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Parking Devonshire Road
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ForestHillier


Posts: 490
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #21
27-07-2010 01:41 PM

shzl400 - agree, appears that the price to pay for living so close to the station is the parking problems, cant really see any other way out, as like you say, we dont want to go down to the meter everywhere in FH/HOP areas, I ve been to other boroughs, like I expect most of us have, and it is awful, Wandsworth is one example, I think every road is pay as you park, no wonder their Council tax bills are so low

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ryananglem


Posts: 167
Joined: Apr 2009
Post: #22
27-07-2010 02:56 PM

Quote:
..but I was hoping that the new Condem government and Big Society would mean a move away from the nanny state dictating every move you make and towards a more free market approach.


Big Society = ConDemNation

*sniggers*

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #23
28-07-2010 11:29 AM

Seems a number of folk seem to think that the good citizens of Devonshire Rd should think themselves lucky and if they do not like it move.
This is a serious problem and many residents have lived there for many years , or even all their life. Why should they move instead of controlling the selfish parkers.

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mrm1ag1


Posts: 15
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #24
28-07-2010 12:18 PM

Parking is pretty much impossible during the day at HOP end of Devonshire Road. It is worse than ever since Lewisham council cleverly decided to put yellow lines all the way up Honor Oak park by the cemetary.

My car has been dented and scratched 3 times in the past few months by brain dead drivers and its really starting to xxxx me off.

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seeformiles


Posts: 269
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #25
28-07-2010 12:21 PM

Where I live we're having problems with outsiders using our private car park. I've seen people park up and let themselves into their houses further down the road and also commuters driving into the car park in the morning and then walking down towards the station. They're completely shameless about it, and I don't feel confident challenging some of them either. If you saw them you'd know what I mean!

I've reported it, but nothing much is being done apart from a vague suggestion that we could have parking permits in the future, but it's not helping the situation now.
The point I'm trying to make is that this seems to reflect a wider trend in Forest Hill and it might be linked to the arrival of the ELL as others have suggested.

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ForestHillier


Posts: 490
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #26
28-07-2010 12:47 PM

Sorry to hear about your plight seeformiles

maybe the only solution is for residents parking permits, yet that would not work in a private car park, do you live in flat, if yes, then maybe you should ask the landlords who own the freehold to put up notices that state you will be clamped if you park here illegally

It worked for my friend when they lived in Colliers Wood, other thing they did was to park right in front of one the offending cars, so they were blocked in, maybe not such a bright idea in this day & age as who knows what will happen to you/your car

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ForestHillier


Posts: 490
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #27
28-07-2010 12:51 PM

I do believe that ELL is one major reason for the increase in traffic/parking in FH/HOP areas.

Sorry to harp on again - however same thing happened to someone I know when they lived in Colliers Wood, they would walk to the tube and see loads of cars pull up and people get out, park, then sail off on the tube to work, most of them drove in from Epsom, Morden areas, appears same thing is happening to FH/HOP with people coing from Kent borders, parking, then hopping on trains

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seeformiles


Posts: 269
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #28
28-07-2010 01:21 PM

I got a phone call out of the blue from an ex (who I hoped never to hear from again!) asking if he could use our car park as he was driving over from Kent for a visit to Tate Modern, adding that 'Forest Hill is a really handy place to park'
You can imagine my answer, but at least he asked I suppose!

A number of us residents have asked for signs to go up in the car park but I'm not holding my breath waiting. :-)

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IWereAbsolutelyFuming


Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #29
28-07-2010 01:35 PM

My street has two private car parks that aren't private car parks but still has signs saying they are. Without enforcement the signs are all but useless.

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ForestHillier


Posts: 490
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #30
28-07-2010 01:38 PM

Maybe without enforcement they are useless, however I know I would think twice about parking if I saw one them signs

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tripandfuschia


Posts: 68
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #31
31-07-2010 06:49 PM

Sorting out parking on Devonshire rd by stopping the cut through speeding traffic along it and the feeder roads such as Ewelme, Benson, Dunoon etc, and intoducing a controlled parking zone would enable Devonshire Rd residents to park safely in the road therefore stopping the illegal parking on the pavement therefore allowing pedestrians to use the pavement in comfort. As was stated by quite a few contributors to the old thread on Devonshire rd traffic calming life would be a lot more pleasant for the vast majority of residents.

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #32
31-07-2010 08:05 PM

But the question is, how do you stop the cut through traffic? Every new traffic rule or routing has a knock on effect in other places. I'll bet the traffic on Devonshire Road has been a lot worse in the years since they made Manor Mount no entry from Honor Oak Road.

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tripandfuschia


Posts: 68
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #33
31-07-2010 09:17 PM

I think there are plenty of ways to stop the cut through traffic rhsdunlop. Maybe you are concerned about the effects of stopping it ( on other roads)? Residents of Manor Mount probably have a better environment now, as could residents of Devonshire Rd. Traffic could be routed along the main road ( south Circular) THe increase in traffic on that road may persuade less people to drive. The logical alternative of not doing so is that one day, perhaps in ten years, Devonshire Rd will be as congested as the South Circular. You are right I think, that the calming on Manor Mount makes more traffic use Devonshire, but in my opinion a commuter driving from Bromley to central london each day should not be driving along Manor Mount or Devonshire Rd, and then Dunoon Rd or Benson Rd ( and with better transport options hopefully less should be driving at all) That particular commuter will probably have a different opinion, but tey are free to voice it. There is also the point that Devonshire Rd only works as a cut through because of illegal parking on the pavement creating the room for it to be so, so unless we have an official policy of taking pavement space away from pedestrians to speed up/increase capacity for car use of residential roads, we should perhaps be doing something about it.
At the same time as trying to sort out local traffic issues it is also important to try to sort out a proper transport policy but I don't think that should be a brake on sorting out the local problem.

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #34
31-07-2010 10:58 PM

I'm not saying it couldn't or shouldn't be done, I'm just wondering how, with so many side roads joining into Devonshire Road.

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tripandfuschia


Posts: 68
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #35
01-08-2010 10:12 AM

Yes I understand rhsdunlop, it seems to me most of the cutting through traffic leaves Devonshire by going up Ewelme, Benson, Tyson, Dunoon Rd with a little of it going along to the far end of Devonshire and vice versa in the evening. Also I notice a lot of cars leaving Honor Oak Park by going down Hengrave Rd only to rejoin Honor Oak Park ( or is it rd I cant remember) where Devonshire joins it, presumably as they hope the queue is shorter, so any scheme could involve all these roads. There are a lot of configurations from no right turns into Devonshire to blocking off some of these roads where they join Devonshire or at the other ends, all would stop cut through traffic but make some local residents car trips more inconvenient, but I think a consultation to find out whether the inconvenience for some residents who use their cars a lot would be out weighed by the benefits to those residents as well as others who do not use cars a lot or at all would uncover the majority feeling on the matter.

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #36
01-08-2010 11:17 AM

I read the other thread on traffic calming, and have to agree with the person there who pointed out that traffic flows so much better these days around the South Circular that it's hardly worth taking the rat runs. I used to use Devonshire Road as a rat run in the early evenings a lot because the traffic was so bad coming up past the Horniman all the way to FH. But I don't bother these days because even when the traffic is heavy, it moves. People who are stuck in tailbacks on Devonshire Road trying to get on to the South Circular are certainly wasting time.

How much local consultation goes into traffic calming? I used to live on Upland Road in East Dulwich. A few years into living there, the end of the road was closed off so you could only exit at one end and enter at the other. This was installed just below my house and I had to drive quite a long way in the other direction to get home. I found it very frustrating, I could see my house as I turned in the opposite direction to get there. My point is, there was absolutely no consultation, it was just put in. Now, I know why they put it in - people used to speed up there, not realising there was a blind corner. I lived on that corner and lost many a wing mirror as someone suddenly had to pull over in the face of oncoming traffic. But for the residents of Upland Road, the solution installed seemed like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. And that blocked off junction has created a new bottle neck as everyone has to use a smaller road with a tight turn with no parking restrictions, where you quite often have to reverse because there just isn't room for both you and the car you couldn't see coming...

Actions and reactions. There is always a consequence when you close off roads, and that consequence is that some other road gets your traffic. It's all very well telling people to use the South Circular, but there are certain drivers who will always use rat runs, whether they are faster or not, because they are convinced they are being clever.

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bella


Posts: 15
Joined: Jun 2010
Post: #37
04-08-2010 08:51 AM

I live on D. Rd too. We did have various letters from the council about 18/24mths ago asking if we'd like permits (from the south circular end of D.Rd leading up to W.cresent (1st left passed old post office). The problem is all the other roads near the station did opt for permits so therefore now everyone knows we're not, so they all clog up our road. What Lewisham should do is get Network rail (or who ever it is that runs our line) to install an Oyster barrier from the car park the other side of the subway as the platform runs right along side this car park and it's absolute madness that people using the car park can't just stroll on to the platform from the car park. Then local business might stand a chance as it would free up parking spaces. Also they should put in one or two bays other than just permits where you could park for 2 hours to also help the local business.

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tripandfuschia


Posts: 68
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #38
04-08-2010 01:22 PM

Hi rhs dunlop. I think your poat shows why consultation is important, it seems you feel you werent consulted and were unhappy with the result. It's interesting you talk about Upland Rd. I walk that way to work everyday and know exactly where you mean. I notice that the road has very little traffic, most of the gardens are intact and not turned into car parking spaces and there is no parking on the pavement. It's the one part of my walk where there are not cars racing past and I hear birds. It seems you were unhappy with the traffic calming as you had to drive further. I guess if the majority there feel that way they should campaign to get the traffic calming overturned. maybe some of the residents enjoy the quiet? Upland Rd and the area around there seems interesting to me for another reason. I suspect all the traffic calming in that part of East Dulwich actually increases the traffic uses Devonshire Rd as a cut through, as there is virtually no way to cut through from Lordship lane to Forest Hill Rd unless you follow the main roads. Looking at a map it would seem logical to me, if you do not want to displace traffic to other residential roads, to continue that traffic calming up to the railway line between Forest Hill and Honor Oak. If that was the case the options to cut through would be very limited. More traffic might use Brockley Rise turn along Honor Oak nr the Tesco garage.
I think your point goes to show there is no ' natural ' level of traffic, where it goes depends how it is managed. Upland road residents have a quiet road which may suit some but not others.
I cannot be sure that my views on traffic are shared by others and there are some on here who adamantly oppose what I say, but I can be sure there are lots of people living along Devonshire Rd and the feeder roads who would like to have the option of expressing their views. Maybe in the end the majority would like unfettered driving, but I think if offered the choice lots would not.

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