What's Underhill road like to live on?

[FH2016]

I know it is a long road but we are looking near the cemetary area. Is that safe to walk around at night, are there lots of burglaries/car thefts etc?

Also what's the traffic and airplane noise like?

 

[malumbu]

Never had any issues walking (,and cycling) around there over many years.  Expect no better or worse than most of the area.  The odd speeding car but generally as road is not wide, particularly with parked cars, that helps moderate speed.  

[alice]

The road isn’t wide?  I thought you said it was a leafy Boulevard.

[jazzer]

and the P13 every 15 mins and the rush hour traffic and the speeding cars..

[sunshine_m]

I live close to there and am considering acoustic glazing due to both the plane and vehicle noise. I've already had a quote for secondary glazing. I am a very light sleeper though! 

I've walked back home at night from there but prefer to take routes that are better lit when it's dark and not many people are about.

You can check crime levels by postcode here:

https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/ 

[teetomthomas]

You’ll be fine there. Most of the neighbours are dead. 

[Penguin68]

The road is quite wide in parts, and is leafy, but with cars parked up on both sides (but not continuously) and wider than many, with buses and lorries going up and down it - it is one of the few links now to the South circular - and with two lanes of traffic you do need at times to drive with some caution and to hold back to let oncoming traffic pass. But it is much wider, in the main, than the side streets. Cars now are themselves wider than they used to be.

2 hours ago, FH2016 said:

Is that safe to walk around at night, are there lots of burglaries/car thefts etc?

Yes, in the main (and I've lived there for nearly 40 years). There are burglaries and car thefts, of course, it's suburban London, after all, but not significantly many. Because that part of the road is quite wide, and not very parked up unless someone is having a party (not that frequent an occurrence) , so there aren't so many places for lurkers to hide.

[FH2016]

Thanks so much @Penguin68, that is very helpful!

[malumbu]

2 hours ago, alice said:

The road isn’t wide?  I thought you said it was a leafy Boulevard.

Not helpful.  The area is by the cemetery where it is a little narrower but the issue here is that it is on a hill, which encourages some to speed down the hill.

[Sue]

18 minutes ago, malumbu said:

Not helpful.  The area is by the cemetery where it is a little narrower but the issue here is that it is on a hill, which encourages some to speed down the hill.

I've been on P13s at night speeding along Underhill Road where I was so concerned for my safety I nearly got off the bus.

[Penguin68]

Not so much since the speed bumps were introduced. (When the limit was 30 mph). There were no speeding accidents following that. But you're right that speeding, particularly on two wheels, does still occur. And some vehicles do go over 20mph. 

[alice]

How is my post ‘not helpful’  I only quoted yourself. 

[Sue]

1 hour ago, sunshine_m said:

I live close to there and am considering acoustic glazing due to both the plane and vehicle noise. I've already had a quote for secondary glazing. I am a very light sleeper though! 

I've walked back home at night from there but prefer to take routes that are better lit when it's dark and not many people are about.

You can check crime levels by postcode here:

https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/ 

I think probably any area round here will get the plane noise.

I'm not sure any level of glazing will entirely shut it out.

I have acoustic glass in my bedroom which I was told was what was used in Heathrow offices, but I can still hear planes through it, albeit faintly.

That wasn't why I got it though. I was constantly being woken by my neighbours' boiler going on and off all through the  night. I think there was something wrong with it. It doesn't happen any more.

As regards coming home at night, as with anywhere in London (or indeed most places, I guess!), it's preferable to stick to well lit roads with a few people around, where possible.

Edited Tuesday at 18:11 by Sue

[sunshine_m]

@Sue Good to know acoustic glazing makes a difference!

[Sue]

1 hour ago, sunshine_m said:

@Sue Good to know acoustic glazing makes a difference!

Funnily enough, I was just lying in bed and hearing a really loud plane.

I couldn't think what was wrong, until I realised I had the window open!

When I closed the window, I really noticed a massive difference!

[malumbu]

There's a thread on Heathrow noise.  It depends on how sensitive you are, sleeping patterns and the like.  It doesn't wake me up now but many years ago when I was stressed at work I'd listen to the red eye flights coming into land from the Atlantic from around 5.30.

[sunshine_m]

@malumbu I wonder whether some of the noise is from City Airport. I heard plane noise during the recent Heathrow disruption.

[Penguin68]

This conversation about aircraft noise is not Underhill Rd specific, please note, but reflects experiences across ED. In fact one thing which was, sort of, Underhill area specific was the glorious sight of Concord flying over at 6.00pm every evening. It was noisy, certainly (not excessively so, in my view, or rather hearing) but magnificent!

I have never been worried by aircraft noise, by the way, after nearly 40 years, or even really aware of it save when reading this sort of topic. Responses seem to be very personal. Some, clearly, are deeply upset about it. For those, some speak highly of noise cancelling headphones as a remedy, or at least alleviation.

Edited Wednesday at 15:36 by Penguin68

[Sue]

2 hours ago, Penguin68 said:

This conversation about aircraft nose is not Underhill Rd specific, please note, but reflects experiences across ED. In fact one thing which was, sort of, Underhill area specific was the glorious sight of Concord flying over at 6.00pm every evening. It was noisy, certainly (not excessively so, in my view, or rather hearing) but magnificent!

I'm in Ulverscroft Road, and I too had Concord flying over (I thought it was at 5pm, but  maybe the time  changed when the clocks went forwards or back?) .

I loved it. Such a beautiful plane.

It seemed to be directly over my garden, but I guess everyone thought that 🤣

[malumbu]

5 pm, made everyone look.  Financially a disaster as America effectively black balled it causing a collapse in orders.  American protectionism eh?

But very polluting.  

[jazzer]

.

Edited Wednesday at 21:18 by jazzer

[malumbu]

11 hours ago, sunshine_m said:

@malumbu I wonder whether some of the noise is from City Airport. I heard plane noise during the recent Heathrow disruption.

We are on the Heathrow flight path, I had a meeting there many years ago and saw their noise maps.  Noise here depends on wind direction, approach and which runway.  Very occasionally you see a small low flying jet from, our bound for, City.  Could be worse as friend in North Kent often hears single engine small prop planes.  I think they are called Spitfires, Hurricanes and the like.

[Sue]

It's a forum, people go off on tangents, cut them a bit of slack!

Sorry, forgot to quote, that's in reply to Jazzer 

Btw Malumbu, I thought the end of Concords being built was after one of them  crashed.

As you were ...

ETA: Ah. What happens when you reply to a post without quoting it.

The poster deletes it and the content is lost to posterity, except in the memories of those who read it before it was deleted!

Edited Thursday at 08:45 by Sue

[Dulwich dweller]

10 hours ago, Sue said:

I'm in Ulverscroft Road, and I too had Concord flying over (I thought it was at 5pm, but  maybe the time  changed when the clocks went forwards or back?) .

I loved it. Such a beautiful plane.

It seemed to be directly over my garden, but I guess everyone thought that 🤣

Many decades ago I worked just outside Heathrow on roadworks. Seeing and hearing Concord take off overhard was something else. We couldn't hear our Jack hammers for the noise of the jets. It was also an awesome sight being so close  and directly underneath it.

Edited Wednesday at 22:43 by Dulwich dweller

[malumbu]

On 25/03/2025 at 18:04, Penguin68 said:

Not so much since the speed bumps were introduced. (When the limit was 30 mph). There were no speeding accidents following that. But you're right that speeding, particularly on two wheels, does still occur. And some vehicles do go over 20mph. 

I'm not sure that motorbikes and scooters are the issue.  It's generally cars that speed down Underhill having commuted on it for best part of 20 years.

I've never been worried walking on UR at night, but... That is probably because I am familiar and comfortable with the area.  It's as much about perception on urban roads.  I'd not feel so relaxed about an area I was unfamiliar with.