Gripe of the Month - Island of Grief!

Sydenham's road wreckers strike again. Last November without any consulatation the old Kirkdale roundabout - the last bastion of plant life in the town centre - disappeared. These brave plants had survived years of the very worst pollution a diesel engine can bestow. They could not withstand the wreckers.

For **FOUR MONTHS** Sydenham's busy junction was choked by yet another ludricous roadworks scheme. The result - (and remember it only took 19 months to build the original M1) was what you see below. This tiny island is lopsided and already crumbling. The re-alignment of the junction leaving disrupted road surfaces - an even greater hazard to the cyclist.

Maybe there is some logic. Maybe the work or lack of it is for our benefit. If you think that the views expressed above are unreasonable - or if you have more information or want to share another gripe - than click <feedback> now...

The Sydenham Society have published a long article in similar vein. It ends...

... A roundabout, built to prevent traffic accidents, which seems to encourage traffic accidents doesn't seem a particularly good idea. Local traffic engineers continue to blame bad driving but it is surely obvious that the roundabout is too narrow, especially for large vehicles.

Despite their utilitarian role, roundabouts can often look good - especially when planted with flowers and shrubs. So you have to ask whether this stark and ugly construction is really the best that an "urban designer" can produce with tens of thousands of pounds of public money at their disposal. It's the first thing most visitors to Sydenham will see when they come to our area. Doesn't exactly make your heart swell with pride, does it?