| Author |
Message |
Chris
Joined 30-03-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 - 04:11 pm: | |
Some of the road surfaces in the area are in an appalling state of repair. Potholes and disintegrating road surfaces are a real danger to cyclist, motorcyclists, ambulances, and can cause expensive damage to any vehicle. Poorly maintained pavements are a particular burden on elderly and visually impaired residents.
I have set up a website www.worst-street.org.uk
for people to log the roads that they think are the in the worst condition.
A detailed list will help bring pressure of the Council to give this matter greater attention.
Chris Maines
www.mainesformayor.org |
Les
Joined 28-01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 - 07:43 pm: | |
I agree Chris - I only drive in London about once a week, but I am convinced that either I'll get a wheel ripped off, or I'll trash a cyclist trying to dodge holes. Sydenham Hill is one offender. |
Nate
Joined 14-01-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 05 April, 2006 - 06:34 pm: | |
How about expanding the site to the state of Forest Hill in general? I live opposite a private strip of land which has been left abandoned and converted into a rubbish dump. A few of my neighbours have been trying to get some action from the council for literally two years, but as its private land they just aren't interested. |
Chris
Joined 30-03-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, 09 April, 2006 - 01:41 am: | |
Nate,
If you email me the exact location we might be able to help.
Cllr Phillip Peake is very good at getting the Council to act - it is possible the council could serve an unsightly site notice on the owners and the planning enforcement team should then be able to force them to clean their act up.
Chris
www.mainesformayor.org |
Roz
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, 09 April, 2006 - 03:39 pm: | |
We suffered badly around Ewelme,and Woodcombe with significant potholes, particularly after the snow a few years ago when large chunks of the road surface disapperard.After a bit of a fuss the Council did make the necessary work a priority and did a good job. They do seem to have done quite a good job locally on other streets so I am not sure where the problem is exactly? We have had and still have a lot of problems on the road to Crystal Palace where we severely damaged a wheel last year, but I don't recall seeing any particularly problems in the south of the borough. |
Roz
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 21 April, 2006 - 08:30 am: | |
I have received more Lib Dem electoral mailings on this subject but still am none the wiser as to where these ' appalling roads' and 'poorly maintained pavements ' are located. There are only 3 on the ' worst roads hit list'- is that it? Does that make it a grave offence?
I have in fact noticed considerable repair works this week to pavements in Woodcombe Crescent, and near the Forest Hill Hotel/BP garage near Stansted Road, and a very good standard it is too that I am of course jealous its not happening in our street!
As I said before, once we lobbied the Council for our particular problems, things seemed to happen.
It goes without saying that road surfaces on residential roads are not engineered to take 2 tonne trucks and traffic volumes that they currently experience and hence a traffic calming management solution is required to stop the wear and tear in the first place.
Perhaps the esteemed Lib Dem candidate could offer his view on this? |
Roz
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 21 April, 2006 - 08:32 am: | |
This seems to have gone a bit quiet! I have received more Lib Dem electoral mailings on this subject but still am none the wiser as to where these ' appalling roads' and 'poorly maintained pavements ' are located. There are only 3 on the ' worst roads hit list'. Is that it?
I have in fact noticed considerable repair works this week to pavements in Woodcombe Crescent, and near the Forest Hill Hotel/BP garage near Stansted Road, and a very good standard it is too that I am of course jealous its not happening in our street!
These residential roads are experiencing wear and tear due to traffic volumes and 2 tonne trucks that use them as rat runs. They are not engineered for this sort of traffic, unlike main trunk roads and those under the jurisdiction of TFL. I believe traffic calming is a major part of the solution? |
Theotherbrian
Joined 28-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 21 April, 2006 - 10:01 am: | |
The council resurfaced Honor Oak Road a few years ago and made a superb job of it. However it didn't take long for Thames Water's poor infrastructure to ruin this. Near the traffic lights at the junction with London Road, leaking water undermined the road surface. A few dollops of tarmac seems to be seen as an acceptable form of repair. At the other end, near the convent, water has been weeping through the road surface for at least three years. My impression is that the council has done what it can but private businesses and land-owners rely on the council- tax payer to pick up the bill for their own lack of action (same goes for neglected private land). This is a new slant on the "dependency culture" we used to hear so much about. Local residents and the council can only do so much. it would be nice to see the private sector take a more community friendly attitude in the first place. |
Cllrdavidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 21 April, 2006 - 11:14 am: | |
In fact, Lewisham now retains a specialist to chase up the public utilities who dig up our roads and then don't reinstate them properly. We extract a significant amount of compensation from the utilities, and, of course, which is preferable, ensure that they make a better job of reinstatement than they used to. (The specialist's fees fall under the consultancy heading, so don't believe all the suggestions from some participants in the local elections that Lewisham's consultancy spend doesn't provide value for money - or contradicts our efforts to improve the quality of our roads and pavements).
It is, however, a painful process, and it's rather depressing that businesses such as the public utilities which should have at least a vague semblance of customer focus actually must be chased on this issue, rather than making an excellent job in the first place.
Also, thanks to those who have commented on the improved state of Lewisham roads and pavements over the last four years. This Council has put a lot of effort into the basic services, and while they may not yet be perfect, we think we have made some real progress.
Incidentally, for the removal of doubt, I am standing for re-election. I notice some of the other candidates are putting their agent's imprint on their postings. My advice is that this is unnecessary - and in any case, the publisher of these posts is the webmaster, not my agent. |
Roz
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, 22 April, 2006 - 06:26 pm: | |
I've just travelled the full length of Sydenham Hill- the part near the Crystal Palace junction is dreadful- I recall this is where we had a tyre ripped a few years ago. However the offending stretch of road ,as is the greater part of this road, appears to be in Southwark, not Lewisham. The ' hill' bit of Sydenham Hill which runs down to the Horniman seems to be recently renewed. |
Forester
Joined 04-02-2006
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 09:39 am: | |
We had a letter pushed through our letterbox a few days ago saying that the council are going to resurface our road next week. Very pleased - it's in a terrible state. |
Millesens
Joined 21-04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 09:49 am: | |
Great news! Not that lucky over here, they started some work in the springtime and then everything was stopped. Could I ask you which general area of FH do you live in ? |
Michael
Joined 04-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 10:40 am: | |
I wish they would resurface the pavement at the rear exit from the station. I noticed that when they took away the silly bit of wall they filled in the hole with tarmac, but did not deal with all the other potholes in that area! |
Davidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 11:07 am: | |
The frontier (sorry, boundary) between Southwark and Lewisham runs along the middle of Sydenham Hill. The Highways Act 1935 or thereabouts made provision for local authorities to make agency agreements so that boundary roads came under one management. Sydenham Hill is managed by Southwark on behalf of both Councils. I don't know about the bit at the Crystal Palace roundabout end, and I wonder whether this stretch is a down to TfL as it abuts a Metropolitan road. I am sure that one of our Councillors would be happy to investigate this matter.
Not sure under whose responsibility the station down line entrance is. |
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 12:31 pm: | |
The real frontier is actually Honor Oak Road, Forest Hill Road etc but on a similar subject – speed bumps. Now Baggy Dave being the arnarcho cyclists crusty kind of guy would like speed limiters on cars in all urban areas. But on the SE23 side of Hornimans the speed humps are so severe they can damage cars doing 15mph (in what is nominally a 30 mph), yet our cousins on the other side (Wood Vale etc) have a 20 mph with speed pimples that can be navigated by SUVs at 60. Odd. Raised the general concept of speed restrictions with DfT via Jim D, but got the normal blurb back.
I've seen speed dips in Austria - thought they were effective but also like the speed warning signs that flash up. When the roads coming down from Honor Oak Road were comparable to those in Central Africa they were also good at limiting speed.
Cycling through Southwark and Lambeth I think our roads are nowhere near as bad |
Domc
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 02:13 pm: | |
Well Honor Oak Road, although containing 2 primary schools, has no speed bumps and regularly has people going 50mph down it.
I wonder what number the accident count must hit for this to be changed? |
Domc
Joined 17-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 02:13 pm: | |
and BTW - I HATE speed bumps as have a low car. |
Philip
Joined 19-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 04:16 pm: | |
David/The boundary agreement is for Southwark to manage Sydenham Hill from Crystal Palace to the northern arm of Crescent Wood Rd, and for Lewisham to manage the rest down to the Horniman. Southwark have resurfaced their section since Roz' email (dated April) - it took the contractors all spring and the early part of the summer and they weren't terribly pedestrian-friendly with their work practices (though they improved after I complained to the Southwark Executive Member) but the job is not now bad at all. |
Djnever
Joined 09-04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 04:53 pm: | |
Devonshire Road and Tyson Road are obscenely bad roads. Potholes are everywhere and the speed bumps are far too high. We really should have have these roads re-surfaced as a priority - can we include this in FHS agenda? Perhaps calling for an examination of the roads (AND footpaths?) in the surrounding areas of SE23? |
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 07:24 pm: | |
HOR is one of my pet hates Domc, dunno why there isn't traffic calming on this one. |
Davidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 29 September, 2006 - 08:37 pm: | |
Hi Philip
If Southwark are responsible for the whole lot along the ridge of the hill, can you find out why there is the rough bit adj Crystal Palace roundabout? |
Philip
Joined 19-03-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, 01 October, 2006 - 04:50 pm: | |
Hi David/ As I said in the previous email, Southwark have resurfaced their portion - the rough bit is no more. |
Millesens
Joined 21-04-2006
| | Posted on Monday, 02 October, 2006 - 04:09 pm: | |
Some roads have it all, really! Here we go:
- wide enough for cars to be double parked in both senses of circulation
- curbs and pavements delightfully showing a masterpiece in the art of paving/resurfacing; multiple different types of materials and stones of all sizes/shapes ever existed are used, yet nothing too coherent as you may find long patches of tarmac on some stretches between these "mosaics"
- 20mph speed limit, huge speed bumps yet 7.5 tons trucks and above, ambulances, police cars, motorbikes and the list goes on, manage to negotiate them at surely 40-50mph.
It is all extremely good, isn 't it ? Sorry to be a complainer, but such roads are an eyesore, a display to validate once more that whatever the Lewisham Council has done so far is of very
poor standards In the adopted plan, the policy of Road Hierarchy (TRN18) should be implemented. Note 2 introduces "Home Zones" as "groups of streets which create living spaces, where pedestrians are considered very important and cars travel at little more than walking pace (20mph)..." Don' t get me started on the urban design/ regeneration side of the plans.... anybody who shares my experience/views ? |
