Dunstan’s Road - restricted access starting soon?

[Nigello]

Dunstan’s from Goodrich to Mt Adon will be open to only a very small number of exempted vehicles between roughly 8-9am and 3-4pm during term time. All that traffic will now be displaced. The school does very little to up safety and decrease congestion etc. so I’m wondering just how much more jammed and unpleasant it’ll be for pedestrians, residents and drivers who are not taking kids to school. (I don’t care about drivers who are - they’re the guilty party - with exceptions made for those with legitimate and valid blue badges).

I’ve written to the local councillor (there are two but one never acknowledges emails) and to head of highways to ask how this new scheme will affect the roads nearby not restricted and what the council will do to police illegal and dangerous parking (which is already a daily occurrence)

[Jules-and-Boo]

It would seem that the aim is to reduce the number of cars dropping kids off at school - causing congestion on the road. Getting more parents to find other ways to get kids to school is a good thing, surely.

Other than those cars, it's a quiet road and not much through traffic that would be displaced.

[jamesbond2007]

Does anyone have any more information on this? What about residents who live on that part of the road, will they be able to get in and out and park up during these times? Is the current roadworks something to do with this or are they entirely unrelated?

I haven't received a letter about this, has anyone else who lives on this part of the road had anything through their door?

[legalalien]

Some more info here

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/153798/SSP-Bessemer-and-Goodrich-PS.pdf

Seems to be some provision for residents’ permits for those living within the zone.

[Nigello]

It would seem that the aim is to reduce the number of cars dropping kids off at school - causing congestion on the road. Getting more parents to find other ways to get kids to school is a good thing, surely.

Other than those cars, it's a quiet road and not much through traffic that would be displaced.

 

This is not factual. A hardcore of parents - often in larger vehicles - park illegally on the DYLs and zigzags. The school really doesn’t care and I fear there will be more congestion, road rage potential and even accidents. Today there were cars parked on every DYL around the mini roundabout and five more on zigzags.

I have no car (and haven’t had one since 2000) and applaud restrictions when they’re unlikely to make things worse.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Which school?

As an aside: parking on zigzags is an offence that csn be reported through Met Police online reporting. If you have photos and report within 9 days, the police DO enforce the law and fine drivers. It is dangerous and illegal and should be reported if possible.

https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/report-a-road-traffic-incident/

Unfortunately it doesn't work for DYLs. Southwark is sending parking attendants to patrol outside schools at dropoff to penalise dangerous parking, but obvs they can't be everywhere.

[malumbu]

I'm trying not to be a vigilante and report drivers for selfish parking, but the three vehicles on the zig zags outside the Turkish supermarket on FH Road was very tempting

Disappointing if the school is not doing more, I cycle through the area fairly regularly and outside of school drop off is quiet. We were part of a campaign a number of years ago at another school not so far away to discorage parents from anti social parking. Leafletting with a police motorocyclist on the first day. We'd occasionally get shouted at, but after a few days less people were parking illegally. Another parent organised a walking bus/crocodile. But then the kids moved to secondary school and the next generation had the same issues. Without trying to sound pompous surely the demographics would result in some sort of similar parent action in local schools.

I say things to schools from time to time - those parking on double yellows outside of the primary on Grreendale - teacher outside said they were fully aware and told parents not to do this - whilst the parent was sitting in their car. And hats off to Alleyns too when I called their reception on Thursday to report a coach outside the school with its engine running. Bessemer Grange is brilliant on supporting active travel.

[sweetgirl]

Whatever the public feel this is about…. The government or councils really do not care about us!

All these charges, congestion, ulez, box junctions, restricted roads etc, are nothing more than a “legal” money maker!

It’s nothing more than penalising a car driver!

They produce something, let everyone get used to having it then put charges on it!

It’s an absolute disgrace!

I drive for a living but no longer have a car as it makes no sense for financial reasons!

[sweetgirl]

The worst thing is they are forcing people to use public transport which is not only getting expensive but services are getting shite!

Nowadays you can wait anything up to 15 minutes on lordship lane for a bus! How is that possible where there are a few bus routes & such a great service according to tfl or khant!

Unfortunately khant is being controlled by a conservative government!

[Monkey]

My daughter attended the school for seven years. During that time, parents were regularly encouraged to switch to active travel, reminded to respect the school’s neighbours, and to drive and park safely. The school even reminded parents how to drive through a roundabout… The police attended and no-one took notice. My husband saw parents getting aggressive with teachers who were trying to enforce safe driving. Not sure what else the school could do.

As neighbouring streets do not have off street parking creating places to park (albeit illegally), it will be carnage for a while until parents finally get the message. Hopefully.

[first mate]

Won't someone think of the children? Most of all the parents that brought them into this world?

Clearly many of these car-using-school-running parents are hypocritical, lazy, petrol heads. Why oh why can't they simply jog or cargo bike their kids across Southwark, twice a day? Honestly, I bet Councillor Catherine Rose does exactly that.

We need an urgent study, why are modern parents so inherently lazy? We all know they just drop their kids off using cars so they can more quickly enjoy a frothy latte afterwards.

Seriously, stop this now. What we need are more LTNs, more school streets and if you cannot walk or bike your children to and from school every day then for goodness sake either change your job or buy a new house closer to the school. Simpulz.

[BrandNewGuy]

And this is a primary school! Secondary schools have a much wider catchment area (especially the private schools), but primaries? What's the catchment for Goodrich? Do many/any kids live more than 1/4 mile away? Lazy entitled parents indeed...

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Unfortunately khant is being controlled by a conservative government!

Does any of what you have said relate to the issue in the OP or is it a generalised all-purpose rant about Sadiq Khan?

[Penguin68]

What's the catchment for Goodrich? Do many/any kids live more than 1/4 mile away? Lazy entitled parents indeed...

The catchment for Primary Schools is a function of (a) their popularity and (b) the local demand for places. A very popular school (high scoring) in a borough where there is high demand may well have a very limited catchment, whereas a high performing school in a borough where rolls have fallen (demographics) may well be able (and wish) to recruit pupils from far further afield (and may well offer anyway siblings who have moved further away to continue at a school). As I understand it, demographics have led to falling school rolls in Southwark (happy to stand corrected). Goodrich, which is a high performing school may well therefore be attracting pupils from comparatively far.

[malumbu]

Penguin, hats off (either intentionally or otherwise) for raising the serious downside of competition in state schools. You get improving schools and failing schools rather than working to improve all schools, And the outcome is the extended school run.

sweetgirl - I assume that you are being facetious with regards to "a war on motorists" although rathger unsbutle.

If not you sound like an entitled motorist who believe that you can do what you like and sod everyone else.

[first mate]

Penguin,

You are correct, at recent council meetings, kindly posted by legal alien, it was stated school rolls in Southwark are falling (for this reason cutting school nurse provision is one saving now on the table).

So, like you, I reckon more pupils are coming from further afield. If they don't schools may close. ..making for more developer fodder ( hello Lord Harris and his schools,nearly always on the edge of a park!)

[Penguin68]

You get improving schools and failing schools rather than working to improve all schools,

I think it is quite wrong to suggest that individual schools either fail intentionally or don't try to succeed. There is no evidence, that you offer, to suggest that the borough, or those within borough schools are not all working to improve; and certainly no evidence that the borough is favouring one school over another.

In a borough with good public transport (ours isn't) the distance of the schools from their pupils (their catchment area) should matter less. Indeed some would argue that schools with a wide® catchment area (everything else being equal) should benefit from having a more eclectic mix of pupils thus introducing pupils early to the benefits of diversity.

If broadening the catchment area means that schools don't close then all to the good, as they will continue to have an offer to those pupils most close by (if their standards are maintained).

Parental choice of school is generally a good thing, if it encourages schools (and the borough) not to be complacent about standards.

[malumbu]

You misread my post. Where a school has problems, and you get many of the brighter local kids going elsewhere, it will quickly get a reputation and as the number of more able students declne, results fall, and it can get into a cycle of decline.

Schools should be able to cater for a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities - OK, house prices, gentrification etc will mean there are those that will have a catchment area who are more able,

But competion for schooll place is a double edged sword. That's a whole subject of it's own, one where I have personal experience but not really for this thread, I've been simplistic in my views, other factors come into play such as facilities, head teacher, general teaching ethos etc.

Not sure if there is a correlation between those prepared to get school places which result in a drive, and antisocial parking, Others may know,

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Tenuous.

[fishboy]

My kids went to Goodrich for seven years. We walked the 650 metres / 10 mins from Colyton Road, and often noted how many parking spaces were available along Dunstans on the way. Then we would politely suggest to the parents parking on & around the mini roundabout, often blocking the dropped kerbs, that maybe it would be better if they parked just down the road a bit, where there were lots of better spaces, and walk the 3-4 mins instead? There were many responses of varying abuse, almost all of which were along the lines of “mind your own business”, “ I’m not going to be long”, or just silent ignorance. It tended to be the same 6-10 families every day, who for reasons only known to themselves obviously thought there wasn’t a problem with it, or that it wasn’t their problem.

The school regularly issued pleas in the weekly newsletter against this behaviour, but I presume the parents who do it are probably not likely to read a newsletter, or take any notice of it. The council occasionally posted wardens, but they were so conspicuous that the parents spotted them a mile off and drove on, so presumably the report went back that there wasn’t a problem.

So it seems to be a social or cultural issue with a tiny minority, which unfortunately results in actions being taken against the majority - sledgehammer for a nut? I’m fully in support of preventing anti social behaviour, but my concern with these types of covert / non-physical barriers is that lots of ‘innocent’ unwary drivers will be caught & fined, when it is not them that the scheme is designed to punish. Apologies for the long post…

[alice]

Cameras are a very expensive solution to the problem. Low cost moveable barriers were suggested but ignored.

[fishboy]

If 'ignored' means not practicable due to not having sufficient staff to deploy them twice a day, then yes.

The whole thing would be completely unnecessary if only those few parents would be considerate and community minded, rather than lazy & selfish. Very sad, but appears to be a symptom of society today.

[alice]

It’s not just about drivers tho is it? It’s about having a school street just like loads of other local schools. Ps. The cost of cameras would pay for years of moving barriers.

[fishboy]

I completely agree, it would be amazing to have all three sides closed off for the short periods of drop off & pick up, but persuading the council to pay for an extra member of staff to deploy barriers when they can actually generate income from cameras? It would be great to have a lollipop person on the junction of Dunstan's & Underhill too - like most / all of the other schools...

[EDResident2018]

Hi all,

I’ve been having a look at the map of the changes and I’m struggling to understand what the proposed changes hope to achieve? I can see that there are lots of other alternative routes for people to drive to reach the school, so am not sure how this puts people off closing only that specific section of road.

Is some one with a better understanding able to explain the issues with that particular bit of road and what the council believe (rightly or wrongly) will be achieved?