Beefcheek

It could be that the roadworks at the end of Townley Road where it meets Lordship Lane are the problem, given that the P13 is still running it seems. Outside Dental Beauty it is down to one lane but there are now some alarming dips in that single lane - huge potholes in effect. That could cause a big difficulty for the 176/40/185, all double deckers so I guess heavier. Perfectly timed for a rail strike… lucky that many people are still away this week. It would be interesting to know if lorries are also diverted because of this.

We were promised a gleaming front of the house... and that?s what we got. Brian and the team did a very good job. In our experience they work diligently and patiently to produce a very high standard of work and finish. They had a very sharp attention to detail and a determination to make sure even the smallest tasks were carried out to the same standard. Brian was also very good at keeping us up to date with progress and replied quickly to any questions we had.

If the government insists on an ultra strict 2metre distancing in pubs, cafes and restaurants most of them will find it incredibly difficult to survive. Especially in central London where footfall will be far lower thanks to ultra strict 10% capacity on public transport (until when?) so that?s leisure travel, post work grub/drinks ruled out. And far more people working from home. At some point very quickly the risk of Covid-19 to London is going to be far outweighed by the destruction of London?s economy. And poverty kills. At some point soon the reality of significantly reduced furlough payments will kick in, deferred rent, taxes etc. If restaurants and pubs are operating at around 30% capacity it will not be practical to continue. Not everywhere can put tables in the street in sufficient numbers or use a beer garden (and besides, we live in the Uk - have you seen the weather today...?) As others have pointed out on the forum, many Lordship Lane businesses were already struggling with rents etc and there are a lot of empty premises - who is going to open a new venture if 2m distancing is in force for many months, for example? The government and Sadiq khan have to face reality and start allowing businesses to resume trading to a far higher level and for people to travel on public transport properly. Or else the damage will be huge and whatever is being paid in furlough will be dwarfed by welfare payments, health costs etc and massively reduced tax income to pay for the NHS in the first place. Not trying to downplay the human tragedy of Covid-19 and the suffering, and I have huge sympathy for anyone affected, but the huge cost to come will be devastating to London if we don?t have a reality check very soon.

Just had a look at that transport ?plan?. It includes: 4) Working with neighbouring councils We'll work with neighbouring councils to coordinate our efforts to ensure we're encouraging walking, cycling and public transport use rather than driving. 5) Working with Transport for London We're working with TfL to identify further measures to enable more walking, cycling and public transport use and to reduce through traffic. - The government is saying public transport for the foreseeable future will only run at 10% capacity because of social distancing and we should avoid it if possible. And then Southwark council says it is working with neighbouring councils and TfL to ?encourage and enable? public transport use. These pledges and 10% capacity are mutually exclusive. They simply do not make sense. Walking and cycling can take some pressure off, yes, along with fewer office workers for now, but with that 10% capacity it will become practically impossible to ?encourage and enable? public transport. The only way to do that, given the restrictions, is to massively increase the number of trains, buses, etc in service and the frequency of service. That is not going to happen. TfL is now in financial crisis. We need to start being realistic and honest about what is and what isn?t possible.