Introducing Green MP candidate Nicole Griffiths

Green Party MP candidate Nicole Griffiths

Streatham mum of two Nicole Griffiths is the Green Party candidate for Streatham in the 2017 general election.

She combines work as a school arts support officer with being a mum and studying at Goldsmiths University for a degree in Applied Social Science, Community Development and Youth Work.

Nicole grew up in Stockwell, and attended St Martin's School in Tulse Hill before enjoying a 17-year career working in theatre in London. For nine years she lived in Portugal and France, where she ran a small business.

She is a familiar face around Streatham, where she has lived since 2003, and is an active campaigner for clean air, a Safer A23, and defending local schools against threatened cuts to their budgets. 

Calling for lifts at Streatham Station

Six caught speeding in just over an hour on Streatham Hill

Nicole Griffiths out with police in Streatham

A police speed enforcement operation in Streatham last Friday recorded motorists doing over 50mph in what is a 30mph zone - and issued six speeding tickets in just over an hour.

The Green Team's Nicole Griffiths and other members of the Safer A23 Campaign worked with traffic officers to identify stretches of the A23 through Streatham where speeding is a particular problem.

Longer term, campaigners are calling for a re-design of the road through Streatham to deter motorists from driving at dangerous speeds and a reduction in the speed limit.

The risk of death from being hit by a car rises massively with speed of the vehicle.

Catching those who put lives at risk

At 40mph the risk of death is 90%.
At 30pm the risk of death is 50%.
At 20mph the risk of death is 20%.

According to collision figures for 2015[i], Lambeth has the highest number of road casualties on TLRN roads (821) and the most collisions resulting in death or serious injury (56). TLRN roads account for 58.6% of all road casualties in Lambeth and 56.6% of all fatal and serious injuries.

Nicole said: "It's tragic that Lambeth currently has the highest number of casualties on main roads in London.

"We need to change our thinking about how we move traffic through highly-populated areas like Streatham and the top priority must be preserving human life. We shouldn't have to take our lives in our hands every time we need to cross the road."

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[i] https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/road-safety

Have your say on Estreham Rd closure trial

Cllr Scott Ainslie helping to inform motorists

The closure of Estreham Road to northbound traffic as part of the Quietway 5 cycling route is coming to the end of its six-month trial periods.

Lambeth Council and Sustrans want to hear your views on the scheme.

Click here to have your say.

Have your say on Ultra Low Emission Zone

Mayor Sadiq Khan is seeking Londoners' views on his proposals to bring forward the dates of  Ultra Low Emissions Zone to improve air quality in the capital.

Click here to see details of the proposals and take part in the consultation.
 
The proposal is for ULEZ to start on 8 April 2019 - approximately 17 months earlier than the current start date on 7 September 2020 and for it to include limits on Particulate Matter (PM) as well as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions.

Congratulations to Potters Lane litter pickers

Results of litter pick

Congratulations to the volunteers who turned out to clean up Potters Lane alleyway and footbridge neaer Streatham Common station at the weekend.

They managed to fill 13 black sacks of garden waste/rubbish, 2 large green garden waste bags and 10 bags of recycling (beer cans & bottles).

Nicole Griffiths lends a hand

The Green Team's Nicole Griffiths was part of the small group led by local resident Joanna Pascoe.

The area, which is owned by Network Rail, is blighted by fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. The litter problem has worsened since bins were removed.

Streatham Green councillor Scott Ainslie is this week raising the issue with the officers responsible  for rubbish collection and fly-tipping and will report back.

Cllr Ainslie has requested bins are reinsituted and regular sweeps made by rubbish collectors, to avoid residents having to undertake this potentially hazardous work in future.

Volunteers in action

After the Clean Up

+16Cases are referred to court, where offenders can be fined up to £50,000 in magistrates' courts, an unlimited amount of fines in crown courts, as well as community punishment orders or prison sentences of up to 5 years.

Greens support residents over water tanks eyesore

The Green Team's Nicole Griffiths and Cllr Scott Ainslie are supporting residents in Conyers Rd, who have been shocked by the size of new water tanks errected opposite their homes.

The size of the new storage tanks at the Thames Water treatment plant on Conyers Road are much bigger than residents had been led to expect from drawings shared with people before their construction.

With the residents, Nicole and Scott have been looking at the latest proposals from Thames Water to plant green screening around the site.

Scott is also working with other ward councillors to propose that Thames Water should fund a wider tree-planting programme in the area to compensate for the eyesore caused by the new water tanks.

Crash survivor joins campaigners to petition Mayor over A23 road danger

Nicola Wilding: survivor of a crash on A23

Crash survivor Nicola Wilding today joined Safer A23 campaigners to petition London Mayor Sadiq Khan for action to end the high level of deaths and injuries in Streatham.

Mum of one, Nicola, aged 40, who was born and brought up in Streatham, suffered permanent injury to her arm in a crash on the A23 in May 1999.

Today she joined Michelle Hammond, whose brother Francis was killed at St Leonard’s Junction in Streatham in May 2014. Together with campaigners from the Safer A23 campaign, they demonstrated outside City Hall before a meeting of the Greater London Assembly (GLA).

At the meeting there was a strong demonstration of political parties working together.  Florence Eschalomi (Labour) presented the 3,000-strong petition on behalf of the campaign, supported by Transport Committee chair Caroline Pidgeon (Lib-Dem) and transport committee member Caroline Russell (Green).