Three images of the memorial on Lawrie Park Road where a young man of just 21 lost his life. This shook me up some and proved challenging when trying to explain to my young sons, ages 4 and 7. We live across the street.
Sydenham Shots
Lawrie Park Road Memorial
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paultreacy
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008 17:40
- Location: Lawrie Park Road
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paultreacy
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008 17:40
- Location: Lawrie Park Road
It was devastating to see so many heartbroken people this afternoon at the memorial site. This was obviously a well loved young man. Certainly a significant number of people in our community paid their respects to him.
Please, if anyone knows some details as to what happened, please let us know here or contact me off list. My sons and I are curious.
[email]photo at paultreacy.com[/email]
Please, if anyone knows some details as to what happened, please let us know here or contact me off list. My sons and I are curious.
[email]photo at paultreacy.com[/email]
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paultreacy
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008 17:40
- Location: Lawrie Park Road
Appeal for witnesses: http://tinyurl.com/kswudf
Is it just me who feels uncomfortable about these street displays of mourning? Especially under the hospice windows of people who are having to cope with their own imminent deaths.
Its not like the 'ghost white cycles' or the skeletons in France which are there to evoke road safety awareness.
Admin
Is it just me who feels uncomfortable about these street displays of mourning? Especially under the hospice windows of people who are having to cope with their own imminent deaths.
Its not like the 'ghost white cycles' or the skeletons in France which are there to evoke road safety awareness.
Admin
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paultreacy
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008 17:40
- Location: Lawrie Park Road
Good point.
I spoke with someone at St. Christopher's yesterday suggesting that, as a mark of respect, they might consider removing the "Family Fun Day" banner immediately above the mourners for a time.
Lawrie Park Road is a very scary road to walk to school alone with two youngsters as the speed of vehicles is utterly baffling. Too, too many of them come far to close to mounting the pavements as they swerve, often violently, to avoid those small traffic islands. Even the buses are often too fast.
Would speed bumps help or make things worse? Youngsters on bikes might try to get airborne from them and that would make things even more dangerous. The mind boggles.
I spoke with someone at St. Christopher's yesterday suggesting that, as a mark of respect, they might consider removing the "Family Fun Day" banner immediately above the mourners for a time.
Lawrie Park Road is a very scary road to walk to school alone with two youngsters as the speed of vehicles is utterly baffling. Too, too many of them come far to close to mounting the pavements as they swerve, often violently, to avoid those small traffic islands. Even the buses are often too fast.
Would speed bumps help or make things worse? Youngsters on bikes might try to get airborne from them and that would make things even more dangerous. The mind boggles.
As a cyclist I think those LPR traffic islands are lethal. As a wheelchair user I may think differently.
I don't remember any fatal crashes prior to their introduction The last two crashes appear to started with loss of control in their proximity though of course that could be purely coincidental. Humps introduce more instability and cause you to swerve more. The parked cars around there obstruct vision and make it hard to see people crossing. Its easy to see what's wrong. Its hard to see how to put it right.
It would help if traffic accident investigators published their work. Understanding why accidents happen is surely a precondition of considering any change. Speed kills is an oft repeated simplification of what's wrong. Few accidents (air, road or sea) are single cause events. Its in the interaction of many factors that can cause people to lose control.
If one looks at road deaths - arguably the drop from around 5,000 to 3,000 a year has been due to the vast improvement in car design (collapsable shells, sidebars, air bags) making more crashes survivable for the occupants. Of course if that encourages them to be more cavalier in driving - then it makes it worse for everybody else. Though I don't think that applies to this particular tragedy.
Admin
I don't remember any fatal crashes prior to their introduction The last two crashes appear to started with loss of control in their proximity though of course that could be purely coincidental. Humps introduce more instability and cause you to swerve more. The parked cars around there obstruct vision and make it hard to see people crossing. Its easy to see what's wrong. Its hard to see how to put it right.
It would help if traffic accident investigators published their work. Understanding why accidents happen is surely a precondition of considering any change. Speed kills is an oft repeated simplification of what's wrong. Few accidents (air, road or sea) are single cause events. Its in the interaction of many factors that can cause people to lose control.
If one looks at road deaths - arguably the drop from around 5,000 to 3,000 a year has been due to the vast improvement in car design (collapsable shells, sidebars, air bags) making more crashes survivable for the occupants. Of course if that encourages them to be more cavalier in driving - then it makes it worse for everybody else. Though I don't think that applies to this particular tragedy.
Admin
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paultreacy
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008 17:40
- Location: Lawrie Park Road
Getting rid of those islands would be good. Installing in their place zebra crossings would be one possibility but they would have to be very well lit. Pedestrian cross lights would be the best option, although some would then race to beat the red light. Lawrie Park Road would need two of them. One near Cricketers Walk and one by the Hospice.
Something needs to be done. As a pedestrian, Lawrie Park Road scares me.
Something needs to be done. As a pedestrian, Lawrie Park Road scares me.
MrMiniFox and I have debated those islands and their location just before the two dips in the road ever since the last fatal which claimed two young lives right outside our house about three or even four years ago.
Not sure about humps as the answer tho. Do they work? Up to about five years ago LPR was full of potholes, a few of which were right outside our house. The buses journeying up and down the road would make our building shake as the weight of them landing in the potholes left us with cracks in our Victorian building and we'd lose our cable service everytime it happened. We were relieved when the road was resurfaced as I used to worry about the foundations and the damage to the fabric of the building. Evidently I was not alone as other people in the street got together a petition for the road to be resurfaced and it was. Would speedbumps have the same effect?
Certainly as admin says, the combination of poor visibility into the dips, the location of traffic islands and the parked cars do seem to be the problem. But I havent noticed problems with speed per se in the daytime myself and altho dont yet have children, I've never felt aware of the speed of cars along here. I'm usually warier of those drunk on two legs along here lately than four wheeled threats.
As for displays of grief, I am not sure I would want to go to the place where a loved one lost their life but I am told it becomes important. Perhaps its all part of trying to make sense of their sudden absence. Its hard enough when someone has been ill. Certainly, having inadvertantly witnessed the aftermath of the last accident, we found the banks of mourners, candles and flowers very upsetting and eerie as they lay there for weeks. Three candles were lit for the three passengers, two of whom died, and two of the candles kept going out, even though they were relit by someone two or three times,. I knew it to be coincidental but it really upset me in a way I knew to be mawkish, but nonetheless I didnt like it and tried not to look at them. That said, when you are experiencing grief that shocking and raw I doubt you care much what the people around where you have placed your memorial feel and I guess, if it helps at all to express it or to mark your loved one, then I really can get over what I feel as a witness. Its probably upsetting enough that it has happened. I understand it must have been dificult and shocking for your children to comprehend what was going on. I would just hope that raw emotion is more upsetting to us as adults as we understand what's happening. Maybe that's wishful thinking.
I just wish the family and friends all the best at was must be an uncomprehensibly difficult time. I really feel for them and any other motorists involved. We had to go out on the evening of the crash but both felt awfully subdued. I know I feel very unsettled now with my husband leaving every day for his long bike commute and anxious til he returns home. At least I'm fortunate enough that he comes home, god willing...
Not sure about humps as the answer tho. Do they work? Up to about five years ago LPR was full of potholes, a few of which were right outside our house. The buses journeying up and down the road would make our building shake as the weight of them landing in the potholes left us with cracks in our Victorian building and we'd lose our cable service everytime it happened. We were relieved when the road was resurfaced as I used to worry about the foundations and the damage to the fabric of the building. Evidently I was not alone as other people in the street got together a petition for the road to be resurfaced and it was. Would speedbumps have the same effect?
Certainly as admin says, the combination of poor visibility into the dips, the location of traffic islands and the parked cars do seem to be the problem. But I havent noticed problems with speed per se in the daytime myself and altho dont yet have children, I've never felt aware of the speed of cars along here. I'm usually warier of those drunk on two legs along here lately than four wheeled threats.
As for displays of grief, I am not sure I would want to go to the place where a loved one lost their life but I am told it becomes important. Perhaps its all part of trying to make sense of their sudden absence. Its hard enough when someone has been ill. Certainly, having inadvertantly witnessed the aftermath of the last accident, we found the banks of mourners, candles and flowers very upsetting and eerie as they lay there for weeks. Three candles were lit for the three passengers, two of whom died, and two of the candles kept going out, even though they were relit by someone two or three times,. I knew it to be coincidental but it really upset me in a way I knew to be mawkish, but nonetheless I didnt like it and tried not to look at them. That said, when you are experiencing grief that shocking and raw I doubt you care much what the people around where you have placed your memorial feel and I guess, if it helps at all to express it or to mark your loved one, then I really can get over what I feel as a witness. Its probably upsetting enough that it has happened. I understand it must have been dificult and shocking for your children to comprehend what was going on. I would just hope that raw emotion is more upsetting to us as adults as we understand what's happening. Maybe that's wishful thinking.
I just wish the family and friends all the best at was must be an uncomprehensibly difficult time. I really feel for them and any other motorists involved. We had to go out on the evening of the crash but both felt awfully subdued. I know I feel very unsettled now with my husband leaving every day for his long bike commute and anxious til he returns home. At least I'm fortunate enough that he comes home, god willing...
I'm pretty sure they do publish them - they are often used in court cases and so on. But I admit, I have no idea where... I'll attempt to find out for you.admin wrote:
It would help if traffic accident investigators published their work. Understanding why accidents happen is surely a precondition of considering any change. Speed kills is an oft repeated simplification of what's wrong. Few accidents (air, road or sea) are single cause events. Its in the interaction of many factors that can cause people to lose control.
Some more info from the Virtual Norwood Forum.. http://www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/ind ... c=7571&hl=