New Cross Gate Local Assembly Meeting – 18/10/2023, 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm

The difficult art of democracy

We were informed a few days ago that the issues around the lack of safety within the Cold Blow Lane tunnels (SE14) were going to be addressed at the local New Cross Gate ward assembly. Me and the other persons campaigning for the pedestrianisation of the road, were invited to attend. So we went. ??

This below is a brief summary of the event and of what happened. ?

There were some positive things to take away and some negative ones. Overall it was a difficult meeting. On the agenda there was the item: “Parking and Sustainable Streets” which I found out is a bit of a hot topic. Amongst the attendees – we must have been about 25 in total - there were 3-4 people pro-cars and against CPZ (controlled parking zones) who were very vocal and disruptive. They somehow managed to dominate and disrupt the whole meeting, not allowing others to talk. This was a negative thing. At the same time, at the end of the meeting it was clear to me that the possibility of closing Cold Blow Lane to traffic could fit well within many of the council policy targets. For example it could help the council to reach its climate emergency targets, as well as promoting active travel, public health and so on.

As per items on the agenda, the meeting started with a focus on some wonderful local community projects. We heard about Bridgehouse Gardens and other activities developed within the Winslade Estate by the organization “Purposely United”. These community projects share in common the noble aim to improve the life and the environment within the community, especially with regards to kids and youth in general. It was inspiring to hear about this. As we moved on with the agenda, the cabinet member Louise Krupski tried to present and explain the rationale behind the council Sustainable Streets Programme. In short, this is the attempt made by Lewisham to tackle the climate emergency. Amongst the main targets, this attempt aims reduce car journeys by 27% and to make roads more child-cycle-pedestrians friendly, so as to encourage people to walk or cycle and improve the quality of air. The presentation also focused on the consultation processes which were followed, and the methods which were used by the consultancy firm deployed – Project Centre Consultancy. We heard a presentation from the firm officers. Sadly the 3-4 people mentioned above kept being aggressive and confrontational, often unnecessarily rude, throughout the whole time. Their arguments were in summary the following: 1) people need cars and parking spaces, 2) the consultation was not done properly, 3) bike lanes are not needed, 4) there is no pollution in the air, 5) CPZ are just a money making scheme. As a citizen trying to get involved in local matters and improve my community I found their behaviour and continuous interruptions annoying, disturbing. It was also upsetting seeing how difficult was for the councillors to answer to the points they had been challenged, even though they tried their best. They kept being interrupted and also accused of lying and many other things, which was a pure attack on their persons and integrity.

In this nervous hot context it began the discussion about Cold Blow Lane and its dangerous tunnels. Unfortunately the principal engineer who has previously met us on the road could not attend the event. The councillors asked to all the assembly attendees if anyone wanted to talk about the Cold Blow Lane concerns. We were in two from the campaigning group and spoke up. In my view we were able to explain well why we are worried and the risks we fear for children-pedestrians-cyclists going through the tunnels. Unfortunately the 3-4 disruptive and aggressive people stayed and challenged/undermined also our concerns about the tunnel. One person even suggested that the tunnel should be closed to pedestrians! This is nonsense as the tunnel is the only accessible route for many households on their way to school. They seemed to ignore that there are more than 400 people who have signed a petition on?change.org demanding that the area is pedestrianised. They even didn’t allow us to say that this is the fourth petition taking place and demanding improvements for the same road.

Although some of the comments against us were not nice they were still subtle and not openly rude. However, it was sad and concerning to witness the verbal abuse perpetrated against the elected representatives. The 3-4 pro-cars and free-parking people tried to undermine in any possible way the authority and integrity of the cabinet member and other councillors. They kept shouting, interrupting, raising their hands and demanding to speak, making unnecessary and uncivil comments. As if they were the only ones there. ?

Amongst the positive things of the meeting, it was for me encouraging to see that the Sustainable Streets Programme will soon start to be roll-out. Crofton Park, Deptford and the North of New Cross Gate are amongst the first areas which will see improvements. I understand Cold Blow Lane fits within this geographical area, so hopefully we will have some improvements at some point, not sure if this will involve the road closure or not.

To sum-up. Despite the aggression we witnessed, we were pleased to see that all the councillors listened to us and were favourable to our position. It was also positive to see that council policies are also behind us, promoting walking, lowering pollution etc. Therefore there are many reasons to keep positive and feel encouraged to continue with the campaign and demand that Cold Blow Lane is made safer and pedestrianized.

#Lewisham #newcrossgateward #deptfordward

#roadsafety #sustainablestreets #localdemocracy