22 September (Part 2) - It’s not only Bexley that is Bonkers
The
Low Bridge sign which has just gone up in Felixstowe Road a car’s length beyond
the boundary with Greenwich had me fooled for a moment. The obstruction 110 yards ahead is a
width restrictor and someone has carelessly put the sign up the wrong way round.
The bridge referred to is the Harrow Manorway flyover which represents a hazard
for tall vehicles. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. At one of the Crossrail
Liaison Panel meetings the Bexley Council representative said the road would be
lowered to allow free passage. It has been to a limited extent but unfortunately not by very much.
Far sillier is that the dip is offset from the flyover such that at its western
edge the road beneath is not lowered at all. Not even a little bit.
Theoretically a tall vehicle could approach from the eastern direction, squeeze
under the flyover thanks to the dip but not be able to get out at the far side.
Bexley is bonkers but so very often is Greenwich. Worse is Brighton keen to push
its Green credentials. It is a bone of contention among EV drivers down there that
the Council installs electric vehicle chargers but doesn’t designate the associated space as EV only so as
chargers they are virtually useless.
Now it has gone one further, the latest tranche of lamp post chargers has been
installed along roads on which you are not permitted to stop at all.
Why are Council staff so consistently stupid? They wouldn’t last five minutes if
their job security was not virtually bombproof.