I am peeved by the coaches outside Alleyns

[Curmudgeon]

that would assume that the independent schools in Dulwich serve local children in the main, which I don't believe they do in the main, although I'm sure there are some local children there.

Not that that's wrong. All for parental choice

[shoshntosh]

you won't get sympathy from me about those buses. as barber correctly points out, those independent schools are a huge business for the area, and also partly responsible for why the area is so attractive to residents.

is driving on the wrong side of the bollards every now and again really THAT huge an inconvenience for you?

christ, half the roads in this town are too narrow for two normal cars to pass each other (going in the opposite direction) so you should be used to it!

(p.s. i drive down townley rd most days and i just drive around the buses. in the scheme of life, not really such a big problem. if it bothered me so much i supposed i'd... oh... i don't know...call me crazy but... i'd probably do something fairly simple like CHANGE MY ROUTE!!)

[intexasatthe moment]

Well we're all different and affected by different circumstances .

As a cyclist I find it annoying and dangerous to have to weave around the coaches and the cars that are driving on the wrong side of the road.

Changing my route increases the distance I have to travel ,is inconvienient and tiring.

Just because it doesn't have a negative affect on you doesn't mean that it's not a problem for others.

[blainiac]

ITATM - there are lots of things that are dangerous and annoying in life - my husband in charge of small chidren for one. Shoshntosh - the voice of reason I feel. Changing your route is a good plan and I do it every day when I hit a dodgy bit of traffic. Common sense non?

[James Barber]

Hi Curmdgeon,

Representing Southwark Cyclists on the Dulwich Safe Route to School I undertook some analysis of where kids came from for two of the local Private schools to help them complete School Travel Plans. This was two years ago but two thirds came from Southwark and Lambeth. Vast majortity within two miles radius which for secondary stage pupils seems quite reasonable. Clearly the odd exception that surprised me but quite a few local kids go to state schools in places like Pimlico.

Its not the distance from school but the mode of transport. I don't have comparative data for this but certainly via my support of Dulwich SRTS lots of effort by parents to walk and cycle to private and state schools.

Regards james.

[TJ]

I though this post was a joke... I drive down townley twice a day at least (morning & eve) plus past Jags and the infant school ans i have neve noticed any coaches that cause any major problems.

[intexasatthe moment]

blainiac - for the record ,as you seem to think that the main point here is for people, when faced by thoughtless and illegal actions ,to bow out of the way and remove themselves from the scene - I do take alternative routes.

And I'm annoyed that I have to do so.

By the way ,thanks for the heads up that lots of things in life are annoying and dangerous .

Who'd have thought .

[Curmudgeon]

I am interested in the way that all of a sudden a problem recognised by one constituent is not actually a problem because of the fact that these schools bring money into the community.

What?

So if I throw a few grand around I can park whereever I like causing an obstruction to other road users? Really? I wish I'd known that before.

As an aside the situation has been much improved this week which is a relief and I'm pleased that I complained to both school and local council.

[Curmudgeon]

TJ Wrote:

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

> I though this post was a joke... I drive down

> townley twice a day at least (morning & eve) plus

> past Jags and the infant school ans i have neve

> noticed any coaches that cause any major problems.

So they don't exist?

[intexasatthe moment]

Thanks for your efforts Curmudgeon ,I agree - situation greatly improved this week.

( so if they can do when asked ,why not all the time ? )

I thought James Barber's remark about private schools being one of biggest industries in Dulwich was bizarre -

are they ?

if they are so what ?

Should we all be tugging our forelocks ?

And as I've said on other thread re Southwark refuse vehicles ,illegally parked in Northcross and surrounding roads ,

should we take fact that Southwark employs lots of people in the borough as a mitigating factor ?

[LegalEagle-ish]

Do the private schools employ many local people or spend any money locally anyway?

[Townleygreen]

Of course they do. The teachers are mostly local. So are the ancillary staff - cleaners, catering, security and so on. There must be something like 3000 students at the various establishments from senior schools to nurseries. There can't be many more intensive education specialist areas anywhere in the country. The big names (DC, Alleyns, JAGS) are nationally amongst the biggest brands in the country.

And overwhelmingly it would seem, the students come from the local area too.

Then they employ local firms to do their repairing, maintanence and so on.

But no doubt there will now be a load of whingers who will argue the total opposite!!

Sighs.

[daizie]

Going off on one.. having gone through the state system recently, lets face it , if we could / would afford it,( apart from a very small handful of quality schools) the majority of us would put our kids in private education ( i'd say from the age of 7) or move out of inner London. . There is little to be 'had' from the standard state education here, today .

[????]

Posh kids are allowed to go to school too people...

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Idiot question: is walking/public transport not a viable option, especially if "overwhelmingly it would seem, the students come from the local area"?

[????]

I don't think they do, but Townley's broadly right

[Townleygreen]

Of course the local kids walk or - dare I say it - even cycle home. Public transport is also used, eg the 37 bus back to Clapham, Balham and Wandsworth.

Don't knock it!!

[intexasatthe moment]

So why so many coaches ?

And I still don't get the argument that if you employ lots of people it's ok to let employees park illegally.

[James Barber]

At the Dulwich Community Council on Wednesday it was agreed to replace some single yellow lines on Townley Road outside the school with double yellow lines. This should alleviate some of the concerns of the original post. Changing lines takes 6-8 weeks. Apparently one of the draw backs will be extra few hundred yards walk for the reception class when they take school trips.

Probably worth pointing out that the coaches are a shared service between nearly all the private schools. So same coaches collect and deliver kids for Allenys, JAGS, Dulwich, DCPS.

[intexasatthe moment]

Thanks for up date James.

Townley Green - quite what the number of employees and whether living locally or not has to do with parking illegally I don't know ,but - there must be over 3000 students in local state schools - no doubt they employ local people as well.

But no doubt there will be lots of whingers anxious to point out that state schools don't have local teachers ,cleaners ,caterers ,security ,maintenance etc staff .

[*Anna*]

Can I just point out that by increasing the single yellow lines to double will mean more problems for people living in the surrounding area - where will people now park? Hillsborough Road? Dovercourt? Carlton Avenue?

I simply think you are replacing one problem with another - potentially a bigger one.

[James Barber]

Woah. We're talking about double yellow lines on the north east side of Townley Road between the two entry roads to Alleyn's School. So the equivalent of around 2 or 3 cars that frankly never really had space to park as close to the new islands as people have.

[Townleygreen]

Texas,

I was merely responding to LegalEagle-ish's question which was "Do the private schools employ many local people or spend any money locally anyway?"

Next time, may I suggest that before you go off on one, first check what I was posting about? I realise it was off topic, for which I humbly apologise.

Dear me.

James's new double yellow lines are a move in the right direction I think.

[LegalEagle-ish]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

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

> Thanks for up date James.

> Townley Green - quite what the number of employees

> and whether living locally or not has to do with

> parking illegally I don't know ,but - there must

> be over 3000 students in local state schools - no

> doubt they employ local people as well.

> But no doubt there will be lots of whingers

> anxious to point out that state schools don't have

> local teachers ,cleaners ,caterers ,security

> ,maintenance etc staff .

And they don't have loads of big coaches blocking everyone's way.

[Townleygreen]

Would you prefer hundreds of cars then? How do you suggest they get home/to school? Bearing in mind they have huge catchment areas compared to schools like Charter, which only take people from a few hundred meters away? That is the problem. There is little point in just sniping at private schools. Many people are grateful for a job there in difficult times, as at any school. As others have said, avoid those times, or use a different route if its a problem to you. It really is only a relatively short time of the day that the damn coaches are there. I don't like it any more than you do, but please be realistic about it.