Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands...

This morning, I went with Cllr Scott Ainslie to visit a resident on the Nuneham Sheltered Housing Estate at the corner of Garrad's Road and Prentis Road.

Her story was all too familiar. She is a vulnerable resident and Lambeth Council and Lambeth Living have let her down with repairs. She was being ignored, treated abysmally, and living in dreadful conditions because of the Council's neglect, and there was no accountability.

Part of the problem was a leaking roof, and after two botched repairs it was still leaking water into her bathroom. Paint was pealing off the ceiling, and more damage was being done every time it rained, which would cost more and more money to fix. A patch of plaster in the ceiling that had been repaired weeks ago, was still wet to the touch.

We arranged to meet the latest contractor who had been appointed to do the job. He arrived and insisted there was nothing wrong with the roof. He said it was just damp under the felt that needed to dry out after the last repair. He suggested waiting a few more weeks for it to dry out. We said there were drips. He said that there weren't any. So we showed him the drips. He said they came from the wet plaster that we had just pushed. And so we went backwards and forwards with no resolution.

Finally he said he would come back when it was raining again.

There was no way we were going to let him leave and "come back when it was raining". This is exactly the same thing that has been happening in Cressingham Gardens in Tulse Hill with the leaks there. Contractors say they can't see a leak and say they will have to come back when it's raining. And then when it rains, they say they can't go on the roof "for health and safety reasons", and so nothing ever gets done.

So Scott climbed on the roof and I passed him up buckets of water. Five buckets later, sure enough, the water began to pour down the walls inside. Finally the contractor was convinced, he agreed to go up on the roof and found he leak. He is booked into repair it tomorrow. It shouldn't be this hard. But sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands to get things done.

But while we were there, we also got rid of some ash trees that were breaking up through her patio at the back, but which Lambeth Council and Lambeth Living said was not their responsibility to clear.

The resident asked us to tell this story.

A small epidemic of raised kerb stones

There appears to have been a small outbreak of raised kerb stones locally, so we've been reporting them (both to Lambeth council and Transport for London depending on where they are located) to get them fixed.

These do cause a major problem, particularly for some older residents, those who are partially sighted and younger children.

Getting them fixed is part of our drive to make local pavements safe and enjoyable for everyone (for more on why this is really important see Living Streets)

In particular we have reported a number around the junction of Ambleside Avenue, Garrad's Road, Tooting Bec Gardens, by Tooting Common, so they can be sorted out.

If you see any locally, let us know and we will get them sorted out.

New sign for Woodbourne Avenue

There was a missing Street sign at the corner of Woodbourne Avenue and Garrad's Road, so we got onto the council last year and asked if they would replace it.

They have just done so...

Railings repaired - finally!

It's been ten months since Transport for London first gave us a commitment to repair the railings at the pedestrian crossing on Garrad's Road by Tooting Common.

They originally said they would try and do it by April. We kept chasing, and are pleased to report that TfL have sent us pictures of the repair, saying they completed it last weekend. We are now going to make sure they paint the bit they repaired - hopefully it won't take another ten months!

Here are the "before" and "after" shots they sent:

Graffiti at Becmead Avenue (Garrad's Road) bus stop

We have asked TfL to clean the graffiti at the bus stop on Garrad's Road, known as the Becmead Avenue stop (but actually closer to Tarrington Close!). TfL say they aim to clean it in 48 hours.

Missing sign on Woodbourne Avenue

We have asked for a missing street sign to be replaced for Woodbourne Avenue, where it meets Garrad's Road.

[Update 25th June 2013: Lambeth Council have been in contact and agreed to replace the road sign.]

Getting the railings repaired at the bottom of Garrad's Road/ Tooting Bec Gardens

We are pleased to report that TfL have agreed to repair the railings at the bottom of Tooting Bec Gardens, at the junction with Garrad's Road, by Tooting Common.

These have been bent for several years following a collision there. We made several requests to TfL who have now responded and said they are "programmed in" for repair. They expect the repair to be completed by the end of April.

(TfL Ref: 1012030371/MOS )

Streatham’s 20mph Phantom Zone

Did you know that Garrad’s Road, Abbotswood Road, Prentis Road, Becmead Avenue and Woodbourne Avenue… all have 20mph speed limits?

Nor did I. And nor do many residents on those roads, or indeed those who regularly drive down them. The reason? There is virtually no notification either on the road surfaces or in the form of signposts on the roads themselves – to let people know what the speed limit is.

The 20mph Phantom Zone runs to the West of Streatham High Road, stretching from Drewstead Road at the top, right down to Prentis Road at the bottom, taking on Garrad’s Road to the West. But most people driving through will assume that the default speed limit of 30mph in a residential area, applies.

This is particularly serious as some of these roads – such as Garrad’s Road and Abbotswood Road - are official cycle routes. There have been collisions in this area resulting in serious injuries for cyclists - for example at the junction of Woodfield Avenue and Mount Ephraim Road. It even appears from the collision report that those investigating have assumed at 30mph speed limit too.

The only clue that these roads have 20mph limits are the occasional signs at the edge of the zone – for example coming over the bridge from Wandsworth into Lambeth along Bedford Hill saying “you are now entering a 20mph zone”. Blink and you’ll miss them. Some of these are tucked away behind trees. There are also some signs informing the motorist that you are leaving a 20 mph zone – which isn’t all that helpful.

Talking to some residents it seems that once upon a time - some years ago - there were more 20 mph signs. See for example this one, caught accidently by one resident of Abbotswood Road when photographing a back garden. It took a Freedom of Information Request however to establish whether the limit was still in place, as there are now no signs anywhere along the road at all.

We’ll see if we can get some more signage put in place.

Success: pavement widened at bottom of Tooting Bec Gardens, junction with Garrad's Road

As flagged up at the end of this blog, we've been trying to get Transport for London (who have responsibility for Red Routes) to widen the pavement at the bottom of Tooting Bec Gardens where it meets Mitcham Lane.

The situation has been for a long time that the pavement isn't wide enough for many people with buggies, wheelchair users, those with mobility scooters etc... to get past a large tree. In fact it is downright dangerous for many people, particularly in winter when conditions are icy, right next to a red route with large amounts of fast-moving traffic.

We have been trying to get it sorted for months. TFL finally committed to addressing it back in February, and I'm pleased to report that TFL have now almost completed the work. I spoke to the workmen today, and they say the job should be completed tomorrow.

Update: 27/6/12 - here it is completed...