former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[rch]

I don't drive a vehicle or cycle, because of health issues. I am a vehement green person, walking or taking public transportation when possible.

As you can see from the discussion on the other thread, our issue is about questioning why devolved CGS spending is being allocated to projects which weren't directly proposed by residents, when improvements for pedestrians that are bid for are being sidestepped.

[rendelharris]

first mate Wrote:

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> Sally Eva appears to be involved in the highly

> proactive group, Southwark Cyclists, and seems to

> be responsible for their blog page.

There's no need to say it as if there's something sinister that she's hiding! Sally has frequently posted on here about Southwark Cyclists' bike trains, training and other cycling issues, making no secret of her role in Southwark Cyclists - you make it sound as though they're a shadowy organization of which she's trying to hide her membership - neither is the case!

[Sally Eva]

Hi firstmate, I'm the unpaid secretary of southwark cyclists which is as loud and upfront organisation as I can make it. It's certainly not a secret.

That would be a very strange way for a charity to carry out its charitable purposes of improving public health by encouraging people to cycle by making it safer and more convenient to do so.

I regularly get approached by young people renting in this area who are not allowed by their landlords to take their bikes inside and need somewhere safe to store them. Sadly in this wicked world bikes left outside get stolen or vandalised.

You can message me any time for further details. My phone no is 07842 640 207. Sally Eva is my real name.

BWs

Sally

[first mate]

Rendel,

My post was clearly in response to Ed History's question. No mention of secrecy or shady dealings on my part.

I am however interested that so much money seems to have been allocated to something for which there is arguably less need than say mending broken pavements.

Mynamehere I do sometimes cycle...not sure what point you are trying to make? I am not anti cycling, this is not a them and us debate. I am concerned that in these cash strapped times council funds are spent in ways that have greatest benefit for everyone. However, dull, mundane issues like fixing broken paving are unlikely to garner political support. People do not tend to campaign about such issues either. Strong, well organised campaigns with clear agendas are much more politically attractive and may have a disproportionate influence on spending.

[rch]

Totally agree.

[Sally Eva]

the most active pedestrian oriented voluntary organisation in this area is Southwark Living Streets. It could be summarised as campaigning for healthy streets -- safe unpolluted streets which are nice to look at and enjoyable to experience.

https://southwarklivingstreets.org.uk

It's very active and well-led. I recommend it.

[rch]

I know the work of Living Streets well.

The crux of this issue is that these volunteer groups, such as Living Streets, are more used to dealing with the parameters of issues in the middle and the north of the borough... and what we keep saying is that East Dulwich and Dulwich have unique parameters which affect inter-related transportation issues, such as large geographical distances with poor public transportation, which makes residents more dependent on car usage.

So, the "one size fits all" philosophy, which works in the middle and the north of the borough, doesn't work in the Dulwich area.

This is why we're trying to side-step these volunteer groups that claim to represent all of Southwark and try to get the council (which is based 5 miles away in Tooley Street) and local councillors to understand what needs to happen in order to improve the quality of life for residents in East Dulwich.

[first mate]

Robin, yes I agree.

Sally, I looked at the link, thank you. I could not see a section on mending paving. Are volunteers even allowed to do this?

[Sally Eva]

I don't know. it's a consultation. Reply and ask if they are allowed to. Suggest that they should (if you want to). You might find you were liable for any consequential mishaps -- but I do not know.

[first mate]

Sally, I have had a closer look and am reasonably sure fixing broken pavements is not on the agenda of this group, almost certainly as you suggest because it becomes a legal minefield in terms of H&S and liability.

For the elderly, those with visual or mobility issues, wheelchair and stick users, or even perfectly healthy folk, cracked, uneven paving is a menace and should be a spending priority, no matter where the council funds come from- in my opinion anyway. The Council should focus on the boring task of proper maintenance of what already exists and get that right first, before playing with scant funds to create that which does not.

I also agree with Robin's earlier point that the needs of ED are likely to be different from those north of the borough, so we need Councillors to listen to all local requests, rather than making political agendas the funding priority.

[rch]

Pavement repairs and upgrades are in the public domain and need to be done through the council, who addresses public liability issues in its contract with Conways.

The best way for residents to raise funding to address pavement issues is via the devolved CGS funding, which is what I have been trying to do, but councillors aren't approving my bids.

Going through Living Streets, and getting them to understand the Dulwich Parameters, is just an extra step which delays the process.

I've been trying to circumvent this by liaising directly with the highways officers and am beginning to get some information.

A section of Chesterfield is going to be upgraded in September and I've got wind of a highways budget underspend which will hopefully become available soon, which can be used for local issues. The problem is going to be getting councillors to understand what the local issues are...

[first mate]

Thanks for that Robin, it'll be interesting to see if that underspend is used on street maintenance or gets diverted.

[rch]

Also, bear in mind that the Dulwich Parameters don't just affect highway and public realm issues... they also affect policing (crime), council services and public engagement.

Our local police teams are going to be moved from Camberwell to Peckham, which means it will be more difficult for them to get to their wards, thereby further limiting patrol times and public accessibility.

Council housing services are also located in Peckham, which is difficult to get to on public transportation from ED/Dulwich.

Plus, the existing community meeting room facilities are limited and difficult for some residents to get to... it would be really useful to have a shared police, council services, and community meeting facility on the Lordship Lane axis, but we keep hitting dead ends on this solution.

[rch]

Yes, first mate... I'm trying to circumvent the diversions, but council communication down here is limited and it takes up a lot of time.

I'll try to keep the forum updated as much as possible with a view towards us sticking together.

[Penguin68]

It is worth noting that those in Central and North Southwark will find cycling into work (if over the river) much easier, with dedicated cycle routes and fewer hills (and Boris Bikes). For those of us in the the South cycling is a longer, and tougher, call. So a 'one size fits all' approach to Southwark does not make any sense. And when the weather isn't encouraging the opportunities for alternative public transport solutions for the Tooley St gang are substantially better than for us.

For those of us in the South, whatever the transport and infrastructure problem the answer is not always 'Bikes'.

[rch]

Yes, exactly, Penguin68. I saw your comments on the other thread about the consultation to reduce traffic, they were spot on.

The bottom line is that it's more difficult to put in dedicated Dutch-style cycle lanes in the Dulwich area because the streets are much narrower.

This whole area used to be farmland - Calton Avenue was originally created as a horse-drawn plough track to connect fields. Melbourne Grove was created in a very similar manner.

I went through this analysis for eight years when I was a councillor, but there's no continuity.

But the bottom line is that public transportation needs to improve if the council genuinely wants to get people out of their cars. In the meantime, we need to find a way to sensibly accommodate car usage in tandem with pedestrians, bus users, and cyclists, with pedestrians at the top of the priority list (hence the discussions about pavement improvements and road reconfigurations).

[James Barber]

Hi Robin,

I would suggested the devolved highways renewals budget of ?33,333 each year the better approach to fix pavements, etc. I've asked several times for East Dulwich and other Dulwich wards to be devolved our allocation for this year so we can get it spent. Sadly the current administration has released it yet 4 months into the financial year.

Regards James.

rch Wrote:

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

> Pavement repairs and upgrades are in the public

> domain and need to be done through the council,

> who addresses public liability issues in its

> contract with Conways.

>

> The best way for residents to raise funding to

> address pavement issues is via the devolved CGS

> funding, which is what I have been trying to do,

> but councillors aren't approving my bids.

>

> Going through Living Streets, and getting them to

> understand the Dulwich Parameters, is just an

> extra step which delays the process.

>

> I've been trying to circumvent this by liaising

> directly with the highways officers and am

> beginning to get some information.

>

> A section of Chesterfield is going to be upgraded

> in September and I've got wind of a highways

> budget underspend which will hopefully become

> available soon, which can be used for local

> issues. The problem is going to be getting

> councillors to understand what the local issues

> are...

[James Barber]

Hi first mate,

The council has a highways repairs and renewals budget. Most years it is ?5M. I would argue our pavements and roads need a major investment to bring them into a proper state of repairs. Over the next 10 years the council has a ?1bn plus capital programme. My lot would fix the pavements and roads as a priority for the benefit of every one who walks, cycles, uses public transport of private motor transport.

Encouraging more people to cycle over using any other means of transport other than walking is a great way to help preserve the roads condition we currently have. Bicycles have the lowest impact of any non walking transport - as well as almost no air pollution.

NB. For transparencyI chaired Southwark Cyclists for a number of years before becoming a councillor and have been a member for what must be 25 years. I'm also a member of Living Streets, Cyclists UK (formerly CTC), AA breakdown cover.

first mate Wrote:

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

> Rendel,

>

> My post was clearly in response to Ed History's

> question. No mention of secrecy or shady dealings

> on my part.

>

> I am however interested that so much money seems

> to have been allocated to something for which

> there is arguably less need than say mending

> broken pavements.

>

> Mynamehere I do sometimes cycle...not sure what

> point you are trying to make? I am not anti

> cycling, this is not a them and us debate. I am

> concerned that in these cash strapped times

> council funds are spent in ways that have greatest

> benefit for everyone. However, dull, mundane

> issues like fixing broken paving are unlikely to

> garner political support. People do not tend to

> campaign about such issues either. Strong, well

> organised campaigns with clear agendas are much

> more politically attractive and may have a

> disproportionate influence on spending.

[James Barber]

Hi Sue,

Southwark Council no longer operate a phone line to report such issues but want everyone to report it via an online reporting here - https://forms.southwark.gov.uk/beta/ShowForm.asp?fm_fid=1541&np=1

If you get stuck please escalate the issue to me by emailing me at [email protected]

Sue Wrote:

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> James, please could you tell me who I should

> contact re emptying a dog poo bin at the end of

> Ulverscroft Road, which is overflowing.

>

> It isn't exactly encouraging people to pick up

> after their dog if they can't then put their bag

> in a bin.

[rch]

Hi James... apparently there's going to be an underspend added to the devolved highways budget amount this year, to use up before the ward boundary changes... I suspect that's why everything is delayed for the moment, as calculations take place.

But having an additional CGS top up amount available would help to address various lengths in a sensible manner. For instance, my refused CGS bid for "sections" of Lordship, assessed in tandem with engineers, might have been able to cover the costs of new granite pavements in the section running north from North Cross up to Frogley. The temporary pavement repairs aren't lasting, so it makes sense to work our way up and down Lordship with new paving where possible.

The situation with Chesterfield, Ashbourne, and a section of EDG is more complicated... it's now actually being flagged by the council's algorithm calculations, but they are only going to be done in sections as well because of funding issues.

There's more, but am trying not to post long posts...

[James Barber]

Hi P68,

People don't function as well with insufficient sleep. That results in them being less safe and less productive.

Regards James.

Penguin68 Wrote:

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

> I was not arguing that such noise is not

> disruptive to sleep, it clearly is. My argument

> was that such noise for a short period, i.e. under

> a week didn't have a serious (or calculable)

> economic impact, as hypothesised by Mr Barber.

[James Barber]

Hi Sally,

IF they are East Dulwich residents then please get them to contact me at [email protected]

Sally Eva Wrote:

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

> Have you got a link for the East Dulwich Bike

> Hangars? This is one of the things we get asked

> about/for the most and it would be good to be able

> to tell people how to get one

> thanks

> Sally

[first mate]

I'd be interested in hearing the rest rch.

Hi James... apparently there's going to be an underspend added to the devolved highways budget amount this year, to use up before the ward boundary changes... I suspect that's why everything is delayed for the moment, as calculations take place.

But having an additional CGS top up amount available would help to address various lengths in a sensible manner. For instance, my refused CGS bid for "sections" of Lordship, assessed in tandem with engineers, might have been able to cover the costs of new granite pavements in the section running north from North Cross up to Frogley. The temporary pavement repairs aren't lasting, so it makes sense to work our way up and down Lordship with new paving where possible.

The situation with Chesterfield, Ashbourne, and a section of EDG is more complicated... it's now actually being flagged by the council's algorithm calculations, but they are only going to be done in sections as well because of funding issues.

There's more, but am trying not to post long posts...

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

Robin

Twitter: @ex_cllr_rch

[James Barber]

Hi first mate,

We have no CGS underspend to reallocate.

The next round of CGS should open for applications in October/November.

[nxjen]

rch Wrote:

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

> Council housing services are also located in

> Peckham, which is difficult to get to on public

> transportation from ED/Dulwich.

>

For those unable to walk, there are direct trains to Peckham Rye Station from North Dulwich and East Dulwich, and bus routes 37, P13 and 63.