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News and Comment September 2024

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29 September - If at first you don’t succeed… it’s only taxpayers’ money

Lesnes Abbey fence Invading bikeI have only ever submitted one question to a Full Council meeting and it was way back in 2010 when I asked the cost of enclosing Lesnes Abbey Park in a low scaffold pipe and wood fence the previous year. (Photo 1 alongside.) The answer came back that it was to keep motorcyclists out of the 88 hectares of woods and it cost a little under £75,000. I didn’t really believe it as I had just spent three grand on just one side of my own garden.

The Cabinet Member excused the project by saying it was authorised by the Labour Administration in 2006.

14 years later my fence and the original concrete posts is still standing as good as new whilst Bexley’s ineffective motorbike deterrent had to be increased in height using longer wooden posts and twice as much scaffold pole. Should I ignore the intermediate repainting of the posts?

Since then it has been progressively repaired and replaced again because the posts have rotted.

From my New Road correspondent comes the following comment and pictures…


New Road New Road New RoadHere is an example of Bexley’s habit of not getting things right at first (or subsequent) attempts.

This incompetence is obviously a great waste of money. The first picture shows some of the unsuitable wooden posts.

I am sure you can think of many other examples like Welling Corner traffic lights and the ever-changing junction at the Civic Offices in Bexleyheath.


The examples that leap immediately to mind are the roundabouts on Wickham Lane that buses were unable to negotiate and the slightly different situation at the Southern End of North Cray Road which was voted to be among the most stupid bits of road design in the country. (†)

Ruxley Corner again.
Wickham Lane second attempt.


† The website domain name has changed and the content reduced since it was first created but Bexley still merits a page for its too frequent road design idiocy.

 

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