From A to Z and all stops in between

I cycled for the first time in two months yesterday. I’ve been taking the bus and walking, following an unfortunate tumble on Blackfriars Road that resulted in a broken collarbone.

It’s been nice to rediscover the pleasure of reading novels on the bus, or of walking through the mazy alleys of the City. But yesterday I picked up my bike at Waterloo and cycled back to Dog Kennel Hill, along my usual back route.

I remembered why this is such a delightful way to travel. First of all, it’s quick – half the time I’d spent on the bus in the morning rush hour. And my bag is on the pannier rack, so I don’t notice the weight of books or food shopping. But best of all, I revisited places I never see from the bus.

Past the Stage Door of the Old Vic, past clusters of London South Bank University students standing and chatting in autumn sunshine on Keyworth Street. (The buses run along the parallel London Road, where the pavement is crowded with people waiting for buses and everyone is in a grumpy bustle.)

Straight across the Old Kent Road, and then along a short section of cycle path, with a little swerve around the phone box. It would be great to see a segregated cycle path along the whole of the Old Kent Road.

Past the building sites around Elephant with their chirpy slogans. Peculiar balconies like bay windows without glass have appeared on the block of flats being built at the corner of Rodney Road and Content Street – evoking Victorian mansion blocks, a kind of ‘facadism’ without an original building.

Instead of going straight down Portland Street, I make a quick diversion to the Walworth Road, for snacks supplies from Baldwin’s health food shop. A loop past the Newington Library, sadly still boarded up after the 2013 fire and I’m back heading south on Portland Street, past the almhouses and the place that sells parcel packaging and coffee – I always mean to stop there one morning. Past Nursery Row Park, East Street market and Faraday Gardens.

A sign on the Giraffe House at Burgess Park advertises collage sessions all week. I pop in to say hello. On the table in the centre, there is a huge, inviting heap of pages torn from magazines. On the walls, funny, inventive images of the future made by local children: superstars and chimeras and football pitches.

The meadow by the Burgess Park lime kiln is steeply banked, displaying a rich, messy variety, studded today with purple and gold. It’s always a joy to see, the colour almost unreal on a grey day.

Past Caspian Street allotments and Brunswick Park. On Wilson Road, a tree turning red – I stop to take a photo and catch the scent of winter jasmine hidden in a hedge.

Finally, I make it up Camberwell Grove, the steep climb made easier without rush hour drivers nudging my rear wheel – at the moment the road is closed at the railway bridge.

This little journey reminds me of the pleasure of crossing the city under your own steam. The route leads me past a whole alphabet of small personal landmarks. Once I’m on the bus home – especially if I’ve got a seat – I rarely feel like getting off to run an errand and having to wait for another bus. But on the bike I make all sorts of brief stops, say hello to friends, do some essential (or inessential) shopping … I remember how leafy the city is away from the main junctions, my route taking in four parks and avenues of huge plane trees.

Southwark Cyclists have been running a free Bike Train on Wednesday mornings to share this route with people who want to try cycling into central London (reducing to monthly services through the winter – the next one is on 16 November).

I first found the route described here on an LCC map showing the London Cycle Network: it reflects years of small improvements, dozens of interventions that start to make the city more ‘permeable’ to people on foot and on cycles while discouraging motor vehicles from rat-running down back streets. For example, Keyworth Street is closed to vehicles at one end; there is a 3 second advance signal for cyclists at the junction of Webber St and Blackfriars Road; and a light for cyclists to cross Newington Causeway (although it needs a few tweaks). There’s a lot more to do to make the route feel really inviting and safe (as Quietway 7) but on a sunny autumn afternoon, it was pretty nice. Cycle superhighways are very visible transformations – and I love the new segregated path from Oval over Vauxhall Bridge. But the best thing about cycling is that it’s not just about getting from A to B, but also B, C, D … X, Y and Z.

Bike your way IN to history

Ever wondered about the names of Calais Road, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill or Delft Way? Did you know that Camberwell had a thriving German population in the 19^th century, supporting bakeries, a German church and visiting composers? Or that a community of French Huguenot refugees settled here? Have you spotted the Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Camberwell New Road? Ever bought Cypriot pastries in SE5 or French chocolate in SE15?

In June 2016, participants on a cycle ride led by Eleanor Margolies uncovered the European history of Camberwell and Peckham. They began under Peckham Arch, cycled to look at the mural of the ‘Camberwell Beauty’ butterfly (an immigrant from Scandinavia), visited the park that the French Huguenot Minet family donated to the people of Camberwell, looked at the remnants of grand mansions built by German residents (a portico now part of Ruskin Park; the Platanes, now student residences for King’s College London) and ended at the French chocolatier Melange on Maxted Road.

Some of the sites visited were described in a 2007 article for Camberwell Renewal.

 

 

Feeling stuck?

So you’ve got a Cycle Superhighway, or a junction on the London Cycle Network with a separate signal for cyclists to help people safely bypass the Elephant and Castle roundabout (as was).  But you can’t get across, even when the light is green.

The junction of Cycle Superhighway 7 with London Road is frequently blocked by stationary traffic when signals are showing a green light for cyclists and pedestrians to cross London Road. It’s inconvenient and dangerous. Pedestrians and cyclists who try to weave between the stopped buses and trucks can’t always be seen by drivers. The same problem occurs at the junction of Rockingham Street and Newington Causeway – but at this crossing there isn’t even any blue paint to alert drivers to the signalised crossing for cyclists. It seemed obvious that a yellow box indicating ‘keep the crossing clear’ would help alert drivers.

Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson took up the problem with TfL and the London Mayor. This post on the Southwark Cyclists website describes a year of trying to get answers…

http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/the-light-says-green-but-cyclists-and-pedestrians-cant-go/

Eleanor Margolies shines at South Camberwell hustings

A councillor-worthy performance at the hustings on 8 October saw Green Party candidate Eleanor Margolies’ odds for winning the by-election slashed, while Labour party candidate Octavia Lamb struggled to make an impact.

Eleanor Margolies, Octavia Lamb, Linda Craig, Ben Maitland, Chris Mottau, Stephen Govier

All five candidates in the South Camberwell by-election participated in the well-attended hustings at the Albrighton Centre, expertly chaired by Linda Craig. The candidates responded to questions from the audience about the Dulwich Hamlet FC grounds, the future of Peckham Rye station and what they would do first, once elected.

It was pleasing to see that all candidates had good knowledge of local issues and that there was common ground on many themes. Fascinatingly, even Conservative candidate Chris Mottau spoke out in favour of divesting Southwark Council’s pension funds from fossil fuels, after Eleanor Margolies raised this in her opening presentation. Octavia Lamb, last to speak on this subject, could only offer that she “personally” supported the aims of Fossil Free Southwark, but did not say how she would persuade her Labour colleagues at the council, who have so far ignored calls for divestment.

Liberal Democrat candidate Ben Maitland and the All People’s Party’s Stephen Govier repeatedly stated that Southwark Council does not need another Labour councillor, while Chris Mottau compared the Labour dominance on the council to a one-party state. Eleanor Margolies quoted a report from the Electoral Reform Society raising concern about the integrity of councils where one party holds on to power for a long time. She cited the achievements of Green councillors on councils in Lambeth and Lewisham, as well as the Green Party’s success in getting Southwark to pay its staff London Living Wage – highlighting the difference that one Green councillor can make.

Eleanor Margolies at the South Camberwell hustings

Throughout the evening there was no convincing argument from Octavia Lamb to persuade the audience of the need to elect another Labour councillor on top of the 47 already there. She stated that she was passionate about casework, and that it was important to consult with the community. When the council’s track record on communication with citizens was raised, she could only concede that there was room for improvement, while Eleanor Margolies offered several constructive suggestions on how Southwark Council could provide a better service.

South Camberwell has an interesting by-election ahead. These hustings have certainly given voters something to think about.

Text by Remco van der Stoep. Photos by Nick Hooper.