Well, if the Grand Old Duke of York lived near me, this would have been the only way to get anywhere!
On Monday, Thames Water closed the road I live on to replace part of the water main. They didn’t warn us about this; they just arrived and started digging. The fact that having dug a deep trench halfway across the road, they’ve done no further work is frustrating enough, but since then there the only bus service that serves the top of Shooters Hill - which is one of the highest points around London - has been diverted so that locals are left with a choice; stay put or walk up and down a very steep hill.
The latter option only works if you are fit and healthy … so if you are an old age pensioner, infirm, or have mobility problems you are effectively restricted to the top of the hill. (Luckily, we do have a small grocers shop and a pub on the hill, otherwise getting something to eat or drink would be very difficult.)
I checked with the relevant websites (Thames Water, TfL, Royal Greenwich Council) and discovered the work had all the proper permissions … but no one thought that was worth telling the locals. As a result, none of us got any prior notice of the road closure and could plan accordingly. I therefore tweeted about this, making sure that I included @thameswater, @TfL, @Royal_Greenwich, @BBCNews, @CliveEfford (our local MP), @NewsShopper (our local newspaper), @DanLThorpe, and @iviswill. (The latter two or our local councillors.) Interestingly, Dan Thorpe got back to me almost at once, offering to find out what was going on. Our other councillor has also now taken an interest … but to date, I’ve heard nothing from Thames Water, TfL, or the local council.
I did get a response from a local journalist who works for MyLondon, and yesterday morning he interviewed me and my next-door neighbours next to the roadworks. As a result, I appeared in a news item on MyLondon yesterday afternoon.
I have no idea if and when Thames Water will get around to sorting out the hole or when we will get our much-needed bus service back … but yesterday I saw a sign warning motorists that the road our road connects to - and which also forms part of the bus route - will be shut from 5th to 23rd December!
It looks as if I’ll have to rely on my car to get anywhere from now until Christmas.
Thank you for your Christmas present, Thames Water!
PS. Since I began to write this blog post, I have now discovered that the story has made it onto the front page of the local news paper's website (the News Shopper), and that the local Council has got involved. (I suspect that this is down to the interest shown by the two councillors for our Ward!)
According to the News Shopper:
A Greenwich Council spokesperson said:
'Thames Water made us aware of their planned work, and we were assured that a letter was sent to all residents to inform them. We’re sorry to hear that this update may not have reached everyone.
We have called Thames Water to ask them to complete the works as quickly as possible and asked for the road closure to be removed and replaced with a two-way lights system to manage traffic.'
It will be interesting to see what happens next.
BOB,
ReplyDeleteWhilst you have problems there at Shooters Hill - our Council some years back had decided to invest 46 Million Dollars into building a 'Billabong' - (Rate Payers Money) -presently it is no where near completion and the price for the Project seems to be going up and up!...YET - the Council cannot be even bothered fixing the numerous Road Potholes which are a Safety Hazard all around our area ...how much does it cost to patch up Potholes with some Bitumen? Certainly NOT 46 Million Dollars! Grumble over....Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteA billabong? I thought that that was a sort of seasonal lake. I assume that it’s some sort of artificial lake for water sports etc.
Potholes seem to be a problem almost everywhere. Our local roads are spotted with them, and every so often the local council Roads Department send someone round to mark them for repair … but by the time someone turns up with a lorry load of tarmac, a load more potholes have appeared … but because they haven’t been marked, they don’t get repaired!
All the best,
Bob
I know full well how steep those hills are there Bob! (I used to walk my dogs from the bottom of Plum Lane up to Shrewsbury Park twice a day, a 1in 3 as I recall). Must be very frustrating for the residents, hope it's sorted out soon. Your mention of the pub at the top of Shooters Hill brought back some nice memories of Summer Sunday lunchtimes spent sat in the garden there (The Bull?) and we used to walk there and back, doubt we could manage that now days :) Good luck Bob.
ReplyDelete‘Lee,
DeleteThe hill is a lot steeper than many people realise. The journalist who wrote up the story walked from Herbert Road to the top … and despite the fact that he was young and physically fit, he was out of breath by the time he got there! He certainly appreciated that anyone old and infirm would not be able to walk back up the hill.
Plumb Lane to Shrewsbury Park is a steep old climb. You and the dog must have been fit to do it twice a day!
The Bull is still there, and somewhat unusually for a London pub, it’s still open and tends to be full of locals. It has a pizza oven in the garden, and until recently it did takeaways.
There is a cafe in Oxleas Meadow that does a good breakfast and snacks … or at least it did so up until COVID. It probably still does, but I haven’t been there for at least three years.
All the best,
Bob
Your picture (the one with the road closed sign) popped up on the Google app on my phone! There's fame for you ;-)
ReplyDeleteHope they finish the work quicker than expected.
Nundanket,
DeleteThat's amazing! As you say, true fame at last!
(By the way, Thames Water turned up unannounced very early this morning and filled the hole in. We now have our bus service back.)
All the best,
Bob
WOW! From experience, I realise it is a very steep hill and not one you would want to face on a daily trek. You would need lungs of a young Nepalese trekker. (And we have a fair number of steep hills in my 'neck of the woods'. Mind I am fairly ancient and well past any likelihood of a successful 'MOT' certificate!!) Take care negotiating the trek and shopping. My guess is it will take longer to get any official answers than the work itself. Carl
ReplyDeleteCarl,
DeleteI’ve had responses from some people who haven’t had to climb the hill that surely I and others could have coped! As you know from your own experience, unless you are very fit, that hill is very steep indeed.
After the news item appeared online on MyLondon and the News Shopper and the local councillors took an interest, things began to happen.
On Friday morning, without any warning, Thames Water turned up, filled in the hole, removed the traffic barriers, and were gone within a very short time. Still no apology for leaving the hole as it was for three days, other than lies about it being an emergency leak that needed fixing. (It wasn’t, as the work was planned weeks ago!).
TfL tried to blame Thames Water for the diversion, but again, no apology or explanation why no alternative transport was provided.
All the best,
Bob
A RESULT Bob, well done all, freedom of movement resumed. And yes the commentator obviously either hasnt walked up that hill or maybe they are the world champion at Fell running!! Carl
ReplyDeleteCarl,
DeleteAll thanks to the power of the media and our local councillors!
Once the local press and councillors showed an interest, Thames Water pulled their finger out. Mind you, their reason for digging the hole - which was an emergency excavation to fix a leak - is a bit lame as they apparently applied for the necessary licence some time ago. They told the council that they had notified residents ... and then told the reporter that it was so urgent that they hadn't been able to!
As to the comments - which included one that said 'it could be worse; you could be in Ukraine' - they just annoyed me because they were made by people who quite obviously did not know the area! Mind you, not so long ago I was asked if I wanted to buy flood insurance, and when I replied that I lived near the top of one of the highest points around London, I was informed that SE18 was regarded as a high flood risk area! Well, if I need flood insurance, quite literally, God help the rest of the UK!
All the best,
Bob