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The 197 is a ghastly service. The buses are filthy and covered with litter, and it's one of those where it's packed downstairs and everyone seems to get on and off at every stop so it seems to spend 10 mins at every stop and takes 2 hours to get to Croydon. And it's rammed by the time it gets to Barry Road. Avoid.

I contacted Jasmine Ali a few years ago about something. She was very rude and dismissive. I was clearly an inconvenience to her and my request did not concur with her personal view, which must have been more important than representing her constituents. It put me off bothering to deal with Councillors.

I tuned in out of curiosity a couple of times during the week. Both times, I found myself quite engaged with what was going on whereas I was expecting a complete car crash. Of course there's a few glitches. It's a new, LIVE TV channel, with a budget that is targeting 100,000 or so UK viewers. It can't compete against the budgets of Sky News and BBC, which are news divisions of much larger organisations and can benefit from the economies of scale of a multi-genre broadcaster. Anyone who expects a brand new, live TV channel to be slick from day one needs their head examined. I've read a lot on social media this week too and find that the #GBNewsfails hashtags are pretty childish and unpleasant in many cases. They remind me of the bullies sitting at the back of the class, waiting for the new kid to do something that they can all laugh at. There's not enough actual News on the channel, but that goes along with the budgets. I find the outside broadcasts quite fun, to be honest, and the reporters all seem to be really enjoying themselves. There's been criticism of the lack of overseas news, but it's aiming to be a "local" GB news channel - you wouldn't criticise BBC London News for not reporting news from Newcastle. I've seen very little of the "right wing echo chamber" stuff that was reported in the first couple of days. One of the presenters is a bit anti-masky, but they don't hold back from having guests that fight back about this stance, and they offer a balanced view. It was Stop Funding Hate's campaigning that made me stop to take a look. Their campaign is nothing but hate itself, bullying advertisers into pulling advertisements on the basis that the channel is "peddling hate" which it clearly does not. It's good that it's made advertisers stop and think about where they are advertising and it's good that GBNews have stuck up for themselves. It's not going to replace BBC News for me but I'll look in again from time to time. I think that once the bullies and people hoping for failure lose interest, it has a good future ahead of it.

Agree with KalamityKel. It can be counter-productive to have the brown bin. The guys come along and empty the food bins into the brown bin. When the lorry arrives, the guys sometimes leave the bin if there isn't a lot in there. So I end up with the food waste from three flats festering in my garden waste bin for a week or more. On the other hand, it's ?40 for up to 52 collections a year so I can't grumble about value for money. If anything, I go for several weeks without using it and could then use 3 bins in a weekend. Would be good if bin subscribers could also put bags out with the bins.

I really admire you NewWave. There's no way I could wear a mask all day. It's such an unfair situation, that wearing a mask is to protect others, but the people who refuse to wear masks refuse to acknowledge that and spout nonsense about their civil liberties. Some idiot was spouting "stats" on TV the other day about the average age of covid deaths being 80+, and now that fewer people are dying, all covid measures are unnecessary. It's never been about the number of people dying. From day 1 it's been about protecting the health service from being overwhelmed, and it's BECAUSE of these measures that more people aren't dying or in hospital.

Thank you all for entertaining my nosiness!

I feel for you Ronnijade. I hate wearing a mask. I actively avoid going to the shops as I find it a horrible experience - stuffy air, tickly nose and steamed up glasses, and trying to keep an eye on the kids playing hide and seek around the shelves while you can't see out of your glasses. But I wear one, as it is courteous to do so, notwithstanding the Covid rules. I've also noticed Sepiroth's observation that a lot of anti-maskers seem to claim physical exemptions, and start to quote conspiracy theories (like Russia, China, North Korea and the West have teamed up on this one). And the anti-maskers who quote stats about masks not stopping you getting Covid don't seem to realise it's not about you, it's about other people. Have some respect! I do have respect for people with true medical exemptions and I'm not having a pop at them, but it does seem unlikely that so many people are unable to cover their faces for the 20 secs it takes from entering a put to being seated.

Hello. I'm just being unbelievably nosey but it bugs me every time I go past here (near Goodrich Road junction). Why would the Council / Conway resurface Upload Road, then put white lines along the dropped kerb bits, and then black them out again? This would suggest that the white lines were invalid and people are allowed to park there, although I wouldn't out of courtesy for the people who live in the houses. Seems strange.

The refuse collectors empty the food caddies from our flats into our brown bin (including compostable bags which split open) and then either miss the brown bin collection, or leave it because there isn't a lot in there. First world problems, I know, but it does become very tiresome.

Our missed bins always used to be collected on a Saturday. Our recycling was missed (again - 3rd time this year) a couple of weeks ago and I reported the missed bin collection twice - no response, no acknowledgement, no confirmation of whether the bin would or wouldn't be collected. Contacted Southwark, who played the Covid card. Had to put all of our recycling in the green bin, or else we'll have a full blue bin again as soon as it's been emptied. If they can't collect missed collections due to staff numbers, perhaps they could supply acceptable recycling bags that can be collected with the next regular collection.

Our bins are frequently missed. I think it's because we live on a junction where the lorry does part of the road, then the adjoining road, and then the rest of our road, missing us. Our missed collections always used to be picked up on a Saturday (reported on a Wednesday / Thursday) without fail, but now they don't come at all. We've contacted the Council and they play the Covid card. We often have to put our recycling in the green bin as we can't go 4 weeks between collections.

Stick it in my garden if it means that I can get a mobile signal

Thanks - I might pop in and see what they say. They always seem grateful and willing to help, which hasn't always been my experience of the LL charity shops.

It would be quite useful if there was some sort of sticky thread, where charities (or their in-the-know supporters) could keep an up-to-date list of what they do and don't want. We've had a massive clear-out during lockdown. The main items for distribution are clothes. But we don't want to burden charities with stuff they can't sell, nor do we want to put stuff in a rags back that could make some money for a charity, or go directly to people who need them. Our clothes piles are currently: rags (old jeans, t-shirts and shirts that are well beyond saving), posh rags (cashmere jumpers and suits with moth holes, but good quality material otherwise), good quality clothes that we just don't wear, well-used but adequate baby clothes, and hardly-worn baby clothes. Add in the different types of furniture that charities do/don't want (upholstered or wooden only, with/without fire safety labels), electronics, CDs (only albums or singles too?), DVDs, old VHSs, vinyl (like the earlier thread - do charities want any old vinyl or just rare classics?) and the forum could have a really useful directory for passing on our "pre-loved" items. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for our various clothes piles, please fire away.

BP's apology for the Deepwater Horizon spill:

Local green space is all very good, but it's really good for the soul to get out somewhere different and experience the countryside, which is needed more than ever during lockdown. I think that the recent travel restrictions only apply where you are travelling in/out of an area with different restrictions i.e. you couldn't go in and out of Wales for non-essential reasons during their circuit breaker, or Liverpool / Manchester when they were Tier 3. I don't think that there was ever a restriction on travelling between Tier 1 and 2, and all of England is in the same lockdown anyway now. It's all about being sensible in the end. Don't sit in a 3hr traffic queue to go where everyone else is heading (like the beaches in the summer); Don't drive in a manner that would give Plod an excuse to be picky; Don't park where you are blocking country roads, etc., and I'm sure you'll be fine. Anyway, I think that the weather will enforce lockdown this weekend.

Fishbiscuits - the official term is chin diaper. I confess I'm guilty of sporting a chin diaper in between shops, rather than taking it off and putting it on again. It does annoy me when I see people wearing masks ineffectively (i.e. not covering the nose, or just on the chin) in shops, on the train, etc. Sainsbury's seems to be one of the worst offenders. I don't think that staff are obliged to wear them, but it's common-sense to wear one properly when mixing with the public, rather than having a natter with your colleagues across the checkouts with a mask around your chin.

Absolutely, binky. What could possibly go wrong? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/sep/18/nhs-worker-attacked-on-london-bus-in-covid-mask-row-say-police

@Rockets - where's the Like button on this forum? The last sentence of your post hits the nail on the head.

James - can you clarify who "are so adamant nothing should or can change." Everyone in this thread has agreed that we should aim to minimise vehicle use. But we don't achieve that by making it slower and further (and consequently more polluting) to get from A to B, which is what the road closures (new and existing) are doing. The Council should be working hand-in-hand with TFL to make it easier and less stressful to get from A to B on the existing infrastructure, not reducing the current public transport provision.

Signed

I take my car out roughly twice a week - once for a weekly shop and once for an appointment near the Brixton end of Brockwell Park. I used to take the 37 to the Brixton appointment, but after waiting for 20 mins in the rain with a crying child for a 37 that zipped past with a "bus full" sign on it, I now drive to that appointment. I think long and hard about whether it's worth paying c?2K p.a. (insurance, tax, parking, etc.) for this, and then I think of needing to visit my elderly parents in the sticks at short notice, so yes it is. The Council will not get me to drive less by closing roads. In fact, road closures will make me more stressed when sitting in a needless traffic jam at the Lordship Lane / East Dulwich Grove junction. I'm pretty chilled, but many drivers aren't, and angry drivers cause accidents. What will get me to drive less is for TFL to sort out the 37 again, so it comes frequently enough that it isn't full when it arrives. And for Sainsbury's to employ telepathic shoppers, who will choose exactly the items that I want, within an hour of me ordering. The Sainsbury's option seems more likely at the moment. I'd support remodelling of the road network if it was properly thought through. If traffic is to be redirected up Lordship Lane, then the whole East Dulwich Road / Lordship Lane / East Dulwich Grove junction needs to be remodelled with pedestrian crossings, cycle lanes and traffic-controlled lights. If roads are going to be closed arbitrarily, the Council needs to consider whether existing closures, turning restrictions, etc. are still necessary. It's currently as if the whole scheme has been designed as a primary school project.

How do I propose closing off Bellenden Road at the junction with Maxted Road and Danby Street? This would make the area much safer for the kids at The Belham, reduce the congestion at the parade of shops, and it would make my afternoons at home a lot quieter. I'm sure it would have terrible knock-on effects on the other roads around here, but it wouldn't bother me as long as I can have pleasant walks with less noise and air pollution #notmyproblemmate

Agree that the 0-50-0 drivers are far more dangerous than someone bumbling along at 25 in a 20 zone, but they are much harder to catch. They aren't going to zoom off if there's a speed gun in sight, and the chances of them getting caught during that short burst at 50 are minimal. Always seems to be the Merc and BMWs! (No offence to Merc & BMW drivers on here as long as you aren't a culprit). Dulwich Village a few weeks ago. Mercedes pulls up in the right-turn lane at the junction into Calton Ave. Failed to get away quickly as someone was still crossing the road. Had to pull in behind me, so I stuck solidly to 20. He was flashing his lights and shaking his fist out of the window. Finally managed to get past me by going the wrong side of the bollard near the infant school, only for me to pull in front of him again as I was in the right-turn lane into East Dulwich Grove and he was in the main queue. I can't get the mentality of putting people's lives at risk, with zero effect of getting through traffic more quickly. They do this on the East Dulwich Road / Crystal Palace Road / Adys Road crossroads too. It scares me as it's a very busy crossing for parents with small kids. Wish there was an easy way to catch them.

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