17 May - Police parking drama in Belvedere. When will Bexley Council react?

The plan for today was to regurgitate the worst of Cabinet Member Craske’s attacks on residents to maybe persuade him to do something sensible for once in his life by solving the Abbey Wood commuter parking problem. I think my favourite Craske archive story is his attack on Mr. Felix Akele. Pure spite in revenge for a minor mistake on Felix’s part.

So far Craske has proposed additional CPZ restrictions which are unwarranted everywhere except arguably in Abbey Road and nothing for those beyond its boundary who suffer from inconsiderate parking on a daily basis. Craske’s grand plan is to displace as many commuters as possible from the existing CPZ into already badly affected areas.

And then Craske threw a spanner into the works yesterday by resigning his Cabinet Member post. Has he been arrested again?

The residents he cares so little for were told on Monday that in two weeks time they will be unable to drive in or out of Carrill Way, Bright Close, Samson Close, Coptefield Drive and Abbotswood Close. As that list implies the 36 year old Carrill Way is heavily used and badly in need of repair.

They will be trapped but will they notice any difference from a normal day? Possibly not.

I was alerted to today’s problem by a visitor who felt unable to drive through the gap left by KF15 LWC and BN61 YCH. I ran out and guided her through.

Then a neighbour called to say the police were on their way. I grabbed my camera and ran again for what turned out to be a long morning.

The photo record below was taken over a period of more than three hours but during that time a number of stories came from the assembled spectators.

Many had complained to Bexley Council and been fobbed off with fairy stories. Apparently the Council did not foresee any parking problems with the coming of the Elizabeth Line. Commuters were expected to park in Belvedere or Erith despite those stations offering a very poor train service to Abbey Wood. I am not even sure this is true. The Transport Committee was talking about doubling the size of the CPZ in September 2016.

A foster carer who complained that her diabetic child would be denied life saving care if the frequently required ambulance could not get through was told to contact the police and get the obstruction removed. As this morning’s events proved this can be a three hour process.

A lady whose husband had a serious heart condition told an identical story. Bexley Council at its caring best.

Several residents said that the woman driver of GJ09 NZR who parks on the corner with Bright Close most days and stops a nearby resident from going to work is the rudest woman they have ever met.

This morning, most van drivers fled the scene leaving disappointed clients but one decided to run down the road to update his customer on the situation. For his decision to do the decent thing he got a Parking Ticket. (Photo 9 below.)

At one time three Royal Mail vans were unable to go about their business. (Photos 12 below.)

An Oxleas nurse on an emergency call out dumped her car where she could and ran. She got a Penalty Notice too. (Photos 7 and 8.) Maybe next time she will leave her patient to die. Bexley Council has form for that.

The traffic cop said that if he had realised what was going on during the nurse incident he would have given words of advice to the Enforcement Officer. (He arrived seconds after the ticket was issued and to be fair I am not sure the CEO knew it was a nurse on call until after the event.)

I made arrangements with both drivers to let them know when these pictures go on line and asked them to let me know if the appeals are not accepted. The police did the same and gave the van driver the CAD number. (2165.) Not that it helped when I last did that. The Cabinet Member at the time made it very clear to me personally that he would prefer roads to be brought to a standstill than a lorry stop briefly in a residents’ parking bay. Why is Bexley blessed with such stupid Cabinet Members?

It must be said that the police officers, maybe five of them at one time, were all incredibly helpful and supportive and may have made comments about Bexley Council which I should probably not report here. Everyone was pleased to see them respond quite quickly and the traffic cop said he would add Carrill Way to his itinerary.

The driver of KF15 LWC will incur a penalty of £160 for the tow and £20 a day storage charge. If not collected within 14 days the car will be crushed. Additionally both KF15 LWC and BN61 YCH will incur a TfL penalty of £40. (Photo 15 below.)

How long before Bexley Council gets off its backside?