LTN Chaos

by | Dec 7, 2024 | Uncategorized

Greenwich Low Traffic Network Chaos.

As I left to walk to Charlton train station this morning (Monday 2nd December) I could not understand why Victoria Way and Charlton Church Lane were a mess of heaving traffic and the roads between were busy with traffic that are normally very quiet.

At first, I thought the traffic was caused by the Blackwall tunnel being closed for some reason,  but that was not the case.

I later learned that this was all caused by the new traffic Lower Traffic Network (LTN) project between  Westcombe Park, Vanbrugh Park and East of Greenwich Park. Well, thank you Greenwich Council you’ve made our lives a living hell at the expense of a quiet life for the affluent middle-class areas around Westcombe Park, Vanbrugh Hill,  Maze Hill and Greenwich Park East.

Greenwich Council said before this project was implemented that they suspected there would be more traffic flowing through Charlton and they said they were going to monitor the situation. Well, Greenwich  Council it is like every weekday is now like the closing time of a Charlton football match day. All you have done is move the problem onto the Charlton residents.

The single-car wide bridge near the bottom of Victoria Way was especially mad, with frustrated drivers driving up the hill being blocked by inconsiderate drivers coming down the hill and not giving Way as they were supposed to.

On the third day, I looked down the hill to see hardly any cars, and I thought that perhaps I had got it all wrong. That was until I looked up the hill to see the number 380 bus blocking the whole road as it struggled to turn right from Eastcombe Avenue into Victoria Way. With the extra traffic, the 380 bus service has struggled in Eastcombe Avenue and Charlton  Church Lane where traffic flow is often reduced down to a single-width road.

What does amaze me though is that when I return from work in the evening, all the traffic that you would expect to be there as it is in the morning rush hour is non-existent.

Where is all the returning rush hour going? and why can’t they use that route in the morning?

 

 

Sparkle 2024

Sparkle 2024

by | Dec 5, 2024 | Uncategorized

 

Sparkle in the Park 2024

Well, the annual Greenwich event of Sparkle in the Park has come and gone.  Starting on Friday 29th November and ending on Sunday 1st December 2024.
It is an annual free public light show that used to take place in Maryon Park, but the venue was moved this year to CharltonHousee.
The show is sponsored by the Greenwich Heritage  Foundation and the Greenwich  Council.
Surrealism was the theme of the day, so there were works of art with charity themes, giant semi-transparent balls that changed colour that you could walk through, a giant synchronised light show on the grass, and various decorative light statues of animals all around the place.
There was a tea room and a pop-up Tavern for the adults, as well as other bars and food stalls and art and craft stalls encircling a field at the end of the path of the light show.
Even brighter and flashier than the light show was the fun fair next to the light show,  which I can safely say was what most of the kids wanted to head towards.
Here is a short film I took while visiting Sparkle in the Park 2024 at Charlton House.
Another light show that I drove through but did not even realise it was in Eltham.
I wondered why there was such a large crowd standing outside the Long Pond pub on Westmount Road in Eltham on the evening of Thursday 28th November.
I later found out from another Eltham-based blogger that it was a turning-on ceremony of the Christmas lights along Westmount Road, turned on by the Comedienne,  writer and actress Helen Lederer.
I think I can safely say that the Regent Street or Oxford  Street Christmas lights have nothing to worry about in regards to being outshone by the Westmount Street lights, but it does brighten up the road at night.

 

Why America, Why?

Why America, Why?

by | Nov 7, 2024 | Uncategorized

 

The Clown who isn’t funny

Oh America! What have you done. Electing the first criminal to the Whitehouse.

Four years ago at the start of this website I wrote about Trump with the headline “ The clown has left the building” after his rather reluctant  departure  from the Whitehouse. Well the clown is back and he has now morphed into the sort of clown akin to Pennywise from the horror movie IT franchise.

Trump is back, this time in full fascist mode, demanding unquestioning loyalty from his minions. He is out to punish his enemies threatening them with their careers  or imprisonment.

Read the Project 2025 manifesto. Like a rewrite  of Margaret Atwood’s book the  ‘Hand Maidens Tale’. Being a republican will not get you a job in Trumps world,  you have to be the right type of republican. A Trump toadying loyalist will only be considered.

I went to bed on Tuesday night full of hope, only to be  confused, angry and disappointed the next day. Those Americans with a bit of education and some sense of morality in the US tried to stop it happening but those of you following the conspiracy  theories and the insane divisive rhetoric  of your orange god,  and fanatical evangelical pastors that threw their morals and self respect out with the garbage.  Despite his divisive hate filled message blaming all of Americas problems on the poor and vulnerable within society. Despite him being a blatant racist, misogynist, sexist all of his adult life the majority of American voters turned a blind eye. Despite him being a convicted perpetrator of sexual assault on more than one occasion, Despite being convicted numerous times for fraud and embezzlement you gave him the top job that he is clearly not fit for.

From his first court appearance alongside  his father in 1973 for refusing to rent any of his properties  to black people to allegations  of rape and sexual assault throughout the 80s and 90s, including  a rape of a 13 year old girl perpetrated alongside Jeffery Epstein in 1994.

An alleged  2005 sexual assault of a journalist being shown around Mar a Largo.

The 1996 rape of E Jean Carroll in a department store, that was dropped down to sexual assault and he has to pay out $88 million. She initially  struggled to get justice  first time around due to Trumps presidential immunity while he was sitting president.

His convictions for falsifying  business records to secretly pay hush money to keep pornstar Stormy Daniels quiet. Once again slippery Don did not go to jail but his lawyer Michael Cohen did.

The Trump organisation  of which he was in charge is found guilty of tax fraud and fined $1.6 million. Once again Trump doesn’t  go to prison but two other scapegoats do.

He has been impeached twice and has many cases pending, but now the stupid, and morally bankrupt Trump voters have handed the world to him on a plate, he can technically pardon himself from any crime committed up to the end of his new Whitehouse tenure.

He rose to power in part by attaching himself  to the right wing Evangelical Christians. Now that he’s got the position he has once again got the job he has always coveted, and he cannot be elected again to the office as he has served two terms. Let’s see if the mask is dropped and the religious fanatics finally see what everyone else sees. He has no time for religion and has just been using them for their votes.

He is a lying, narcissistic conman who uses people to get what he wants at all cost. He has always been that way and always will be.

Not only did the American voter give him the top job, but you also  filled the senate and house of representatives with his corrupt cronies so he now has free reign to do as he pleases without any checks and balances in place, as according  to the MAGA politicians their orange gods word is final and he is  ordained by god.

Will he do as Putin did? and get the senate and house of representatives and try to extend the two-term rule that was specifically installed to stop a dictatorial rule. Now he has both houses in his pocket, he may try it.

How a man who has, his whole life denigrated the poor and oppressed in American society manages to convince the very same people that he is their saviour is breath taking beyond words.

He has conned and swindled people with a whole host of ridiculous products and scam services over the years. He has defrauded contractors that worked for him on his properties by refusing to pay contractors for their work. The scams just keep going on and on, but that is all OK with the American voter.

If there is one person that cannot be blamed for this madness it is Kamala Harris , who had travelled the length of the country and fought as hard as she could warning the States what would happen if they elected this moron. She had plans and policies, while he had no policies apart from other countries would pay for everything through fixing 20% tariffs on all imports. Good luck with that as the same countries  you attack with tariffs  can do the same with your exports. His other go to plan is to deport some 20 million people back to their own countries, especially  the Mexicans.

People prepare  for the world to change and not for the better.

NATO which has kept the peace in Europe and the world over, for the last 80 years is in jeopardy. The democrat sovereignty of Ukraine  will be hanging by a thread.

Trump who basically  can not get his tongue  up Putin’s arse far enough has a plan to end the conflict,  but that plan is as predictable  has he is. Simply to give 20% of Ukraine to Putin. In other words give Putin everything  that he wants.

It was no surprise that one of the first world leaders to congratulate  him on his win was none other than fellow Putin arse licker, Victor Orban, the president  of Hungary.

What the fuck happened to America. They once stood for decency, morality and democracy. All of which they now seem to despise.

There is a video of Trump stating “ the poorly educated, I love the poorly educated “. Yes, of course  he does.  It’s how the powerful have controlled the masses since time immemorial.  Educated  the masses just enough to be useful  to do their jobs,  but not enough to realise  they are being used.

You could sit back and say, in four years’ time we can rectify the mess that he caused, but in four years he will have filled every high-ranking post with his obnoxious cronies.  Called project 2025, it’s  a right  wing blue print to infiltrate every nook and cranny of government with conservative right wing administrators  so the republicans can hold power  well after any republican  president  has left office.

He has already said the corrupt judge Aileen Cannon, that presided over his trial over his refusal to give back state secrets to the government will probably be his new General Attorney or be given a position on the Supreme Court, when the even more corrupt supreme court judge Clarence Thomas resigns.

Another failed republican senate nominee and blatant Trump groveller, Hershel Walker an American NFL football player who apart from being not very smart after too many bangs to his head, during his American football playing days, likes to portray his past and family life in a compelling different light from reality, had been given the job of protecting U S missile defences. A big job  he is clearly  unqualified  for.

Another implied appointment is that of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. Who will be put in charge of the American  economy.

Let’s get one thing out of the way.  Like Trump  Musk is not a self made billionaire.

Like Trump his wealth started with a multi million dollar hand out from his multi millionaire  father.

He did not invent or start PayPal, Space X or Tesla, other people started up and made a success  of these companies. He simply invested, and bought into these companies, often bullying or forcing  out the company originator if they do not submit or curtail to his business practices, which is him always taking the glory.  These practices  often force his workforce  to work long hours for no extra pay and not recognising  any unions and firing people at a whim sometimes for no reason. Trump loves him for this. Elon is his sort of guy.

His buying of Twitter now called X under the guise of the protector of free speech, whereby he stifled free speech from the left, but actively promoted conspiracy  theories from the far right and helped brain wash the masses against Kamala Harris.

So what does Musk get from this deal.  Well apart from getting  a seat at the table next to the orange god and a constant advisory roll on the presidents ear. Well, he gets a president  who is going to put a 100% tariff on imported EVs from China, thus protecting his  Tesla car manufacturing  investment.  He also gets a lucrative government contract with his Starlink satellite system via his Space X company.

Elon will also benefit  from massive  tax cuts promised by  Trump to the most wealthiest in society, of which Trump happens to be one.

If ever there was a prime candidate  for the Dunning- Kruger effect it is Donald J Trump. A man so sure of his abilities  and his self proclaimed genius that he actually  believes  his own bullshit. He surrounds himself with advisors and yes men, but takes no notice of their advice,  even when it makes sound sense.

Let’s be honest, anyone, and I mean anyone that has to go around constantly telling everyone that they are a stable genius are not by any definition of the word, a genius.

Well, America, you chose him and will have to live with the consequences of that decision for the next four years. Unfortunately, there are millions of people throughout the world who are also affected by your choice, especially people suffering in Ukraine and the Middle East. The people of Ukraine are fighting off another megalomaniac in the Kremlin, who like Trump also hates democracy and the will of the people.

Hopefully we will survive the next four years with this psychotic clown in the most powerful position in the world. Good luck world!

 

 

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

by | Sep 14, 2024 | Uncategorized

 

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN’s)

During the Covid chaos Greenwich council introduced LNT’s into the equation to control traffic for some unknown reason. This I cannot fathom out as when we were all in lockdown it was noted how the air quality improved dramatically as no one was driving. So why did we need low traffic neighbourhoods or LTN’s for short.

Greenwich seem to have jumped on the bandwagon that other London boroughs were partaking in.

You may be shouting at the screen right now shouting “you anti-social right wing petrol head” but you could not be more wrong. I am all for well thought out reasonable LTN’s but Greenwich council plans to cut off traffic flowing from the top of Greenwich Park along the A2, down to Trafalgar Road and the centre of Greenwich, during rush hour  will have to travel as far as the  of Greenwich South Street or Greenwich High Road and come back on yourself.

Anyone wanting to get to anywhere within the forbidden zone during peak rush hour will have to be registered with the council as a resident within the LTN.

Forget your early morning or evening delivery for your online shopping site if you live in the LTN. You will have to wait. They want to deliver to you but can’t do it within your rules.

I’m sure most of the people living within the LTN’s are all for it, If I lived in one so would I, but it does have a downside to other people and I’m not just talking about the local commuters who may have no choice but to take their vehicles with them. Not everyone can just hop on to public transport.

The other people that I am talking about are the people that live to the west of the A102 otherwise known as the Blackwall tunnel approach. The traffic that would have probably have gone by Coombes Hill, Royal Hill, Westcombe Hill, Vanbrugh Hill, or Maze Hill will have to find new rat runs originating in or around Charlton.

Unfortunately, I am one of the people affected by the Charlton rat runs and at the moment the traffic that uses Victoria Way is manageable and not too bad, unless it is a Charlton Athletic match day, then it becomes hell.

Even when there is no match on, during the rush hour it can get busy and one of the things that make it a nightmare to drive down is the weak railway bridge that was made into a single lane road between the barriers.

The rules of the road dictate that cars driving up a hill will always have priority of vehicles coming down the hill, and this is how the signage on the road is set out. This rule is also regularly ignored by arrogant drivers who either do not know this or are of the opinion that the rules only apply to other people and not them.

With regular frequency you will get road rage and a belligerent arsehole who will drive down ignoring the signs and when his path is blocked by the vehicle in the right will shout obscenities and threaten the other driver and occasionally it gets physical.

This will only get worst when all this diverted traffic is pushed down roads like Victoria Way or Charlton Church Lane, which are roads that cannot cope with mass two-way traffic.

The council know this will happen as they have stated that they will be monitoring the situation. This is council speak for, they know what will happen but are not going to do anything and cannot be bothered.

Tunnel Woes

Tunnel Woes

by | Sep 12, 2024 | Uncategorized

 

 Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel Woes

Coming next year most Greenwich  motorist will be hit with the realisation that getting from the South to East London and visa versa is going to get expensive, especially  if you commute via the Blackwall tunnel.

Peak hours weekdays northbound 6am – 10am it will cost £4

Peak hours weekdays southbound 4pm – 7pm it will cost £4

There will be an off-peak rate of £1.50 at all other times between 6am and 10pm, including at weekends, but only if you register with Autopay. If you don’t register with Autopay you will be charged £4, the same as peak weekday times.

There will be no charge between 10pm and 6am on any day of the week.

If you ride a motorbike, moped or motor tricycle the charge will be £1.50 for off peak and £2.50 for peak hour rates.

For large vans the charge will be £2.50 off peak and £6.50 for peak hours.

HGV will be charged £5 off peak and £10 peak hours.

These prices are for each time you pass through the tunnels so a typical car commuter driving to work will have to fork out £8 each day, a van driver will have to fork out £13 each day and the HGV driver will have to pay £20 each day.

This is just for the tunnels, if you work in the centre of London you will have to also pay the £15 congestion charge and maybe the ULEZ charge if you drive a diesel or non-compliant vehicle and don’t even get me started on the extortionate London parking charges.

I believe that on the first few days of the Tunnel charges coming into effect thousands of drivers will try and take the Rotherhithe tunnel or Tower Bridge route but they will give up after they realise the whole area  will be grid locked.

Another thing that I suspect will happen is that a small minority may try and get around the number plate recognition  system by attaching false number plates to their vehicles in order to divert the payments to some poor innocent victim who will have to pick up the tab.

The act of cloning went up by 80% after the introduction of the ULEZ expansion, so this is just another incentive for the low life to pass the cost to some other motorist.

If you fail to pay on time due to not registering, or you are some poor bugger who has had their number plate cloned the you will have to pay up a whopping £180 , reduced to £90 if you cough up within two weeks of getting the charge.

 

Charlton Sinkhole

Charlton Sinkhole

by | Jul 23, 2024 | Community, Street Food, Travel, Uncategorized

 

 Charlton Sinkhole

A small sinkhole suddenly appeared at the junction of Delafield Road and Swallowfield Road in Charlton. You can just about with difficulty turn the corner if you have a small car but you can forget it if you have aA lorry or van.

To make things worse, there are no warning signs at the entry to either of these roads to say the road is blocked at the junction.

Some bollards are laid down by the side of the sink hole which I presume is for the equipment to be used to repair the hole and allow some traffic flow along Delafield Road..

As I said with a struggle you can get around the corner in a small car from a certain direction but surely with a sinkhole the hole could open up even further if the area around the hole is disturbed such as driving around the edge of the hole.

Greenwich is no stranger to sinkhole and in the past it has taken months to fix them.

Last year in Dunvegan Road, Eltham a sinkhole the size of a car appeared.

In 2016 a large hole appeared outside  Benefice of Charlton St Thomas’ Church, in Charlton which swallowed a parked people carrier.

In December last year a burst water mains in St Marys Street in Woolwich caused a sinkhole seven meters deep and resulted in the evacuation of a number of properties  nearby.

Who could forget the big one on Blackheath Hill that appeared in April 2002 and took 8 months to repair.

It looks like this latest small sinkhole has been caught in time and is being sorted out alright, but I would still criticise the road management layout.

At the end of my working day, I walked past the hole. The hole has been filled in but there is a square patch with no top surface of tar mac covering it. Hopefully this will be rectified tomorrow. Personally, I am impressed with the speed in which the council is rectifying this small sink hole problem.