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by Paul Scully | Mar 12, 2007 | Carshalton Central, News |
At last week’s Carshalton Forum, we received confirmation that the yellow lines from the junction of Ruskin Road and Park Hill would be extended right up to Rotherfield Road.
This follows representations from Eric Howell that the traffic was unable to flow properly because of the number of vans and cars parked on the north side of Ruskin Road.
Although we were told at a previous meeting that no progress had been made on redeveloping the house on this junction as it was linked to the Durand Close redevelopment project, Paul is hopeful that news might now be forthcoming. The planning application for the main Durand Close rebuild was approved by the Development Committee so we hope that 79-97 Ruskin Road will follow quickly.
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by Paul Scully | Mar 12, 2007 | News |
Eric in his role as Conservative spokesman for sport has helped direct £36,000 of funding to repair the tennis courts in Carshalton Park including the installation of metal nets to avoid further vandalism. You may have noticed that the courts have been resurfaced and marked out.
He has been promised that we will be able to use them by Easter. Better still, they’ll be free to use. As you can see from the photo taken a couple of years ago, the machine took some punishment and proved to be cost more to maintain than it collected. With Sutton amongst the worst Boroughs in London for children participating in sports it is only a shame that it took some mindless vandalism to make this sensible move.
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by Paul Scully | Mar 12, 2007 | Carshalton Central, News |
Work is finally getting underway on the long awaited 20mph zone in West Street. Construction was due to start on 26th February to build virtual traffic calming.
This isn’t quite as space-age as it might sound at first. You may remember that this proposal has been knocking around for some years but was fraught with problems. The narrow pavements and the shallow foundations of the buildings along the road prevented the use of speed humps so another solution was sought.
Three sets of speed cushions will be placed along the northern part of West Street starting just before the Colston Avenue roundabout and a flat-topped hump will be positioned near the Water Tower.
Four “virtual” flat-topped humps will be positioned at the entrances to Carshalton Station, Sycamore Close, West Street Lane and Old Swan Yard. Lines and markings will be painted on the road to give the impression to a speeding motorist that they are approaching a speed hump. The idea is that it slows down traffic without the associated vibrations and noise that come from normal speed humps. Signs including speed-activated digital signs will show the beginning and end of the zone.
Eric and Paul welcome the innovation in the scheme. The Council so often look to speed humps as their first and only choice. This scheme may or may not work but a little more imagination can help protect our Borough from the overzealous use of speed humps whilst still making our roads safer.
What do you think? When the system starts, do let us know if it has had any effect on the speed of the traffic. Leave a comment below or you can write to Paul and Eric at London Borough of Sutton, Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1EA.
by Paul Scully | Mar 8, 2007 | News |
Tim Ireland certainly think so. This is the first Red Nose Day since the introduction of the Serious Organised Crime & Police Act 2005 which made demonstrations in designated areas illegal without prioir police permission. I’m no lawyer but despite the speculation, I’m not holding my breath waiting for a spate of arrests next week.
Nonetheless it does highlight the crazy knee-jerk reactive laws that we get from this Government. Cast your mind back to the build up to this law getting through Parliament. Brian Haw has been a permanent fixture in Parliament Square demonstrating against the invasion of Iraq for the past five and a half years. This law was railroaded to clear him and his banners from opposite Parliament thus sparing Tony Blair’s blushes on the rare occasion that he visited the House.
Unfortunately for the government, since the demonstration predated the implementation of the law, the courts ruled that it could not be applied retrospectively. Basically, this meant that the only person in the entire United Kingdom that this law did not apply to was…yes, you’ve guessed, Brian Haw.
by Paul Scully | Feb 17, 2007 | News |
Eric was the only London councillor to attend a meeting at the home of Harlequins Rugby, the Stoop at Twickenham last week. He joined 51 top sports coaches to look at strengthening the participation of young people in local sports clubs.
Pro-Active South London plays a key role in supporting School Sports Partnerships and is looking to acheive a target of 85% of pupils engaged in at least 4 hours of quality physical activity each week.
This can only work with the help of local clubs and coaches so it is rewarding to help encourage the leadership and co-ordination necessary to make this happen. Eric’s love of all sports shines through in this type of meeting. He is interested not just in the champions and sportsmen and women of the future, but engaging young people in a healthy lifestyle which will set them in good stead for the future. School sports has plenty of positive spin-offs in areas where we involve ourselves as councillors. Health and educational benefits are obvious but the social aspect and the diversion away from anti-social behaviour is just as important. Finally as a Harlequins season ticket holder, Eric rarely needs an excuse to travel to Twickenham, though I daresay it was more comfortable than sitting in the stand spectating.
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by Paul Scully | Feb 5, 2007 | News |
Wow! Just got back from an hour’s grilling from 140 girls in the sixth form of Wallington Girls’ School. The daunting feeling that I felt at the beginning left me as quickly as my prepared notes within a couple of minutes of the start.
I was introduced to several members of staff and the Head Girl and made to feel very welcome. My brief, originally talk about politics for an hour, became what makes Conservatives different. After a brief introduction telling the girls who I was, it became a Q&A session. I was really impressed with the willingness to really test me on subjects that interested them and standing up for themselves when they disagreed. Maybe I’m a sucker for punishment but I would rather have a feisty audience anyday over a quiet bunch of wet fish.
Having covered transport, selective education, youth clubs and crime, it occurred to me that much of the anti-Conservative feeling put across by some was from the feeling that Conservatives stood for the rich and selfish and from a frustration of politicians in general. There again, there were plenty that just didn’t agree with me as well.
I hope that I was as honest and straightforward as I could be and left them with a little more confidence that the Conservatives were worth considering as an option. If any of you that were there read this, let me know what you thought in the comments section below. Either way it was a fantastic experience that I am happy to survive but would love to repeat. I guess this is how people feel when they safely land at the bottom of a skydive.
At last week’s Carshalton Forum, we received confirmation that the yellow lines from the junction of Ruskin Road and Park Hill would be extended right up to Rotherfield Road.
