Jump to content

DulvilleRes

Member
  • Posts

    125
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  1. How would you know it is 'most roads' Rockets? Have you been out there pounding the streets, or any other source of knowledge?
  2. Rockets – it is a great loss to One Dulwich that you haven't spoken to the people behind the lobby group, as you are so clearly a trendsetter when it comes to the LTN debate. You were posting about the Public Accounts committee/ National Travel Survey report a full month before One Dulwich’s latest missive highlighting it. I’m just puzzled, that as someone concerned with local democracy, that you have no knowledge or curiosity as to who might be behind the work you are promoting, especially in the light of the critical attention you pay to the credentials of anyone who might put forward a pro LTN point of view. I genuinely don’t understand this disparity of approach. The Daily Mail has been fairly regularly covering the Dulwich LTN issues, and recently describes one of the former local Conservative councillor candidates as a ‘local campaigner’. This would certainly correspond with pattern of LTN - related questions that the former Conservative councillors have been formally asking at a town hall level. Those questions are closely aligned to One Dulwich concerns. It could all of course be entirely co incidental, but is it possible that the ‘campaign’ referred to by the Mail is One Dulwich? As an aside, One Dulwich seem to have the ear of the Daily Mail. I find it quite surprising that hyper local stories seem to find their way into the paper quite regularly, especially in light of the fact that journalism, even at the comparatively wealthy Mail, is very much on the back foot these days. A lot of the news cycle is actually driven by PR culture, of interest groups reaching out to the papers. Again, there is no way of knowing how the Mail picks up its stories, but the question could be asked - is there some kind of connection between the two?
  3. There is a vast difference in the scale and impact between One Dulwich and any other group you mention. As far as I am aware, the likes of Clean Air Dulwich have never posted their press releases directly on this forum, frankly most people reading this would be scarcely aware of their existence. In contrast, the Roads and Transport section of the forum at times resembles a One Dulwich public information channel, the topics debated mirror what appears to be a campaigning strategy for One Dulwich, which in turn also has a huge overlap with some of the very current questions that former Conservative candidates for the last local election are formally asking Southwark Council. A quick Google search reveals this. I am a huge supporter of local debate and democracy, and on that basis, I do have an issue with One Dulwich's lack of transparency. British politics at every level has been blighted by unaccountable and shadowy lobby groups, and I think it is in the local public interest we have some sense of who is actually pulling the strings in One Dulwich and where they get their cash from. If the Conservatives continue to run for local and national elections campaigning heavily on local traffic issues, the question can be asked, would they unwittingly or otherwise, benefit from One Dulwich's campaigning spend? I would ask One Dulwich myself some of these questions, but I saw what happened to local people who were in favour of LTN's who put their heads up. The personal targeting and intimidation from a person or persons unknown from the anti-LTN lobby was on such a level that the Police had to get involved; it was life-changingly nasty for some of the people targeted in such a way. This was on a level of seriousness for which there is no equivalence with anti-LTN signs getting pushed over, unacceptable as such behaviour was. One Dulwich as I recall rightly condemned the intimidation of the pro-LTN lobby, but given the complete opaqueness of them as an organization, I just don't know who I am dealing with, and thus rightly or wrongly reluctant to put my name out there. What is clear is One Dulwich supporters on these threads have no problems with relentless personal attacks on local councilors and academics, which is something I've always found unsettling, and certainly not in keeping with what I think should be the tone of a local discussion forum, or indeed any wider sense of neighbourliness. So, given the seemingly very close proximity of One Dulwich activists and some of the people who post on these threads, I am asking them again in the spirit of openness in local democracy - are former/ future Conservative councilor candidates involved in One Dulwich? Where do they get their funding from? I would ask serious questions of anyone closely aligned with the In the One Dulwich agenda over a sustained period who didn't know at least some of the answers, or was too incurious to ask.
  4. As ever, the devil is in the detail of the report that One Dulwich are quoting to thinly imply that the LTN's in our area aren't working to increase active travel. The report is a national one, and goes to some lengths to describe the financial challenges that councils are working under as an impediment to progress. It also says that the data could be patchy cycling infrastructure could be inconsistent across the country and investment was very localised, so a national survey was “too diluted to reflect what is happening on the ground" However, the relevant London section, unchallenged by the Public Accounts committee says Since the introduction of School Streets (timed restrictions on motor traffic) and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (restrictions on through traffic in residential areas) in London there has been growth in localised cycle and scooter use. This would be backed up locally by recent research that shows that Southwark has the second highest cycling rates in London, which would suggest that whatever our council are doing is working. So I think One Dulwich quoting from the report the way they do in their press release is disingenuous. I think there is a public interest in knowing who is backing One Dulwich - it is clearly a well funded operation, all those placards, posters and a well maintained website don't come cheap. Whether unwittingly or otherwise, the One Dulwich agenda is one that the Conservative party has identified as a vote winner. It could of course be entirely co incidental, and I have no problem with people campaigning for local issues they believe in, but I do have an issue with transparency and people being honest about who they are and their motives. If local senior Conservatives are involved, especially those who have run for office or plan to do so, I think we should know, so local people can make their own minds up as to who they are dealing with.
  5. These are simple and pertinent questions - who are One Dulwich and who funds them? Given that they are a local political organisation, in that they were recommending how people should vote in the last local elections, I think this is something that as a local resident, I would like to know. If they have nothing to hide, why the lack of transparency? One Dulwich's supporters on these threads expect transparency from everyone else, but when it comes to themselves, not so much. I would also question why One Dulwich should post their press releases on these threads, as if they are some kind of community organisation. Their lack of transparency really doesn't merit that status.
  6. It is disingenuous of One Dulwich to pull this England-wide report on Active travel, drawing on data from the likes of Leicester into the specifics of Dulwich. The local data simply doesn't exist to say the LTN's have failed to promote active travel, especially cycling. Many people posting on here report an increase in the numbers of people cycling in our neighbourhood. So who are One Dulwich? Who are their funders and leading lights? Despite many times of asking, no one on these Transport threads seems able to answer the question, despite pushing their agenda. What is known is a strong alignment between the anti-LTN lobby and local Conservatives, and what is known is nationally, local Conservatives mimic local newspapers to put over what is essentially their own political agenda. It is also known that the Conservatives are banking heavily on 'The War On Motorists' to try and win votes. Are we being trolled?
  7. Given this is a South London forum, I would have thought this is more relevant to a discussion about cycling https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/southwark/southwark-among-london-boroughs-with-highest-rate-of-cycling/ Southwark has the second highest rate of cycling in London. I would also question the tired old assertion that cycling is white middle class men. In my experience it is predominately young, and approx 35 - 40% female.
  8. Not sure where all this 'cycling has peaked' is coming from. I took this picture this morning at the top of Brixton Road. It is the same or more crowded every day, and that could also be said for coming into town via the Elephant. There is a much bigger range of people cycling since the lanes have been put in as well - clearly they give people confidence.
  9. If we are talking locally - i.e cycling in Southwark, are there any numbers on that? I have been for years cycle commuting into town the length of the borough, and my experience is that cycling has increased exponentially. I would agree with Earl - there are consistent virtual cycle traffic jams on some of the lights. I am also staggered at how many cyclists come through the Dulwich Square junction, especially getting their kids to school, including some of our local well known people.
  10. Who are the principal shakers and movers behind One Dulwich? Who funds them? Despite asking on this forum, no one seems to know, including the people who slavishly post their every utterance. So much of the campaigning by the anti-LTN lobby is focused around transparency – when it comes to themselves, not so much. What is known is the local Conservatives fought the last local election on pretty well the single LTN issue, and leading local Conservatives were actively involved in anti-LTN groups in the run-up. In this context, I found this article very interesting – as a campaigning tactic, local Conservatives across the country have been mimicking local newspapers and obscuring their true identity while doing so. https://bylinetimes.com/2023/08/24/fake-newspapers-sent-by-political-parties-should-be-banned-voters-say/ When I read this it brought to mind the uneasy feeling I sometimes have reading the Roads and Transport section of the East Dulwich Forum, (the same feeling I get when a One Dulwich flyer arrives in my letterbox) - some posters profess they aren’t Conservative activists, but their long-term words and actions, their knowledge of local politics and relentless criticism of the council on every issue are virtually indistinguishable from what you would expect from a local Conservative activist. It could of course be that it is just a remarkable overlap of views and interests, but the question I ask myself is - are we being trolled?
  11. What a desperate non story the parking ticket is. At work I have contractors putting in parking tickets all the time which they have incurred on the job. The worst you can say is that it is a grey area. This story is just further proof that all issues around cars, LTN's, parking are being politicised for motives other than the ostensible ones at hand. My view is that it has been going on for years locally - it must actually be quite inconvenient for some that now the the motoring culture wars are being so openly owned by the national Conservative hierarchy.
  12. The academic ripping down an anti LTN petition isn't a great look. But is it the LTN smoking gun that some of the posters on this thread claim it is? I'm not convinced. My understanding is the academic didn't do all the studies and she didn't do them alone. The article I read doesn't time date when the incident occurred. It looks recent to me, so that being the case, it would post dates the studies. She defends herself as a moment of madness, for which there could be all kinds of reasons. If there is an issue in her work, I'm sure it will be reviewed by her peers and employer, who will be closer to the facts than any of us will be. The thing I've found most revealing about this whole situation is the papers that chose to run it - the Daily Mail and The Telegraph. In recent years they have comprehensively aligned themselves to culture war issues. I notice that, as far as I am aware, they weren't running stories about how in leafy Dulwich, the Police had to be involved in the sheer and sustained level of nastiness of the direct intimidation some supporters of the LTN's experienced at the hands of those of an anti LTN persuasion, but they chose to run one on an expert falling down. So it is fair to say that the anti LTN cause is of considerable interest to the right wing press. I also note that a lot of the anti LTN campaigning locally has taken on an unnecessarily culture wars hue - some of the stuff I've read about the cabal of lycra clad cycling eco warriors in cahoots with the Council could, in my view, easily have fitted the rhetoric of the Daily Mail. The local Conservatives ran virtually their entire recent local election campaign on the LTN single issue and lost. It always struck me as an interesting choice by the local Conservatives, when there are so many other local issues. So, my questions remain - in whose interests is it to keep cranking up the LTN issue? Who funds One Dulwich and do their leading lights have strong political affiliations they aren't telling us about? One would hope that it is the apolitical community group it purports to be, but it really is a mystery to me, and If anyone has further information on this, please do share.
  13. Thanks to all of you attempting to answer my questions on who are the shakers and movers of One Dulwich, and who funds them. I'm a bit surprised that no one seems to have any answers - threads on this forum sometimes kick off with the latest One Dulwich press release/ update, or those updates often feature within threads to the point where, as far as the LTNs are concerned, the EDF can feel like the One Dulwich public information channel. Yet when it comes to any information about One Dulwich, no one seems to know anything, or if they do, they are unwilling to share. This puzzles me, as this incuriosity sits in contrast to the huge attention to detail shown by anti- LTN posters of poring over Southwark Council data or the technical merits of measuring strips. Why would those opposed to LTN's not want to find out a bit more about the people, motives and finances of the organisation they seem to espouse and support? I'm never comfortable with an organisation that purports to be some kind of popular movement, but remains opaque. Rightly or wrongly, it makes me feel I'm not being levelled with. Is One Dulwich all that it seems? Only further information would tell.
  14. One Dulwich clearly seeks to influence local politics - their website still contains analysis of how to vote opponents out. The public criticism from some of those in the anti-LTN lobby of local elected councilors has been unrelenting, and at times personalized and very unpleasant. Councilors and supporters of the LTN's have in the past been physically targeted in or near their homes by people with anti-LTN views, to the point that the Police had to get involved. There were months of vandalism and graffiti of LTN infrastructure, and at one point I actually stumbled across a bloke with a balaclava and dressed in black trying to pull a barrier down. I have found it all very unsettling, and given this broader context, I think One Dulwich, which purports to be a grassroots organization, owes the community a bit of transparency and accountability. So, who funds One Dulwich? It is a relatively expensive operation, with all those billboards and leaflets. Who are their principal shakers and movers? Are those shakers and movers aligned with a particular political party? Does one political party dominate? It is all very opaque. I've asked the question before, and no one seems to be able to provide an answer.
  15. One Dulwich is an apolitical grassroots campaign Where is the evidence for this? What is clear is that prominent local Conservatives have been in the past heavily involved in the anti LTN lobby, and ran their last local election campaign on virtually that single issue - and lost. Who are the One Dulwich officers/ active members? Where does the funding come from and are the accounts visible to the local community? Are there One Dulwich meetings open to all? How are One Dulwich decisions arrived at - a democratic vote of supporters? Maybe I have missed something, but I have yet personally to see any answers; perhaps someone on this thread could illuminate. Until that happens the question could be asked - does One Dulwich have a lack of the kind of transparency and accountability that they constantly demand from the council?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...