Fouling Shaftesbury

 Battersea, Liberal Democrats, Politics, Shaftesbury Ward  No Responses »
Jun 242011
 
dog-poop-sign

In a recent blog I reported that one of the main problems reported in a resident’s survey of Shaftesbury was the amount of dog fouling on the streets.

I have been in touch with the Council’s Dog Control Officers with regards to this. Wandsworth has a 5 strong team of officers who patrol the borough 7 days a week. One of the many duties of the officers enforcing bye-laws relating to dogs against those breaking the laws.

Mike Callis, the Dog Control Services Manager said,

“We are aware of problems relating to dog fouling on the Shaftsbury estate, and this is constantly monitored. With regards to the streets between Lavender Hill and Clapham Common, we find this to be a seasonal problem. During the darker winter months irresponsible dog walkers exercise their dogs around the block, and obviously disregarding the dog fouling laws. In the lighter spring and summer months they tend to walk onto the common to exercise their dogs, thus shifting the problem there.”

Anyone who is caught breaking bye laws may be liable to prosecution or a fixed penalty notice. So it looks like the Council is aware of the problem and the Dog Control team are doing their utmost to catch irresponsible dog owners.

I believe this is only one side of the problem though. While it is good to enforce laws with regards to dog fouling (as well as other dog owner related crimes), something should be done to make it easier for dog owners in the area – and shifting the problem to Lambeth isn’t the answer! On my regular walks around Shaftesbury I have noticed that while there is a lot of fouling on many streets, some semi-responsible dog owners have bagged it up, but have left this on the street! Part of the problem is that there simply aren’t enough dog bins on the estate. With more bins and access to disposable scoops/bags more dog owners will clean up after themselves. We need to make it as easy as possible for dog owners, so that the irresponsible ones really have no excuse!

Any resident who wishes to contact the Dog Control Service should do so directly on:

G1 Problems in Shaftesbury

 Battersea, Liberal Democrats, Politics, Shaftesbury Ward  1 Response »
Mar 312011
 
G1 Bus

Last night saw the continuation of the Lib Dems surveying in Shaftesbury Ward in Battersea. We are now fully into the Shaftesbury Estate along Sabine Road.

Richard Davis campaigning on the Shaftesbury Estate

Richard Davis campaigning on the Shaftesbury Estate

The mood is generally positive as people greet us at the door, maybe a little surprised to see us there, but open to telling us how they feel about the council, the area and how they feel about the wider political atmosphere.

There are the same problems along Sabine Road that seem to plague the whole of Shaftesbury, namely the dog mess and the pot holes. Both of which the local Lib Dems are in the process of contacting the council about.

However along Sabine Road there is another problem, the G1 bus. The bus loops around the Shaftesbury Estate on its way to Streatham passing both ways along this narrow street.

This causes a number of problems which some residents have pointed out to us, namely:

  • Noise from both the bus and the cars having to stop to let them by
  • Damage to parked cars caused by the bus having to squeeze through narrow gaps
  • Traffic fumes from the bus and the cars stopping and waiting to let them through
  • Pot holes, this street was never made to have a large bus travelling in both directions along it
  • Speeding in the 20mph zone

It will be interesting to see if the problems of pot holes along Sabine Road have got worse since the bus was rerouted that way two and a half years ago.

The Shaftesbury Liberal Democrats will be speaking to local residents to see how they feel about the bus along this road and the associated problems, and will be discussing options with our Assembly Members to see how TfL looks at these issues.

If you live on or near Sabine Road and have any comments with regards to this, please email me at richard@drricharddavis.co.uk or comment using the form below.