Ahem. Speaking as a 'lazy' person, maybe I didn't express myself very clearly. The point I'm trying to make is, I would do a lot more quick, one-off shopping trips into FH if it were easier to park. I quite agree that there's no overall benefit from these short trips if I wind up blocking traffic - which is why I usually don't go. People going to the pools are presumably going there for at least an hour, not 5-10 minutes, so the extra time taken to park in Sainsbury's or Perry Vale makes relatively little difference. And the car park at the station charges a minimum fee of around £5, doesn't it? In my experience it's also very hard to find a space there without risking glares from the cabbies!

The car park behind Sainsbury's offers 2 hours free parking (you still need to get a ticket) and Perry Vale offers 30 minutes free parking (which isn't really long enough). Two hours is plenty of time to pop into a number of shops and have some lunch.

sorry - I meant the Perry Vale car park. Forgot that there are a few spaces at the station too. Don't own a car you see. (I do drive but use Zip cars, which have their own spaces)

This post was last modified: 13-11-2013 11:03 AM by ryananglem.

Although there is a shortage of parking in Dartmouth road this is made worse by the fact that people are parking their cars all day along on the road as parking tickets can not be issued as the road markings are worn away,surely part of the answer is to get the marking replaced so that every one has a chance to park and shop in dartmouth rd

I can't believe that some people think all the people using the pool have walked there! It is a lovely thought that after having their hovis delivered by a boy on his bike at 5am the good people of Forest Hill set out on their long journey to the gym.

Unfortunately, they drive their Ford Escorts to Thorpewood Avenue/Derby Hill and walk for all of 30 seconds. THese roads are full of leisure centre commuters. People drive absolutely everywhere in this city.

I think you could easily create 8 parking spaces infront of Heron house, opposite the shops on Dartmouth road. It would make no difference to the streetscape. You could then have a red route the other side - thus preventing people blocking the road.

Deano I have just recently managed to get contact details for Heron House landlords with the idea to create something for the local community on weekends as they have a large pavement which is not in use. If you have any other ideas please pop in for a chat. P x

Re parking: before the pools opened, we drove up to Dartmouth Road for Sunday lunch (especially if the weather was bad). Now we don't even think about driving because there is just nowhere to park. So, yes, the pools have definitely contributed to the lack of parking.

The good news is that we still go to D Road for Sunday lunch, we just have a twenty-minute walk there and back. Which is fine for us as we are all hale and hearty and my kids are teenagers, and we can use the German Bridge as a short cut. It has made us realise how ridiculous it was that we drove in the first place. However, I can see how families with small children or the less able might struggle.

It's a testament to the excellent food at both the Sylvan Post and The Hill that we make the effort.

All the traffic lights outside Forest Hill station have been out of action tonight and guess what.... the traffic is flowing fine despite the two diversions sending drivers both ways along Dartmouth road that has caused tailbacks all week. I think we have our answer to the traffic problems - take the lights away and let us use common sense.

It seems like a reasonable assumption to me that people would walk (or cycle). When we were cycling home with our little one from the pools on Saturday, the traffic was stationary all the way up past the library, so we pushed our bikes (from the park out the front of the pools) past the blockage[/quote] along the footpath, and got on near the Sylvan post. It didn't move that whole time. How on earth could it be more convenient to drive to Dartmouth Rd given those conditions?

The reality it seems, is somewhat different based on what people have posted here - but I'm wondering (out loud) why?

The closure of Sydenham Rise, and bus services replacing rail at weekends, with the added problem of people (legally) parking on single yellow lines on Dartmouth Road on a Sunday when the road is too narrow, have made Dartmouth Road extremely difficult northbound.

Last Sunday I drove down to Kirkdale to visit Aga's new cafe. Traffic was slow southbound but solid northbound, so I knew that my return journey would be via Silverdale, even with the traffic around Cobbs corner it was much faster than attempting to drive back via Dartmouth Road.

With trains not running this Sunday and the possibility that the traffic lights are still not working, we could be in for real fun on Sunday.

Even though the traffic lights were out, I did the school run in record time today - 11 minutes round trip! It was as if I was driving at 5am!

Earlier this week when the lights were "working" I did the school run in another record - 1 hour!!! Dartmouth Road was completely solid northbound.

It's just weird. I don't get it.

By 1pm the lights were back on at the Dartmouth Road junction, yet the other set by the Co-op was out.

With the free flowing traffic, it was easier crossing the road to get to the station than usual, but I wouldn't have recommended it for the elderly.