Brockwell Park closedown

[doody]

Crystal palace Park late afternoon- gates to car park locked, notices re social distancing in park posted. Inside, a patrol of Police car and van with megaphone messages, and challenging anyone not following rules, ie one sunbather told to " get up and exercise or leave". he was bewildered- a perfect example of how unaware some people still are. I was both delighted to see the rules enforced and despairing at the stupidity that still exists, wasting valuable police time and endangering us all.

[Staspah]

The sooner the rules are followed, more lives are saved and the sooner this will be over.

This will go on for months longer than it needs to if people keep ignoring the guidelines.

Families in flats with no garden and small children need the parks.

If you have a garden stay home walk, run, sunbath there...you are lucky you have a garden!

Cyclists/joggers use the road not the park.

Agree if people can?t stop the self entitlement the government have no choice but to do full lockdown.

[tomskip]

You can get exercise without going to the park. The streets of ED are lovely and quiet now, very little traffic. You can combine your 45 minute walk with a trip to a shop or pharmacy if necessary.

Tbh I'm surprised visitor numbers to Brockwell Park are ever less than 3,000 even in the depths of winter. Who is to say person A has more right to go to the park than person B?

[Marcia123]

Tried that and even the councilor thinks it wrong. No clear definition from gov't on works. On Trossach Road workmen, building kitchen/conservatory and loft to a private house. No one lives there but we neighbours have to put up with the noise from 8am every morning and the dust.we can't open windows. Don't have a garden for my family to exercise I. So need the parks. I don't see construction men helping the Covid 19 cause by doing a private house.

[budleigh]

It's due to be open today.

[malumbu]

In deed,

Shock, see positive article on most people behaving

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52162490

[Earl Aelfheah]

Please, if you?re jogging, don?t brush past people. If you have to slow / break your flow to go round, just do it. I swear to God there are people who won?t even slightly alter their chosen path even for a global pandemic.

[Siduhe]

For those who are questioning the decision to shut down Brockwell Park - there were some pretty shocking photos on Twitter including this one from 4 April:

https://twitter.com/persephone_west/status/1246723644920942592/photo/1

Edited to say that I can see people are questioning if this is genuine photo actually taken on Saturday - which I don't know but there are others on there too.

[JohnL]

The government has clarified what it doesn't want parks closed unless there is no way of social distancing

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-04-06/parks-must-only-close-if-distancing-impossible-to-maintain-says-minister/

On a more local note

'Labour MP Harriet Harman tweeted that opening up green spaces such as school playing fields was an ?excellent suggestion?.'

[tomskip]

The photo you linked Siduhe clearly isn't from this year. There is a very easy way to tell, as people who took a moment to think have noted.

[Siduhe]

tomskip, that?s completely fair - but plenty of other photos showing smaller groups sunbathing, so I understand the frustration. I haven?t left the house since Thursday pm (as I didn?t need to) until about 40 mins ago when I was stir-crazy enough to need a quick 20 min walk round Dulwich Park to get fresh air. It?s the same story - lots of people following guidelines, being respectful of space and others and then a minority blocking pathways in small groups, not respecting space and generally treating their time in the park like it?s a normal day out. Which it just isn?t.

I will say that almost every jogger and cyclist we saw was in the ?fully respectful of others? category. Would have been 100% if the young woman looking at her phone had realised we?d all stopped to let a family out of the park at a safe distance so hadn?t brushed right past that family and my husband and jogged on obliviously.

[NewWave]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Please, if you?re jogging, don?t brush past

> people. If you have to slow / break your flow to

> go round, just do it. I swear to God there are

> people who won?t even slightly alter their chosen

> path even for a global pandemic.

Same with cyclists on pavements of which I've encountered many in the past week

[NewWave]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The government has clarified what it doesn't want

> parks closed unless there is no way of social

> distancing

>

> https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-04-06/parks-m

> ust-only-close-if-distancing-impossible-to-maintai

> n-says-minister/

>

> On a more local note

>

> 'Labour MP Harriet Harman tweeted that opening up

> green spaces such as school playing fields was an

> ?excellent suggestion?.'

She is a wonderful MP

[yorksgirl]

How many schools in Southwark, Lambeth or Lewisham still have playing fields? Most have been sold off over the last 40 years. Are we really expecting Dulwich College to let the proles through their gates?

I seem to recall Harriet Harman justifying sending her own son to a public school in outer London partly on the grounds that it had large playing fields (and other facilities) that schools in her own constituency did not have. Sorry, but that does not make her a "wonderful woman".

Perhaps if she had ever opposed loss of open space in Southwark? But I don't recall her ever doing so.

[Townleygreen]

yorksgirl, Alleyn's has opened the field across Townley road from the school to all-comers.