Archived on 6/5/2022

Sinkhole on Perry Vale

anon86223367
4 Nov '16

Opened up in middle of the road outside the station about 5 minutes ago and traffic is already building up. Avoid the area if your driving about.

Bolgerp
4 Nov '16

Ugh. Any pictures? I wonder how big it is… haven’t seen anything on Twitter yet. Perhaps related to the recent sinkholes under the train lines?

Londondrz
4 Nov '16

Beat me to it.

anon86223367
4 Nov '16

On my phone and can’t attach photos (I think?). Had a peak and it’s about 10ft deep and can’t see any pipes or leaks

anon86223367
4 Nov '16

Anyway the road is fully shut now, reminds me of when city walk apartments were being built. Kick about in the road later anyone?

anon17648011
4 Nov '16

Ross can pedestrians still access the station via Perryvale? Thanks

Bolgerp
4 Nov '16

This is all I can find thus far…

anon86223367
4 Nov '16

Yep no issues with pedestrian access whatsoever

comoed
4 Nov '16

Road closed from the turnoff above to the one way before All Inn One

Bolgerp
4 Nov '16

Ugh… looks messy!

RachaelDunlop
4 Nov '16

Flippin heck. I wonder if it’s the same sewer that affected the track?

Fran_487
4 Nov '16

Ugh, this is my road. Potentially the holiest road in South London, and not in a spiritual sense.

Bets on how long it’ll take Southern to use this as an excuse for trains not running…?!

Bolgerp
4 Nov '16

Handily, they are already on strike today and tomorrow (although FH doesn’t seem to be affected… yet).

Fran_487
4 Nov '16

Ah yes, the bi-monthly strike shenanigans! There were a few cancellations to LB trains this morning, and Overground services were delayed as a result of “congestion”. Fun and games.

Bolgerp
4 Nov '16

I must have lucked out… all was fine with my 06.52… but that is shockingly early…

Pauline
4 Nov '16

http://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/9622/traffic-warning-another-sink-hole-hits-forest-hill/

starman
4 Nov '16

Isn’t that about where I found the old SE23.life flyer on the lamp post? And where @RachaelDunlop took it down yesterday? Suspicious.

RachaelDunlop
4 Nov '16

The ways of the Forum Wars are mysterious, but we haven’t resorted to witchcraft yet.

starman
4 Nov '16

I’ve got my eye on you.

AndyS
4 Nov '16

Southern will be running a Bus Replacement service :joy:

AndyS
4 Nov '16

I’m expecting the return of @foresthillhole on Twitter any minute now.

Pauline
4 Nov '16

I tweeted earlier but no reply yet :joy::joy::joy:

Nomis46
4 Nov '16

Express coverage of the sinkhole: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/728858/sink-hole-forest-hill-perry-vale-traffic @Bolgerp @Fran_487 @anon86223367 you’re all contributors!

Fran_487
4 Nov '16

Thanks, Express…at work, I charge out for copywriting! Expect my bill! :smile:

comoed
4 Nov '16

And for using my image without credit (or at least crediting twitter for some reason)…

Stephen
4 Nov '16

https://expertphotography.com/the-daily-mail-stole-my-photos-i-got-paid/ may be of interest :slight_smile:

Pauline
4 Nov '16

Cheeky sods :joy::joy::joy:

Londondrz
5 Nov '16

It seems if you are diverted because of the sinkhole you can drive like a pillock!

Foresthillnick
5 Nov '16

Last night cycling round that mess was an education in the use of the car horn and expletive. Mind you traffic was backed up at least as far as the Plough on Lordship lane

comoed
5 Nov '16

I saw 5 or 6 cars go past the barriers on the wrong side of the road all the way along Perry Vale to where it was closed only to have to turn around and go back - and that was all in the time it took me to walk from the station to the first barrier.

Londondrz
5 Nov '16

Some people really are thick.

RachaelDunlop
5 Nov '16

Like the driver who hit me side on last week while he was attempting a u-turn out of a parking bay and is trying to claim I hit him. Unless my car can move sideways on rails, not sure how that would be possible.

Moto_Hodder
10 Nov '16

I see the road is still closed. Does anyone have any updates other than “police are looking into it”?

Foresthillnick
10 Nov '16

There were lorries and workers aplenty today but I guess Thames Water has to replace the collapsed sewer first - they are fairly active on twitter so maybe worth a post…

anon86223367
10 Nov '16

Had a chat with the contractors yesterday and they said the road is gonna be shut for a couple of weeks at least. Really enjoy witnessing articulated lorries ignoring the road closed signs and still coming down the road and mopeds using the pavement to get by.

starman
10 Nov '16

As seen today.

anon17648011
11 Nov '16

On the plus side I’m enjoying being able to cross the road every morning/evening on my way to/from the station without risking my life with motorists taking the left turn off Perryvale into Waldram Place like it’s the final bend at Silverstone.

Jonny_Wright
15 Nov '16

Just gonna leave this here

Londondrz
15 Nov '16

The Japanese culture includes a vital ingredient missing in the UK. Pride.

RachaelDunlop
15 Nov '16

Without knowing the cause of the Japanese sinkhole, there’s no legitimate comparison. Where does this default assumption that the people fixing ours are incompetent come from?

For reference, the sinkholes under the railway line were fixed within a couple of days. Presumably there was pressure to get the trains running again. Now there’s a hole in what is effectively a side road, maybe they are taking the opportunity to address the underlying cause once and for all. Just a thought.

Jonny_Wright
15 Nov '16

I never said anyone was incompetent just for the record. I simply left anow article I felt was a humorous comparison.

The sink hole in Japan is huge compared to our one and from the looks of the image there is a metro style train system within the debris.

AndyS
15 Nov '16

Money.

Michael
15 Nov '16

All such works are prioritised according to the severity of the problem. In the case of the railway collapse it was obviously vital to get fixed as soon as possible, and contractors were working 24 hours a day to patch up the system to a state where trains could begin running. To do this they closed the subway for a while and diverted sewage above ground.

In the case of Japan you have a major five lane road, and the potential for further landslides impacting surrounding building. Not surprisingly they fixed that as quickly as they possibly could.

With Perry Vale closure the disruption is minor. There is an obvious diversion route that causes little problem and buses get through faster because they don’t need to squeeze round the corner just where the hole is. So it is not surprising that this minor hole has not been sorted out as quickly as the one under the railway track.

Although we would all like to see the hole repaired as quickly as possible, I’m happy that more serious issues get treated with higher priority. If the railway line had been closed for 2-3 weeks the impact would have been even more serious. As it happens I was out of the country for the few days the railway was closed, so I saw no inconvenience, yet despite this it was still treated as a priority!

Moto_Hodder
15 Nov '16

Well, I thought it was funny.

Jonny_Wright
15 Nov '16

I honestly didn’t realise it would cause such a stir @Moto_Hodder

RachaelDunlop
15 Nov '16

Not a stir, just me being grumpy! The same link was shared on the SE23.life FB page with negative comments about our own sinkhole and the time it’s taking to fix. Which seemed a tad unfair. And then I popped over here and saw the same link, and jumped to the conclusion it was posted in the same negative vein. Storm in a tea cup of my own making. Carry on, as you were.

Londondrz
15 Nov '16

So Rachael, please don’t feel like you would want a hole to swallow you up. Far to many of those around :grin:

Jonny_Wright
15 Nov '16

If I was to be negative I’d have backed it up with opinion. I just thought it was funny. I cycle so the sink hole doesn’t affect my commute.

Pauline
15 Nov '16

Anyway here’s @WatersSE23 solution short term!

I quite like it :joy::joy::joy:

Stephen
30 Nov '16

Just gonna leave this here :wink:

Londondrz
30 Nov '16

Bet you it is repaired in two days. And if it sinks again and is repaired it will still be quicker than our lot.

Stephen
30 Nov '16

Maybe the guys on Perry Vale are taking their time to do it properly and not another bodge job in difficult working conditions avoiding all the low-flying pigs in the area :wink: :pig2:

Londondrz
30 Nov '16

Then they must be doing a really really really good job :slight_smile:

Jonny_Wright
1 Dec '16

Haha yeah I’ve been meaning to update my last comment with this too

anon86223367
8 Dec '16

A month on and the work is finally finished. Workers are tidying up now in order to open the road by 5PM today.

Foresthillnick
8 Dec '16

Mr Crafty will be pleased - his beer trade has suffered.

anon86223367
8 Dec '16

I think we all have on this section

Jimsthename
8 Dec '16

Great news for you local businesses. I look forward to risking my life against traffic on Perry Vale in the traditional way again.

Londondrz
9 Dec '16

Horniman School closed this morning due to water leak near school. Deep deep Joy.

Foresthillnick
9 Dec '16

Blimey - not the one on the South Circ?
A river was running down the hill this morning, from the main that blew a few days ago.
Fun to cycle through.

Londondrz
9 Dec '16

Looks like it is Westwood Park, glad it’s not icy.