Do people think Greendale is safe in the evening?

[Townleygreen]

Just as the title says really. I have heard bad things in the past about this potentially useful walking/cycling route up to King's from ED, but now the nights are drawing in, what do forum-ites who currently use it, think?

Was planning on cycling to Kings for a series of treatments early evening.

[jim_the_chin]

I've never used it after dark. I'm not usually worried about cycling around in the dark but have a general rule to avoid isolated pathways after sundown, it's not a major detour to use the roads.

[Acid Casual]

I'd say watch out after dark.

Just before Christmas last year I was on my way to pick up my son from nursery on Greendale and some idiot attempted to mug me with a lock knife. Cut a long story very short, I'm pretty well able to look after myself and it was a bad night's work for him.

If I had been a woman on my own I'd probably have been quite shaken up.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Both me and LadyMac are very much of the "carry yourself well and you'll be fine" persuasion. We have lived in London for many a year without a hiccup. She walks home on her own every night etc etc

But neither of us will use GreenDale or the alley connecting to Sainsbos at night

[summerjt]

Acid Casual - I sometimes use this route (walking). Are you able to say whereabouts exactly this incdient happened?

[Acid Casual]

Yep. About 50 or so yards from the entrance to Mother Goose nursery, going down the hill, not quite as far as the small alley that leads through to the primary school and a little further still from the alley that connects to Sainsburys.

I think that the darkness is the issue here. If it was better lit then I think the opportunity for attack would be much more limited. Given that this is a common route used by parents coming and going to the nursery, maybe someone might know how we could raise this as a concern to a local council person.

I think it pays to have some smarts in places like this. I clocked this guy from quite a distance and knew almost instantly he was up to no good. When he passed by me on the path he was obviously weighing things up. As soon as I heard him stop behind me I knew things were only going to go one way. Because I was already expecting the worst I was counting his steps behind me to estimate how far away he was and how much time I had to prepare for him.

However, as I said, I'm quite comfortable (in relative terms) in these sort of situations. Many would not be. Especially not mums with kids. I also see a pensioner picking up her grandkids from the nursery. I would not like to think that she would fall victim to this sort of thing.

As you can see from the above detail, the guy was clearly an idiot. His attempt to mug me was right out of amateur hour, but he would be scary to many people nevertheless.

[????]

Do you post on ITK Acid? ;-)

[Acid Casual]

Sorry, What? You've lost me...

[????]

Just a 'boys' website from back in the day....

[Acid Casual]

No, I used to post on various other places of that sort, but it gets like groundhog day on there.

I know a good many of the lads who are intelligent, erudite, respectful and generally good blokes and usually, like me, fathers. However, that is not to say that for every one like that there are not at least two other complete sociopaths.

I prefer more genteel company these days. Still friends with a lot of the boys though.

[????]

Amen to that too

[AcedOut]

Is this some secret club I've missed out on? A Masons for the Masses perhaps?

[thebestnameshavegone]

Is this about 'casuals'?

[????]

ironically, given the other thread, for me it's about Soulboys...my younger brother was a casual..but you've got the gist

[Acid Casual]

What thread is that?

Soulboys in aesthetic terms were the prototype that I would say first generation casuals followed/looked to. I was always a bit disappointed that I was too young, but made up for it by embracing two other youth cultures during the 80's/90's - hence the moniker.

Anyhooooooo!

Greendale. No good after dark. Take care...

[Weegee]

Acid Casual Wrote:

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

> I'd say watch out after dark.

>

> Just before Christmas last year I was on my way to

> pick up my son from nursery on Greendale and some

> idiot attempted to mug me with a lock knife. Cut a

> long story very short, I'm pretty well able to

> look after myself and it was a bad night's work

> for him.

>

> If I had been a woman on my own I'd probably have

> been quite shaken up.

Nice one mate. Im glad you were able to stand up to this thug and sort him out!!

I know Greendale well and my daughter went to Mother Goose. I have to say walking back in the dark with her..hasnt really bothered me..though this was around 6pm

I wouldnt walk down there after that time.

[minder]

A lot of people also use the Greendale to get to and from Bessemer Grange School from the East Dulwich end.

I remember a few years ago a grandmother taking her grandchild to the school was attacked and mugged in daylight.

I've used it but the thing is once you start walking through there's literally nowhere to escape on either side if anybody did try anything.

Also, a lot of people let their dogs run free and seeing a big dog coming towards you can be scary (if you're not used to them).

[Acid Casual]

Spot on.

Which is why I was forced to fight back. The grandmother you talk about must have been terrified. How's she meant to cope with an attack like that? Equally her grandkids must have been traumatised by it.

Given that there is a Nursery school on Greendale and therefore using an alternative route is impossible to a lot of people, would anyone know how to raise this as an issue to be addressed with better street lighting PCSOs or other? Before anyone starts, I know that PCSOs are not exactly Starsky and Hutch, but they are potential witnesses. Most muggers will not attack if they think they are in danger of being identified I wouldn't think.

When I eventually contacted the old bill they were actually quite good. They had said they had increased plainclothes patrols in the area, and were pretty decent about the situation with me.

I also got a follow up call from them between Christmas and New Year to see if I was alright(!?!?!??!) which led to quite a funny conversation about the circumstances, and the guy saying that by listening to the account of the officers involved and the recording of my 999 call, that "It might be the first time that we'd think about offering a mugger victim support instead of the victim themselves" which I found quite funny.

[mrs f]

I have just descoverd this path during the summer and think it is brilliant, however I now do not cycle home using it after dark for a couple of reasons... well really only one and that is that it is too dark, it is really badly lit in the evenings and so it actually really tricky on a bike (there are lots of potholes & wet leaves / speed bumps(!))

Then there is also the safty issue and I really do think if it was better lit it would be loads safer, especially as it would encourage more people to use it... so what do we do to get it better lit??

[Asset]

I walk my dog down there a couple of times a day - yes, off the lead - and it is fairly well used. It's not often I walk down and there's no one else around either on foot or bike, so I don't feel too worried during the day. I wouldn't do it in the dark though.

[championcat]

I don't think it's safe in the day. A few months ago I was walking that way with my baby in the pram. I was up the very top (not sure if it's technically still Greendale once you're virtually at the top of the hill?) and some weirdo started following me. I broke into a run, and then a sprint and he ran after me. I was terrified. He was a big guy and weird looking but even if he'd been a weed I'd still have been very frightened in case something happened to my baby. The whole incident was like something out of a horror film. The front wheel of the pram hit a big pothole, buckled and came off. He was closing in on me when I saw a BT engineer. I shouted for help and he came over. The weird man turned and fled. I was very shaken up and now don't go that way at all.

[Acid Casual]

Bloody hell, that sounds horrific!

Hope you recovered form the shock quickly.

[sophiesofa]

Thank goodness for the BT man and I'm glad you're ok. I hope you reported it.

[reetpetite]

How sad this all is. I grew up on the Bessemer estate and went to Bessemer Grange school in the fifties. My friends and I spent many a day and night playing on our bikes in Greendale without any incidents apart from grazed knees ! Before the pub was built there was an orchard where we climbed trees and played for hours only going home when our tea was ready.We didnt have mobile phones and our parents knew where we were and we we would know when it was time to go home..When I moved to Dulwich in the 80's I used to walk with my baby up to my Parents house thru Greendale again also sometimes in the dark and never felt worried .How times have changed.

[Acid Casual]

Yes, it is sad isn't it?

I know that the passage of time blurs our recollection, and that many of the less great things about the past are edited out in our memories. Not in any way wanting to cause offence, but the time which you speak of probably did have its downside too, but I'd wager you're pretty much on the money that Greendale was a lot nicer and safer back then.

Me and my mates recall the eighties with the same sort of fondness. I did have a brilliant time. I grew up in what was then quite a tough area in one of Britain's major cities but what I thought was quite a good place to grow up in. It happens now to be far worse, but we loved it.

Then we remembered binman's strikes, power cuts, open gang warfare, massive and widespread unemployment, heroin abuse, etc, etc. We all looked at each other and thought "God, it was awful back then!"

Fact was, in the middle of all of this we had pretty much a common and very fun childhood.