He was also a happy chappy so must have been getting lots of positive feedback - and I was happy until the trains then buggered up in the sweltering heat...
(Not sure about weekends though).
Oystergate: Showdown Time
Great News!
The guard on the sidegate this morning said that from now there will be someone there from 7-10am every morning checking tickets.
He was also a happy chappy so must have been getting lots of positive feedback - and I was happy until the trains then buggered up in the sweltering heat...
(Not sure about weekends though).
He was also a happy chappy so must have been getting lots of positive feedback - and I was happy until the trains then buggered up in the sweltering heat...
(Not sure about weekends though).
Re: Great News!
He also said that the side gate is now open from 4-7pm as well. He was quite reassuring that this was standard policy until future notice, so we should be able to count on it and go via that gate for now.
Hurrah! Not a perfect solution yet, but still a huge step forward.
Hurrah! Not a perfect solution yet, but still a huge step forward.
Lewisham Mayor's office has forwarded to me the following letter from Southern Rail which they have asked me to post:
Dear Sir Steve Bullock
Firstly, I must apologise for the delay in sending you this letter following the meeting with John Oliver, our Acting Commercial Director last week.
We have now reviewed our operations since the gates went live and taken into account the views expressed at last week’s meeting. As a result we have decided to revise the operations at both stations as follows:
Forest Hill
As from Monday 28 July we will be providing access to both platforms while the gates are in operation between 0600 and 2000 on Mondays to Saturdays. The access point from Perry Vale onto platform 2 will have a member of staff checking and collecting tickets during these hours.
Sydenham
As from Monday 28 July we will provide access to platform 1 for all passengers with a valid ticket from 0630 to 0930 and then from 1600 to 2000 on Mondays to Fridays. There will be a member of staff present to check and collect tickets. Outside of these times during the day (0930-1600) entry and exit will still be available via buzzer entry for those requiring level access on platform 1.
I hope that this new arrangement is seen as a positive move on this issue.
Dear Sir Steve Bullock
Firstly, I must apologise for the delay in sending you this letter following the meeting with John Oliver, our Acting Commercial Director last week.
We have now reviewed our operations since the gates went live and taken into account the views expressed at last week’s meeting. As a result we have decided to revise the operations at both stations as follows:
Forest Hill
As from Monday 28 July we will be providing access to both platforms while the gates are in operation between 0600 and 2000 on Mondays to Saturdays. The access point from Perry Vale onto platform 2 will have a member of staff checking and collecting tickets during these hours.
Sydenham
As from Monday 28 July we will provide access to platform 1 for all passengers with a valid ticket from 0630 to 0930 and then from 1600 to 2000 on Mondays to Fridays. There will be a member of staff present to check and collect tickets. Outside of these times during the day (0930-1600) entry and exit will still be available via buzzer entry for those requiring level access on platform 1.
I hope that this new arrangement is seen as a positive move on this issue.
It does appear then that the times communicated to the mayor are different to the staff's understanding. As I breezed through the side-gate this morning (they have a hand-held scanner ya know), I overheard the guard telling a commuter that the morning times were 7-10 (as I was told by another guard on Monday).boon wrote:Hmmm. I was optimistic until I got home today at 7pm and they were locked up tight. Maybe the station staff didn't get the whole memo.
Not a big issue for me in the morning, but the evening's missing guard hour is more significant IMO.
Teething problems over the exact opening hours aside, this is fantastic news - a big THANK YOU to the Sydenham Society and anyone else who has been involved in the campaign - OK in the grand scheme of things it's merely a matter of convenience for me, but it is a convenience which is vastly appreciated!
Are people actually taking advantage of this? I got my usual train this morning, the 7.40am, and when I got to the gate the woman waiting with her scanner was resting on the brick wall, looking very bored, as clearly she hadn't had anyone walk through for some time! I'm just worried that Southern will say it's a waste of their time if it's not used enough...
I certainly am. And, of course, only a couple of months back 1000s were using that gate.natbeuk wrote:Are people actually taking advantage of this? I got my usual train this morning, the 7.40am, and when I got to the gate the woman waiting with her scanner was resting on the brick wall, looking very bored, as clearly she hadn't had anyone walk through for some time! I'm just worried that Southern will say it's a waste of their time if it's not used enough...
I agree the flow seems quiet at the moment though (but then, because I can use the sidegate I can zip straight through to a train (providing it's on time) so I'm not hanging around watching the gate/platform).
I think the issue is that there is nothing on display to show that the sidegate is open (apart from the big board saying 'Disabled Access only') and so it seems passengers are only realising it is open to commuters when walking past and enquiring to the guard. Is there anything at the ticket office to show it is now open?
Thanks a lot folks. As usual the people who are to lazy to walk round and who drive a few hundred yards rather than walk have been listened to rather than the people who are actually affected.
Oh well we who live in PHG can now and are already suffering more rubbish in the street and inconsiderate behaviour by those poor people who are unable to walk across a bridge but are able to walk happily and noisily along the road and then jump in a car totally unaided.
At the vert least think of something that will help. I have written to Steve Bullock and suggested that the Council or even better the rail companies fund a CPZ, free to the residents of PHG to stop people parking in the road and support the green agenda (stopping people driving short distances). Will the Sydenham Society with all their great influence support residents in a less fashioable part of the town.
Oh well we who live in PHG can now and are already suffering more rubbish in the street and inconsiderate behaviour by those poor people who are unable to walk across a bridge but are able to walk happily and noisily along the road and then jump in a car totally unaided.
At the vert least think of something that will help. I have written to Steve Bullock and suggested that the Council or even better the rail companies fund a CPZ, free to the residents of PHG to stop people parking in the road and support the green agenda (stopping people driving short distances). Will the Sydenham Society with all their great influence support residents in a less fashioable part of the town.
You could always identify the cars of residents of PHG by marking them, perhaps with the acronym 'NIMBY'; and then chasing away any other car (taxed or not) that dares to enter your street whilst waving pitchforks at them.simono wrote:Thanks a lot folks. As usual the people who are to lazy to walk round and who drive a few hundred yards rather than walk have been listened to rather than the people who are actually affected.
Oh well we who live in PHG can now and are already suffering more rubbish in the street and inconsiderate behaviour by those poor people who are unable to walk across a bridge but are able to walk happily and noisily along the road and then jump in a car totally unaided.
At the vert least think of something that will help.
Now, ignoring the tone and insulting nature of your post; of course, any parking arrangements or restrictions, traffic calming and one-way systems that can improve PHG should be investigated and welcomed if feasible. I also think that it would be helpful to have a bin by the gate.
But are you seriously suggesting that commuters on the way into work in the morning are walking "happily and noisily" to the station!? Certainly not me! Also, I don't think you have any valid complaint if you are annoyed at people walking along your street between 4-7pm; and if there is any anti-social behaviour you should report this to the police or the guard on duty.
After 8pm, the gate is open and unguarded as there are no staff around. If your biggest concerns happen after 8pm then again you need to report this and/or lobby to have a guard stationed there until the station closes for the night.
As a member of the Sydenham Society (although I hold no official position in that organisation) I would personally fully support residents of the streets on that side of the station requesting a CPZ (and getting one if the majority want it).
However, in my view, it would have to be on the following basis:
1. That a majority of residents all local streets - Peak Hill Gardens, Spring Hill and Peak Hill Avenue - are in favour of such a scheme. If PHG, for example, had a CPZ on its own all you would do is to export the problem of parking by outsiders to the other two streets.
2. The usual fees for CPZ should be paid by those in the zone. Asking for a free scheme is unrealistic and unfair. Would the residents of Girton Road or Tannsfeld Road, for example, be justified in asking for a free CPZ because they live close to Somerfield or shops on Sydenham Road? Of course not. If, as you say, your neigbours desperately want such a scheme £50 pa (£1 per week/ three-quarters of a tank of petrol) for car owners to join a CPZ shouldn't be a problem should it?
The first thing to do is to establish whether local residents actually want a CPZ. Surely those in favour of such a scheme should do what any local resident would do in their place. Go around the neighbourhood in question with a petition and see if you can amass the signatures of the majority of the residents.
When you have those signatures I am confident that the local council will look sympathetically at your case. The problem (as I think you know Simon) is that the majority of residents in these streets loudly and emphatically rejected such a scheme twice, even when the council said that they would look into a scheme for your roads. The emphasis is on you personally and your supporters to now show that your neighbours have since changed their minds.
However, in my view, it would have to be on the following basis:
1. That a majority of residents all local streets - Peak Hill Gardens, Spring Hill and Peak Hill Avenue - are in favour of such a scheme. If PHG, for example, had a CPZ on its own all you would do is to export the problem of parking by outsiders to the other two streets.
2. The usual fees for CPZ should be paid by those in the zone. Asking for a free scheme is unrealistic and unfair. Would the residents of Girton Road or Tannsfeld Road, for example, be justified in asking for a free CPZ because they live close to Somerfield or shops on Sydenham Road? Of course not. If, as you say, your neigbours desperately want such a scheme £50 pa (£1 per week/ three-quarters of a tank of petrol) for car owners to join a CPZ shouldn't be a problem should it?
The first thing to do is to establish whether local residents actually want a CPZ. Surely those in favour of such a scheme should do what any local resident would do in their place. Go around the neighbourhood in question with a petition and see if you can amass the signatures of the majority of the residents.
When you have those signatures I am confident that the local council will look sympathetically at your case. The problem (as I think you know Simon) is that the majority of residents in these streets loudly and emphatically rejected such a scheme twice, even when the council said that they would look into a scheme for your roads. The emphasis is on you personally and your supporters to now show that your neighbours have since changed their minds.
Well, possibly as expected, there was no guard there this morning at 8am, and a crowd of angry commuters standing outside the gate while a man with a buggy and his pregnant wife argued with the station staff on the intercom, apparently over the fact that the staff didn't want all the other people coming through. They eventually opened the gate remotely, but then closed it and went through the same argument with the next group of people who were expecting the gate to be open.
I'll be making a complaint when I get home tonight, and will also send a letter to Southern with a copy to the Mayor's office asking for clarification as to what exactly we can expect on any given morning. If they had insisted on making everyone walk around this morning I would have missed my train. My complaint this time isn't that the gate is closed, but on the fact that they've led us to believe that it'll be open, then left it closed after large numbers of people have made the trip to use the side gate. The side gate is certainly more convenient for many people in the first place, but much less so if you then have to walk around to the station when they refuse to let you in.
I'll be making a complaint when I get home tonight, and will also send a letter to Southern with a copy to the Mayor's office asking for clarification as to what exactly we can expect on any given morning. If they had insisted on making everyone walk around this morning I would have missed my train. My complaint this time isn't that the gate is closed, but on the fact that they've led us to believe that it'll be open, then left it closed after large numbers of people have made the trip to use the side gate. The side gate is certainly more convenient for many people in the first place, but much less so if you then have to walk around to the station when they refuse to let you in.
Can't you clean up all that renovation rubbish in PHG? It makes my walk to the station to use the gate quite unpleasant.simono wrote:
Oh well we who live in PHG can now and are already suffering more rubbish in the street and inconsiderate behaviour by those poor people who are unable to walk across a bridge but are able to walk happily and noisily along the road and then jump in a car totally unaided.
I've talked to the Station Manager. (He is in fact manager for all the stations along this line, not just Sydenham).
The problem this morning was a staff member who did not turn up for work. The station manager does not foresee any problems this evening or in the next few days because the company has moved a member of staff from FH to cover such future eventualities.
He is adamant that, even if staff are absent, anybody will be granted entry during "opening times", "no questions asked" if they press the buzzer.
I appreciate that Boon and others have had a different experience this morning. If you find any future problems please post them on this forum so we can monitor them and I will contact Southern. Southern have made a promise to keep this gate opened and staffed and they should keep to this promise.
By the way, the morning opening hours are now 7am to 10am and not 6.30am to 9.30am (seems more sensible to me) and the gate will be "wide open" after 8pm, very early mornings and throughout weekends. In other words, the only time the gate will be "closed" is between 10am and 4pm weekdays. These times are posted on a large board outside the Spring Hill Gardens gate.
The problem this morning was a staff member who did not turn up for work. The station manager does not foresee any problems this evening or in the next few days because the company has moved a member of staff from FH to cover such future eventualities.
He is adamant that, even if staff are absent, anybody will be granted entry during "opening times", "no questions asked" if they press the buzzer.
I appreciate that Boon and others have had a different experience this morning. If you find any future problems please post them on this forum so we can monitor them and I will contact Southern. Southern have made a promise to keep this gate opened and staffed and they should keep to this promise.
By the way, the morning opening hours are now 7am to 10am and not 6.30am to 9.30am (seems more sensible to me) and the gate will be "wide open" after 8pm, very early mornings and throughout weekends. In other words, the only time the gate will be "closed" is between 10am and 4pm weekdays. These times are posted on a large board outside the Spring Hill Gardens gate.
Hi Nasaroc. Is it confirmed that the gate will be open all throughout the weekend? (I don't recall seeing that on the poster.)nasaroc wrote:By the way, the morning opening hours are now 7am to 10am and not 6.30am to 9.30am (seems more sensible to me) and the gate will be "wide open" after 8pm, very early mornings and throughout weekends. In other words, the only time the gate will be "closed" is between 10am and 4pm weekdays. These times are posted on a large board outside the Spring Hill Gardens gate.
Now that football season is about to restart, I don't fancy getting to platform 1 with half a minute to spare, only to find I have to run around to the other platform and therefore miss my connections at Waterloo!
Gaz
ps - The gate was staffed by 8.57am this morning when I rocked up late for work; but reading the above, I can't help but think what is going to happen when the weather turns bad...
pps - There were ticket inspectors on the 8.57 train this morning checking tickets! They got off at Honor Oak Park though (one would hope in order to man the HOP gates!).
Gaz -we can't be nearing the start of the football season already surely!
Just checked the board outside the side gate. We are indeed being offered open gates throughout the weekend.
Under the heading "SATURDAY & SUNDAY" it states "open all day"
(another indication, if any were needed, that this is all about revenue collection and not passenger service. But aso quite useful if you need to access the station via the side gate!)
Just checked the board outside the side gate. We are indeed being offered open gates throughout the weekend.
Under the heading "SATURDAY & SUNDAY" it states "open all day"
(another indication, if any were needed, that this is all about revenue collection and not passenger service. But aso quite useful if you need to access the station via the side gate!)
Closed on Tuesday morning at 7.45am. They did open it when I rang, although when I turned up there were a number of confused looking people hanging around talking about whether or not it was supposed to be open. People are going to stop bothering trying to use that gate, which would probably suit Southern fine so they can take the guard off permanently.
Great, so now we have to decide whether to risk not being able to get through the gate and so missing the train, or take the chance. I guess Southern are banking on most people not risking it so they can say there's no demand for the gate.boon wrote:Closed on Tuesday morning at 7.45am. They did open it when I rang, although when I turned up there were a number of confused looking people hanging around talking about whether or not it was supposed to be open. People are going to stop bothering trying to use that gate, which would probably suit Southern fine so they can take the guard off permanently.
Surely they can't put up a sign saying the gate will be open and then not open it???
This whole situation is now completely ridiculous.