No-one has suggested that this should happen, but we would like something more than we have currently. There’s a deficit when it comes to enforcement of nuisance like this. Look at other threads in this forum, and noise enforcement is another area where Lewisham is just not providing an adequate service. Stop spending money (£200,000) on patronising froth like ‘Festival of Creative Ageing’ and provide basic services, please.
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It is sad to hear that residents are ceaselessly complaining to you as a Councillor. I have heard that there have been some nasty cases of verbal and threatened physical abuse which although directed at only a few people is still serious. Do you not want people to contact (“complain”) to the council or their local councillor?
Of course it is serious that someone has been verbally abusive or threatened someone physically, and this should reported to the police. I completely understand any resident wanting to notify their councillor about such an event but informing their councillor every time someone parks in front of their drive, or after every row over a parked car has ensued, is a very different matter.
It is still noteworthy that only three residents have reported getting into aggressive confrontations with motorists outside the school, to me or officers.
I am aware of these issues and I am working with Council officers and the local schools to find solutions to parking pressure in the area. If you’d like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to email me on cllr_leo.gibbons@lewisham.gov.uk or come and meet with me at my advice surgery.
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Apologies, my first post, don’t know why it has been “flagged”.
Many thanks to those who have responded positively - I’ll be very happy to amend and repost as soon as I can work out what I’ve done wrong . . . it really is a serious issue.
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Hi Mark
I’m a former mod. I think there are various combinations that can result in posts being hidden - if it’s your first post and you are not verified, and someone has flagged it as inappropriate, I think it gets automatically hidden until the mods have had a chance to review it. The idea being that the community on here can self-moderate to an extent and or assist should someone new come in and post objectionable content, if mods are not online, or have missed it.
I’ve had a look at your post, and it appears ok to me so I suspect it will get put back in, but if not or if it needs moderating the mods will let you know why.
Welcome to the site!
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Only in London can you literally park on a footpath and get away with it. Absolutely insane. What a beautiful city to live in. A lot of it just comes down to how soft some of the councils are. Too scared to fine their own residents for anything.
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That is much appreciated, thank you. I can’t see that anything I said is as remotely controversial as eg Cllr Gibbons above starting a post - I assume in all seriousness - by saying “thank you for your misleading message”.
Incidentally, I would really like to link up with the 3 residents who have complained ceaselessly; no one I know has the energy to complain every time there is a problem, and I have never, ever, been aware of any local resident engaging in a row or willingly entering into an aggressive confrontation with the people who cause problems. What I have seen, and experienced, on rare but unfortunately somewhat regular occasions, is polite requests for people to move their cars, because their parking is causing a problem, met with abuse and threats. It really is very unpleasant indeed.
To my knowledge, no-one has ever asked for any sort of miracle cure to sort this out; what we have asked for is basic, simple actions, like those taken in so many other areas, to help ameliorate the issue. As Lewisham has pointed out, there are lots of local examples of best practice; we should, as the council has proposed, emulate that best practice.
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Oddly enough the local constituency Labour Party called on LB Lewisham last summer “to enforce the law* on pavement parking over other parking infringements.” That meant, given the budget available for parking enforcement, pavement parking should be prioritised.
It would appear that there are many more than a few disgruntled residents who are concerned about this. The issue is about law enforcement, but it’s also about the environment. Southwark Council asks whether people need to use a car for short journeys. But if people are walking, then pavements need to be clear for them to do so - just as the law seeks to say.
—
*Greater London (General Purposes) Act 1974, Section 15
As to parking on footways, grass verges, etc. […]any person who, […]in or on any urban road in Greater London parks a vehicle so that one or more of its wheels is resting on […a pavement or footway] shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.
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Ironic considering that it’s only in London that parking on the pavement is actually illegal
Can I ask, Cllr Gibbons, will you also work to alleviate the rise in anti social behaviour caused in part by people parking on the pavement outside the job centre (sometimes even right outside the doors) late at night?
I think you mentioned up thread that it wouldn’t be possible to have wardens patrolling ‘all the time’, but can’t you recognise that residents are frustrated that they seemingly can’t do anything about this type of behaviour? It’s making living in certain parts of Forest Hill quite unpleasant.
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To be fair to Cllr Gibbons he has helped us out with a pavement parking issue at the top of Taymount Rise. The no parking “zigzags” were getting very faded and we had people parking on the pavement forcing people to walk in the road and obstructing access to our block of flats for bin lorries and emergency services vehicles He contacted the council to get the no parking zig-zags and signs redone and we have noticed a big reduction in issues.
However I agree that parking in Forest Hill is becoming a big issue - some people seem to think they can park anywhere no matter how much it inconveniences people, particularly pedestrians.
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If the council won’t act, take action yourself. Setup a Gofund page for some heavy duty plant pots, stones etc place along the pavement at intervals. If it’s ok for cars to park on pavements, what could be wrong with a Chrysanthemum…
I’d also like to add that perry vale road is a nightmare by the station when the Banquet Hall has an event on.
Ha! I have a sneaking suspicion that council workers would suddenly appear as if out of nowhere and remove them.
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Would be an interesting experiment on a small section 
I think I’ll take your bet about them being removed… maybe in a year or two.
It would seem to me Cllr. Gibbons has offered to meet disgruntled posters. Perhaps it might be an idea for them to take him up on the offer and report back?
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@Mark1 , you are one of the 3 residents. I know you have already linked up with one other.
I would politely request that you speak to me in the same manner in which you claim to speak to those parking in front of your drive. One of your posts has already been flagged/hidden for its aggressive tone and for making false accusations.
Anyway, I am off to speak to Officers regarding this issue of pavement parking on Dartmouth Road and see what can be done to aid prevention and improve enforcement.
I shall report back on here.
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I do think the school is trying to reach out to its neighbours as I have been told they are going to circulate the following to cars that park over those three driveways that complain and hopefully help the silently fuming who don’t complain.
Dear Driver
(CAR Reg)
We were recently notified that this car had blocked a neighbour’s driveway at a time when they were wanting to drive out from that driveway. I am sure that you will realise that this is can cause great stress to our neighbours, especially if they have appointments or need to leave urgently.
Please ensure that you find a more considerate place to park in the future. There are spaces in Radlet Avenue and Round Hill that can be found at most times. From either it is a five minute walk to the school.
Many thanks in your support of good neighbour /school relations
The Governing Body of Eliot Bank School
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Thanks Leo, but sorry, no, you must be referring to someone else. I am not sure I have ever informed you of a particular badly parked car, have I? Let alone ceaselessly, every time it happens. And I have certainly never had a row over a parked car. What I have experienced, as you know, are some incidents of really very unpleasant abuse and threats when having no choice but to ask, very politely, drivers to move to let me in or out. As have, to my knowledge, more than three other local residents. My response to these incidents is always to walk away, and on a couple of occasions, report the incident to the police.
What I have asked for from you is your support in progressing the formal recommendations made by the council in resolution of some of these long standing of concerns. Whatever our disagreements - and there are clearly many - I am delighted that when we met you agreed to offer that support. We agree it is a very sensible proposal for the way forward, lets just get on with it.
You might want to read what the former moderator said about my first post, which was “flagged”. Of course there are no false accusations, and I really can’t work out what is wrong with the tone. In fact, I thanked you in the post for acknowledging the formal apology I had received from the Council, and for your support for the resolution.
Lets get on to a better relationship can we? Please don’t take it personally when I comment on policy or the action, or inaction, of the Council. Some of what you have said and written to me has worried me, and I have tried to work through those issues with you. But asking questions, sometimes difficult questions, is in my view a really important of the local democratic process. The debate, the discourse, acknowledging disagreement is healthy, even in these difficult political times. I am sure we will agree at least on that. Lets move forward.
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Hi Mark, Perhaps it would help resolve any ambiguity about your prior complaint to Leo if you were to use your full name here on the forum, and maybe add a profile photo so @LeoGibbons (who is using his full name here) is able to identify who he’s talking to?
I suspect your original post was flagged as it came from a new member and was one-on-one confrontational. That kind of post doesn’t go down too well on this forum, which is designed for general public interest.
Note that councillors like @LeoGibbons and @SophieDavis are under no obligation to use this forum. They do so because they care on a personal level about reaching out to the local community. I’m sure they’re interested in hearing both positive and negative opinions on council matters, but one-on-one interpersonal matters should be discussed with them on private channels IMO.
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That very helpful, thanks Chris, I’ll work out how to get a profile on.
As I think I said somewhere above, I really am sorry that I may have caused offence, and will happily amend the original post when I know what’s wrong with it. But I am saddened the Leo tells me I am making “false accusations”; that really not the case, and I wish he had not said it.
Leo, lets sort it out in private as Chris suggests.
Regards,
Mark
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