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.
“The pollution is significantly worse”
“I am a resident of Melford Court in East Dulwich. I walk my child along Lordship Lane every day, from Melford Road to Upland Road, and since these measures have been put in place I have seen a significant increase in traffic. Traffic is often at a standstill right back to Dulwich Library, with vehicles trying to turn right on to the South Circular as Court Lane is now closed. The pollution is significantly worse, as is the driving as people are getting frustrated.
“I feel that these measures have exposed many more people to higher traffic volumes, in order to improve things for a small minority.”
East Dulwich resident
“I cannot open my front windows because of the air pollution”
“I have lived on East Dulwich Grove for many years, and I’m elderly and have limited mobility. Walking more than very short distances, and in particular cycling, are simply not options for people like me and therefore the road closures and traffic diversions are really impacting on my quality of life. I have to use my car to get around but find that the traffic is now so bad that I dare not leave the house at certain times, as I know I will just sit in traffic jams and it will take me a long time to get anyway.
“To add to this, I have a respiratory condition and the air quality on East Dulwich Grove has plummeted since the traffic levels have risen as a result of the road closures. We are encouraged to ventilate our homes because of Covid, but I cannot open my front windows because of the air pollution which makes it difficult for me to breath properly. The recent hotter weather has meant I cannot use the rooms at the front of the house at all at the moment, and probably won’t be able to until autumn.
“I have tried to raise these issues with Southwark Council but they do not seem interested in how the road closures are impacting elderly and infirm residents such as myself. It has significantly reduced my quality of life and is impacting my health, and I do not understand how the Council believe they are doing the right thing by implementing these road changes.”
East Dulwich Grove resident
“We gave up getting to the hospital”
“I had an appointment at King’s Hospital at 4pm on a Thursday. I ordered a cab to take me, as I cannot walk far and there is no easy way to get there by public transport. It hadn’t arrived at 3:30pm, so I called the cab company and they kept telling me the car was on its way but was held up in traffic. At 3.45pm, a neighbour offered to take me to the hospital, but we had to go via Turney Road due to the timed road restrictions (3-6pm) on Burbage Road. We turned into Croxted Road from Turney, which was (as usual) gridlocked, and we sat in stationary traffic. Eventually we gave up getting to the hospital and returned to Burbage Road. According to my voicemail the cab finally arrived at 4.15pm. I had to reschedule my appointment at Kings, putting more pressure on the NHS and causing me a lot of stress and worry.”
Burbage Road Resident
“Their lack of empathy is quite cruel and heartless”
“We’ve lived in East Dulwich for many years. I now care for my elderly disabled dad and to do this is made worse by the LTNs etc introduced. He can no longer visit the places he enjoyed before because these are closed to motor vehicles. To wheelchair him instead exposes him to the risk of the virus and in any event would mean shorter times to enjoy as the ‘walk commute’ swallows up space on the family timetable.
“Hospital transport taking dad to and from appointments is frequently delayed by LTNs, the drivers tell me. It’s important dad is home on time so I can give him his medicine and meals on schedule. Moreover, he has hygiene needs that can’t be delayed too long sitting in traffic caused by LTNs.
“The LTNs cause congestion and pollution as traffic is funnelled instead of spread: surely residents who want LTNs should pay daily congestion and ULEZ charges to off-set the congestion and pollution they’re causing?
“There is so little consideration by councillors, the mayor’s office and City Hall for the real lives of people. One wonders whether there is any variety of life experience between them all and whether they care for the elderly and disabled? Their lack of empathy is quite cruel and heartless as they have a tunnel vision as to who matters in London… and, to them, it’s not the elderly, the disabled or their carers.”
East Dulwich resident
“All the Dulwich residents we have canvassed hate the changes”
“We are both in our seventies, we live in Dulwich and our doctor (Elm Lodge surgery) is on Burbage Road. The distance between the two is measured at 0.7 miles. Normally we would drive straight down Burbage taking five minutes. Now in rush hours we have to drive to Herne Hill via Croxted Road. This forces us to add to the traffic jams on Croxted Road and around Herne Hill and can take at least 30 minutes, thereby substantially increasing pollution.
“Apart from a few residents of Calton Avenue and Court Lane all the Dulwich residents we have canvassed hate the changes. We are told the scheme’s objectives are threefold: healthier, safer, greener. The increase in pollution has the opposite effect to the first objective, the second is doubtful and Dulwich is pleasantly green anyway (a few planters make very little difference). Overall the scheme is a failure and should be removed entirely or substantially modified.”
Dulwich resident
“These measures discriminate against vulnerable people”
“I am an elderly resident and already find it difficult to use my local essential shops (e.g. post office) in Dulwich Village and would be unable to use them at all if the current restrictions become permanent. These measures discriminate against vulnerable people. They do not reduce traffic but merely displace it and increase congestion and air pollution on adjacent roads. They are likely to increase respiratory problems and impact on the safety of residents and school populations on these roads.
“I cannot understand the logic behind Southwark Council’s decision to ignore heavy traffic in e.g. Croxted Road or Alleyn Park to focus on Dulwich Village where as you say traffic has not increased since 2010. It raises issues of transparency and possibly of financial probity.”
Elderly local resident
“This is socially unjust”
“I am an 82-year-old widow who has lived very happily in Woodwarde Road for 36 years. I used to enjoy cycling when I was younger but arthritis, two hip replacements, a knee replacement and an arthritic knee joint make it too tiring and painful to walk even short distances. I depend on my car to get about and to give lifts to friends and neighbours, older than I am, who no longer drive, for whom life has been made much more difficult by the traffic restrictions. I do not qualify for a Blue Badge – not that it would make any difference if I did, as I still wouldn’t be able to get through the road blocks. If I didn’t have a car, I would be confined to my home.
“I also have a medical condition which makes me ‘exceptionally vulnerable’ during this pandemic and requires ongoing monitoring both by my GP in West Dulwich and at Guy’s Hospital. I cannot expect my busy GP practice to take account of the current road closures in Dulwich Village and East Dulwich Grove when making appointments and I am unable to walk to the practice or to the nearest bus stop (not that there is a bus that would take me there). So I regularly have to join the long queues of traffic on Lordship Lane and the South Circular, which makes me anxious as to whether I will reach my appointments on time. I also now have to take taxis to Guy’s Hospital which are expensive.
“I am concerned about the environment, and the extra driving I now have to do – much of it sitting in near stationary traffic – upsets me. I wonder how much more pollution I am being forced to produce.
“I am all for encouraging those who can to walk and cycle more, but the road closures and restrictions take no account of those of us who, whatever our age, have impaired mobility. This is socially unjust.”
Woodwarde Road resident
“Whoever organised this should be ashamed of themselves”
“I have tried to register with the email address on the brochure that was put through our door about the road closure consultation in Southwark but the site just shuts down. I feel very strongly about this. I’m disabled with a Blue Badge and I’m finding it very difficult to get anywhere now with all the closures. I had to make a fifteen-minute journey which took me an hour because of congestion on the main roads. Southwark say they are trying to cut pollution but are just causing more harm than good – whoever organised this should be ashamed of themselves. I’m 77 years old and don’t need all this worry and being afraid to go out because I don’t know how long it’s going to take me.”
Disabled Dulwich resident
“Working mothers are being punished”
“The road closures in and around Dulwich are discriminating against women and are disproportionately making working mothers’ lives harder. Also the bad traffic caused by the road closures has created horrible conditions for cycling, especially with young children. I’m really nervous about cycling with them now.
“There is a real risk that by making working mothers’ lives harder through lengthy, exhausting and expensive commutes it will force many of us to give up working. Published government research has found that women are far more likely than men to leave their job over a long commute.
“It is easy for those without the responsibility of dropping off and picking up children at school to choose alternative modes of transport. They have time and they are mostly able-bodied. They don’t have to juggle travel options when one of the children is unwell. Most people (including working mothers) enjoy cycling and the opportunity to exercise more and avoid using a car. However, working mothers in London do not generally have this luxury and are being disproportionately punished by these road closures, which have not been consulted on and which are not demonstrably supported by the local community.”
Working mum, key worker with primary school children (under 8 years old)
“We can’t all walk or cycle”
“I’m a disabled driver after a stroke and live near Dulwich. I shop local to help local businesses, but my journey from home to the shops takes much longer now with all the road closures and restrictions. We can’t all walk or cycle – some of us rely on our cars to be able to get around even for short trips. How can Southwark be making these decisions? It is harming local businesses and causing long delays on the main roads for all of the emergency services. It’s all senseless, sitting in long traffic queues, when all we are doing is supporting Southwark shops and the well-being of our community.”
Disabled local resident
“This is impacting those who need help”
“We are retired and have lived here over forty years. We are lucky that we are fit and well, and so walk, cycle and use public transport. But we also use our car when needed.
“My husband recently had several visits to King’s Hospital for minor treatments, with his appointments early in the morning. The road closures meant he had to walk to these as he felt unsafe travelling on public transport during the pandemic. Cycling was not possible, in case he felt unwell after the procedure. This is a real problem for a lot of residents and some resort to taking black cabs as they are the only cars that can drive through the timed restrictions.
“We drive once a week for a local food bank. Due to the road closures, we have had to limit the times we can offer our support. Often, particularly in the afternoon, we have been much delayed by blockages and traffic jams from the displaced traffic – once three deliveries took nearly three hours. This is really impacting those who need the most help.
“We have various older friends in Dulwich who we support by offering lifts and taking to activities, one who is recently bereaved. We would like to return to doing this after the pandemic. However, it now takes much longer to reach the Library side of Dulwich as we have to go a longer route and there is more traffic. It is time-consuming and must be spewing out so much more pollution.
“It’s unclear what the road closures are achieving. We see more traffic on our road at certain times, and also many drive faster as they are frustrated. We aren’t ‘pro’ car – we just want to be able to move within our community. It has always been a lovely place to live and the Dulwich Village road closure is just cutting it in half.”
Turney Road resident
“It has created divisions”
“We have lived in Herne Hill for 16 years. We love our local community and it has come into its own during a time when in which the UK has been divided by Brexit etc. During a stressful time for the country at large, we have taken solace in a community that has always felt close-knit and supportive. That is one of the reasons why the Dulwich Village LTN has been so challenging. It has created divisions in our local community and brought them to our doorstep.
“Our community now feels physically divided (e.g. we now feel cut off from East Dulwich) and perhaps, more importantly, more socially divided too. It grieves me that a small minority have sought cleaner air and streets for themselves, knowing their neighbours just a few streets away are paying the heavy price of increased pollution and noise, with all the associated problems. It is also upsetting that more vulnerable members of our community, such as the disabled and key workers, who are already stretched to the limit, are struggling more due to the restrictions.
“I completely agree that we need to tackle emissions in London but fracturing a community in the process is not the way to go about it. I have never experienced such bad feeling and upset in the area, and it has really changed how we feel about living here.”
Croxted Road resident
“Our elderly neighbours feel imprisoned”
“We live in Croxted Road on the western edge of Dulwich. We have friends throughout the Dulwich community, a number of whom need practical support because of their age or infirmity in the form of visits, food runs and neighbourliness, for example delivering a bag of compost for their plants, taking them to GP or hospital appointments, or removing waste when the Council has been unable to collect it.
“The people we have been helping have served their community and their country throughout their lives. If we could walk or cycle and achieve what we have mentioned above, we would, but we can’t. So we rely on the car to allow us to give support to our friends, neighbours and our local businesses.
“Driving from the western edge of Dulwich to East Dulwich through the centre of the Village used to be quick and least polluting. Local businesses were supported and the friends we speak of quickly got their food, their visits and their support. Now, with East and West Dulwich cut in half by these road closures, our journey times are much longer and the pollution caused by our journeys is much greater.
“We are also extremely worried that ambulances and the emergency services can no longer get to patients so directly and quickly any more. We are aware of many delays logged by the ambulance service caused by the road closures and as a result lives are being endangered. Our elderly neighbours, caught in closed-off streets, don’t like to go out so much because they fear getting caught and confused by unfamiliar new routes which don’t make sense to them and they are also worried about getting caught up in displaced vehicle traffic jams and they feel imprisoned in their own homes.
“We hope the Council will reverse the closures and give us back our community and our Dulwich.”
Croxted Road resident
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.