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News and Comment October 2011

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4 October (Part 1) - Boris takes the pledge

There was a letter from a Mr. Leman in last week’s News Shopper drawing attention to “massive roadworks in Bexley, Crayford and Bexleyheath making thousands of us late for work” which went on to suggest overnight and weekend working to speed up completion. The letter blames utility companies although the longest disruption I ever saw locally was caused by Bexley council and its contractor; the B213 between Abbey Wood and Belvedere was in chaos for more than a year from the beginning of 2009. But Mr. Leman has a point and the Mayor of London agrees with him. Boris has given us his pledge…

On TRLN roads, (Transport for London’s Road Network), he has introduced a cap on the number of roadworks allowed at any one time and his instructions to contractors include not leaving the works standing idle, keeping the road open at peak times and if that isn’t possible to work 24/7. The cap is being steadily reduced to speed traffic flow. By next Spring ‘Road Rental’ will be introduced. Bus drivers’ responsibilities have been extended to reporting roadworks that do not comply with the Mayor’s requirements.

On non-TRLN roads, local authorities still do their own thing which may explain why my friend who drives daily across Bromley and Bexley is always so scathing about Bexley’s failure to keep the traffic flowing. 95% of London’s roads are maintained by local authorities but the Mayor has “encouraged” them to implement similar rules and regulations to those he has. Presumably Bexley council will do what it always does with guidelines and ignore them, but when you see roadworks in Bexley dragging on and on, remember it’s a council failure to live up to its slogan. “Working for You.”

 

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