42 bus route via Melbourne Grove

Some Melbourne Grove residents have contacted me asking about a 20mph letter we’ve delivered.

They’ve heard that Tory councillors from Dulwich Village have objected to Melbourne Grove having 20mph traffic calming and speed humps.

It is true that an attempt has been made by Dulwich Village Tories to stop speed humps and parking in the road instead of half on the pavements on Melbourne Grove between Grove Vale and East Dulwich Grove. They wish to extend the number 42 bus route via this part of Melbourne Grove to Sainsbury’s. Speed humps would need to be removed if the number 42 bus route was routed via Melbourne Grove and parking on the pavement would be ncessary. While supporting such an extension in principle via Lordship Lane the East Dulwich Libl Dem councillors are wholly opposed for any bus route to be rerouted or extended via Melbourne Grove or other residential side street. Equally, snubbing local shops on Lordship Lane would not be acceptable. Residents of Melbourne Grove suffered more than enough inconvenience when the number 37 bus route was routed via Melbourne Grove in the past.

When the public consultation takes place on whether Melbourne Grove residents support or don’t support speed humps it will also be their opportunity to tell us whether they want the number 42 buses routed down your street.

In the mean time please do tell us what you think – are we right to oppose buses down Melbourne Grove or Derwent Grove or Elsie Road?

Lordship Lane cleanliness

Lordship Lane has frankly been looking a little bit grubby. Unfortuantely we can’t afford to wash down all the streets every night as we’d all wish but can ensure we maximise our streets cleanliness.

Street cleaniness is measured by a company called Encams 3 times every year. Overall for Southwark last financial year (lower % good) we were litter 6%, dtritus 125, graffit 3% and flyposting 1%.

Following my enquiry Southwark’s Street Cleaning Inspector has confirmed for East Dulwich now litter 2.4%, detritus 22%, graffiti 0% and fly posting 0%.  So more attention in East Dulwich is now being made to clearing this detritus – all that organic material like leaf fall, etc.

If you see anything out of the ordinary regarding litter, graffit, fly posting, or leaf fall please do let me know or call 020 7525 2000 to report this problem yourself.

Increasing recycling from 21% to over 50%

Last night Southwarks main planning committee granted planning permission to a new Integrated Waste Management Centre on the Old Kent Road. The committee took over 4 hours to get the final decision right and sat until after 1am this morning.

This new facility should be completed in around 15 months time. It will provide enough recycling capacity enable an increase from 21% recycling now to over 50%.

Do you recycle everything possible?

Bojangles

Several weeks ago we suddenly heard the terrible news a registered private day nursery called Bojangles  close to the junction of Barry Road with Upland Road was threatened with closure.

It has run up signficant debt with Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue. It was advised by accountants to go into liquidation. Bojangles changed its legal entity to Fingerprints (Dulwich) Ltd. Unfortunately that meant the lease with the church expired. So the church served a notice to quit on them. Overall this meant its Ofsted status ended and had to be reapplied.

Lots of worried parents contacted us. We quickly escalated this to Cllr Lisa Rajan who heads up Childrens Services. Quickly Southwark Council Early Years officers stepped in to try resolving the dispute between the church and Bojangles/Fingerprints without success. All parents were contacted and public meeting took place to help find other nursery places. Currently 95% of deposits have been returned to parents with remaining £6,000 to be returned. More importantly these young children have been offered places.

LESSONS LEARNT:

This is the fourth nursery in Southwark to take such actions to avoid HMRC tax debts. Officers are planning to proactively give advice to all such nurseries to reduce the risk of this happening again.

East Dulwich 20mph…

The East Dulwich councillors have been campaigning for our streets to be safer. Many residents have contacted us about speeding vehicles. We’ve provided the local Police with a state of art speed gun and display. But on some streets the speed limit is excessive.

Just before the summer holidays traffic and speed counters were installed for a fortnight on 22 of the 65 streets in East Dulwich. On some streets several were installed.

The governments rules to make a street 20mph is that the mean average speed must be lower than 24mph. The results of the counters are below. The next step is for officers to meet the police and other emeregency services and agreed that their happy for these streets to be made 20mph in principle. Local residents are then formally consulted. Then we have to by law advertise this in the local papers (now you know why lots of council tax money on publicity goes), then the signs go up and we should see an average speed reduction due to the signs of 1-3mph. Then local Police can enforce such reasonable speeds on wholly residential roads in East Dulwich. Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.

Community Radio

While on holiday in Dorset came across a local community radio station serving Crewkerne called United Internet Radio. They’re starting as an internet radio station. In 2017 when FM analogue radio is converted to digital very local radio stations should be possible. They plan to have a very low powered transmitter/FM licence then.

Wouldn’t this be a great idea for East Dulwich.

If you’re interested in creating something similar let me know and I’ll see how we can support you.

International Plastic Bag Free day – 12 September

The world’s first Plastic Bag Free Day will be on the 12th September 2009. Please ditch plastic bags for good! Just take a reusable bag with you when you shop.

Locally in East Dulwich this has been led by SNUB (Say No to Unwanted Bags) – an inspiring team of locals that we’ve funded the bags and more recent composting trial via our councillor Cleaner, Greener, Safer funds.

There are many ways you can support Plastic Bag Free day. Leave plastic bags at the checkout, help to make your town Plastic Bag Free or join in the celebrations at town’s that have already stopped using plastic bags. You could also write to shops and supermarkets asking them to support the day. See www.adoptabeach.org.uk for more. 

Whatever you do please take part.

Sinusiodal humps

Lots of debate about traffic calming measures – speed cushions are often  ignored by larger vehicles and 4WD cars, humps are painful and dangerous for cyclists and painful for vehicle occupants even when taken at less than 20mph. Until the Labour Government finally approves average speed cameras or changes insurance laws physical measures have to be installed to calm peoples behaviour behind the wheel.However, one type of hump doesn’t seem to have this problem – sinusoidal humps. They’re curved like a wave. Not quite as effective at traffic calming as regular ’round topped’ humps but boy are they more comfortable for vehicle occupants and safer for cyclists.

With the executive councillor Paul Kyriacou agreement it is now Southwark Council policy that all new humps will be sinusoidal.  I also expect when old humps get replaced during maintenance that they’ll be replaced with sinusoidal humps.

Sustainable Community Act – speed cameras

For some time I’ve been following this Act from its initial proposal onwards. It aims to give communities the opportunity to take back powers for things pointlessly decided by central government or its quango’s.

As part of this Act I applied to Southwark that its asks for Southwark to have its own Safer Camera Partnership – speed and red light running cameras. Effectively opt out of the London wide scheme. Full council agreed to approve this and it is now with the next filter organised by the Local Government Association. If they agreed it, then it is formally lodged with central government. They then decide whether to implement this change or not.

My idea relates to the fact that for several years no new cameras have been installed in Southwark by the London Camera Partnership.

The idea came from attending a Southwark Living Streets presentation where they showed that virtually all collisions on our roads occur on major roads and that the primary cause is speeding. They also explained that lots of research that such fast roads, such as the Old Kent Road, result in deprivation via ill health, injuries, noise, social dislocation (not knowing your neighbours).

Hopefully, I’ll get to present my case to the LGA soon.

What do you think – more cameras?