Happy Birthday to Tooting Common ParkRun
Congratulations to Tooting Common ParkRun on its second birthday. ParkRun is a national health and fitness success story. It’s a free timed 5km run (not a race) every Saturday at 9am at places all over the country and run by volunteers. Wandsworth Council tried to block ParkRun from coming to Tooting Common, but lots of local residents protested and they agreed, initially for a ‘trail basis’. The trial was successful, and other parks and common in Wandsworth should be allowed to have ParkRun too.
Thank you very much to all the amazing volunteers who come and cheer on runners like me on Saturdays. Why not make the birthday run your first one? Sign up online, print out your bar code and come along on 9am on Saturday 27th February. There are lots of slow runners and beginners so if you haven’t run or just started as a New Years Resolution then its perfect – if I can do it anyone can!
Elmbourne Road, Hillbury Road and St Anselms school traffic issues
Plans to address dangerous traffic on Elmbourne Road, HIllbury Road will finally be coming to the Community Services Committee on February 20th. Fleur and Rosena presented these petitions back in October 2015 and various things have meant delays, but we haven’t given up!
You are welcome to come and see the committee in action. If you’d like to make any comments I advance please send them to us. The proposals will be made public the week before the meeting, and we hope will include measures to calm traffic on these roads and to have some crossings from the Heaver Estate side onto the common.
Good and bad news on air quality – please sign the petition
Mid-January for the last few years has been marked by a grim announcement that London has already exceeded the annual legal limits for the toxic air. This year this has been delayed – meaning that air quality is getting better. Clean bus routes are a big part of the reason and we need more of them on our roads. The improving air shows that actions by London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan are working. However in Wandsworth so much more could be done. Wandsworth has been in special measures for air quality since 2003. The dangerous levels of Nitrogen Oxides and tiny particles in the air have been shown to case heart and lung disease and especially affect children.
If you would like to see the council taking more action on air quality, please sign this petition.
Air quality is slowly and quietly damaging our health in London. Sadiq Khan has gone far further than Boris did – showing what can be done if its a priority. But in Wandsworth there are no clean air zones around schools, there is half-hearted action against car idling and only one clean bus route. Wandsworth Labour would overhaul our road planning so that air quality would be major factor in every decision: it’s not at the moment. We’d also make public transport, walking and cycling more attractive options. One way to increase cycling is to put secure cycling pods on streets and at all stations. We’d work with Mayor more, and make clean air zones around schools. Actions by Conservative councillors for the past 40 years has not been good enough – more needs to be done to tackle this public health crisis.
Here is the petition link again – please sign and share.
Another nursery has gone
We are really sad to see Stepping Stones nursery in Ravenstone school close down. Despite a major need for affordable childcare in the area, the repair bill for the building was too high for the nursery company who lease it from the council. When I had small children here there were one o’clock clubs, a crèche at the leisure centre and plenty of choice of nurseries. All of this pre-school support is getting cut back, leaving very few affordable child care options during the all important pre-school years.
Anti-social behaviour
Since we were elected in 2014 we’re done lots of work with local police and residents to address different anti-social behaviour issues as they have arisen. These are normally very distressing and intimidating for local residents and it’s a priority to sort them out. By working together, and with focus from our three-strong local police team, we have managed to see anti-social behaviour stopped on most occasions.
At the moment we’re working with the local police and local residents to address anti-social behaviour in a couple of streets in the ward. Do call 101 to report intimidating behaviour and let us know too.
Newlands Estate – new garden and fly tipping
We visit local roads regularly to hear about the issues that concern you. at the moment there are a bumper crop of fly tips at the moment on Newslands Estate (Baringer Square and Treherene Court, off Tooting Bec Road), which we’re reported to the council. We’ve also asked for action on the issue of the chute in the middle block (7-69) being frequently blocked.
On a more positive note, the Newlands Residents Association have been successful in getting a non-descript grass area to be cleaned up, with apples trees planted and picnic benches due to come in the summer. It’s a really nice feature on the estate – well done to the Residents Association for persevering!
Winter outing ideas – Morden Hall and Lumiere
I always value local recommendations of things to do so here’s a couple. We took the dog and children on a lovely walk in Morden Hall Park. It has a short walkway through lovely wetlands which is very accessible for buggies and wheelchairs, and then the walk goes through the Hall gardens.
Coming soon is the absolutely magical Lumiere – lighting up buildings, floating in the air and letting you walk through the London’s central streets without traffic. It will be from 18 – 21 January. More information here.