During the roadworks on Waldram Cresent, as expected drivers are desperate not to wait a second longer than they have to, so are all over the place at the moment.

During my morning dog walks I have seen all sorts of mayhem around SE23 with cars racing up small roads, forcing their way through gaps etc.

However, the behaviour I take most seriously is the arrogance of drivers deciding to use not only the wrong side of the road to get to the end of the road in front of the queue, but also their decision to go to the RIGHT side of the island to turn right out of the bottom of the road, head on into any traffic turning in.

I know the road works will be done soon, but this is worthy of a ticket for sure, especially as parents parking on the left and crossing to drop kids to nursery wont be expecting cars to be racing down the wrong side.

Anyway, here are some snaps from this morning...

   
   
   

Surprised you are surprised. Not lived here long but reckon the driving is the worst (certainly the least courteous) I have experienced anywhere. It's like the wild west. Red traffic lights are ignored, parking restrictions also (Dartmouth Road esp) and so on.

Closer to where I live motorists regularly race down the one-way Manor Mount when the traffic has backed up from the London Road/Honor Oak road junction. Very dangerous as you are not expecting cars, and cycles, comingfrom behind you when walking down the road.

Ever see a police/traffic officer in the area?

In this recent scene you will note the absence of any motoring problems in FH town centre - doubtless thanks to the presence of uniformed bobbies!

This post was last modified: 10-03-2014 03:58 PM by gbrownings.

Having lived in the area for over 30 years and done a lot of driving in the time, I have to say that FH is no worse than most other parts of London I have driven in.

I am surprised as its not usually anywhere near as bad as this, certainly not on a regular basis. The thing to remember is a lot of cars driving IN Forest Hill are probably not FROM the area, merely passing through.

Police, PCSO's, traffic units, I see plenty on a regular basis in the area, a lot of operations are based from my road. But typically the 'not one around when you need one' rule applies from time to time.

As for Manor Mount, I know it well and yes I agree, historically blighted by idiot drivers.

I have lived in Manor Mount for 18 years and the rat running has always been a problem. Very occasionally there is a police presence or a camera van but not nearly often enough. I don't know why the council refuse to install a camera at the top of the road.

I had some idiot on a Mondeo do this last night at 7:45. The thing is he drove past Manor Mount, reversed, tried to turn in but I was there so reversed again. I pointed to the sign saying no entry but he did the Maxwell Coffee signal and drove down anyway.

Waldenshaw Rd is also particularly bad with people using it to cut the corner off the circular. It's a 20mph zone too. I think I really might draw a couple of lines on the road 10m apart and start filming/timing people and calculating their speed and then shaming them online. Seriously.

One of these at the top of Manor Mount would do the trick.



Unfortunately not sure it's in Lewisham's standard bag of tricks!

This post was last modified: 11-03-2014 12:07 PM by edpaff.

would certainly get my vote.....!

...yeah, to whack the drivers round the head with!

If it wasnt for larger vehicles using the road, I would say that a width restriction with island either side at the top would make it much harder to turn into the road (Manor Mount that is)

As for the speeding and ignorant rat running. I did some slow back road driving myself on the way home last night, and it was still going on, cars rushing around, bullying their way through gaps etc.

Really don't get what the rush is about.

I think the traffic in the last few days was so exceptional that some rat running was inevitable. Barely a thing on the south circ at 0845 this morning, though.

Rat-running is one thing - but the ignorance of those who turn into no-entry roads or bomb up the wrong side of the road to pass queuing traffic is another. SCUM!

Strong word AnotherJohn, but I'm inclined to agree that people like that deserve all the names thrown at them. Ignorant idiots at least

I completely agree re going the wrong way down one way streets but I do wonder why that particular stretch of Manor Mount is one way. I remember years ago when it was two way and remember it becoming one way but I have no idea why Lewisham did that. It doesn't seem necessary or particularly desirable and it would be very useful sometimes to drive down there rather than sit in the queue of traffic waiting to turn left into London Road. Could we ask Lewisham to change it back for the greater good?

They did it because folk like me me used to use it to avoid the junction in FH......it was a better option than the Ewleme rd & Devonshire rd cut through which has become virtually unusable now.

Not sure whose greater good (maybe yours) but, no thanks.

Far better that motorists are encouraged to stick to main roads rather than using residential back streets.

For a tiny road, Manor Mount (down the bottom anyway) already has an almost unmanageable level of traffic with huge lorries delivering night and day to Sainsburys, their shoppers, an ambulance station and the aforementioned rat runners careering round Waldenshaw Road in the hope of saving two minutes by cutting out the town centre traffic lights on the south circular.

I seem to recall from the days when I drove to work (late 80's so a while ago now I admit) that the avoidance of traffic lights was the secret to successful urban rush hour driving?

Oh yes and staying off the South Circ at all costs......

I lived in Manor Mount for a few years and I remember what it was like when you could turn down into it from Honor Oak Road.

The problem wasn't at the top end. It just led to a traffic jam at the bottom - as I'm sure you can imagine - which tailed back round the bend and past the ambulance station (!!!).

Then of course there was the other issue of all of those extra cars having to run the gauntlet by turning left, or the occasional right, from Davids Road onto the South Circular and there were near-misses every few minutes.

I thought the purpose of one-way was to give the London ambulance service a less congested emergency route out of their base on Davids Rd.

But the again, I've never really noticed ambulances running in these back roads any more than anywhere else, nor hear of any mention of the service on here.