Going down to New Maldon to meet Siobhan Benita a few days ago was an interesting experience. I don’t go out that way very often so was keen to look round. Get this. When I was crossing the main road the cars slowed down and stopped to let me, a pedestrian, past, when they in no way had to! In London!
Is this the politest part of London I wonder? If making your main streets 20 mph limit suddenly transforms the manners of an area in this way I’m now doubly for it. Or perhaps they are just more careful drivers.
Siobhan Benita, who is running for Mayor as an independent, fits very nicely into that mould of a polite, softly spoken resident of Outer London. However, just because she doesn’t shout does not mean she has nothing to say.
Recently she stepped down from from senior job in the civil service to run for Mayor but has top level experience in transport, local government and environmental issues. It was when working here that she first came across her first “celebrity backer” Peter Jones.
For those who don’t know Jones is the ‘nice one’ from Dragon’s Den and is worth about £220 million. Actually, does Dragon’s Den have nice ones? Anyway it’s certainly boosted Siobhan’s campaign which has managed some impressive media interest from the Evening Standard, and Independent, not a mean feat for an independent.
Chatting to Siobhan in her garden (the recent scene of fish theft by a heron) I found her relaxed, interesting and open-minded. Not like a politician at all really. Watch the video and decide for yourself;
4 Comments
Where I live/have lived/worked (Greenwich, Brockley, Eltham, Lewisham, Bromley etc) it’s unusual for cars not to stop and give way in residential areas or even town centres. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for cyclists!
Really? I mean, this isn’t at a zebra crossing or anything -just a normal busy road and the cars just… stop for you?
They don’t even do this in Cambridge!
More often than not. If you’re brave and look like a pedestrian with intent I find many will stop and gladly give way. In fact, having spent four years in Sheffield, I can vouch that Londoners are on the whole far more inclined to give way than our northern friends. Perhaps because drivers are more used to the stop-start nature of driving in London. That, or there’s something in the water!
Wow, she is a breath of fresh air…the green party should symbolically encourage our members to give her the second preference vote..rather than Ken.