malumbu

@Insuflo NO, please no, please don't encourage him to post more often! 😒

Yes, but there doesn't seem to be any acknowledgement or apology from at least one LD on this site!

Before resorting to social media it is always worth checking out the details that are out there: Southwark's spending for this year: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-tax/how-we-manage-council-tax/our-budget-and-how-we-spend-council-tax/our-income-and As you will see, as with most if not all London Boroughs, shed loads goes on social care and children's services. The cost of paying for residential care, and for 'specialist schools is massive. As with other boroughs they have been hit hard by austerity under the coalition government. And the failure by successive governments to sort out social care. That is a thread all in its own rights. Local authorities of all political persuasions across England are facing tough times, several have gone into administration: Birmingham, Woking, Thurrock, Croydon, Slough, Northamptonshire, and Nottingham and 11 are on bailouts. Covid will not have helped. Some will have made some poor investment decisions in the past eg Thurrock and Woking; Some total mismanagement and one has been hit by historical debt through not paying their workers fairly (Brum). Reform promise simple solutions to cutting spending. Not that easy is it Nige?

@Rockets Very doom and gloom. As we are polls apart in our take I wondered if there was any point of discussing further. My mood further darkened by Kirsty Muir finishing fourth again and watching the last episode of the second series of the Night Manager. Traumatic (that is not a spoiler alert). However I thought it worth looking at your £3 Billion pounds cost of congestion in London and whether this was actual loss in economic activity. Politicians love throwing big numbers around to justify policies, and the masses also pick up on numbers to support their own views. GLA/TfL for example use this to increase the cost of the C charge The 3 Billion is assessed on drivers additional journey times, "average time lost sitting in traffic compared to free-flow traffic, resulting in 101 hours per driver in 2024". Not sure how many of these typical drivers there are. This is congestion vs free flowing traffic, and during peak times there is hardly anywhere where you could say traffic is free flowing, and its been like that for decades. It also assumes that the driver would be doing something constructive during that lost time. It's very much the back of a fag packet calculation. But that is the nature of the game with so many variables. Now me, If I was on the bus stuck in traffic I would probably read, catch up on e-mails/Whatsapp, scroll or at worst case spend far too long on this forum. But I wouldn't call that unproductive time. For everyone who routinely drives during peak time they do this in the knowledge that traffic is unlikely to be free flowing. An of assessment of economic activity based on delays to deliveries, delays to appointments, getting materials and the like would be far more valuable, An office worker taking an hour for a journey that may take 30 minutes first thing on a Sunday morning will not do 30 minutes less work. And it is part and parcel of working in a big City. You talk about a fundamental rethink - what are your thoughts? From the last few years it would seem you want roads opened up, the end of the 20mph speed limit, and removal of bike lanes. I expect that would result in some mode shift away from public transport and active travel, but I am not proposing any sort of trial. Me, as I have repeatedly said, is a change in attitude to motorised transport in urban areas which for many there are viable alternatives. That is from the top of government, to communities and us as individuals. We've hijacked this thread, I still think there is a lot of fuss about not very much and there have, and will be further, changes to the scheme. On the west side of the Rye it has always been a nightmare in term time, and thinking of your free flowing traffic issues I wouldn't know how you would deal with this. You can't get rid of the junction with East Dulwich Road, and going onto Peckham Road, Peckham Hill Street etc is a right mess of junctions. Why you would drive down there in peak time, unless you really had to, I don't know. The Rye is also crying out for a bike lane, and this could be on the Rye itself but the Peckham Society would die in a ditch over that. Local civic societies do a lot of great work, and I have been a member of two, but they don't fully represent an area, rather, a aprtiocular demographic which I expect in Peckham is fairly narrow. And my experience is there can be fair element of NIMBYism. I tried to get into conversation with the Telegraph Hill Society who were frothing at the mouth about the possibility of a CPZ. PS well done to Kirsty Muir, next time a medal!

"In Southwark, you can recycle plastic plant pots at home in your main recycling bin, provided they are not black, as black plastic is often not detected by recycling machinery. Clean, rigid plastic pots (tubs/trays) are accepted, but soft plastic pots should be taken to a local supermarket drop-off point" B&Q take as well https://www.diy.com/responsible-business/community/community-re-use (I've just found much of this out) Or you can make little men

Plastic flower pots full stop, have so many of them and most go into the recycling rather than being reused.

@Spartacushow would you to define what is essential? A quick view from me: Are there quicker ways of getting from A to B? for jouneys to central London public transport may be faster, and from much of my time in London cycling is far quicker If I'm moving a largish weight of material around would it be easier to order on line and get delivered? Are their healthier ways of getting there - for example is it a relatively straight forward walk? Cheaper alternatives, for many in London ditching the car and using other means in terms of annual costs makes better financial sense Could I share the ride with someone else? - particularly relevant for childrens' activiities Do I want to consume alcohol? Leave the car behind. Can I justify in my own mind why I should be adding to congestion and pollution by driving? Will an extra few minutes taking the bus be an inconvenience ? I usually take a book or paper, but most of us have a hand held computer and telecommunications device Are there less stressful alternatives - for example if there is a lot of traffic, difficulties in parking and the like? @Rockets it would be good to get your take on what is essential, as well as your response to my other six questions. As driving is habitual for many, there may be little thinking on much of the above

Good heavens, would this scheme really cost the economy that much? But to be serious, you band round these figures and seem to suggest that this is all down to LTNs. I could say, with more justification, it is more to do with too many unnecessary car journeys. Would you get rid of all restrictions on vehicles? By ending school streets would you argue that economic activity, and the freedom to drive where you like and when you like is more important than school children's safety.? Meanwhile I await your response to my four questions from yesterday as well as the two above. Ignore the first one, that was me just making a point.

I answered your questions honestly. No need for all the above.

Bit early for pantomime season.

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Rude Count the posts this is my 8th on this thread out of 60 odd But I'm not going to count traffic, it was a facetious post And I was being facetious to Alice too joining in with the spirit of her comment. Or... at you double bluffing and playing me at my own game. Nice, Nearly gotme. I'll need to get up earlier tomorrow to catch you out!

Well worth a trawl back thought the posts. Very entertaining. My two'penneth worth today, constant rain and South London clay soil.

This is quite a dull thread, I'm working my way through comments on the other one and it's great to see that we were as rabid/bonkers then (almost 20 years ago when the thread stated) as now.

Have you been asleep for the last couple of weeks? https://www.theredcard.org/news/statement-on-comments-by-jim-ratcliffe/