The Dundonald Lib Dem Team is always available to help people improve their local area. You can see some information on the ways we helped local residents to help themselves in 2013  here.

January

• We raised issues about street sweeping and clearing up leaves on pavements on Gore, Aston, Edna, Merton Hall and Burstow Roads and Dennis Park Crescent. We also investigated whether cars and motorcycles were driving round the bollards at the end of Sydney Road to get onto Bushey Road (or vice versa!) (additional bollards have now been installed).

• We reported the broken street sign on Aston Road near Kingston Road. It is a safety hazard and should be fixed soon!

• We reported lots of broken street lights: Gladstone Road (column no. 010, outside 86 – now fixed); Burstow Road (column no. 007, outside 36 – scheduled to be repaird on 18 Feb); Oxford Ave (column no.006,  outside 46 – now fixed); Bushey Road, four sets of lights are out (column nos 024-028 between Prince George’s Ave and Vernon Ave – scheduled to be fixed on 23 Jan – and column no. 047 – scheduled to be fixed week commencing 17 Feb, as traffic controls are needed).

• There was lots of mess on various parts of Bushey Road, at the end of the Apostles roads. On 18 January the Focus Team organised a litter pick to clear some of this.

• After we launched our Big Spring Clean: a resident told us that dog dirt was a big problem on Prince George’s Ave – we asked the Council enforcement team about penalty signs (new bins and signs are on their way). Residents mentioned the flytips on the alley by the vets on Grand Drive (these were cleared after we reported them, but it’s a regular problem that we are monitoring), and the state of the area around Raynes Park station. We took up the latter issue with South West Trains and the owners of the Rainbow Industrial Estate – the entrance to which is covered in litter (this land was cleared in mid-Feb) – and Network Rail. We also complained to Network Rail about flytipping the railway embankments near bridges on Lower Downs Road and Cannon Hill Lane (Network Rail promised a full clean up of lots of their land in February, including the flytips we’d highlighted at Raynes Park and Lower Downs Road). Litter and flytips were also raised by people on Bronson (swept 6 Feb) and Cestnut Roads and Carlton Park Avenue and the overflowing commercial waste bin at the back of the Raynes Park library.

• We reported the state of the road outside Raynes Park Station, used as a drop-off point/turning circle (the major potholes have now been filled in). Poor roads and potholes were mentioned by Aston, Chestnut and Bronson Road residents, which we took up with the Council. We also reported potholes at the Kingston Rd end of Prince George’s Ave.

• It was damaged pavements and trip hazards that were complained about on Bronson (largely caused by the roots of street trees) and Chestnut Roads, and loose flagstones on Kingston Road. Gladstone Road pavements were also mentioned by one resident.

February

• We took up a dangerously leaning street light on Vernon Avenue, after a resident mentioned it to us (now fixed).

• The pavement on Dundonald Road was in a poor state, and there was litter and mess reported on the land beside the alley from Dundonald Road, over the railway bridge to Alt Grove.

• We continued to fight to get the lights on the footbridge over the railway at the end of Merton Hall Road fixed.

March

• Pavements and potholes were the big thing in March, with a huge pothole in the road outside 14 Goodenough Road (ref 12326370 / AF1090175), disintegrating pavements at the top of William Road (12326373), a pothole outside 4 Cochrane Road (ref 12326371 / AF1090179) and an uneven pavement on Newton Road; there is also a lot of moss on the pavement that gets slippery when wet (ref 12326374).

• There were problems with street sweeping on Oxford Avenue, Goodenough, William and Graham Roads, and flytipping on Chase Side Avenue.

• We reported dangerously leaning signs on the pavement at the junctions of: Abbott Ave and Lower Downs Road; Kingswood and Kingston Road; and also on Toynbee Road near number 71 (these have now been marked out by the Council to fix).

• We chased Network Rail again about the large amount of flytipping on the railway embankments by the railway bridges on Whatley Avenue and Cannon Hill Lane, and at the Lower Downs Road bridge (action began to be taken in April and was completed in June). A Cochrane Road resident complained to the Council about the damaged speed camera sign on Dundonald Road near the school, and potholes on Cochrane Road. Another resident, from Dundonald Road, similarly raised street signage on the road.

• Began taking up residents’ concerns about noise, vibration and cracking caused by heavy vehicles on Hartfield Road.

April

• Organised a litter pick event on West Barnes Lane, collecting 10 bags of general waste and 10 bags of recycling, as well as some larger items flytipped!

• Reported the pothole beside a gully cover at the junction of Lower Downs Road with Kingston Road, and the concrete block in the road on Burstow Road.

• We reported a damaged bollard at the Bushey Road-end of  Carlton Park Avenue, a massive pothole (where a tree used to be) on Cliveden Road, and a lack of street sweeping on Wilton Crescent (we checked this all throughout April and May, no action was taken).

May

• Asked Merton Council to investigate overhanging trees and bushes on Chestnut Road (they have asked owner to cut back).

• Been in touch with London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon about the Hartfield/Kingston Road junction, traffic jams & rat-running (disappointing response from TfL received in June and August, basically saying they’ve done everything they can, including tweaking of the phasing of the lights).

• Requested that Merton Council allow comments on the “Community Forum” agendas to be emailed to the chairperson in advance of the meeting – as the vast majority of residents can’t make evening meetings! Community Forums are meetings where councillors and council officers meet with residents to discuss local issues.

• Organised for the fitting of bird control spikes on the top of streetlights under the Wimbledon Chase bridge (now fitted) because of the mess the pidgeons were making on the pavement near the bus stop. However, we can tell that street cleaners haven’t cleaned the pavement since these were put in place! (Chased up in June and July with the area manager).

June

• Notied that a number of Planning Application Notices are missing the date from which residents have 21 days to respond (eg at the former Junction Tavern and an advertising hoarding near Raynes Park Waitrose.

• Complainted about the lack of street sweeping on Oxford Avenue, and carried out a petition to call for the road to be re-surfaced (this was submitted to the Council at the meeting in early September).

• Reported dumped rubbish at recylcing area in Wimbledon Chase Co-op car park.

July

• Organised for the pavement under the railway bridge at Wimbledon Chase to be cleaned regularly.

• Reported flytipping down alley between Chase Side Ave and Kingston Road.

• Complained about poor street sweeping on Gore Road, with litter regularly left after the weekly refuse collection (in August the resident reported some improvement, but problems at weekends).

• Reported dumped rubbish at recylcing area in Wimbledon Chase Co-op car park.

• Asked Merton Council to cut back overgrowing vegetation on the pathway along the railway line (has been cut back).

August

• Delivered information about the re-surfacing works on Hartfield Road to residents on Hartfield, Graham and Russell Roads.

• Continued to liaise with residents about the works, plus the building done by Linden Homes near the junction with Sir Cyril Black Way.

September

• Quizzed the Cabinet Member for “Environmental Cleanliness and Parking” about payment options for garden waste. The details for how to pay by cheque are not published online. All that’s advertised is subscription by phone – and it’s often impossible to get through!

• Answered a resident’s queries about plans for the land at 26 Bushey Road.

• Reported poor street sweeping on Merton Hall Gardens, and a flytip on Toynbee Road (now cleared).

• A resident asked us whether the gates at the entrance to Dundonald Rec, near Fairlawn/Avebury Roads, would be replaced after any construction work was complete (yes they will be – the entrance needed enlarging for construction vehicles).

October

• A bit of negative publicity resulted in Network Rail finally sending someone out to do basic repairs to the dangerously damaged steps on the bridge at the end of Merton Hall Road (most dangerous bits of the bridge fixed).

• Reported that Newton Road hadn’t been swept in weeks, and also that the pavement surface on the “odd” side of the road was disintegrating.

• New campaign to “Reclaim Our Roads” by combatting unswept streets, blocked drains and sitting water. The Wimbledon Guardian covered the launch here. You can find out more about the campaign on the website www.ROaRMerton.org.uk or by following them on Twitter, @ROaRMerton.

November

• Massive amounts of decomposing leaves on Merton Hall Road, Wilton Grove, Wilton Crescent, Kingswood Road, Abbott Avenue and Mayfield Road. These streets haven’t been swept in weeks. These were reported to the Council (eventually swept, after much complaining).

• Four blocked drains at the Kingston Road end of Hartfield Road were brought to our attention. These were probably contributing to a lot of sitting water when it rains (cleared).

• Liaised with residents about early morning and noisy roadworks on Grand Drive near Raynes Park station at the weekends, and how the Council informs residents.