Underhill are planned to be removed (I assume it would not just be the Belvoir to Langton section alone so treated)? There is no notification of any future works to re-install the humps (although we hardly had any notification of the re-surfacing work either, and that only on an occasional lamp post)

[olly]

James,

To add to Penguin68's comments, the removal of the road humps in this section (if they are not to be replaced) is most worrying, since cars were already speeding at excess down the hill towards Belvoir Road. Without the humps, this will now become a very dangerous stretch of Underhill Road.

I'd also like to know why the white lines, preventing parking across a driveway with a dropped kerb, have been extended to the point that it is now impossible to park between the driveways. I don't believe there have been any problems due to parking, so I'm curious to know why it's been done. Is it a revenue earning ploy (not sure if these white lines are enforceable) or has it been done for some safety reason?

Any info you could glean would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[Siduhe]

I looked at the white line issue a while back - it has no legal significance and is a courtesy only - or at least that was the case back then.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,1128919

[Amelie]

James

Have you seen the most recent edition of Private Eye? The Rotten Boroughs column, page 14 column 3 "Olympic Gold". To say that Southwark does not come well out of the report would be an understatement. The Head of Legal Services needs to be instructed to investigate what has gone on.

[olly]

Siduhe Wrote:

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

> I looked at the white line issue a while back - it

> has no legal significance and is a courtesy only -

> or at least that was the case back then.

>

Thanks Siduhe. Good to know.

[edanna]

James, have you seen the Dementia Manifesto for London? http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiamanifestolondon

[olly]

Just read the following on Southwark's website:

"Since the council now has the power to enforce, we consider the advisory H-bar to be street clutter and an unnecessary road marking that brings little benefit. Most dropped kerbs are very obvious and we don?t need any additional signage to point them out. We are therefore stopping the installation of H-bar markings and removing them when practicable."

Interesting since the H-bar markings on Underhill have just been repainted and made even bigger!

[fazer71]

James have you got a position on this ?

Air travel, and the aircraft noise that accompanies it, have become an integral part of modern life, but perceptions of aircraft noise vary greatly, mainly depending on where it is experienced.

For most people, who do not live near to a major airport, air travel is exclusively defined in terms of the considerable economic or social benefits that it brings. On the other hand, for those who live near major airports, aircraft noise can be an imposition. The time has come to adopt a fresh approach, to restore trust and give people the confidence that their legitimate grievances are being addressed.

We believe that the establishment of an independent aircraft noise ombudsman, set up at arm's length from government and the industry, could play a fundamental role in further establishing trust and confidence, thus bringing about a fair and reasonable balance between increasing demand for flights and noise control.

Building on the common ground and goodwill built up among the interested parties, the ombudsman would collaborate with all of them to report on noise in an open, transparent and intelligible manner, and to deal with noise limitation problems fairly and sustainably.

We therefore call on the government and politicians of all colours to work collaboratively with all stakeholders on designing, and thereafter the early establishment of, an independent aircraft noise ombudsman to further enhance and protect the welfare of people living near airports.

Stephen Alambritis leader, Merton council

David Amess MP Con, Southend West

Tony Arbour AM Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow

Jennette Arnold AM Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest

Bob Blackman MP Harrow East

Mark Boleat chair, policy and resources committee, City of London Corporation

David Brazier cabinet member for transport and environment, Kent county council

Robert Buckland MP Con, South Swindon

Sir Steve Bullock Mayor of Lewisham

Muhammed Butt Leader, Brent council

Jim Cunningham MP Lab, Coventry South

Tom Copley AM London-wide

Brenda Dean Lab, House of Lords

Andrew Dismore AM, Barnet and Camden

Jim Dobbin MP Lab, Heywood and Middleton

Len Duvall AM leader of Labour group, Greenwich and Lewisham

Roger Evans AM deputy chairman of the London Assembly, Havering and Redbridge

Stephen Fry chief executive, Hounslow Chamber of Commerce

Zac Goldsmith MP Con, Richmond Park

Robert Gray director, Back Heathrow

Rt Hon Sir Alan Haselhurst MP Con, Saffron Walden

Gavin Hayes director, Let Britain Fly

Dr Julian Huppert MP Lib Dem, Cambridge

Darren Johnson AM chair of the London Assembly

Jenny Jones AM leader, Green Group at the London Assembly

Stephen Joseph chief executive, Campaign for Better Transport

David Lammy MP Lab, Tottenham

Mike Langan chair, Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce

Lisa Lavia managing director, Noise Abatement Society

Caroline Lucas MP Green, Brighton Pavilion

Caroline Nokes MP Con, Romsey and Southampton North

Steve O'Connell AM Croydon and Sutton

Lib Peck leader, Lambeth council

Roger Reed deputy leader, South Buckinghamshire district council

Philippa Roe leader, Westminster city council

Ben Rogers, director, Centre for London

Andrew Rosindell MP Con, Romford

Sir Bob Russell MP Lib Dem, Colchester

Dr Onkar Sahota AM Ealing and Hillingdon

Valerie Shawcross AM Lambeth and Southwark

Henry Smith MP Con, Crawley

Nicholas Soames MP Con, Mid Sussex

John Stewart chair, Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise

Jeremy Taylor chief executive, Gatwick Diamond Business

Baroness Valentine chief executive, London First

Joan Walley MP Lab Stoke-on-Trent North

Tim Yeo MP Con, South Suffolk

Professor Xin Zhang professor of aircraft engineering, University of Southampton