IMAGES NOW POSTED Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
Re: Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
Slightly going off the subject, I noticed today that ther are drawings on the road in Taylors Lane,indicating " Humps". Does anybody know anything about this. Although I must say they are long overdue.
Re: Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
Householders in Kirkdale and the surrounding area have now been sent Lewisham's plans for these roadworks. We have until 15th February to register comments. The plans are much, much worse than I had dreamt. The area around the entrance to Kelvin Grove will be particulary badly altered with narrowing of the road and two speed cushions (this is of course different to the information given on the only two site notices in the whole of Kirkdale.) There will be no pedestrian crossings built and no account has been taken of the fact that we have two schools on this road, one of which is set to grow into a huge school for primary and autistic children, having taken over the Kirkdale Institute.
I had already asked a number of questions of the Council, which remain unanswered. I will of course be pushing for answers and publish them on here.
I'm hoping to be able to scan the plans and post them on STF in the next couple of days. In the meantime, local residents should look out for a plain white A5 sized envelope addressed to "The Occupier". It looks like the sort of junk mailing we've been bombarded with from estate agents recently ... so be careful you're not throwing your chance to comment in the bin unopened!
I had already asked a number of questions of the Council, which remain unanswered. I will of course be pushing for answers and publish them on here.
I'm hoping to be able to scan the plans and post them on STF in the next couple of days. In the meantime, local residents should look out for a plain white A5 sized envelope addressed to "The Occupier". It looks like the sort of junk mailing we've been bombarded with from estate agents recently ... so be careful you're not throwing your chance to comment in the bin unopened!
Re: Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
Thanks are due to Admin for helping me with the technicals on this.
Here are the Council's plans for the so called "traffic calming" measures on upper Kirkdale (i.e. the bit of Kirkdale that runs from Dartmouth Road, up to Sydenham Hill).
We have until 15th February to lodge comments with the Council. I'm pretty appalled that these plans still aren't on Lewisham's website and that they still haven't answered my questions.
I have written to the Mayor and Councillors asking that these measures be discussed at our local assembly meetings and that any comments and suggestions put forward by the community should be taken into account.
I personally believe that these destructive, irreversible and expensive "vertical deflections" are unnecessary and will actually make the hill more dangerous, especially to motorcyclists and especially in wintry weather.
I have asked for speed cameras. But apparently upper Kirkdale has not had the numbers killed/seriously injured that Westwood Hill has had. So we can't have speed cameras.
I have instead asked if these criteria apply to vehicle activated warning signs, such as have been very effective elsewhere. No answer yet from Lewisham.
I believe these vehicle activated warning signs, plus pelican type pedestrian crossings near the junctions with Thorpewood (for Eliot Bank school) and the Kirkdale Institute (for the rapidly expanding Kelvin Grove school), would be a much safer and more effective solution.
Lewisham's plans include no pedestrian crossing points.
http://sydenham.org.uk/stf_56.gif
http://sydenham.org.uk/stf_56.jpg
Here are the Council's plans for the so called "traffic calming" measures on upper Kirkdale (i.e. the bit of Kirkdale that runs from Dartmouth Road, up to Sydenham Hill).
We have until 15th February to lodge comments with the Council. I'm pretty appalled that these plans still aren't on Lewisham's website and that they still haven't answered my questions.
I have written to the Mayor and Councillors asking that these measures be discussed at our local assembly meetings and that any comments and suggestions put forward by the community should be taken into account.
I personally believe that these destructive, irreversible and expensive "vertical deflections" are unnecessary and will actually make the hill more dangerous, especially to motorcyclists and especially in wintry weather.
I have asked for speed cameras. But apparently upper Kirkdale has not had the numbers killed/seriously injured that Westwood Hill has had. So we can't have speed cameras.
I have instead asked if these criteria apply to vehicle activated warning signs, such as have been very effective elsewhere. No answer yet from Lewisham.
I believe these vehicle activated warning signs, plus pelican type pedestrian crossings near the junctions with Thorpewood (for Eliot Bank school) and the Kirkdale Institute (for the rapidly expanding Kelvin Grove school), would be a much safer and more effective solution.
Lewisham's plans include no pedestrian crossing points.
http://sydenham.org.uk/stf_56.gif
http://sydenham.org.uk/stf_56.jpg
Re: IMAGES NOW POSTED Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
......may I suggest if you are dealing with Pam Bacchus that you get everything in writing and keep it.
Experience has taught me that she and many other at the Council have selective memories.
Experience has taught me that she and many other at the Council have selective memories.
Re: IMAGES NOW POSTED Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
Excellent point Eagle. I still have some of the correspondence between myself and Pam Bacchus from back in 2006 (when I tried to get speed cameras and was refused because - according to Lewisham - there was no need for speed control in upper Kirkdale) but some of the correspondence was sadly lost when my computer crashed. Luckily I still have photographs of the debris field after a bus drove over the "pedestrian refuge" because the driver "didn't see it".
Re: IMAGES NOW POSTED Speed bumps on upper Kirkdale
I have now heard from Lewisham that they are proceeding with these ill advised plans.
Quite whether they're the plans on the two lamposts, or the completely different plans on the letter they finally sent to residents (at my request) remains a mystery.
But either way, there will be no accommodation for pedestrians attempting to cross the road at Kelvin Grove and Eliot Bank schools. This despite Kelvin Grove proceeding with plans to nearly double its intake of pupils.
Naturally one prays that no children suffer injury, but no doubt Lewisham's councillors and officials will be eager to accept responsiblity if it happens.
I tried to get this discussed at our local ward assembly meeting, but there was no room in the timetable.
Some may think that Lewisham has a contract with a road construction company that will do very well out of this, but who don't install pedestrian crossings. But I couldn't possibly comment.
Incidentally, I've been watching (and hearing) what happens at the speed table near Panmure Road, which was installed over a year ago. About 50 percent of the traffic coming up the hill (i.e. not a speed threat) does slow down, such that it's hard for pedestrians trying to cross the road to judge the speed of vehicles. (I've also been caught out when trying to reverse onto my drive at night, because it looks as though cars are slowing and flashing their lights, when in fact they floor the accelerator pedal as soon as they're over the hump.) Most traffic coming down the hill doesn't slow down - this is of course especially true of speeding vehicles.
Trucks and lorries seem by and large to speed up more. The noise some of them make as they crash up and down over this obstacle is quite alarming.
So we can look forward to sleepless nights, increased pollution, dangerous journeys by ambulance ... but possibly some entertaining filming of slipping and sliding in the snow!
Quite whether they're the plans on the two lamposts, or the completely different plans on the letter they finally sent to residents (at my request) remains a mystery.
But either way, there will be no accommodation for pedestrians attempting to cross the road at Kelvin Grove and Eliot Bank schools. This despite Kelvin Grove proceeding with plans to nearly double its intake of pupils.
Naturally one prays that no children suffer injury, but no doubt Lewisham's councillors and officials will be eager to accept responsiblity if it happens.
I tried to get this discussed at our local ward assembly meeting, but there was no room in the timetable.
Some may think that Lewisham has a contract with a road construction company that will do very well out of this, but who don't install pedestrian crossings. But I couldn't possibly comment.
Incidentally, I've been watching (and hearing) what happens at the speed table near Panmure Road, which was installed over a year ago. About 50 percent of the traffic coming up the hill (i.e. not a speed threat) does slow down, such that it's hard for pedestrians trying to cross the road to judge the speed of vehicles. (I've also been caught out when trying to reverse onto my drive at night, because it looks as though cars are slowing and flashing their lights, when in fact they floor the accelerator pedal as soon as they're over the hump.) Most traffic coming down the hill doesn't slow down - this is of course especially true of speeding vehicles.
Trucks and lorries seem by and large to speed up more. The noise some of them make as they crash up and down over this obstacle is quite alarming.
So we can look forward to sleepless nights, increased pollution, dangerous journeys by ambulance ... but possibly some entertaining filming of slipping and sliding in the snow!