5 June (Part 2) - Readers have their say
The
‘Rejuvenated’ Broadway has caused an unprecedented number of people to reach for
their keyboards and you may wish to read what fellow readers are saying.
There has been no favourable comment to report but with a minimum of editing,
the brickbats may be seen below…
Photo 1: The metal studs in the road (see reader’s comment below). Photo 2: Only day two but already covered in oil. Photo 3: It’s a circus out there! (Click any to enlarge.)
• My office window overlooks the new roundabout. I am wasting far too much
time looking at the chaos unfolding below. Mesmerising.
• The paved strip in the middle of the road is viewed by pedestrians
as a refuge. I had to completely straddle this while passing
parked cars thereby coming into conflict with oncoming traffic who
see the black tarmac they are on as ‘their side’. I can see some frayed tempers
and broken bones on the horizon when there are a couple of buses parked opposite
a delivery lorry.
• Driving past ASDA I thought the casual visitor might go straight up the
pedestrianised area. There was a nice big gap in front of me, nothing to say I
had to turn left and nothing to say I couldn’t continue on.
• I was heading towards where the roundabout used to be. There are no give
way signs, no clues as to right of way and a strip design to encourage pedestrians
to walk out into the traffic.
• You asked what is the expenditure of £3·5 million supposed to do for Bexleyheath?
My answer is “nothing”. Do shoppers decide where to shop based on the
prettiness of the pavements, the street furniture, the nice shiny new tarmac, etc? Or do
they base their decision on the fine selection of shops, the availability of parking
space/cost, etc. I think I know the answer there.
• This nonsense regeneration type stuff is a waste of time. Yes, it
looks much nicer, but at £3·5 million for a little bit of
visual attractiveness off-set by months of inconvenience? No thanks!!
• I am stuck on a bus which has taken 37 minutes to get from the bus garage to the
Clocktower due to some incident in Arnsberg Way. Been speaking to the driver. His concern
is the central reservation, the cobble bit in the middle. People are waiting on this to
cross the road. Which makes sense, as in normal crossing of roads one would wait on the
central refuge. How long before an accident happens?
• The idiots run the asylum.
• Your photos today [5th June] highlight all you need to know. £3·5 million
wasted. Farce!
• What a shocking waste of money! I think a lot of people have got fed up with the
queues caused by the roadworks and gone to Bluewater, where there is a better
selection of shops and free parking. I don't think a change in road surface in
Bexleyheath will pull in the crowds!
• I don't know if you noticed the metal studs, marking out the crossing. These are
dome shaped, in the wet this poses a risk to motorcyclists. Metal studs were historically
used at old ‘Belisha’ style crossings, but flat ones; and even they weren’t good.
• The ASDA corner is now a much sharper turn. As you are aware from other
roadwork schemes Bexley Highways Dept. does not understand vehicle
steering geometry and that when making a sharp turn the rear wheels
follow a much tighter curve than the front wheels. This applies to all vehicles
but is especially pronounced for buses.
• They have left the bus stop which was opposite ASDA down by the Albion Road
magic roundabout. Residents who live the other side of Albion Road used to
cut through between Primark and the Pizza Place when catching a bus to the
station. Now they may as well continue walking.
• I haven't been to Bexleyheath shopping since the road works started. I've got
into the ‘Bluewater habit’ and given this new road layout it’s a pedestrian accident
waiting to happen, I have no plans to change that. Parking in Bluewater is free,
there is plenty of it and the shops are better and more plentiful than BH. Add to
that the anti-car policy of the LBB Parking Gestapo - Pay
By Phone (have they actually ever used it?) and the 15 minutes extra on the A2 to
Bluewater is actually cheaper than going to Bexleyheath. Sorry Bexleyheath - you won't
be seeing my money for a long long time.
• A bus came around the corner and its rear wheels very nearly ran
over my toes. With no separation or protection for pedestrians this is an
accident waiting to happen. Perhaps next time it will be a child in a pushchair
pulled under the rear wheels of a bus. Would Mr. Frizoni like that on his
conscience - assuming he has one of course?
• £3·5 million would be better spent on reducing parking costs and
improving its availability. Offering free rental to businesses might have boosted
Broadway as a shopping centre; cobbles won’t. Better still, use some of the money
to give Bedonwell School a proper pavement.
• All buses used to come around to one of the three adjacent stops by the Clocktower
thereby enabling hopping on the first suitable one to come along. Now the powers that be have
diverted some routes to the Arnsberg Way bus stand area. This cannot be seen from the Clocktower
(or vice versa) so it is no longer possible to catch the first bus of whichever route goes your way.
• I’m thinking the painted cycles on the road is a prediction of what a bicycle will
look like after it has been run over by a car.
• Great postings today [4th June], chaos as any sensible person could have predicted. A
question; does no one in Bexley council drive?
• The only good thing to come out of all this is that the empty shop units can now
be filled with solicitors specialising in personal injury claims.
Plus one or two held over because they require a response or correction.
As stated above, there has been no favourable comment. If you have one, apart
from it maybe looking better, please send it in. Everyone else has missed it.