Brockley Streets

Let's Push Things Forward: The Streets exists to fight this kind of abuse

Brockley Streets is a new community campaign group dedicated to improving local roads for pedestrians and cyclists.

By encouraging better road design and re-routing traffic, The Streets want to stop cars prangin' out or squeezing down roads that don't fit but they know it. They say:

We want to create positive change for the benefit of all residents and visitors to Brockley by
increasing road safety for everybody inside and around the Brockley Conservation Area.

We want to give priority to cyclists, pedestrians and public transport, reduce pollution from traffic going through the area and prevent the use of our streets as rat-runs by non-local traffic.

We are not about the CPZ and we do not represent any particular view for or against (people have asked us this question in the past).

There is a London-wide initiative by TFL and the Mayor of London called 'Healthy Streets' designed to help communities improve local traffic issues and we would like to help shape these developments in Brockley.

To find out more, visit their website and to get actively involved, email them here.

Hilly Fields CPZ proposed

Lewisham's neverendum on CPZ's continues. This time, the Council has proposed a zone that covers the back streets of Ladywell and a patch of the Brockley Conservation Area that runs from Hilly Fields to Lewisham Way down Tressillian Road.

Mike writes:

"Lewisham Council are consulting yet again for a Ladywell CPZ extension, calling it the 'Ladywell Study Area'. It seems extensive too. We are one road outside one of the 2 areas and knew nothing of it until we saw a sign on a lamp post today."

Another BCer Jane adds:

"I'd be interested to hear what other people think. I think it’s crazy. Once we have that one it will spread across the whole area."

The arguments for and against CPZs are well rehearsed. They promise to make it easier for locals to park, but cost money and faff for local residents. They risk harming local small businesses, but also could reduce local traffic as fewer chancers from outside the area look for inner London parking spots.

Brockley Central proposes five tests for parking zone membership:

1. Does it solve a significant problem?

No one has the divine right to park outside their house. Even people with young kids or heavy bags (I have had both in my life). Most of the time, most people can park within a stone's throw of their front door. For those with disabilities, disabled bays are an option. Do we really need to inconvenience an entire area just because a few people have to walk a few yards sometimes? Are the Brockley roads covered by this scheme really that bad?

2. Could it have negative consequences for those outside the zone?

Time and again, CPZ's create problems on their borders for people just outside the zone. The Council's attitude seems to be that this is an appropriate punishment for those who have the impudence to vote against one in their area and the solution offered is more CPZ, and so the inexorable expansion continues. If we're going to have these things, why not go the whole hog and make the whole of SE4 a CPZ? That is the unspoken question in the consultation.

3. Would it be properly enforced?

The galling thing is that we already have plenty of parking restrictions that are ignored by rogue traders and the anti-social because the Council doesn't enforce existing rules. We have a French coach company regularly parking across public rights of way, with impunity. Without proper enforcement, this is just a tax on the law abiding.

4. Is the cost and hassle worth it?

Taking all this into account, does the cost-benefit analysis work for residents? It's not just the money, it's also one more bit of admin to deal with, compounded when friends come to visit.

5. Are there bigger priorities?

EV charge points and car club bays are in short supply. What is being done to encourage greener forms of car-use? Do we need more short-stay bays to support local businesses? Will residential bays diminish the opportunity to address these challenges.

Click here for the online consultation.

St John's CPZ causes knock-on problems

With grim inevitability, residents just outside the new CPZ in St John's are now complaining that it is having a knock-on effect on their streets. James writes:

"New parking restrictions in St. John’s causing a nightmare for us residents at the north end of Wickham, Breakspears etc... I literally see cars stalking down the road each morning until they finally find a spot to park."

In the long-run, if St John's ceases to be a convenient place for lazy drivers to park and ride into central London, then it may mean fewer journeys on our roads as out-of-towners give up and move further up the line and locals learn to walk to the station. Or the problem may become a permanent side-effect for people on the perimeter. Either way, it is not clear whether the CPZ is a net benefit to the area.

What are your experiences? And do you agree with James, who suggests:

"Unfortunately seems the only answer for our roads now is further residents parking restrictions."

BMW flips on St Asaph Road

The News Shopper reports:

"A man had to be cut free from a BMW after a car being chased by an unmarked police car crashed into it in Brockley.

"Police said officers chased a Mini Cooper from Pomeroy Street to St Asaph Road shortly before noon yesterday (October 25) after it failed to stop when it was flagged down.

"As the car reached the junction with Avignon Road, the Mini collided with a BMW, flipping the BMW onto its roof outside a St Asaph Food and Wine convenience store, according to police."

The Mini driver was arrested and the BMW occupants taken to hospital.

Click here for the full report, including photos. Thanks to Monkeyboy for the heads up.

Crofton Park refresh

Lewisham Council has a launched  public consultation in relation to its plans for the Crofton Park stretch of Brockley Road.

The proposals are to:

• Narrow the available road width widening footways allowing for inset parking, disabled parking and electrical vehicle charging bays to be constructed
• Raise the carriageway level (raised junctions) locally in three areas to reduce vehicle speeds along Brockley Road
• Introduce a raised section in the side roads (raised table) at the junctions, to improve safety by reducing the speed of approaching vehicles, and to provide better facilities for pedestrians and those with impaired mobility to cross
• Formalise all on-street parking within inset bays and improve vehicle visibility at junctions
• Plant new trees along Brockley Road within the widened footways where possible

Though these are modest proposals, similar small changes have already helped Ladywell and Brockley Cross attract more footfall and business activity. 

To take part in the consultation, click here. Thanks to Joe for the heads-up.

MOT garage closes to make way for more homes

The Geoffrey Road MOT garage is closed

The MOT garage on Geoffrey Road has been closed and boarded up, to make way for a new housing development, which is yet to earn planning permission. 

The garage has lived with the Sword of Damocles hanging over its head for years and the development has gone through a number of iterations, with the last version having been rejected earlier this year. The latest proposals are for:

"Demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a three story plus basement building comprising 4 two bedroom and 2 one bedroom, self-contained flats/maisonettes and one 89.9sqm Class B1(a) Office Unit at ground and basement level with pedestrian access from Geoffrey Road, together with the provision of bicycle and refuse/recycling storage and front and rear gardens."

The latest design proposal

The changes to the roof line and Upper Brockley Road elevation represent an improvement on the previous effort.

The neighbouring garage operating from Ashby Mews is still open.

Please do not park your car in the middle of our park

The latest in an occasional series about people who park wherever they feel like in Brockley. Tom writes:

"I live near Hilly Fields and love the park. I went for my evening run yesterday and came across these guys. I'm not normally one to get involved in moaning on internet but thought this didn't seem right to me.

"I'm all for using the park for a picnic, drinks, general socialising, it's a fantastic spot for this but my main issue was the car on the park...so they could play music. A bit of a liberty from my perspective and I'm guessing completely against park rules."

Brockley Cross Audi showroom closes

@BrockleyCentral @MPSLewisham @LewishamCouncil it's gone. Hooray! Thanks whoever sorted it 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/7mroDd9vGT

— Ben Pearce (@HighStreetBen) April 6, 2017

@BrockleyCentral Car is gone & t/ tree is - staggeringly - still alive. My neighbour had been tending it before t/ accident and she knows :) pic.twitter.com/qEkPbMQbdt

— Katy Cooper (@DecSop1) April 6, 2017

Blight rider

Perhaps naively, I assumed that if a bellend drives a car into a tree and abandons it in the middle of the pavement in one of Brockley's main thoroughfares, that the car would be removed within days, perhaps hours. Instead, this car has been left in Brockley Cross for weeks, for the community to work around.

It's not as though the authorities are unaware of the wreck - the signs are an attempt to sweep the issue under a civic rug.

If CSI Lewisham still needs to run the black light over this one, please can they hurry up - or otherwise move this thing.

- Lewisham police would like to make it clear that abandoned vehicles are the responsibility of Lewisham Council.

Then tell me future boy, who is the president of the United States in 2017?

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads! We need a pick-up truck. 

Another addition to our collection of eccentric Brockley vehicles, this DeLorean looks like it might have played a starring role in the Secret Cinema production of Back to the Future in 2015.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We got him

Able was Howard ere he saw Brockley. We have accomplished what Jeremy Paxman never could. We have taken down the kingpin. The Mail reports:

Former Tory leader Michael Howard has been convicted of failing to say who was driving his car when it was caught by a speed camera [on Lewisham Way].

Lord Howard, 75, and his wife Sandra, 76, both claimed either could have been driving their Toyota Prius, which was clocked at 37.3 mph in a 30mph zone.

The former Home Secretary was fined £900, with £625 costs, plus a £90 victim surcharge and received six penalty points on his driving licence.

Thank you to Monkeyboy and Joe (not a double-act) who sent me the link.

Lewisham borough goes 20mph from September

From September 2016, all council-managed roads in the London Borough of Lewisham will have a 20mph speed limit, to reduce accidents and all the horrible things associated with them.

Roads that are managed by Transport for London (red routes) will not be included at this time. These are primarily the South Circular (A205), New Cross Road (A202), Bromley Road leading to Lewisham High Street (A21) and Lewisham Way leading to Lee High Road (A20). Private roads or those on housing estates are not included in the borough-wide limit.

In terms of enforcement, the Council says:

"The police have said the 20mph speed restrictions will be treated in the same way as any other speed limit. Over time, we expect compliance to increase."

The only downside is the fact that our already-cluttered streetscapes will be festooned with more signs. The Council says:

"Larger signs (600mm diameter) are needed at the entrance points to the borough and smaller repeater signs (300mm diameter) are required at regular intervals, approximately every 150 to 200 metres. We will design the scheme to put signs on existing poles or lampposts where possible and to keep the number of signs to a minimum. Existing signs in affected areas will be reviewed and indications are that we can often remove many redundant signs."

Click here for full details.

St Asaph Road garage owner sentenced for MOT fraud

The News Shopper reports:

"The owner of a Brockley garage has been sentenced after admitting MOT fraud, which saw 27 cars pass the test without being inspected.

"Spyros Katchis, owner of Dundalk Motors Testing Ltd in St Asaph Road, was found issuing MOT certificates without carrying out the physical test after a member of the public tipped off the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)."

For the full story, click here.

Brockley CPZ plan rejected but go-ahead for St Johns

Last November, the Council launched a large consultation, covering multiple areas of the borough, proposing Controlled Parking Zones, including one that would have radiated out from Brockley Station and another to cover the whole of St Johns.

The Brockley consultation produced an 80% "against" result, and the official report comments that:

"The only streets in favour were Coulgate Street, Jeavon Mews and Meadows Way; however, these results each represent only one or two responses from each of these streets. Jeavons Mews does have a response rate greater than 10%, which would normally meet the criteria for a CPZ, but, given that this is based on only one response, no CPZ option is presented for this street.

"A high number of responses (361) were received from outside the study area. The majority of these were from streets adjoining the study area expressing concern that, should a new CPZ be installed, they would be impacted by any displacement of parking."

Although there are some real issues with parking in streets around the station, a CPZ always looked like a sledgehammer to crack a nut and, given the problems that the Council's other CPZs have created, this result is thoroughly unsurprising.

However, the Deptford South (St Johns) consultation, which produced a response rate about half that of Brockley's, came down in favour of a CPZ, with 53% of respondents supporting one. An overall majority is enough for the Council to trigger a CPZ.

As a result of these votes, the Council decided on April 25th that no CPZ would be implemented in Brockley, while a new CPZ will be introduced in the whole of the Deptford South Study Area and be extended to include Somerset Gardens.

Thank you to Rhymer for the prod.

Mayor considers Ultra Low Emissions Zone for the South Circular

London's planned Ultra Low Emissions Zone could be expanded to cover the South Circular (which grazes the bottom of Greater Brockley as it travels through Catford and Forest Hill).

The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced today that he will launch a formal policy consultation on a major package of measures to tackle air pollution in London, which is one of the biggest challenges facing the capital.

If mishandled, the implementation of an ULEZ on the South Circular could funnel polluting traffic on to minor roads, but the ULEZ will play a major role in reducing the number of heavily-polluting vehicles on London's streets.

As much as anything, it's just nice to see a Mayor trying to do things other than position himself as the future leader of his party.

Announcing the consultation, the Mayor said: "I want to act before an emergency, which is why we need big, bold and sometimes difficult policies if London is to meet the scale of the challenge.”

Almost 10,000 Londoners die every year because of polluted air according to the latest medical research.  London does not currently meet the legal requirements for pollutants such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and new research published by the World Health Organisation just yesterday (12 May 2016) showed that London has breached safe levels of pollutant particles known as PM10.

The proposals in the consultation will include:

•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from 2020.

• Implementing an extra charge on the most polluting vehicles entering central London using the Congestion Charge payment and enforcement system from 2017 (this would not mean an increase in the Congestion Charge but just the method for collecting the extra charge from people driving the most polluting vehicles)

•Introducing ULEZ standards for heavy vehicles London-wide from 2020

•Giving the go-ahead for Transport for London (TfL) to start work on the costs and challenges of implementing a diesel scrappage scheme as part of a wider national scheme delivered by the Government

• Proposals to work with the Government to tackle air pollution on a national and international level.

Proposals for TfL to lead by example:

•Introducing self-imposed ULEZ standards a year earlier for TfL double decker buses

•Implementing clean bus corridors – tackling the worst pollution hotspots by concentrating cleaner buses on the dirtiest routes

•Expanding the ULEZ retrofit programme to 3,000 buses outside the central zone (up from 2,000)

•Purchasing only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018.

Deptford High Street pilots money-back app for parking

Deptford High Street is piloting a new app called MoreForMe that allows people to get money off their shopping in return for a minimum spend in local shops, offsetting local parking charges. Lewisham Council says:

"The free MoreForMe app, developed by Better Cities, can be downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet and works once an activation QR code has been scanned at stickers on the parking meters in Frankham Street or in participating stores. Shoppers can then shop at their favourite participating retailer, make the minimum purchase and scan the store QR code in the shop.

"The retailer will then give a discount off the purchase price to the shopper. Shoppers can continue the process in other participating stores on Deptford High Street, effectively wiping out their parking fee, with the added benefit of saving even more money, the more they spend.

"Current Deptford High Street retailers signed up to the initiative include: A.J. Goddards, Agege Bread & Bakers, Amber Tree Cafe, CakesNMore, Central Vape, Curtains by Iris - Textiles, Danny’s Pound Shop Plus, Debonaire Designer Couture, Deli X, Ebis Collections, Jenny’s Cafe, Johnny’s DIY & Building Supplies, Kims Newsagent, Lewisham & Deptford Sewing Machines, London Velo, Manze’s, Red Carpet Boutique, rhubarb&CUSTARD Cafe, Swag City, Terry’s Discount Store, The Albany Cafe, The Birds Nest Pub, The Lounge Café, Wünderlust at The Big Red."

"Cllr Rachel Onikosi, Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, said: ‘We want to support our traders and encourage more people to shop locally. We have collaborated with local retailers and Better Cities on this initiative, which we think is a win-win all round. The shopper benefits by saving money on their parking fee from their purchases and retailers benefit by having customers who visit, dwell and spend more.’"

While it's good to explore ways in which technology can improve our high streets, using public funds to encourage people to drive to a local high street feels like a retrograde step in many ways. But it will be interesting to see whether the app gets used and the model pays dividends for local retailers.

Thanks to Brockley Kate for the heads-up.

Free parking to boost Lewisham Christmas shopping

Lewisham Council writes:

We are once again offering people the opportunity to park for free on the first three Saturdays in December.

Shoppers will be able to park for free all day in all council-run car parks in Blackheath, Catford, Deptford, Forest Hill, Lewisham and Sydenham on Saturday 5, 12 and 19 December.

The start of the free parking offer falls on 5 December – the traditional start of the Christmas shopping rush – and also the UKs ‘Small Business Saturday’ which is a national campaign to encourage people to shop in their local high streets in the run up to Christmas.

The free car parking offer only applies to car parks that are managed by Lewisham Council and does not include on-street parking, Lewisham Shopping Centre (which is privately owned) or Blackheath Station car park which is owned by Network Rail.

For a list of all participating car parks visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/freeparking

Controlled Parking Zone proposed for Brockley

The threatened Controlled Parking Zone consultation for the area surrounding Brockley Station has arrived. So it's time to discuss it in earnest. The proposed zone [above] is similar to the one mocked up by BCer Mike, last month. The Council says:

A CPZ is an area in which all on-street parking is restricted and so people wishing to park within this area will need to have a permit to do so. Parking bays are painted on the road to show where it is safe to park and all other kerb lengths are marked with yellow lines. 

This helps keep the street safe for both drivers and other road users allowing priority for parking to be given to disabled people, residents and their visitors and local businesses.

I live just inside the proposed zone, own a car and hate having to pay administrative charges - both the money and the faff involved.

The road I live on is busy, but I've never had to park more than 20 yards from my house, which is fine. Until two years ago, I lived on Geoffrey Road, another road inside the zone and close to Brockley Station, and the situation was the same. 

Beyond a few streets very close to the station, there is no real problem with parking in Brockley. If you live on those streets, it's part of the deal - a drawback offset by the fact that public transport and amenities are on your doorstep. 

The East London Line arrived years ago and made little difference to the parking situation. Brockley's housing density is relatively unchanged and per capita car ownership is falling across London. There's no reason to imagine that car parking will get markedly harder in the near future.

Meanwhile, Brockley Central has for years had to report the unfolding chaos that the introduction of a CPZ in Ladywell created. Whatever problems the CPZ purports to solve, we can be fairly confident it will create a whole new set just outside the zone. 

I grew up in Greenwich, miles from the Dome but nonetheless close enough to be caught in the CPZ introduced in 1999, in anticipation of a vast influx of drivers that never came. The great exhibition passed but the CPZ remains to this day for no good reason.

So a CPZ would be unnecessary and expensive for car owners without being cash-generative for the Council (or at least, they're an illegal and inefficient way for Council's to make money). It won't guarantee you a parking spot, but it will guarantee a fresh batch of problems for those not in it. And once in place, it will never, ever get removed, however problematic it proves to be.

So I'll be voting no. You can complete the survey here and debate it below.

CPZ consultation planned for Brockley

On the SE23 Forum, the high-born of Forest Hill have been discussing a Controlled Parking Zone consultation for their area.

In passing, they also mention one planned for the area surrounding Brockley Station, defined as "bounded between Avignon Road and Wickham Road and between Brockhill Crescent and Vesta Road." Foxberry Mike, who sent us the link, has provided this unofficial artists' impression of the area under consideration.

According to the thread, the consultation will launch next month and follows the approval of the Council's CPZ strategy in 2013.

CPZs are always controversial and have knock-on effects beyond their borders. The Ladywell CPZ eventually necessitated expansion further into Lewisham. With another consultation planned for the area between Lewisham Way and New Cross Road, it's possible that most of Greater Brockley could become a CPZ soon. Mike says:

"I am pretty sure the station is the main contributor to the car parking growth as in the evening it is still pretty easy to park close to home, but with the proposed big reduction to parking on Coulgate Street (and the new flats being built there), I suspect that will mess up the evening parking more – although a CPZ won’t solve that due to operating hours being in the daytime.

"But the loss of spaces will make it even more impossible during the day of course, and will probably be the tipping point for me saying yes (reluctantly) this time round."

St Norbert Road knife fight leads to car crash

The crash on St Norbert Road we reported earlier was the product of a knife fight that took place moments earlier, police say. The incident occurred a short distance from where Shaquan Fearon was killed earlier this month in another knife fight.

The Evening Standard reports:

A man is seriously injured and two others have stab wounds after a knife fight in south London this afternoon that ended in a car crash nearby. The fight and stabbing took place near St Norbert’s Road, at about 3pm, police said.

A group of people then got into a green Vauxhall Corsa hatchback and drove off – only to smash into a lamppost. “Two of the men have minor cuts to their hands while the other man is in a serious condition with injuries unknown at this stage,” said a police spokeswoman.