@themostsearched for SE4 dwellers: shock horror Ladywell Road is open! Chudleigh Rd still blocked, sun shining
— Jill Howard (@oneinfivetea) October 24, 2013
Ladywell Road reopens
Deputy Mayor backs call for urgent resolution of Ladywell chaos
Earlier this month, a group of Ladywell businesses demanded a quick resolution of the town centre roadworks, which are running behind schedule and damaging their trade. El, from El's Kitchen writes, following her meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Lewisham, the Head of Transport and Tom Connell from Conway, the contractor carrying out the work:
- Conway have a three year, rolling retainer contract with Lewisham Council to carry out new highways work and any maintenance required under a certain job value (approx £1m). They were awarded this job without needing to tender for it and there are no penalties for delays or poor quality work (they just have to re-do the work at their expense). The budget for the work was £700,000 and they have been paid approx £600,000 to date. They are paid in stages by the size of the area they complete so there is effectively no incentive at all for them to meet any timescale given to them.
- The Deputy Mayor expressed his concern with the level of mis-management and poor decision-making by Conway and had witnessed some of the lack of urgency for himself. It was ironic that he was 10 minutes late for the meeting, blaming traffic congestion in Catford due to the diversions away from Ladywell Road.
- The Deputy Mayor was shocked by the level of negative impact that the delays are having on local businesses and urged Conway to meet the new date for Ladywell Road to be re-opened of mid-October.
- Conway promised to give us an on-site point of contact that any member of the public may speak to. This is Mick Malloney and he has now been introduced to the majority of business owners.
- Conway promised to give us a detailed program of site works with timelines that traders can share with their customers. The first of these was produced on Thursday last week and shows a daily schedule of where works are being carried out to the road and pavements for the next week. They will also post this somewhere on the site for the public to access. We hope Conway will continue to gives us a weekly update going forward.
Since our meeting, work appears to be progressing a quite a pace, with many more workers on site daily and activity continuing on Saturdays and Sundays, so this is a great result. The stretch of Ladywell Road from the junction with Algernon Road to Malyons Road has been re-opened for access to Malyons Road and many of the unsightly and confusing barriers have now been removed from this area. The workmen have also cleared away much of the rubbish and unnecessary materials from the site, making it much easier, safer and cleaner for pedestrians to circulate.
However, low footfall is still an issue for all the shopkeepers in Ladywell and we urge you to come down and visit the shops while the construction work is being completed, as it would be very sad to see any of us go out of business due to continued, unsustainable losses.
- Conway have a three year, rolling retainer contract with Lewisham Council to carry out new highways work and any maintenance required under a certain job value (approx £1m). They were awarded this job without needing to tender for it and there are no penalties for delays or poor quality work (they just have to re-do the work at their expense). The budget for the work was £700,000 and they have been paid approx £600,000 to date. They are paid in stages by the size of the area they complete so there is effectively no incentive at all for them to meet any timescale given to them.
- The Deputy Mayor expressed his concern with the level of mis-management and poor decision-making by Conway and had witnessed some of the lack of urgency for himself. It was ironic that he was 10 minutes late for the meeting, blaming traffic congestion in Catford due to the diversions away from Ladywell Road.
- The Deputy Mayor was shocked by the level of negative impact that the delays are having on local businesses and urged Conway to meet the new date for Ladywell Road to be re-opened of mid-October.
- Conway promised to give us an on-site point of contact that any member of the public may speak to. This is Mick Malloney and he has now been introduced to the majority of business owners.
- Conway promised to give us a detailed program of site works with timelines that traders can share with their customers. The first of these was produced on Thursday last week and shows a daily schedule of where works are being carried out to the road and pavements for the next week. They will also post this somewhere on the site for the public to access. We hope Conway will continue to gives us a weekly update going forward.
Since our meeting, work appears to be progressing a quite a pace, with many more workers on site daily and activity continuing on Saturdays and Sundays, so this is a great result. The stretch of Ladywell Road from the junction with Algernon Road to Malyons Road has been re-opened for access to Malyons Road and many of the unsightly and confusing barriers have now been removed from this area. The workmen have also cleared away much of the rubbish and unnecessary materials from the site, making it much easier, safer and cleaner for pedestrians to circulate.
However, low footfall is still an issue for all the shopkeepers in Ladywell and we urge you to come down and visit the shops while the construction work is being completed, as it would be very sad to see any of us go out of business due to continued, unsustainable losses.
The lampenproletariat
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| New lamp (left), for old |
Lamposts across the area are being ripped up and replaced with new ones as part of a 25-year PFI scheme developed by Lewisham and Croydon Councils. For the most part, the lamps, while not revolutionary, represent an improvement over their predecessors.
What do you think?
Campaign to kill speed on Wickham Road
Residents in Wickham Road have launched a petition to reduce speeds along Wickham Road. The group, supported by the Brockley Society and the Green Party, are calling for new measures to calm traffic, after the resurfacing work last year made it easier for cars to travel at speed down the 20 mph road.
The campaign follows a recent crash at the junction of Wickham Road and Geoffrey Road, in which a woman had to be cut from her car. Campaigner Anthony says:
We're not asking for speed humps but for the council to seriously address the dangers & environmental effects of greater traffic with increased speed, especially over the last year - in any way appropriate.
The campaign follows a recent crash at the junction of Wickham Road and Geoffrey Road, in which a woman had to be cut from her car. Campaigner Anthony says:
We're not asking for speed humps but for the council to seriously address the dangers & environmental effects of greater traffic with increased speed, especially over the last year - in any way appropriate.
There was a crash involving a police car & a female driver (whose car needed the roof removing to get to her.) The police told me that they both ended up in intensive care. The incident took place at the roundabout at Geoffrey Road & Wickham Road. Drivers have complained about not realising it was a junction.
Where there is a 20 mph restriction, the street layout must by law be able to enforce it. This is not happening & we are recommending the council implement measures, whatever are best, to reduce traffic speed.
Sink the South Circular!
The Evening Standard reports that the Mayor of London's transport advisers are recommending that the South Circular should be driven underground, to free up more space on the surface and make the areas it travels through more pleasant to live and breathe in.
The plan is part of a series of recommendations, budgeted at £30bn, to improve road transport while tackling problems like air pollution and making better use of London's limited space. The Standard says:
The bold proposal is greater in ambition than the current £15 billion Crossrail project under the capital and is the most eye-catching plan from the influential Roads Taskforce.
It is the first strategic review for decades of London’s roads which Boris Johnson believes have been overlooked even though they account for 80 per cent of passenger trips. Sources stress the tunnelling is not designed to make way for more cars but to improve the space at ground level for pedestrians, cyclists and parks while improving the environment by cutting vehicle emissions.
They insist a radical solution is needed. Central London has lost 30 per cent of its capacity for motor vehicles in a decade to schemes such as cycle lanes and pedestrianisation. The task is made urgent because London’s population is forecast to grow by 1.25 million by 2031, adding 14 per cent to road congestion.
Much though the good folk of Forest Hill bridle at any suggestion that the South Circular spoils their home, the leaden scar it carves through this part of London is a big problem and the respiratory problems caused by car pollution alone demand a radical approach. The £30bn cost of the project could be significantly offset by using the reclaimed land for residential and commercial purposes.
TfL is now due to look at the proposals.
The plan is part of a series of recommendations, budgeted at £30bn, to improve road transport while tackling problems like air pollution and making better use of London's limited space. The Standard says:
The bold proposal is greater in ambition than the current £15 billion Crossrail project under the capital and is the most eye-catching plan from the influential Roads Taskforce.
It is the first strategic review for decades of London’s roads which Boris Johnson believes have been overlooked even though they account for 80 per cent of passenger trips. Sources stress the tunnelling is not designed to make way for more cars but to improve the space at ground level for pedestrians, cyclists and parks while improving the environment by cutting vehicle emissions.
They insist a radical solution is needed. Central London has lost 30 per cent of its capacity for motor vehicles in a decade to schemes such as cycle lanes and pedestrianisation. The task is made urgent because London’s population is forecast to grow by 1.25 million by 2031, adding 14 per cent to road congestion.
Much though the good folk of Forest Hill bridle at any suggestion that the South Circular spoils their home, the leaden scar it carves through this part of London is a big problem and the respiratory problems caused by car pollution alone demand a radical approach. The £30bn cost of the project could be significantly offset by using the reclaimed land for residential and commercial purposes.
TfL is now due to look at the proposals.
Brockley Rise built on ancient Indian burial ground
Roadworks cause Ladywell meltdown
Not long ago, we were sitting in a pile of our own hair at Geddes when El from El's Kitchen popped in to ask to borrow some water. It was the end of the day and she'd been unexpectedly cut off by the roadworks taking place outside her shop, which was not helpful for a catering business. A couple of months' later, the works are running reliably behind schedule and the situation is really starting to get on local businesses' nerves.
A letter to Mayor Bullock from Jason Slater (of Slater & King) on behalf of the disrupted businesses says:
Ladywell's local businesses have been strong supporters of the improvements now being made to the Ladywell Road and Algernon Road but as business owners, we are becoming increasingly frustrated with the council’s apparent lack of regard for the problems the street works are creating for us.
The redevelopment work is already more than a month behind schedule and will now not finish until the end of September at the earliest and several shops, already under pressure because of the economic downturn, are seeing further sharp reductions in takings because of the disruption caused by this work.
We have now been told that Ladywell Road will be closed to traffic for eight weeks from July 1st 2013 and this is likely to further increase the pressure on our businesses. So far there has been no attempt by council officers or elected officials to allay local business fears and frustrations, and to date, other than a printed update about the progress of and the delays to the works, there has been no information given as to the practical arrangements we can expect to be put in place (such as the collection of rubbish and how we will be able to receive vital deliveries) during the road closure which is due to begin in less than ten days' time.
We also want to know what support the council can offer us; local shops and businesses are the lifeblood of Lewisham's local high streets and need to be supported by the council, not neglected. We would urge council officers to meet local shop owners in Ladywell ahead of the road closure and listen to the concerns we have. We would also urge the council to give strong consideration to reducing the business rates that local businesses pay for a three-month period to help compensate owners for the serious impact the street works are having on our businesses.
In response, the Mayor has asked his officers to investigate the issues raised.
A letter to Mayor Bullock from Jason Slater (of Slater & King) on behalf of the disrupted businesses says:
Ladywell's local businesses have been strong supporters of the improvements now being made to the Ladywell Road and Algernon Road but as business owners, we are becoming increasingly frustrated with the council’s apparent lack of regard for the problems the street works are creating for us.
The redevelopment work is already more than a month behind schedule and will now not finish until the end of September at the earliest and several shops, already under pressure because of the economic downturn, are seeing further sharp reductions in takings because of the disruption caused by this work.
We have now been told that Ladywell Road will be closed to traffic for eight weeks from July 1st 2013 and this is likely to further increase the pressure on our businesses. So far there has been no attempt by council officers or elected officials to allay local business fears and frustrations, and to date, other than a printed update about the progress of and the delays to the works, there has been no information given as to the practical arrangements we can expect to be put in place (such as the collection of rubbish and how we will be able to receive vital deliveries) during the road closure which is due to begin in less than ten days' time.
We also want to know what support the council can offer us; local shops and businesses are the lifeblood of Lewisham's local high streets and need to be supported by the council, not neglected. We would urge council officers to meet local shop owners in Ladywell ahead of the road closure and listen to the concerns we have. We would also urge the council to give strong consideration to reducing the business rates that local businesses pay for a three-month period to help compensate owners for the serious impact the street works are having on our businesses.
In response, the Mayor has asked his officers to investigate the issues raised.
Drakefell Road now Ends well
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| Drakefell Debasement |
Ladywell village works begin
Yesterday, work began on the Ladywell high street improvement scheme. As a result, there will be some disruption in the area. Lewisham Council explains:
- From 2 April, for a period of at least three weeks, it will be necessary to close Algernon Road to traffic between Gillian St and Ladywell Road, thus allowing the contractor to reconstruct the existing carriageway, install new drainage and construct the new paving for the footway, parking bays and junction works
- Southern Gas Network will then need to lower their service valves in the mouth of the junction of Ladywell Road and Railway Terrace
- The intention is to then commence work to reduce the road level in Ladywell Road, between the railway bridge and up to the Pelican crossing, from 15 April. This will be carried out with temporary traffic light control whilst Algernon Road is closed
- Having completed the work to the carriageway in Algernon Road and Ladywell Road up to the Pelican crossing, the carriageway in Algernon Road will reopen. This will allow for Ladywell Road to be closed between the Pelican crossing and the westbound bus stop from 20 May, to commence the reconstruction of Ladywell Road to the new levels
- On completion of this section of Ladywell Road, we expect to commence the final reconstruction of Ladywell Road (from the westbound bus stop to Adelaide Avenue) from 29 May. This is expected to last until 7 June
- Whilst the western section of Ladywell Road carriageway is being reconstructed, work will be carried out to the footways of the section of Ladywell Road carriageway previously completed to minimise disruption to pedestrians
- The expected completion date of the major work is on or around 24 August
- During the closure of Algernon Road, the 484 bus will be rerouted along Ladywell Road, into Adelaide Avenue, Montague Avenue, Hilly fields Crescent, Cliffview Road onto Vicars Hill where it will be back on route
Miracle on Brockley Cross
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| Four roads converged in a yellow hood |
Where vans used to be parked illegally and dangerously all over the place, we now have broad pavement and young trees.
The redesign to reduce the number of parking spots and the closure of Nat's has stopped Brockley Cross being a hang-out for drug-dealers, so that this has been the first year in the history of BC when there has not been a single serious violent crime at this location.
People used to sit in their cars and chuck their fast food packaging (and often their food) out of their windows on to the street. The reduction in parking and improvements in refuse management mean that this spot no longer overflows with rubbish every day.
Brockley Cross used to look like a six lane motorway with near-misses at the junction an hourly occurrence and prangs a weekly feature. The redesign has calmed the traffic and our walk to work through Brockley Cross no-longer rings to the sound of angry car-horn-exchanges between drivers.
Pedestrians, who used to be an afterthought at this location, no longer have to negotiate all this chaos. The raised road surface, dropped curbs and new crossings make it a much safer place to walk.
Brockley Cross is still not a thing of beauty - and may never be - but it is no longer a place of crime, filth, chaos and noise. And that has made all the difference.
Brockley Cross late night roadworks for the next four nights
In case you were wondering why you couldn't drive through Brockley Cross last night (or sleep, if you live nearby), the answer is that the final stage of roadworks in the Brockley Cross redevelopment project is taking place at night.
The late-night work will continue between the hours of 8pm and 5am until Thursday.
The late-night work will continue between the hours of 8pm and 5am until Thursday.
