Because there is so little meaningful evidence (monitoring or data) behind the current road closures and restrictions, we need powerful factual statements from individuals or organisations to show the Council how the measures are affecting everyday life.
If this scheme is having a negative impact on your health, your livelihood, your family life or your general mobility, please let us know.
“I cannot believe the Councillors are hell bent on making our lives so difficult”
“I live in Dulwich and work as a local GP. My journey to work used to take 15 minutes and now takes over 45 minutes, thereby increasing congestion and pollution which I assume the Council is trying to alleviate.
“My wife suffers from severe osteoarthritis and is having the first of several operations this month. I am very concerned that the road closures will make it difficult for the district nurses and physiotherapists to properly care for her, and will hinder her recovery. She will be unable to walk to the shops or anywhere else and will need to use a car. When she recovers from this operation she has more to contend with and the road closures are just making everything harder.
“After living in the Dulwich area for nearly 50 years I cannot believe the Councillors are hell bent on making our lives so difficult, so much so that we are considering moving out.”
Dulwich resident and local GP
It is becoming intolerable”
“The closures add on average an extra 30 minutes to my essential journey to and from my NHS work every day including emergency call outs and is becoming intolerable.”
Local doctor
“I love being a carer but the restrictions have made my life hell”
“I’m a self-employed carer living on East Dulwich Grove. I have six residents I go and help each day in the Dulwich area. I’ve been a carer for eight years and I love being a carer and looking after people. But the road closures and time restrictions have made my life hell. I have to go by car as I have to carry food for meals and incontinence pads and so on, and because I need to get from one client to another quickly. But the traffic is now so bad, I can’t do this any more.
“Elderly people like routine and get agitated when you are late. They don’t understand why I can’t get there on time. One client I have to give breakfast to at 8 o’clock. I was getting there at 8.40 only to find she had tried to make it herself and made a terrible mess. I’m also a relief carer for a live-in carer. I’ve been arriving at 2.15 pm when I am supposed to get there at 1.30 pm.
“I have had to rearrange all my work and leave earlier. I have had to change all of my jobs, give a couple of them to other people and not accept new clients.
“On East Dulwich Grove the traffic is really bad. I have to wear my mask to avoid breathing in the fumes, not because of the virus. Nobody has stopped driving, they’ve just moved the traffic.
“I love doing what I do but it’s now so difficult I’m thinking of going back to working in an office. I’m also thinking of moving. It’s horrible now on East Dulwich Grove.”
Self-employed community carer
“Birth can happen very rapidly”
“I work as a Community Midwife at a local hospital. This means that I am visiting new mothers and their families at home in the Lambeth and Southwark area.
“I carry a reasonable amount of equipment with me which would make it too difficult to cycle. The distances I cover can be quite a few miles, which means walking is out of the question, as I would have to significantly reduce the number of women I can visit in one day and the same goes for using public transport. I have no choice but to use a car.
“The numerous road closures are having a huge and detrimental impact on my day and on my capacity to care for my clients. I am probably able to visit one less client each day because of the extra time I am spending in my car. This will be the same for my colleagues, also meaning that overall the service has been reduced for women at this already challenging time, when many are struggling to get adequate support due to the pandemic.
“Another worrying factor is the potential time delay to travel to see a woman who is having a homebirth. Birth can sometimes happen very rapidly and a delay of twenty minutes (due to extensive road closures) could mean a potentially life-threatening situation if the woman is giving birth alone. We do not have a blue light on our cars and would have to wait in the long queues of traffic. We rely heavily on the London Ambulance Service to be able to attend and to help transfer into hospital in an emergency. It can only be a matter of time before there has been an accident on the South Circular, it’s school pick-up time and the traffic is completely gridlocked and no emergency services can get through.
“Councils across London are coming to their senses and reversing these ridiculous and poorly thought-out schemes. How long and at what cost (to human life) will it take for Southwark to rethink?”
Community midwife
“A negative impact on our ability to offer lessons”
“Our sports club, which serves the local community, is being severely affected by the new traffic restrictions. Some parents have decided to take their children out of our club as they could not arrive on time for their classes due to the road closures, time restrictions and heavy traffic on the diverted roads. It is also having a negative impact on our ability to offer lessons to local schools, as we need to transport large amounts of equipment to facilitate classes.
“While we all understand the drive for better air quality, I cannot see how this has been achieved by simply making a few streets clear of traffic but overcrowding all the surrounding roads.”
Coach at local sports club
“We take longer routes to visit patients”
“Our journeys, without a doubt, have been impacted [by the road closures and restrictions] but due to Covid we have not felt this as much as we would have usually. Our home visits currently are essential [only] but, after these unprecedented times, when we revert to some semblance of normality, our visits will be more frequent to support our ageing population, so inevitably we will feel the impact of these changes with longer journeys.
“We now take longer routes to visit our patients; our patients also need to take a longer route when attending the Tessa Jowell for blood tests and appointments; and a longer route when attending for their appointments at the surgery. Obviously with poor mobility they would not be walking or cycling at their age. Where we would have usually taken five minutes, it now takes at least twenty minutes. It is the same for our patients. Our community nurses also struggle as these changes add to their journey times. Thus, making their days longer.
“Due to these changes we seem to be breathing more pollutants on Lordship Lane where cars are at a standstill due to the congestion caused by these measures with a view to making our air cleaner. Whilst cars can be stopped by planters, pollution sees no such boundaries and these measures are ill thought and somewhat misguided.”
Local GP surgery
YOUR STORIES MATTER
Please send us your story (up to 500 words, or a short video) by contacting us at dulwichalliance@gmail.com or by submitting this form. You might be a resident or business-owner, a carer or medical professional, a keen cyclist or someone who relies on public transport – all that matters is that you are happy for us to publish on the Dulwich Alliance website your personal testimony of difficulty or hardship caused by the road closures.
Published contributions can be anonymous, and we will keep your information confidential. However, we would be grateful if you would include contact details in the first instance, so that we can check we’ve got all the details correct before we publish.
Please note that by submitting information to the Dulwich Alliance you are consenting to it being used in line with the privacy statement below.
Thank you for your help. We look forward to hearing from you.
Your privacy is important. Any information you share with us will only be used in connection with the Dulwich road closures and restrictions. Your story, name and contact details will not be disclosed by any Dulwich Alliance supporter, or anyone associated with the Dulwich Alliance, unless you give us permission to do so. All personal and identifiable information will be held securely and deleted at the end of the objection period. You can request for your information to be deleted at any time by emailing dulwichalliance@gmail.com.
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