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Icy Heights
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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #1
03-12-2008 09:32 PM

Getting up Westwood Park this morning was a little tricky and I'm not looking forward to a repeat session tomorrow morning.
Do they not grit the pavements up there as well as the road? It was pretty bad on the pavement, and I understand a car slid on the ice into something around Ringmore Rise.

Us slum dweller folk in Lower Dulwich Bottom are not as hardy as the rest of you and can't cope with a little frost. So does anyone know the best person to speak to at the Council to get something done? Lower down some people seem to have obtained their own salt supply to grit the pavement outside their own house. Is this what the best people are doing these days? I have in mind a scene from your average prison escape movie where grit is released from someones trousers onto the prison yard so am about to go through my wardrobe in a minute in search of something suitable for this purpose tomorrow. Laugh, you heard it here first.

BTW what was the reason for the power cut this morning that put most of UDB inc Horniman School out of action for around 4 hours?

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #2
04-12-2008 08:56 AM

Roz

Appreciate your problem and that is a steep Rd , nearly as steep as Cannonbee Rd. I am on the poorer side of the tracks now.

Of course motorists should get priority over pedestrians . How you you even consider it was not the case. No problem if a few pedestrians fall over but cannot have a car door being scraped.

Hope OK Friday for you.

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jon14


Posts: 145
Joined: Sep 2007
Post: #3
04-12-2008 09:06 AM

Roz wrote:
Getting up Westwood Park this morning was a little tricky and I'm not looking forward to a repeat session tomorrow morning.
Do they not grit the pavements up there as well as the road? It was pretty bad on the pavement, and I understand a car slid on the ice into something around Ringmore Rise.


Brian wrote:
Of course motorists should get priority over pedestrians . How you you even consider it was not the case. No problem if a few pedestrians fall over but cannot have a car door being scraped.


Doesn't sound like they were too bothered about the roads either, does it Brian?!

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IWereAbsolutelyFuming


Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #4
04-12-2008 09:46 AM

We had the same issue on the similarly steep Taymount Rise. To be fair to LBC they usually grit the road but haven't so far this year. Well, maybe they did and it all disappeared down the latticework of potholes which is laughly called the road surface?

I'm sure we're not alone but those of us who live on/off Taymount Rise would welcome a bit of TLC from the council. Every autumn the hill becomes a slippery quagmire of fallen leaves and when the ice hits the pavement becomes slippery once again. Cars, bikes and pedestrians all hug the centre of the road as that appears to be the safest part of the hill for all of us.

On this very forum we were promised the road would be resurfaced 3 years ago but it wasn't. Since then Vantage Heights was given planning permission and the road saw numerous deliveries by HGVs which further damaged the road (and shattered every paving stone on the pavement in my street after one of the lorries mistakenly turned into it). At the moment I'd settle for gritting for the roads and pavements at the appropriate times but LBC will be getting a bill for a nice new set of bike wheels if the road isn't sorted soon.

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philip


Posts: 32
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #5
04-12-2008 10:41 AM

Roz

I've asked the highways team about this and will let you know when I get a response.

According to EDF neither Tewkesbury Avenue or Westwood Park were out; it was a relatively limited area subject to the power cut. The reason was the trip on an "underground high voltage" went out. Apparently it's all been fixed (no more work needed).

Cllr Philip Peake
cllr_philip.peake@lewisham.gov.uk

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #6
04-12-2008 08:32 PM

Thanks Philip however I do know that Horniman School was out, also Horniman Drive and Ringmore Rise. Quite a lot of homes really! Odd given the problems earlier this year and all the extensive repair work carried out by EDF up there.

Re Taymount etc, I know the gritters have been out every evening this week around here so surprised they haven't been up to Taymount, and that they don't bother with the smaller side streets.

Thanks Philip for looking into this.

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philip


Posts: 32
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #7
07-12-2008 03:34 PM

Apologies, I seem to have been misinformed by the person at EDF I spoke to...

I was walking along Westwood Park earlier, and I came across the site of the problem. According to a local resident, the underground switch actually exploded at 7:30am on Wednesday morning with an audible bang and movement of the clay and pavement above it. The hole continues to be dug out - so there is obviously still work to be done.

Philip
cllr_philip.peake@lewisham.gov.uk

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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #8
07-12-2008 03:52 PM

Hole in the road ... councillor looking into it!

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baggydave


Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
Post: #9
07-12-2008 06:45 PM

A very hard frost last night and one of the wierdest I have seen, the frost crystals were a few mm in length and fibrous. Do any of my readers have any explanation? I believe me I know far too much about ice nucleation. But the best sunsets of the year at the moment.

Back to the matter in question the various leaks from Thames water or whoever put the fear of life into me when they freeze.

And finally a story slightly off thread, but very associated...

Years ago when I was living not so far away we had a freezing night, usually associated with clear skies, but this time a smattering of snow that fell as beautiful single crystals. A very fine covering across the road, Lewisham gritted, but imagine my surprise when I crossed the border into Bromley and came flying off my bike.

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philip


Posts: 32
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #10
16-12-2008 02:22 PM

Lewisham Council answer:

Dear Councillor Peake
?
Thank you for forwarding 's concerns regarding gritting.
?
The Council carries out gritting when the weather forecast suggests that it is prudent. This information is obtained from the Meteorological Office which is updated 4 times daily and is based?on likely?road surface temperatures.
?
Grit is laid firstly on a series of primary routes which take in principal roads, local distributor roads, bus routes and emergency service priority routes and roads with steep gradients.? If required, grit will also be laid on a series of secondary routes such as roads? serving schools and premises used by Special Needs Groups and other locations with specific access problems.
?
Footways are not routinely salted and do not form part of the primary route.? However if severe icy conditions are experienced, we will undertake gritting on a priority basis ie major town centres, local shopping centres and footways close to heavily used areas such as schools, railway stations, hospitals and medical centres. Also footways designated as "safe?route to school" and other locations with specific access problems would be included.
?
We can confirm that both Westwood Park and?Ringmore Rise are?included on our?primary gritting route.?
?
I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Malcolm Smith
Executive Director for Regeneration


Philip
cllr_philip.peake@lewisham.gov.uk

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