I hate

I do love Greggs

you are the problem then.

SMS OTP verification that takes an hour to arrive.

And when you request another message because the first didn't arrive and get blocked for requesting too many messages.

My street’s WhatsApp group and the inane pushback against a proposed LTN.

Crazy that people in an area generally choked with traffic (East Greenwich, Trafalgar road) can’t see the benefits of quiet streets and traffic reduction.

Lots of noise about exemptions for residents, preferring cameras over bollards, and just general drivist nonsense 🥲

Not sure if you want to be the voice for LTN’s in that WhatsApp chat, but there’s been some recent articles I’ve seen which show the positive effects of LTN’s when they are installed, over and above the “common sense” driver objections..

My street WhatsApp was pretty similar but eighteen months or so after implementation it barely gets a mention.

Obviously straight after implementation there were lots of complaints about how their five minutes drive was now taking 40 minutes (the spurious reasons as to why they were doing a 5 minutes drive were always entertaining).

Cameras are often favoured over bollards as it doesn't delay emergency services. Also means exemptions can be given for residents with blue badges.

I’m trying to do this without alienating ourselves from the neighbours, but I’ll get there! We only moved in last August so it might just take some time.

There are some good studies from Possible that I’ll post eventually when it feels right. If you could link up anything you’ve found too I’d appreciate it 🙂

The funny thing is it’s not even being proposed on our street, it’s on the south side of Trafalgar Road (we’re on the north side, which already has a modal filter and one-way system).

Here’s the previous proposal which is now being watered down to weekday rush hour only, with ANPRs instead of physical barriers where possible:

https://greenwichwire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/East-Greenwich_Strategy_Option-A.pdf

I don’t think the proposal was fantastic to begin with, but the cognitive dissonance of our own street benefiting from previous LTNs and wanting to drive through others' neighbourhoods at the same time is wild.

I’m still in favour of bollards over cameras in general, but the design does need to be excellent in the first place.

Hopefully someone with a better grasp on LTN design than me (@Oliver Schick ?) can comment on it!?

My street’s WhatsApp

There's your problem, when we moved I was sure to be friendly with my neighbours but specifically ask that they never add me to the group

Thought I saw one in the guardian but can’t find it currently there’s this one by gcn
https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/general/news/mini-holland-projects-in-london-pay-for-themselves-10-times-over-new-study-finds

Here’s the full study that that is the basis for the above article
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140524000173#fn7

Are these normal? I've never been invited to a street whatsapp. Not that I'd join tbh.

I think fairly common, we had one for our block of flats. It was mostly useful, taking in parcels for other people, asking to borrow their parking spaces for visitors and complain about the high tier cunt who managed the block (see: my many and varied posts in the bastard neighbours thread), but also needless gossip and moaning which got to after a while.

Yeah you're probably right. This is the first place we've owned and we're wanting to be here for a long time. Never been invited to a street group chat before in any of the previous places we've lived…

And thanks @cornelius_blackfoot, will keep those links handy!

I think a lot started during COVID.

I'm on my street one. It's mainly people giving stuff away and posts about cats.

We've got a whatsapp group for our block which is proving useful for taking on the shitty Building Management company.

We have one.

I started it.

To begin with it was for chatting about organising a closed road street party, years back.

Now it's grown to be about any and everything.

Useful stuff is Freecycle and lending tools, collecting parcels etc.

Annoying stuff is nimbyish chat about traffic or whatever.

Surprisingly useful is using it to warn the street that one of those aggressive tea towel sales person cunts or religious nuts are on the knock.

Yeah I’m on ours and just have it on mute. Useful and friendly sometimes. I’m also not on FB or anything so it’s quite a funny look at how other people live and think

it’s quite a funny look at how other people live and think

Excessive exposure to the average voter’s opinions may harm your faith in democracy.

Urinals

I have a shy bladder at the best of times but there are a few occasions where the (very) public urinal at Vauxhall has been a lifesaver on the way home late.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jWA7b89x7GycqQKE9

Hmmm

1 Attachment

when people use PDF's as the plural of PDF

PDF files does have its own problems, however...

Lol

#rep