There has been a welcome announcement recently that more than 50 junctions across London will see improvements for cyclists over the next 18 months.    
 However, the need for even further steps to be taken to make London’s roads safer for cycling has been confirmed by the recent death of the ninth cyclist already this year.  Regrettably such a high number of deaths suggests that the number of cyclists killed on London’s roads by the end of the year might even exceed the toll of 16 deaths last year – which was an increase from 10 deaths in 2010.
 
The London Assembly transport committee, chaired by GLA member Caroline Pidgeon, has now started its inquiry into further solutions to make London’s roads safer and is keen to hear the views of as many people as possible. 

For details of the inquiry and how to take part, see the London Assembly website which includes a short video featuring Caroline.

This week saw publication of the first results from the 2011 Census, revealing that London’s real population is now 8,173,900 people – a figure far higher than even recent estimates. 

Sutton shown in red - just one of 33 London boroughs

Sutton’s population has grown by around 10,000 in the past decade and the total figure passed the 190,000 mark for the first time ever.
 
In the last decade London’s population has grown by over 1 million – a 14% increase.
 
Every London borough, except for Kensington and Chelsea, has seen a growth in population, with the highest growth in Newham of 64,100 people and Tower Hamlets with an increase of 58,000 people.
 
Details of the census results, including a breakdown for every London borough, can be seen at the London datastore and also at the Office for National Statistics website. 

Carshalton High Street – just a tad crowded

At last the Olympic Torch came to Carshalton on Monday, 23rd July 2012.

Hamish says: “I was dressed in tee-shirt and shorts in the great heat of a lovely summer afternoon to watch the Olympic Torch procession through our special area. There was a really huge gathering in Carshalton High Street and around the Ponds as well.”

Jill Whitehead, Tom Brake and others on the campaign trail!

They handed out leaflets at stations along the route urging passengers to come to a public meeting which was held on the following day (Thursday, 19th July) at SCOLA Sutton to hear about the proposals and make their views known.

Carshalton Central ward’s Cllr. Jill Whitehead, Chair of Sutton’s Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee, said: “This service is absolutely vital. Losing it would sever our only direct link to North London and would mean Sutton residents would need to take at least two trains to get to St Pancras.

“It is quite scandalous that, at a time when we should be improving public transport, there is a serious proposal to cut the link between North and South London.”

Campaigners have chosen to act now as the Department for Transport is currently consulting on the new seven-year Thameslink franchise which will run from September next year and incorporate the Southern franchise from 2015.

Ironically, the cross-London Loop Line service which runs through Sutton, Carshalton and Hackbridge stations, was recently reopened at nights and weekends after being split for three and a half years by engineering work.

But Cllr. Jill Whitehead added: “It is all very well reopening it now, but Sutton’s residents need the line to stay open for good.

“The new franchise will set service patterns for 2018 and beyond, so it is vital that we act now and do not become a Cinderella area for rail transport.”

Under current plans Thameslink Loop Line trains which link Sutton to St. Albans and Luton through central and north London will terminate at Blackfriars station from 2018.  More in a future posting!

Transport for London have issued the following notice:

“I am writing to let you know that the final preparatory works on the Olympic Route Network (ORN) are underway this weekend, so London’s road network will look and feel very different by Monday morning.

The ORN and Games Lanes restrictions will be apply from 0600 Wednesday 25th July.

To watch a short video explaining how the ORN and Games Lanes work, please click here

The following is a list of the stalls expected on Monday, 23rd July 2012 to be set up in the War Memorial Gardens by Carshalton Ponds.

They will be part of the celebration in connection with the Olympic Torch Relay taking place. The torch is expected to pass Carshalton Ponds some time after 2pm on Monday.

This is VERY old news, but never mind!  The Yarnbombers who brought a smile to the whole of Carshalton with their knitted ducks last month have been revealed – well almost.

Ahead of last month’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Woolly Coven of Carshalton as they are known, met up in an undisclosed location to discuss how to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In between drinking tea and eating cake, the 20 strong group found time to make 60 knitted ducks for their first Yarnstorm on North Street Bridge. The group, who want to keep their identities secret for fear of retribution from the wool police, is made up of ladies aged anywhere between 21 and 80. One unidentified Coven member said: “Doing this feels so mischievous, its like being naughty children again.” Yarnbombing is the art of knit graffiti, where knitted items appear overnight in public locations, and people around the world celebrated national yarnbombing day on June 9. One unnamed coven member said: “It is the first of many from us, we will return, but can not say where and when, but you will know about it when we do.”

A Coven spokeswitch said: “There is a Knit the City guerilla knitting group who operate in London, so we have decided to knit the suburbs. We want to bring happiness to the suburbs one stitch at a time.” Wanda the Witch, the Coven’s knitted mascot, will dictate what the group choose to decorate next, and her presence explains the witch hats in the pictures. Asked why they chose a witch, the group cackled in unison “well you have heard us laugh haven’t you?”.

Now the coven want people to adopt one of the 54 knitted ducks which remain (six were stolen) to raise money for Headley Court soldiers rehabilitation unit to help the most seriously injured soldiers. The spokeswitch said: We would like people to adopt a duck for £10 each to raise money for injured soldiers. Its a good cause. The coven members will adapt one each I expect, so there will be 20 to 30 up for grabs. They are now part of Carshalton history.”  Ho, ho, ho…

Some unusual visitors to Carshalton Ponds!

Preparations are underway for the Olympic Torch passing through Carshalton Ponds on Monday 23rd July 2012 sometime after 2pm.

Cllr. Hamish Pollock had recently asked the council officers that various items of flotsam, debris and other litter, including a traffic cone and a supermarket trolley were fished out of the Carshalton Ponds and it seems from inspections that all these items have be removed in recent days! 

After all the works to replace the railings, it is good timing that so much of the railings and ponds areas are better-looking than they have been for many years!A traffic order has been put in place by Sutton Council in preparation for the activities on that day:

The principal objective of the Order is to prohibit / regulate traffic and pedestrians to enable the holding of the Olympic Torch Relay event which will be held on Monday 23rd July 2012.

• Carshalton Park Road at its junction with Pound Street.
• pedestrians will be prohibited from using the footway in Pound Street, Carshalton.
• The Square at its junction with High Street, Carshalton.
• between Wallace Crescent and West Street, outside St Philomena’s and St Mary’s Schools.
• Vehicle access to properties adjacent to the prohibited lengths of road will be maintained at all times insofar as access is reasonably practicable without interference with the said event.
• Adjacent to Honeywood Lodge up to the junction with West Street, opposite The Greyhound public house.

All classes of vehicles not directly engaged in the event will be prohibited from entering or exiting.

There will be an enormous artificial Swan on the Upper Pond facing the proceeding Torch as previously posted on this web site.  More in a future posting..!

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow has published a plan to radically overhaul the social care system,

and saying it will change the lives of over 3,000 older disabled residents in Sutton.