Vauxhall Cross Island Consultation on 21st and 22nd May

I've received information from KOV that there is to be a consultation on the Vauxhall Island site, which has recently been bought by Kylun Ltd.

Kylun Ltd are giving the public a chance to visit the animals view a public exhibition at Vauxhall City Farm (165 Tyers Street) on Friday 21st May (2pm - 8pm) or Saturday 22nd May (10am - 3pm) on the proposed mixed-use development on the Vauxhall Cross island site.  Hopefully the farm will be open as usual because the exhibition provides a great chance to pop in and sample the bleating, mooing, neighing and oinking.  

Apparently, the exhibition will be a chance to view "comprehensive information" on the plans, and I hope that that will mean basic sketches or drawings so that we have a chance to see how the buildings might look from a distance, as well as how the architecture might fit alongside current buildings.  It will be very interesting to hear how Kylun hope to contribute to enhancing public transport in Vauxhall so as to reduce the current tube station overcrowding.  They'll also be providing feedback forms and polished PR executives development team members for conversation.

All site members will be notified, so do speak up if you live/work nearby and your residence/organisation is not informed.  Vauxhall Society and the Kennington Association both claim not to have been consulted re. Vauxhall Sky Gardens.

My personal quest to make SE11 a bit greener

Following on from a recent article in the East London advertiser that suggested that Vauxhall Cross and Brixton Road are within the top 10 most air-polluted roads in London, perhaps it's time that car drivers other than trades related people or minicab drivers start to reduce their car use. Some of Vauxhall Cross is included in the SE11 area, and I was surprised that one neither Kennington Road, Kennington Lane nor Kennington Park Road were included in the top 10 list, especially considering their proximity to Brixton Road and Vauxhall Cross.

Current petrol prices might encourage the trend to abandon cars in favour of other methods of transport. (C'mon, the Cross River Tram would be a real asset...) I imagine a move from petrol to LPG powered vehicles might help the cause... But best of all, it would be really exciting if London could become more cycle friendly. I was reading an article in the Independent by James Daley who has changed his cycling route from being based around the quiet back streets of Stockwell to a new busy route along the Thames Embankment. Having seen Clapham Road/Kennington Park Road also become a route for cyclist anarchy, I'm not surprised that he notes

"much of my route seems to turn into a cycle racetrack"

I try and cycle responsibly (not going through red traffic lights, sporting bike lights at night etc.) but I hope the trend towards cycling will lead to some form of stiffer penalty for cyclists that break the rules in a dangerous manner. As a driver, cyclist and pedestrian, it's fairly clear to me that cyclists are the worst transgressors of the highway code (especially couriers). On the other hand, there's nothing more frustrating than facing red light after red light when on a bike, because the traffic lights are phased for motorists. Obviously, I'm not suggesting changing all of the lights in favour of cyclists, but some innovative thinking re. roads that could be "cycle only" or more cycle paths (preferably not on pavements) might mean that cyclists could ride around more safely.

Once the move has taken place, I hope to get the trusty old bike out again (am a bit worried about the level of bike theft, so a folding bike might be a better option), and cycle to work where possible. That will probably turn Lurking about SE11 into a list of traffic violation grievances, but hopefully it will also help SE11 go green!