20 February (Part 1) - The never ending traffic queues in Bexley
There is no time for a blog today but I can provide a rant if you would like one.
The car had been booked in for its service and MOT for several weeks so I had to
get to Main Road, Sidcup early this morning. Then unexpectedly I had to get the old lady in East
Ham to the dentist and then get back to Sidcup to collect the car. I have given
up using the bus to get to Council meetings, so I needed some wheels to get to Public Cabinet this evening.
I got back to Sidcup much earlier than expected and drove away from the garage
at 3:40 and that’s when the problems began.
FM Conway had lined the gutters in the middle of Sidcup with their plastic
barriers, the central refuges too and by so doing made the road just narrow
enough to disallow two lanes of traffic.
There was no very good reason for it except to protect an unused cement mixer
although that wasn’t the main problem.
It took an almost unbelievable nine cycles of the traffic lights to get across
that junction because it was near impossible for traffic to turn right into Elm Road.
Things weren’t too bad on Foot’s Cray Lane but
Penhill Road was at a standstill
as usual. The problems there were deliberately designed in by Bexley Council in 2009 I think it was.
Traffic used to be able to exit on to the Blackfen Road roundabout side by side two at a time
but the problem with that was that traffic flowed freely, not Bexley’s style at
all, so they took one carriageway away.
Their excuse was that it made it easier for people to nip across the road, not that
one often sees it happen, and if they really wanted to help pedestrians a proper
crossing is the answer. Something that holds up traffic only when necessary not all day very day.
Finally there was Brampton Road where FM Conway are wreaking largely unnecessary
havoc. Once again there were plastic barriers in the road, not an orange jacket
in sight and long queues for the temporary traffic lights.
I can’t compete with
Councillors Bacon and Langstead and their two hours to do
three miles, but Sidcup to Abbey Wood took an hour and five minutes.
While wasting time in numerous traffic queues I fantasized about how one might
retaliate against Bexley’s constant assault on motorists and decided there was
nothing simple to hand, unless perhaps you count revealing
their plans for Old Farm Park in more detail is a valid response.