18 October - More on the Transport meeting
A review of the Transport Users’ meeting recording has revealed a few items of interest not reported yesterday.
Railways
• Contrary to what was said three months ago when
it was announced that the Bexley station subway passage would close
permanently on 6th September, a different Southeastern representative said there are no current plans for closure.
Police
• The Greenwich, Lewisham, Bexley Borough Command unit will cease to exist from
next January however this comment was probably intended to cover only the Transport command; the audio quality is very poor.)
• Councillor Richard Diment had been out with the Community Road Watch Team and
observed nine speeding offences in Perry Street, Crayford out of nearly 1,000
vehicles in less than an hour. None were seen in Hurst Road, Sidcup over 45 minutes.
TfL matters
• All the worst performing bus routes (428, 492, 229) are run by Arriva out of their Dartford
garage and have been rewarded by TfL with a new seven year contract and the
icing on the cake is that they are going to operate the 96 too. (Bluewater to Woolwich).
• Every route through Bexley apart from the 89 is now operated by electric vehicles or shortly will be.
TfL reported that its half million pound electric buses did not cope with
the recent hot weather very well. (This is a complete reversal of what is to be expected.)
Parking
• Photographs alone are insufficient for a PCN. The offence must be seen by a CEO.
• All schools opening and closing at about the same time poses an enforcement
problem. There has to be a rota system for covering them all.
•
Blue badge holders abuse their privileges. They park on double yellow lines
where it is not safe to do so. The associated image is of a Blue Badge holder
who is content to force traffic on to the wrong side of the road at a
junction rather than engage his/her brain and move just a few yards further
along. The parking manager said that enforcement would require a judgment to be
made and implied that the average CEO is not up to the job. For them offences must be black and white.
• Parking across a private drive with dropped kerb will not be enforced unless the householder complains.
• The Council has no powers to remove vehicles that have attracted many PCNs while not being moved but may employ bailiffs.
• CEOs do not generally stay in their jobs very long. “It is not a very nice job.”
(Note: My recorder made a much better job of picking up the
Parking Manager’s voice than my own ears did. Maybe I was sitting in a null spot.)
Highways issues
• If the Bexleyheath/Erith cycle route ever comes to fruition it will be funded by TfL.
• About 70 pavement EV chargers are being provided by Trojan Energy to add to the 100
lamp post mounted units installed last year. The Trojan sockets require an
adapter between the footpath mounted sockets and the owner’s cable. A couple of hundred more are possible.
• The EV chargers abandoned by BP Pulse
may be restored in a multi-borough rescue operation. Negotiations are difficult.
• The planned Bexley Road zebra crossing has been delayed by Thames Water activities.
• Sidcup High Street will be resurfaced in December which should help the
Christmas trade enormously.
• Councillor Hinkley remarked on the number of road junction markings which have
faded or entirely disappeared. The Highways Manager waffled somewhat about which
ones might represent a safety hazard but there was no promise that they will be
fixed any time soon.