Traffic calming or harming?

As the thickly painted markings start to carve up our

roadsides, Westcombe News asked residents for their

reactions to the traffic calming measures.

"The lines were marked last week. Already it has become

apparent that there are too few parking bays. Some residents

have been forced to park on yellow lines."

Coleraine Road

"I can see more and more residents lowering the kerbs in

front of their homes and turning their front gardens into a

parking forecourt. At night they can place another car on

the yellow line outside their house. If enough people do this

the look of the neighbourhood will suffer I think."

Foyle Road

"Necessary otherwise it’s chaos. Though I’m not sure why

they have more than one zone in the area. And, I didn’t

realise they would be charging us after a year. This wasn’t

mentioned in the leaflet put through my door."

Vanburgh Hill

"Cars have been allowed to park so close to the road

junctions that spotting oncoming traffic is extremely

difficult. When I reported this to the Council they were

unhelpful and insisted it was too late to make any changes.

If an official made the effort to visit Lasseter Place they

would see we clearly have a problem."

Lasseter Place

"I cannot see the new measures making much difference to

the number of parking spaces available. Having to pay to

park, if this comes about, will be the big issue to effect

residents."

Humber Road

"We have been led to believe that Mycenae House has been

appointed a venue for the selling of additional parking

permits - subject to confirmation. We will, also, have to see

whether parking becomes a problem for us. We have 15

spaces available to Mycenae House, Woodlands Gallery

and the Local History Museum on the forecourt within the

premises. We won’t be acting on suggestions of some class

users to turn the grassland into a car park. Most classes last

under two hours and evening classes start after 7pm so we

are optimistic that parking won’t be too much of a

problem."

Director, Mycenae House

"Greenwich and Blackheath residents should not be overly

concerned about illegal parking by visitors to the Dome

exhibition. Many of the tickets to the Dome will be sold as

part of a package with transport included. Those tickets sold

to individuals will carry travel instructions making it clear

that no parking is available in Greenwich. The Millennium

Experience traffic strategy is aimed at encouraging visitors

to use public transport."

Inspector Richards, Greenwich Police

Readers Letters

On 19 May Ralph Murphy sent the following letter to

local authority official Brian Hansan at Peggy

Middleton House

Dear Sir

I am writing to ask you to reconsider the issue of traffic

calming and parking on the north side of Westcombe Park

Road between the junction of Mycenae and Glenluce before

the present yellow line exercise is completed and whilst

there is scope for amendment (the lines are still broken in

this section). As you know, at present the only parking

envisaged between these two points is on the south side.

My concerns were put forward by others during discussions

at Kidbrooke House but have not been acted upon. They are

as follows:

- The Mycenae to Westcombe Hill length of Westcombe

Park Road is notorious for speeding; the island at Mycenae

and Westcombe has been knocked down several times, cars

have demolished walls in the block and not too long ago a

speedster hit three cars in this section.

- We petitioned for traffic calming measures but this request

has been ignored; in the absence of measures, parking on

both sides encourages traffic to slow down; conversely,

south side parking only, by opening the road, encourages

the irresponsible to drive faster...it is the reverse of traffic

calming.

- Present parking proposals effectively halve the amount of

parking available in this block; this means that both

residents and customers of the Westcombe Hill shops will

certainly suffer; the competition for space is likely to

become conflictive - particularly when exacerbated by

visitors of residents. I have no choice but to park in the street

as my driveway is too steep to handle a normal saloon. This

was not what we had in mind when traffic calming measures

were introduced as a solution to the unwanted consequences

of the Millennium Exhibition.

It has been argued that single line parking relieves

congestion for the bus service. Beyond the sensible move

of yellow-lining the area between Westcombe Hill and

Glenluce Road where the buses turn, I cannot see what is

special about the Glenluce to Mycenae section to merit such

treatment. It cannot be the width of the road as this is

identical to other stretches further west. The section

approaching Vanburgh mini roundabout is both narrow and

has a curve, yet has parking on both sides.

I look forward to hearing from you as I believe that my

views are shared not only by neighbours but also

shopowners. Many of us are upset that serious calming has

not been introduced in this road. Even the limited measures,

that received overwhelming support through a petition, to

the Westerly end of Westcombe Park Road have not been

introduced. I understand that buses have problems with

sleeping policemen but why not install the lozenge device

which is negotiable by bus but which slows down

speedsters? Then you can reinstate doubleside parking.

There is time to do both before the Millennium hordes are

upon us.

Yours sincerely

Ralph Murphy, Westcombe Park Road

Dear Sirs,

I believe I was one of the gullible who believed that the

planned parking restrictions were FOR THE BENEFIT OF

RESIDENTS in the area. The restrictions were to ensure

residents were still able to park during the Millennium

ensuring those going to the Dome did not overwhelm the

area with their cars. Instead the Council appear to have used

the occasion to SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE the number

of vehicles that can be parked. As it is, most residents found

parking unduly restrictive PRIOR to these new restrictions.

Why are they doing this? Why did they spin the line that

these restrictions were to be in the residents’ interests? Is

it in the residents’ interest as to not to be able to park outside

their own house?

It looks as if our Councillors were not looking after our

interests. Is it time for the residents to mount a single issue

campaign to look after our interests or will our Councillors

do something about it? In the proximity of 100 to 112

Westcombe Park Road there are grossly insufficient

parking bays allowed in the current imposition of parking

restrictions. Following the installation of the parking

restrictions there are only two parking areas (3 bays outside

nos. 104 to 108) and (4 bays outside no. 112) away. There

is no parking permitted on the north side of the street. The

demand for the use of these few bays will substantially

exceed their size. These bays are expected to serve:

* houses 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 89, 93 plus

* the apartments at No. 87 / 55 Mycenae, plus

* visitors to the above household, plus

* any surplus from the Care Apartments / Nursing home at

112, including staff plus

* the frequent parking by the owners, employees and

customers of the shops on Westcombe Hill round the

corner.

This is clearly ridiculous.

In addition to the above we are concerned that the lack of

parking bays on the North side of the street will encourage

motorists to speed even faster down this stretch of road

making crossing the road particularly dangerous.

Who else in the Westcombe Area are angry at they way

these restrictions have been put into place?

Yours sincerely, David A. Scott

Dear Editor

On Thursday 20 May was my father’s funeral, flowers were

arriving and one of my brothers was arranging them out on

the driveway.

You can imagine our horror when workmen arrived to start

burning off the old paint in the road to make way for the

new yellow and white lines. Having met them on a couple

of previous occasions when they had been working in the

road, I asked if it was possible for them to hold off until

after the funeral.

The chap in charge was straight on his mobile phone to ask

his bosses if it was, under the circumstances, acceptable if

they could come back the next day to do the job - and it was.

The workmen were particularly understanding and helpful.

So on behalf of my mother, Camilla and the rest of the

family a big THANK YOU to the Beach workforce.

Jennifer Moloney, Westcombe Hill

Dear Editor

I was interested to read the letter from MA Qavi in the May

issue of Westcombe News, about the idea of a ‘Crystal

Palace’ on Blackheath.

I am sorry that I and other Greenwich councillors were

unable to attend the annual meeting of the Blackheath Joint

Working Party on 5 March (in my case, I was holding my

advice surgery that night). It is a group we normally attend,

and the maintenance and preservation of Blackheath is

something we take very seriously.

Dave Picton (the other councillor for Vanbrugh) and I are

totally opposed to Ray Hall’s daft proposal for a ‘Crystal

Palace’ on Circus Field. The land is owned by Greenwich,

and is safeguarded by law against development. If Mr. Hall

were to put in an application (of which there has been no

sign), it would certainly be unsuccessful. Gavin Moore

(councillor for the Lewisham side of the heath) has said that

the Crystal Palace would be built "over his dead body." Our

corpses would not be far off.

On another issue, there is sadly a London-wide spate of

graffiti at the moment and it is difficult for us to keep up.

Apart from prosecution of those found responsible (which

is rare) and vigilance in reporting graffiti and having it

removed, I believe the only real solution is through

diversionary youth work. In the past this has been successful

at getting young people to channel their creative energies

in other directions - murals, animation, and so on. We are

trying to get more of this done in the borough.

Councillor Alex Grant, Vanbrugh Ward, Greenwich

Council

Dear Editor

I do not usually write these letters always hoping ‘they’,

whoever they may be, know more about the idea than I do.

But I am so appalled that the new Crystal Palace idea ever

saw the light of day.

We do not need more damage to the heath plus the extra

traffic it would cause. Why did they not put a Crystal Palace

at Crystal Palace instead of the monstrosity they are hoping

to build there? I am sure there wouldn’t have been any

objection to that. No, I suppose they knew they wouldn’t

stand a chance against the ‘crowd’ hoping to do that.

The greed of these companies who have no care about the

local chaos of traffic, which is horrific at times, or even the

damage to the environment. They must be stopped!

B E Manuel, Beaconsfield Road

Dear Editor

Re: Crystal Palace on Blackheath

I hope I may reassure Mr. Qavi (May edition of Westcombe

News) over plans by a local architect, Mr. Raymond Hall,

to build a replica Crystal Palace on Blackheath.

Following representations to both Greenwich and

Lewisham Councils, as well as to Ichthus, the evangelical

association with which Mr. Hall has links, we are informed

that this utterly daft and almost certainly illegal proposal

has finally been withdrawn. In defence of the local

authorities, I would say that at no stage did either

Greenwich or Lewisham planning officers indicate that

they would approve this scheme, which was condemned in

writing by all the relevant local Councillors. In the event,

no valid planning application was ever submitted to either

borough by Mr. Hall, so the whole thing remains academic.

We hope this is now the end of the matter. Mr. Hall’s

decision to go public with his private fantasy has cost this

Society dear in terms of hours lost in fielding phone calls

from distraught residents, in attending meetings and dealing

with the press and other media.

On the matter of the Blackheath Joint Working Party, Mr.

Qavi will doubtless be relieved to know that the Westcombe

society is ably represented and remains actively involved.

Gina Raggett, Secretary, The Blackheath Society

Dear Editor

Re: Crystal Palace on Blackheath

I hope I may reassure Mr. Qavi (May edition of Westcombe

News) over plans by a local architect, Mr. Raymond Hall,

to build a replica Crystal Palace on Blackheath.

Following representations to both Greenwich and

Lewisham Councils, as well as to Ichthus, the evangelical

association with which Mr. Hall has links, we are informed

that this utterly daft and almost certainly illegal proposal

has finally been withdrawn. In defence of the local

authorities, I would say that at no stage did either

Greenwich or Lewisham planning officers indicate that

they would approve this scheme, which was condemned in

writing by all the relevant local Councillors. In the event,

no valid planning application was ever submitted to either

borough by Mr. Hall, so the whole thing remains academic.

We hope this is now the end of the matter. Mr. Hall’s

decision to go public with his private fantasy has cost this

Society dear in terms of hours lost in fielding phone calls

from distraught residents, in attending meetings and dealing

with the press and other media.

On the matter of the Blackheath Joint Working Party, Mr.

Qavi will doubtless be relieved to know that the Westcombe

society is ably represented and remains actively involved.

Gina Raggett Secretary The Blackheath Society

Dear Editor

SE3 area has a major shortage of recycling facilities, with

no location to deposit glass, paper and cans on the same site.

Greenwich Council is keen to provide these facilities but

needs the support of residents. Anyone who would like

recycling facilities in their area please get in touch with:

Jill Warren, Recycling and Special Projects Assistant,

Greenwich Environment and Consumer Services,

Riverside House, Woolwich High Street, London SE18

6DN.

Philip Clemo, Vanbrugh Park

Westcombe News has been told that there are some

recycling provisions in the area. There are bins near

Blackheath Post Office and also in Bramshot Avenue, on

the other side of the A102 (M). Other readers have

commented that Asda in Charlton and Lewisham’s Tesco

are good sites to offload materials for recycling. Both sites

have bins for glass, cans, papers, magazines and clothes,

although you have to use transport to get there!

Pubs, Bars & Taverns challenge looks at a football favourite

More and more people seem to head to the pub to watch the

football these days (or , as ‘football widows’ put it, use the

football as a good reason to head to the pub) in evenings

and Sunday afternoons. HARDY’S on Trafalgar Road,

which boasts three TV screens, is a particularly good venue,

as ticketless Charlton fans from last season can testify. The

front end of the pub is like a noisy cinema as drinkers crowd

around the huge screen.

From the outside Hardy’s looks like a true Irish Pub, and

it’s certainly popular with racing punters, but youngsters

flock there as do old men with their dogs and parishioners

of St Joseph’s in Pelton Road. Little has changed at Hardy’s

in the past 15 years or so. The landlord and his wife, who

come from Sligo, know what works. Guinness is by far the

most popular drink followed by lager, but real ale buffs can

get a guest ale from the barrel at £1.85 a pint which rarely

fails to impress - Burtonwood, Smiles and Ushers have been

among the best. It’s a friendly pub, with a quiz on

Wednesday nights with good lunchtime snacks.

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