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News and Comment September 2022

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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.

DN56 OYS DN56 OYS DN56 OYS Locked door

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.)

Transport meetingAnd 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).

 

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