in defense of drivers in general, it is human nature to wonder if it is really closed actually that goes for the animal kingdom.
getting back to the point - until about 5 or so years ago government policy had favored the motorcar , when it comes to road layout, this is now changing in a very dramatic way and infact the outer boroughs like lewisham have been slow to see this. the days of the combustion engine are numbered and infact these things only exist due to the resistance of oil companies and there connection and pressure on car manufacturers. what i'm saying is that this is far bigger than just perry vale and lewisham. strategies in kensington and chelsea have been observed by our local boroughs for some years, the idea that to remove rails and remove clutter off footpaths and to create a more car pedestrian equal space is working, both have a greater tendency to be more observant to what is around them improving safety by removing security furniture. looking at the plan i dont think it goes far enough a typical lewisham move.
the problem with the whole of forest hill is caused by badly implemented pedestrian use and over focus on what the car needs. just for your information i am lucky to have legs and so i walk, cycle and drive a car, what i mean is that i understand all aspects of road use.