I can’t read in to their plainly worded statement in any more detail than they’ve written I’m afraid.
If there’s any more info that suggests they’re taking a political stance do share.
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The definition of minority is anything less than the majority so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say a minority of people are pushing these schemes.
What we really need is a time machine to do two things
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Go back to when the EU/UK relied on bad scientific data to push diesel vehicles which have ruined air quality/livability in European cities for a generation.
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To go forward to the year 2050 when all vehicles are electric and have some form of autonomous technology that makes it incredibly safe for cyclists.
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Given these two options require time machines, we could just focus on cycling and walking initiatives instead - we have the technology!
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The electric and autonomous (or at least emergency brake assist) tech exists now. We just need incentives. Yes electricity still needs fossil fuels as we transition but at least it’s produced out of town as opposed to diesel. It’s all do-able - people can keep their cars (electric and safe) and others can cycle safely. Change is the hard part.
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John, I think it’s helpful sometimes to separate things out. My point is that if Lewisham is sincere in its stated policy to encourage walking and use of public transport, they would make improvements to the crossing next to Forest Hill station. The Forest Hill Society has been trying to get this sorted for YEARS, and the crossing was a hot spot for comments on Commonplace.
The A205 Pedestrian Crossing Problem at Forest Hill Station
There’s an entire thread on this, plus there’s another one re the Perry Vale crossing at the ‘back’ of the station depending which way you look at it.
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I’m genuinely very excited about electric cars and hope I’ll be a relatively early adopter myself in due course. I also closely watch reports on our energy mix optimistically. Pragmatically though, we’re a long way from a full shift from petrol and diesel vehicles, and electric cars still leave problems with space and traffic, and the environmental impact of production of the cars themselves. Those problems are lessened in scenarios where autonomous driving steps in, but only majorly when car sharing replaces car ownership. I haven’t seen a convincing case for any other short to medium term options that address the major issues of private petrol/diesel car ownership better than cycling/walking/public transport initiatives, even if they are at the expense of owners of cars (inclusing myself!).
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We are some way off fully electric, but we’ll get there faster with the right initiatives.
For example, recent and relevant to your comment, Uber have promised 100% electric vehicles by 2040 globally, together with $800m funding to help get there:
In Europe things are even faster - from the article:
Of course this will also drive infrastructure and hopefully help scale electric vehicle production to bring down prices. It may fuel a second hand market too.
I’ve not yet seen a convincing case that the exact closures being enacted by Lewishaw, which are disrupting a great many people, address this either as under the cover of emergency Covid response much of the planning and scrutiny has so far been avoided. I did see and was encouraged by @LeoGibbons message about the Lee Green measurements now being put in place - hopefully that will provide some good data to end the arguments, though I do fear further misrepresentation of statistics (on all sides).
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Yes. Making it other people’s problems. A bit like diverting traffic down other people’s roads. People live, work and play in those areas too.
There is an ethical cellphone brand that doesn’t exploit people in the third world or dump pollution into other people’s backyards. It’s neither flash nor efficient. It’s clunky, weighs a ton and fizzles out in the rain. But at least it exists. I don’t know that there’s the same ethical alternative for car batteries and computer chips. (And don’t say it’s a cycle or shanks pony. I’m talking about cars.)
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If they are serious they should close the car park at the station to discourage driving to the station and it would help with improving the safety of the crossing.
Devonshire Road is actually tied to the safety of the crossing 1) cars often block the A205 taking right turns onto and off it causing backups past the crossings (Davids road is the same) 2) the sharp right turn slows traffic flow causing slow downs and accidents 3) frequent accidents slow traffic down
If the council did something that slows traffic down at the station crossing and didn’t look at the wider area they would cause more accidents
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Yes, this thread is becoming very broad.
I was hoping to engage Councillor Gibbons regarding pavement parking: about the fact that Lewisham facilitates pavement parking in many areas. I think more than any of the many Boroughs I’ve lived in, there are roads with official notices permitting pavement parking.
If the Council is serious about encouraging residents to walk, then why reduce pavement space? There seems to be a massive disconnect between the stated policies of councillors, and the reality. What actually happens where there is a lot of illegal pavement parking, is that the Council obliges the drivers and makes it legal.
I’m also not convinced by Councillor Gibbons claims about the difficulty of enforcement. It sounds like a basic management problem. In Devonshire Road, for example, how could it not be cost-effective for two wardens to issue 20 tickets in one visit?
@LeoGibbons could probably confirm but the parking enforcement company isn’t on any kind of metrics. I did an FOI a while back and they visited Devonshire Road once in a year. I commonly see the parking guys drive straight out of Sainsburys ignoring all the residential parking outside Sainsburys
But the council would have the money if the job was being done. If the money isn’t being collected, it appears to be a management problem as far as illegal pavement parking is concerned.
My question to the Councillors is also about permitted authorised pavement parking of which there is loads in Lewisham. Why is pedestrian space being re-allocated for vehicle use, if the stated policy is the opposite of that?
They won’t ticket people for parking on the paths or parking irresponsibly at junctions but they were more than happy to give me a ticket a few years ago at Xmas for my front wheel overhanging the path by a few cm’s … b@s7@rds!
Meanwhile over in Wandsworth the council has suspended it’s LTN trials after a high level review. From their press release:
https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/september-2020/low-traffic-neighbourhood-trials-suspended/
It is interesting to note that TfL’s actions are cited as antagonising the LTNs in Wandsworth. Here in Lewisham the Catford cycleway in the A21 was initially supported by the council, but since postponed due to concerns:
I do hope that after a ‘pause and rethink’ changes can be made that get closer to achieving the goals of these schemes, but with fewer losers, less disruption, and less division.
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Let’s include the objectives of the scheme at the top of the linked article…
The LTN trials were introduced last month to make residential streets more bike and pedestrian friendly and to deter rat run traffic.
They were part of a series of measures introduced as part of the COVID response by freeing up additional space on the highway in support of social distancing and to promote alternative forms of travel as people gradually return to work.
The trials also supported the council’s ambition of combating climate change by encouraging people to use more sustainable forms of transport and tackling air quality.
…
It looks like there are more people with SUVs in Wandsworth than there are cyclists given it only took them a month to U-turn.
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The objectives of the LTNs are pretty well trodden and widely accepted as good aims, so I felt no need to reproduce them here as that’s not the ‘news’ in the press release. The ellipsis at top indicates where I’ve abbreviated and the link is there for anyone that wants to see the full thing.
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It’s based on my personal observations from cycling through Wandsworth on multiple occasions. 
Edit: fixed the accidental ‘quote’ formatting in my above comment
Also their tweet thread looks like a clone of this topic. LTNs are Marmite
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I will look into this for you. I share your concerns about pavement parking and will bring it up with members of our Sustainable Development Scrutiny Committee.
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