Make your opinion known before its too late!
BY SEPTEMBER 23rd 2022 LATEST!
Make your opinion known before its too late!
BY SEPTEMBER 23rd 2022 LATEST!
Network Rail plan to install a new barrier on Meldreth Road like the one at Shepreth Station.
The benefit would be barriers on both sides, so no way for anyone to try and cross while barriers down whether by car, cycle, or by foot.
Network Rail say they did a 'public' consultation last year but even households near the crossing didn't know it happened. There was no poster to alert crossing users, and no local leaflets it seems.
The local parishes and rail user groups objected. The few responses to consultation sent were mainly negative.
But despite that the scheme has moved to the next stage called a Transport & Works Act Order and we have until only September 23rd 2022 to object.
You can find all the details on Network Rail's own website here:
Cambridge re-signalling - Network Rail
The information on the website is also apparently at Cambridge library (details on above link).
Network Rail's only local publicity appears to be the A4 planning notices at the crossing itself (in case you hadn't noticed them!)
I actually don't commute across it myself, and live 500 m from it. But I foresee this creating significant problems for many. Clearly most of those who will affected know nothing about it.
You may think the change would be a good thing. If so fair enough, and if most of those affected think same it should happen. But seems like very few know and it was hour and £100 to buy 2 banners and make this website and try to fix that.
It is true that a double barrier makes it impossible for either a car/pedestrian/cyclist to cross when the barrier is down.
I posted this site on Facebook and someone commented '3 to 4 minutes vs the risk of death - we can all manage a few more minutes in a lifetime instead of a shorter lifetime'. You might agree and if you do feel free to use the links to make your opinion known. But life is trade offs - it'd be even safer if it was down for 20 minutes maybe? And safer still if we closed the road?
AND
1. The local Rail User Group has no evidence of any incidents or near misses at the crossing throughout the 14 years of its existence.
2. There have been no accidents at the crossing that a double barrier would have helped prevent. In fact to see Network Rail's data required a Freedom of Information request and only came on 1st September, despite the September 23rd objections deadline. In the past 25 years according to that Network Rail data there has been one recorded incident where a double barrier could potentially have improved safety (and even this was NOT classifed as a 'near miss). The only public data is here and states 'nil incidents' for all of misuse, accidents, and near-misses:
Meldreth Road Level Crossing - The ABC Railway Guide
3. Network Rail do their best in the website to avoid spelling out what 'longer barrier downtimes' will mean. But their own data shows that downtimes would increase from an average of under 50 seconds now to 208 seconds (as at Shepreth Station) - over 4 times as long, from less than 1 minute to almost 4. The change will be more extreme here than at any other cossing affected, as - for whatever reasons - the current 50 second downtime is much lower than for others and the crossing is very efficient.
4. That will create new transferred risks for pedestrians and cyclists. Noone tries to 'beat the barrier' now because they know they will be down only for 30 seconds or so. But after this change drivers will be speeding into Shepreth to beat the barriers and coming straight into a 30 mph zone. At the Meldreth end frustated motorists who had waited will be speeding into a blind left hand bend which is only just wide enough for two vehicles and has had many near misses and one very bad recent accident. Sooner or later they'll meet a farm vehicle or lorry coming the other way at the same time as a pedestrian or a cyclist. This change removes a theoretical risk on the railway but will create real risks on the road. Sooner or later an accident or fatality will result.
5. Network Rail have either messed up or actually fiddled their own numbers! Their survey (on the website) showed current downtimes are 50 seconds but will increase to 208 in line with Shepreth station barrier. But in their traffic modelling they say they HAD no data for the crossing, and assume the average of 132 seconds from all the other crossings. (The same person wrote both reports!). They then basically say 'oh thats only a minute more', so the traffic model says no problem. In reality anyone using this crossing daily will see a 6-10 minute round trip increase to their commute, whether driving, cycling or walking.
6. Noone in the villages seem to know about it. Hardly anyone knew about the 2021 consultation, including those very local to the crossing. Network Rail failed to put up a poster or make any serious effort at publicity. The only publicity now is the planning notice at the crossing.
7. It will reduce train usage. Anyone crossing to catch Cambridge bound trains from Shepreth have to allow for ~5 minutes of downtime potentially at both Meldreth Road crossing and then at Shepreth station (which has no footbridge). For some at least it won't feel worth the hassle and they'll now drive instead.
8. The new longer downtime crossing has its own risks. Double barriers stop cars crossing with a barrier down, but also stop a car being able to get off the track if trapped by barriers. During the week of August 15th 2022 at Shepreth after a very long down time frustrated drivers were crossing nose to tail, and the barriers came down again with a car between them. Luckily there was room for it to get off the track just about before a fast train came through.
9.Only issues for those very near the crossing, but the new crossing will likely require floodlighting like the Shepreth station one. And since the downtime would increase NOT from 2 minutes to 3 and a half, but from 50 seconds to almost four minutes, their traffic modelling is wrong and those living close to the crossing will have constant traffic queues outside their homes.
The bottom line is that Network Rail are going to create a problem on the road where none exists, in order to 'fix' what they have themselves decided is a safety issue on the railway despite no evidence of any problem.
To see just how bad the impact will be see what happened when exactly the same change was made at Shepreth Station as reported in the Royston Crow - barriers which are down for exactly the same trains. As the Network Rail representative then said, '3 to 5 minutes is the expected time for the barriers to be down'. That compares to 50 seconds now and the downtimes of 7 minutes+ that frequently happen at Shepreth.
The period of public consultation was last year, but few knew about it.
If you object (or support) you have only until September 23rd to do so to the Department of Transport by:
Email - transportinfrastructure@dft.gov.uk
c/o Transport Infrastucture Planning Unit
Department for Transport
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR
Please make sure you're clear that your writing about the Meldreth Road level crossing at Shepreth.
Other contacts (WHICH ARE NOT THE FORMAL ROUTE NOW FOR AN OBJECTION) are:
Our MP
anthony.browne.mp@parliament.uk
(whatever your politics to be fair he's been vocally against EastWest rail and potential impacts)
Network Rail's email address for the scheme - CambridgeC3R@networkrail.co.uk
Network Rail's Communications Manager for the Scheme -
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