No lights on Ha'Penny Hatch for past three months (Lewisham side)

While on Deptford High Street there is a shortage of Christmas lights, at the Ha'Penny Hatch where Lewisham meets Greenwich over Deptford Creek, there have been NO LIGHTS AT ALL since the beginning of October (or is it longer?).

The picture above is from 9th November. There's no change. Fortunately, as far as we know, with darkness descending at 4pm or sooner, the only remotely bad thing that has happened is graffiti artists having a party or two (and leaving all their litter, which is also never cleared up). But it's almost three months since this path has been lit.

Usually this is the sort of thing you could post to Love Lewisham, but it is not so simple. Firstly this path has no postcode – so they can't find it and you can't use their interactive map to report it. More importantly, neither can the police if something awful happens here in the darkness.

Secondly, you have to report the number of the nearest lamppost that has a number written on it (back on Crossfields) because none of the lampposts on the path have numbers. We would normally have been reported it ourselves, but we have been waiting to see how long it takes for someone else to do it for a change – or to see if Lewisham notice it themselves!

It's a very important path since it forms part of the GLA's Cycle Quietways. In fact TWO so-called Quietways are offered at the Creekside end of the route across the Ha'Penny Hatch (one of which is through Crossfields – the maintenance of some of the path has been paid for by the leaseholders who were never even consulted). Strangely, that path is the responsibility of Greenwich Council even though it's in Lewishame, and roadworks to accommodate it across Deptford Church St are still being carried out by Greenwich, months after the work was started. Lewisham Homes wasn't even told about it. (Not that them knowing now makes any difference since they would hardly tell us).

However, cyclists using the Ha'Penny Hatch usually have their own lights. Pedestrians do not.

(This story was originally posted as part of the previous post).

Consultation on changes to Bronze Street and Creekside as part of new 'Quietway' Cycle Path

Lewisham Council is consulting on the Lewisham part of the Waterloo to Greenwich Quietway. We know this because Lewisham Homes sent us a text.

No one however – not even Lewisham Homes – was consulted on the changes that have already been made to part of the route through Crossfields (see our previous post), so we're lucky to be hearing about these other plans now. However, 'consultation' ends on November 7th.

The section of Quietway that Lewisham Traffic and Parking have drawn up draft plans for involve some 'interventions' on the route between Surrey Canal Road and Creekside, as well as repairing or upgrading the road surfaces and improving lighting. For more info on the proposals see here.

At our end of the route, the intention is to close Bronze Street off from Deptford Church Street as shown in this diagram, plus repaving the 'footways' and resurfacing the road and raising the entry to the road at the Creekside end. Residents of Finch & Congers Houses who drive will still have access to their carpark area, but will no longer be able to exit the estate onto Church Street.

You are invited to comment on the plans by emailing traffic@lewisham.gov.uk.