Northcross Road market

[JohnL]

To be honest I wear a mask outside now (as well as inside) if just to make others feel more secure - unless you have a medical problem I can't see why not to wear one - it's polite.

Choose a nice trendy one and they can look quite good.

[vmdgg]

Ronnijade Wrote:

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> It?s not the market sellers

> faults but more the governments as it is totally

> unfair that one is allowed to operate under such

> ridiculous conditions but we are not.

I agree and I am truly very sorry to hear about your situation. The government should not be closing your employer. It is deeply troubling that they can do this on a whim.

I expect that there will be a severe backlash when the economic and social consequences of these misguided closures become clear in the coming year. And rightly so.

[Abe_froeman]

This is entirely on the council. They have had the power and specific government financing to make road closures to enable social distancing.

Why didn't they use the government's Covid funding and emergency powers to close more of North Cross road during the market hours?

It would have been very easy but instead they've embarked on some ridiculous ant car campaign in leafy Dulwich village leaving us to suffer

[Pugwash]

Market stalls cannot separate themselves out as they are allocated a pitch to operate from. Some weeks ago I went to the market and many of the stalls had erected some form of physical barriers in front of them, enforcing social distancing. Also noted that many who would normally be facing the pavement to serve customers, were now facing the road. Must admit, I rarely purchase anything from the market as I find them grossly over priced, with one or two exceptions. Parents with buggies seem to be the main cause of 'overcrowding' especially when they meet up with friends and take up space talking (2 buggies seem to equal 2 metres distancing).I have previously said at the old community council meetings, that a weekday market in NX Rd would be beneficial to local residents. This would have less stalls than Saturdays and could offer different/cheaper produce. For those of you who have lived in ED for more than 30 years.will remember that the original NX market comprised of green grocers, haberdasheries, fish vans and other stalls i.e. clothing. It was a very mini East Lane!

[nxjen]

When I moved in over 36 years ago now, the only stall was a wet fish stall (not the current one) and occasionally a greengrocers, I think the market you describe dates a lot further back. The council did for many years try to establish a week day market but, as I?ve posted before, many traders would set up their stall during the week that would sadly disappear after a few weeks when the stall holders realised the footfall was just not there. But things are changing, perhaps it would be more viable in the times to come.

[n dulwich northerner]

I walked (wearing a mask) through the market on Saturday and while some people could have made more effort to distance, I didn't encounter the "absolutley packed with people without masks and not social distancing at all". That doesn't mean the OP's observation is totally wrong, but it really wasn't what I saw.

It's a good point about spreading the market further up the street, and another use for Covid funding might be a cheap tape barrier one way system like recently at Herne Hill's Sunday market. Not perfect, but it seems to avoid zig zagging and clumping.

[Pugwash]

Having lived in ED since the 1950s - the NX weekday market was if I remember on a couple of days a week (can recall a Friday) upto at least the early 1970s.

[JohnL]

New Variant, New Rules.

I think most of us will be wearing masks sooner or later.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Abe_froeman Wrote:

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> This is entirely on the council... instead they've

> embarked on some ridiculous ant car campaign

It is absolutely crazy that the council is wasting taxpayers' money on buying cars for ants. Why isn't this scandal ever discussed?

[first mate]

Definitely remember more than one greengrocer stall as well as butchers etc.., the former were a fixture, not occasional.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

When, though?

[InternalHat]

The idea of running the market other days has been suggested and traders are in favour, some shops on NXR are aggressively against it though. Also, as mentioned, traders have no control over pitch allocation or spacing. Nor are they allowed to expand their pitch to promote social distancing.

e2a: Either way, non-essential traders won't be out again for a long while by the look of things. Food traders can still work though and they've got a whole load of rules to adhere to, which they do.