It appears that those of us who are pedestrians in Lewisham are being served pretty well, at least according to a survey from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. 

You may also remember that the borough also won the Transport Borough of the Year this year; so it isn't just those of us who use Shanks' pony who are well looked after.

On a more serious note I've always thought that there are a few benefits to improving our pavements that mean that we should try and make sure as few as possible are in need of repair.  For example the NHS have targets about the number of people who fall over and if that happens on the street then there are always insurance costs.

A friend of mine has let me know about Lifeswap a web based piece of work that tries to bridge the gap between councillors and young people, using photos taken on mobile phones.

I can definitely see the value in this as a starting point for a conversation about how services can fit the needs of young people a bit better.  Its not so much that the photos tell a compelling story (though some do) but that it is a way of getting a sense of each others lives in a relatively short period of time.

What I've found in the work I've done with young people is that often it takes a while to develop a proper sense of who we are and this might help to short-circuit that a bit.

I've had the following briefing, on the closure of Granville park for a few days starting on 5th December, which I pass on to you for information:

As part of the programme for the construction of the new Adult and Community Learning centre it has proved necessary to close Granville Park for a limited amount of time. The construction method that is being used for the building requires the construction of pre built blocks off site and then loaded onto the site. The delivery date is of the blocks is now scheduled for 5th December.

It will therefore be necessary to close the road to implement this part of the construction programme as a 100ft Crane will be used to manoeuvre the blocks on to the site.
 
Under normal circumstances the crane would sit on the site, but due to the lack of space and gradient of the site, the crane must sit on the road.
 
The riggers for the crane will extend into the site up to the steps that lead down into the entrance and on the other side of the road up to about 1.5m from the railway.
 
The prospect of continued pedestrian access was explored but this was rejected on Health and Safety grounds.
 
The other item of note is that it is intended that we will close only about 50m of the road where it meets Lewisham Hill, there will be no restriction of access to residents, but there will be some inconvenience of having to go up the hill.

I presume that where they say Lewisham Hill they mean Lewisham Road, and I've been told that the closure will be for between 5 and 7 days.

I filled out one of those forms which looks at how you might save more energy in your home and through the post the other day came something for me to stick in my toilet cistern.  Apparently it'll save us 1 litre of water every flush.

If you're interested in saving water in your home the Environment Agency has a few tips.

The TRA, Circle 33, the Neighbourhood Management Forum, and I have been trying to find a way of doing the work that needs to be done on the trees on the estate.  I'm pleased to say I received the following today:

Rick Farr the Connick Manager  has provided a start date of Monday 19th December 05, as discussed the work can be programmed in two stages, trees on communal greens first followed by those in residents gardens .  

Contractually Connick winter hours of work are 7.30am - 4.30 pm Monday to Friday.  Please note at this time of year all works will be subject to weather and ground conditions.

Hopefully this will improve people's enjoyment of their homes considerably.

I was asked to speak to a public meeting about climate change yesterday organised by Friends of the Earth.  This is pretty much what I said:

I think we all seem to know and accept that climate change is no longer an issue for future generations, but has become something that we are likely to see happen to us in our, and our children’s lifetimes.
 
There are currently quite a number of pressures on institutions to reduce the impact that they make on the environment – how water is used, the waste we produce and the energy that is used are all subject to legislation and guidance.  The fact that Lewisham is a Beacon Council for Sustainable Energy is testament to that and to the profile that this agenda has had in the Council for more years than I’ve been a member.
 
What is much less clear is the pressures that are brought to bear on you and I as individuals.  We live in a fiercely consumerist culture, and we are lucky enough to almost be able to do anything we want – fly round the world, buy toys made in China, mange tout from Kenya, and wine from Chile.  And we do it almost without a thought…
 
Let me give you a few examples.
 
Every time I’ve done one of those “how much of an impact do you have on the environment” surveys its come out saying that for everyone to live like me – terraced house, 2 kids, a foreign holiday a year, etc. etc. – we’d need two and a half earths, rather than the one we’ve got. 
 
I’d point out in my defence that I don’t drive a car and I walk over 5 miles a day.
 
And while I’ve always been a sci-fi fan I don’t yet see the moon bases or the means to mass transport everyone there that were predicted by TV shows from when I was growing up in the 1970s.
 
I read a report recently that told me:
 
Households are responsible for 28% of total final energy demand, 34% of electricity use, and a quarter of UK carbon dioxide emissions.

We now use 70% more electricity for lights and appliances than we did in 1970 Electricity and gas use has risen by nearly 20% since 1990, and the trend continues.

Up to half of UK householders do not even look at their energy bills.

And
 
the ‘non fuel-poor’, those able to pay for energy saving investments, who account for 80% of domestic energy use.  

Add to that the increasing amount of waste we produce (3% a year) and it is clear why I need another world and a half to live in.
 
What this tells me is that there must be incentives for us as individuals as well as for institutions and government to change our behaviour.
 
Another of the reports I’ve been reading lately has been about what changes public behaviour.  It looked at things like the widespread resistance and non-compliance there was to wearing seatbelts 30 years ago and way that changed, and the way that the debate around smoking in public places has now moved on from where it was a decade or so ago.
 
It seems to me that we need to learn some of those lessons around the way that we as individuals react with our environment.  I’m not sure that I have the answers and I’m even less sure that there are answers that’ll be easy to introduce, but I’m convinced that unless they are developed quite quickly our chance may have slipped by.
 
As a local authority we need to find ways to help people who want to make positive changes to the way they live;
 
Making planning for microgeneration easier
using the ability to generate economies of scale to make things affordable
trying to enable positive action in a flexible manner
and developing sustainable services that are simple and easy to use
are some of the steps that come to mind
 
But I stress again this can’t be a debate where we as individuals expect institutions (however well intentioned) to come up will all the solutions and to carry all the burdens.
 
I need the institutions I rely on to be thinking about these things, but I also need to find ways to reduce the impact that I and my family have on the planet and I need to find a way of involving my neighbours in that same quest.

Friends of the Earth want us all to join their big ask campaign which would legislate for reductions in carbon at 3% a year.

Update: You can read what Joan said at the meeting over on her website.