Temporary traffic lights East Dulwich Road/Peckham Rye junction

[maceface]

I emailed the council on Thurs re. this and asked for updates on expected completion date and fixing the lights. Yesterday I got this email back from the Project Manager:

'Thank you for your e-mail to Gerald Gohler which was passed to me for reply.

On Wednesday morning I spoke to the Planning Manager (Repair and Maintenance) at Southern Gas Networks and expressed the urgency and the need to complete these works at the earliest opportunity. The situation to date is that SGN have completed the repair to a 24" main (photograph attached) but still have a high gas reading in the excavation, indicating an additional leak or leaks.

Unfortunately this will require back-filling part of the existing trench closest to the junction and extending the north end of the excavation to locate the second gas escape. I have requested updates on the situation daily and will make all parties aware of the findings. A London Borough of Southwark Network Inspector has been visiting site on a daily basis to ensure works are progressing I have also instructed SGN to re-assess the priority timings on the Portable Traffic Signals. There have been the occasions where there has been no one on site from SGN, this has been when the main or trench has required venting for health and safety reasons.

We are fully aware of the disruption to the network and our obligation under the Traffic Management Act to co-ordinate works to minimise disruption. I have requested that SGN make more resources available to speed up the works and as of Thursday the 14th an additional gang has been taken from the new connections contract to assist at East Dulwich Road.

Regarding the Street Works Register on the Council web site, the information is taken directly from our own internal register, which shows the correct end date, and should upload daily. This however has not happened. I have spoken to our I.T. department regarding the issue and I an expecting an answer as to why this is not happening today.

As for the prioritisation for emergency works, SGN have statutory obligation to repair, retain and maintain their plant/apparatus and prioritise the works accordingly, unfortunately, due to the recent weather conditions there have been an increased amount of burst mains resulting in gas leaks and losses of supply to properties and I'm sure you would all appreciate, that losses of supply in these conditions are the higher priority works. SGN currently have 25 live emergency/urgent works in the London Borough of Southwark alone which is causing a strain on their resources?, however SGN are endeavouring to complete all works at the earliest opportunity.

I have also attached a letter from SGN sent to Local Authorities detailing the problems they are experiencing.

Should you require any further information or would like to call me, please do not hesitate.'

I'll update if I hear anything else.

[AcedOut]

The works are not the problem, it's the phasing of the temporary lights! It's not that hard to sort out...

(and yes skidmarks, I used to work for Siemens Environmental Systems in Poole where they design/make most of the traffic lights in the country. Admittedly this didn't include temporary lights though!)

[damzel]

Can someone call someone and tell them that all the lights are stuck on red. It's mayhem up here! I can't find contact easily on phone

Edited to add - now I'm home I've notified the police who apparently are going to pop down and have a look. Hope they hurry, last thing I saw was 2 kids trying to direct the traffic!

[dbboy]

Police in attendance on traffic duty this evening, feel sorry for the 2 pc's on duty there.

[malleymoo]

These works have been ongoing for almost a month and the frustrating bit is how little evidence that SGN are treating this seriously.I have barely seen anyone working there and in fact today when the lights stopped working i passed at 3.30 and no-one was on site clearly from the above emails they still were not on site an hour later or they would have been able to sort out the lights/ direct traffic.

[Lost Yorkshire Man]

The police did a cracking job last night and there were no queues at all. This proves that if the lights were phased better the problem would be minimalised

[Medley]

It's just so ridiculous. I know there are a lot of other leaks in the borough and blah blah blah, but

- they've had a month

- the lights were up, gratuitously, when nothing was happening

- even when they did start digging, they didn't need the lights until part way through that phase

- now they are digging, it's achingly slow.

Meanwhile we all have to put up with it.

[ladywotlunches]

The stretch of road along the rye and up FH road is even worse now. There are no less than THREE sets of temporary lights now between the nightmare at the Rye and Wood Vale. All in Southwark, so don't know who co-ordinated these and allowed them all to happen at the same time. And I've only ever seen workers at 1 out of 3 at any one time. This, along with the pedestrian crossing and the Colyton Road lights, makes this bit of road ridiculous.

And with all the cold weather, who thought it was a good idea to open up the roads just when they couldn't be relaid? Is it because the April budget-spend deadline is looming? Tick-tock tick-tock. "Quick, spend it before you lose it"!!!

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Anyone know if the yellow box junction is still raking the cash in in the meantime ?? My girlfriend got caught in it for all of 2seconds over the weekend and is panicking there's a ?60 fine coming her way ... due to the location of the bus stops you can quite easily drive through the lights thinking you're ok, then the bus suddenly stops and you end up trapped. Hardly your fault.

[Amysdad]

I probably shouldn't tempt fate but it may be about to end... the Tarmac is on, the road markings painted, even the old lights seem to be on under the covers. So maybe, if we are lucky, only about another three weeks to go.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Sorry Allseeing... but you have to make sure your exit is clear on yellow boxes before you drive through them.

[timtim]

Looks like someone was run over at this junction this morning.

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Sorry Allseeing... but you have to make sure your

> exit is clear on yellow boxes before you drive

> through them.

Yes, I understand the Highway Code thank you, but as stated in my message before, you can enter the box, which is fairly large, looking ahead and expecting it to be clear, only for a bus to then stop unpredictably and back the traffic up. There are a lot of buses that run up and down that road, and the "bendy" ones are about a kilometre long ... Im sure this is some kind of ploy by the council to rake money in ... are bus stops about 50yards from traffic lights the safest option anyway ??

[reetpetite]

timtim Wrote:

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> Looks like someone was run over at this junction

> this morning.

Sadly a 10 year old girl was killed.

[sniffy]

^ Didn't a 10 year old girl die at this very spot some years back??

How did you find this out??

[Huggers]

Oh no! it has been so dangerous for school children to cross this crossing in the morning without any obvious indicators of when it is safe.

[sophiesofa]

Oh how awful.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

That's the whole point ASE - you can't predict, that's why the Highway Code is explicit that you must make sure your exit is actually clear (not might be, or should be) before you proceed.

[reetpetite]

sniffy Wrote:

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> ^ Didn't a 10 year old girl die at this very spot

> some years back??

> How did you find this out??

Its on LBC news it involved a lorry.

[sillywoman]

Huggers Wrote:

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> Oh no! it has been so dangerous for school

> children to cross this crossing in the morning

> without any obvious indicators of when it is safe.

Oh Huggers, you were so right. you said at the beginning of the thread that it was dangerous to school kids. And now you've been proved right in the worst way possible. What a terrible tragedy for the little girl & her poor family. :(

(sorry Huggers - Pm'd this to you by mistake)

[Huggers]

yes I was extremely worried as this is the route my own children take to get the bus to secondary school. As an adult I find it difficult enough to negotiate the junction . We need a lollypop lady or policeperson there in the morning to get them safely accross.

[daizie]

Someone needs to be held accountable .

[TheAllSeeingEye]

terrible news about the 10year old girl, my thoughts are with her family.

Peckhamgatecrasher, I can only make the assumption you do not drive. As you rightly say you cannot predict ... and in the time it takes to think, enter the junction, and then get to the other side, there are a million and one things that could happen that make your original decision to enter the box the wrong one, through no fault of your own. I know, as I was sitting there watching.

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> That's the whole point ASE - you can't predict,

> that's why the Highway Code is explicit that you

> must make sure your exit is actually clear (not

> might be, or should be) before you proceed.

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Huggers Wrote:

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

> yes I was extremely worried as this is the route

> my own children take to get the bus to secondary

> school. As an adult I find it difficult enough to

> negotiate the junction . We need a lollypop lady

> or policeperson there in the morning to get them

> safely accross.

Fair point, but ideally what we need is someone to pull their finger out and get the roadworks sorted so things can go back to normal.

[sniffy]

TheAllSeeingEye Wrote:

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

> Huggers Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > yes I was extremely worried as this is the

> route

> > my own children take to get the bus to

> secondary

> > school. As an adult I find it difficult enough

> to

> > negotiate the junction . We need a lollypop

> lady

> > or policeperson there in the morning to get

> them

> > safely accross.

>

> Fair point, but ideally what we need is someone to

> pull their finger out and get the roadworks sorted

> so things can go back to normal.

+1 this has been dragging for too long!! nobody working over the weekend either.... FFS

As for Daizie saying someone needs to be held accountable, please.... we don't know the facts yet!