22 September - Transport of Delight
There has not been a Council meeting of note in Bexley since July and of the
meetings that are not webcast, the Transport Users’ Sub-Committee is the most
consistently interesting and I promised myself some while ago that I would honour it with my presence; but I nearly didn’t make it.
A long day had been spent plumbing and the resultant lack of meeting preparation
time meant that when I eventually made it to the Civic Offices I was very much aware
of the faint aroma of flux. Then there was the idiot driver of DN56 OYS who had
been blocking my way on to the the King’s highway all day forcing an exit (and return) via the footpath.
On arrival at the town hall I encountered a locked front door and a doorman asleep on
the job. A circumnavigation of the building found a perplexed police officer due
to speak at the meeting facing the same predicament. He eventually woke the
doorman by banging on the door harder than I would have dared.
Even when I got inside, the meeting room was locked. Despite the obstacles to attendance I was given a warm
but maybe slightly sarcastic welcome by the two lady Councillors who had grown
used to my non-attendance. The meeting officer rushed to find me an Agenda which
given the recent doubling in price of A4 paper was generous of her. Later when I
was overheard telling Councillor Hinkley (Labour, Belvedere) that the distributors of the new issue
of the Bexley Magazine had bypassed my road another Council Officer gave me a
copy. I didn’t like to tell him that his was an old issue which was delivered to
me about three months ago. (Sally had not been delivered hers either.
Magazine distribution across the borough is very much hit and miss.)
And
so to the meeting chaired by new Councillor Cameron Smith (Conservative, St. Mary’s & St. James).
A police officer provided a whole host of statistics on bus crime and road
accidents in Bexley. There had been one fatality in the past year and as one
might guess, males on bikes, both motorised and of the pedal variety, are a menace.
e-scooter accidents are probably under reported because law breakers are not
inclined to report them but three are known to have been seriously injured. The
police officer thought that e-scooter use was declining.
In terms of road casualties across London, Bexley (1,003 casualties) ranks
seventh above Bromley (14th place, 1,438 casualties) and Greenwich (18th place,
1,567). Thereby proving that despite Greenwich’s assault on drivers they put
more of them into hospital.
Crime on buses is low (roughly half) compared to neighbouring Greenwich and
Lewisham and peaked at 35 incidents last December with about half that number
being more typical. Theft, robbery, sexual offences and criminal damage are all
in low single digits per month.
Probably many residents will be pleased to hear that three youngsters have so
misbehaved on buses that their free passes have been permanently withdrawn.
Car drivers are of course the lowest form of life in most boroughs and their
voice is not heard at meetings but neither is that of pedestrians, bus passengers, train commuters
or those who take a pony and trap out of Thistlebrook. However Bexley Council
allows a cyclist to guest at every Transport meeting. Last night he was on top form
clearly believing that all roads belonged to him. He wanted cycle lanes that end
at borough boundaries to be extended into Bexley using wands. Magic ones presumably.
Andrew Bashford, Bexley’s road boss said he hoped to hear from TfL this week
about funding for more street obstacles but in general terms roads are not wide
enough and wands disappear very quickly. Maybe he is not quite as mad as I have always believed.
On rail services Southeastern announced a new timetable to be published very
soon which would tailor services to the post Covid demand. Probably no fewer trains in
peak hours but changes outside. A big change is a further reduction in the use
of junctions notably at Lewisham. The result is that more passengers will be
unable to get to their preferred destination without changing at the
abomination which is London Bridge. Down the escalator, check platform for
required destination. Up escalator, just miss the train, down the escalator, try again.
Railways are always intent on proving that their priority is their own
convenience and to hell with that of fare paying passengers.
Councillor Smith chaired the meeting in an exemplary fashion but appears not to
have fully grasped how Bexley Council is supposed to operate. A democratic
streak has not yet been thrashed out of him. He allowed a question from a member
of the public, unique in my experience and I suspect a summons to the Leader’s office awaits him.
Outside the meeting I learned that my Councillor Sally Hinckley had made a case to the relevant Council department about
the road blocking that has followed
Crossrail but received no reply. Across the borough boundary Greenwich Council
has already announced the extension of their Abbey Wood Controlled Parking Zone.
My road needs a mixture of single and double yellow lines. Every single property has its own off road parking space(s).