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| The White Elephant Road |
Now, recognising it's been a failure and lethal for pedestrians the Council plans to scrap it
Pontificating, the Hon Architect, visionary and 'road psychologist had this to say at the time.....
’The psychology of this scheme is fascinating. Experience seems to show that when you dedicate space to traffic and control it with signs and green traffic lights, motorists develop a claim on it. It becomes ‘my space.’ Drivers become annoyed if people move into it.
'They get angry if a mother pushing a buggy moves across the crossing just as the lights are about to change.’
‘This new scheme is more like the behaviour in a supermarket car park. Drivers know there are people around pushing shopping trolleys and so drive more cautiously. They are looking out.
They don’t feel that pedestrians are invading their space. They don’t therefore get annoyed.’
Moylan, always a master of bovine excreta, was on top form with that little masterpiece of oratory!
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One resident commented,
"The Council “only” spent £14.6m of our money on the original scheme – another £13.4m came from the Mayor of London (i.e. also our money) and only £1m from the City of Westminster, despite the fact that Exhibition Road is mostly on the border between the two boroughs – why the very unequal split? The work took 3 years to complete. Now they need to spend even more money and time undoing it…"
Cars travel down ER at speeds up to 50 MPH. It was always known that it was dangerous but Moylan knew best.
ReplyDeleteThe cleaning bill for the road is in the vicinity of £400,000 a year. What Moylan failed to understand was that the granite, imported at vast expense from China, was going to be stained by oil, tyre rubber et al and that no amount of steam cleaning would keep it clean. Now, the entire road looks an unholy mess.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter. The funds don't come out of his pocket after all. Not everyone who works for the Council is sensible like you justin. They waste a lot of money. Who knows, may be he had a contact and got it on the cheap. FOI'd anyone? Oh, that's commercial data so that can't be disclosed. doh!
Deleteps - my apologies for sounding a bit annoyed. Had to deal with a Council employee today with a simular situation and it affected me to the core.
Despicable arrogance of the man, these awful RBKC people who get into top office are the worst type of puffer, they bear down on us with their tasteless, impractical ideas, at great cost. Nothing changes, the circus continues. What next!
ReplyDeleteWhen was this announced? Who took the decision in Council? What was the process that allowed common sense to get some traction in Hornton Street?
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, some twisted people just love to see people getting annoyed. What a privileged job they have. It must be fun for them.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that Moylan felt he was all lined up for a peerage....diservices to local gov. Luckily, as in the case of Pooter, the Dame stopped that in its tracks.
ReplyDelete