Anood victory on Jamaica Road
I would like to Thank Cllr Anood Al-Samerai for her campaign to get the yellow cross sin bins on Jamaica Road, (‘A Victory – Yellow-box junctions to be installed – Work to resurface the road cancelled, Southwark News, November 17, 2016).
She walked all around the Four Squares Estate in Bermondsey on a really cold night to collect signatures.
The traffic around Drummond, Clement’s and Southwark Park Roads has been absolutely awful. What with the fumes and the hooter testing, plus the odd swear words (can’t blame the drivers), it is about time the Mayor of London did something.
Alternative route signs at Great Dover Street and Tower Bridge Road junctions should be put up to direct traffic needing to go Greenwich, Deptford, Lewisham and Kent etc to stay on the Old Kent Road.
Thank you Anood.
Pat Duke, Bermondsey
Licence to kill
On LBC I believe a woman and particularly a man have spoken on the way the trams are driven.
The man claimed he has complained to Transport for London (TfL) on the appalling standard of driving.
I have written two letters to Ministry of Transport (MOT) on licence to kill, ie HGV 1&2’s, not foreign drivers but our own.
A12 if you have ever driven A’s dual carriage ways with little warning out comes the artic hundred Ks, the one being over taken ninety eight!
Result, miles of sitting behind these knights of the roads.
Foreign drivers park up for the weekend, as per law in the EU. No overtaking on uphill gradients, graphic signs!
Artic drivers I’m sure would like a break from Sunday work, plus we car drivers would like a break too.
When raining it’s like trying to get past a speed boat!
It comes as no surprise the people that are killed by commercial drivers large Lorries in effect not drunk or those on the weed.
The only time you see the Old Bill on fast roads is at accidents, then it looks like a cop car garage.
Why are visual Sat-navs allowed? Unlike mobile there is no proof that the driver is bogging the tele and for how long!
Keep death off the roads, no help from TfL, two letters to MOT and no answers.
E. Wisby, Bermondsey
Never forget
Please do pass on my thanks to all those who showed their respect in the many acts of Remembrance across Southwark.
It was especially poignant to see many children join us at West Lane, with their schools formally represented and the children laying wreaths.
It is heartening to have so many schools, teachers and parents involved and ensuring the sacrifice is not just remembered but honoured today.
Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark
It all started with A&E closure
It is not a secret that Care Quality Care inspectors have said that a busy A&E is not the right environment for mental health patients.
You do not have to be a brain specialist to understand this.
I know King’s are hoping to find some space soon for mental health patients. But for how many?
I can assure you this will not be the answer for the future, when all the forecasts are that mental health will increase!
I have to also remind you that the six places of safety that South London & Maudsley (Slam) are creating, though excellent, are for persons sectioned under 136! In other words, for somewhere the police can take them for their safety under 136.
The reality is there used to be a place of safety for one person in each of the four boroughs. A total of four. There will now be one place of safety for six persons to cover the four boroughs at the Maudsley in Southwark! Hardly an explosion!
The worry the police have, if there is not a place of safety available, then the patient will still have to be held for their safety in a police cell, car or van.
Having two extra berths covering the four boroughs will not make that much difference!
You will not find me finding fault with the many persons trying to improve services for the mentally ill! But there are still big problems, which we are a long way off improving.
I know it is an old chestnut, but it was the Maudsley that closed the A&E, also an older persons ward and the Felix Post Day Centre. The Maudsley is the only place where space is available.
They are the ones that have caused so many problems, by their closures!
Finally, it is not acceptable that nearly all the wards in King’s are shared by sick patients and the mentally ill.
It is unfair on the sick, unfair on the mentally ill, and unfair on the nurses who are expected to cope with this!
Tom White, Southwark Pensioners’ Action Group
The correct story on John Ruskin
I was delighted that your publication deemed Professor John Ruskin M.A. L.L.D, F.G.S, worthy of a feature in Southwark News 27th October 2016
My pleasure quickly turned to incredulity as I realised the amount of errors in this relatively short article by Owen Sheppard, on the ‘father of art criticism’.
I am not usually so pedantic, but I do think that your readers should be made aware that:-
Ruskin was born on 8th February 1819 not ‘6th February 1829’.
His father, John James Ruskin was a Wine and Sherry Merchant not a ‘cherry merchant’.
Ruskin’s autobiography is Praeterita not ‘Praeteria’.
He died aged 80 on 20th January 1900 not ‘aged 90’.
Whilst mentioning eminent persons known to Ruskin his friendships with Robert Browning, the poet, and the artist Samuel Prout, both former Camberwell parish residents would have been more appropriate, than his acquaintanceships with Tennyson, etc.
I am not aware of any water colour paintings by Ruskin in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, if there are any, they are not currently on display?
The East window was almost entirely designed by Edmund Oldfield (Ruskin’s own design being in the style of Michael Angelo and not used) and can be seen in St Giles Church, Camberwell not St Gilles’s Church.
In all, I found the article poorly written and would recommend that as well as spell check, actual proof reading is necessary, see ‘waiters’ for waters!
And finally why was the piece in a section called ‘What’s on’? There is no mention that anything related to him is?
Oh me, I have just looked at your website and on there you call him ‘Jon’.
Michele Burford, Dulwich