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News and Comment May 2016

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25 May (Part 2) - South East London grinds to a halt and Bexley Council grinds motorists down

News ShopperFortunately my regular Tuesday trip to Newham has become a moveable feast in recent weeks and I was not scheduled to drive there yesterday. Just as well, Blackwall Tunnel was closed all day and there was a crash at Dartford. There were many reports of gridlock across South East London but my only outings were on foot so I wouldn’t know.

There were several comments to the effect that a relief tunnel at Silvertown would not have helped. I simply fail to see how that can be so. Whether or not it is an environmentally friendly addition to local infrastructure is another matter but to claim it would not have helped yesterday must be total nonsense and discredits the campaigners.

Pollution levels are undoubtedly a major problem but my son who is heavily involved in transport research works for the European Union, insurance industry (Thatcham Research) , the Transport Research Laboratory and through them TfL and the Department of Transport. He is enthusiastic for electrically powered driverless vehicles, so much so that he has put his money where his mouth is and ordered a Tesla.

Cars that can avoid low speed shunts are likely to put the under the railway arch body shops out of business and driverless technology can keep us older folk on the road for longer. All run on renewable energy and probably much sooner than you would guess.

TfL, if they have any sense, will be planning for a new age of motoring and an end to diesel powered junk from Volkswagon.

Yesterday’s congestion will have helped to pour more money into Bexley Council’s coffers. They would be out attacking motorists at crowded box junctions. In ordinary conditions it’s not difficult to observe the rules but when things go awry that can be near impossible.

In Waltham Forest recently I drove very slowly across a relatively clear box junction when an idiot ran across the road in front of me. I had to stop and by the time I could have got going again the lights had changed and traffic was streaming out from the side road, so I was stuck there.

Where the North Circular (A406) crosses the A13 in Newham there is a roundabout and if anyone observed the box junction that goes most of the way around it the slip road would fill up and bring the A406 to a halt. It frequently does.

This is what people are currently saying about Bexley’s yellow honey traps…


Box junction: Welling High St. junction with Danson Lane and Parkview Road

• I’ve just got a fine for stopping in the above yellow box junction even though I was at the end of the junction and wasn’t blocking traffic turning into Danson Lane. It’s very easy to get caught because there are traffic lights ahead just before Tesco’s and people also stop to let out traffic from Nag’s Head Lane. The council’s smart car camera vehicle sits in the parking bays behind. So be warned.

• My son also got a fine. When we looked at the online evidence the car camera zoomed straight in on his number plate when he barely stopped in the yellow box when the car in front of him stopped short.

• Bexley Council seem to have new CCTV vehicles. £130 fine (or £65 if paid quickly) must be a good revenue for them.

• I got the fine also, at first I thought not possible but looking at the evidence I was caught just entering the box and could not move forward or back, be very careful as the fine is very painful.

• Me too I had to stop suddenly and bingo they got me. £65 out of my pension was very painful. No point appealing they always win, Bexley has become greedy perhaps they should fill in a few more pot holes with our money there are plenty of them.

• It’s always worth appealing. I’ve managed to overturn three parking tickets issued by Bexley Parking Wardens.


Bexley Council claims that stepping up attacks on motorists is to improve road safety. Perhaps I should have run down the Waltham Forest idiot and proved them wrong.

Cabinet Member Alex Sawyer has twice said at recent Council meetings that he believes motorists are unfairly penalised and used as cash cows. He is Bexley’s Member for Traffic and Transport. Hypocrites the lot of them.

 

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