Thatcham Level Crossing: possible app and survey, please make your thoughts known. Options

[Andy Capp]

http://levelx.info

Welcome to LevelX.info ! With your help - please take this short survey - we are aiming to improve road users' experience of the Thatcham level crossing.

Because the railway line is used by over 100 trains per day, the gates are closed over 40% of the time in the morning peak. There are also a lot of us : over 6,500 vehicles cross the railway each day. These two factors result, as you probably know, in a lot of queues and delays for motorists .

A bridge has been looked at several times, but for several reasons* this is not likely to happen soon.

So what more can be done ?

If there is enough demand and we get sufficient funding, we're planning to build a driver information system which would alert you through a website (PC, tablet or mobile), Twitter, smartphone app or SMS when the gates are due to close - so you can time your journey to miss the queues.

Are you interested ? We would really appreciate your views, so please take the survey - which is short (1 page and will take less than 5 minutes) and completely confidential.

Your response will help us design the service to meet your needs as closely as possible. If things do come together, we'd want to start a free public trial within a few months. Please also help spread the word to your local friends and through Facebook and Twitter. Once again, please take the survey, help spread the word, and look out for further news !

* The bridge option was most recently looked at in WBC's 2012 traffic analysis which you can read here

[Biker1]

Like I said on the other thread
But, give it a try............why not!!??

[Andy Capp]

Like I said on the other thread
But, give it a try............why not!!??

I'm not sure what is so funny!

While not perfect, it makes sense to have a barrier-down time table. It is about the best idea I've heard so far.

[Claude]

It makes sense to have a barrier-down time table. It is about the best idea I've heard so far.

Sounds like a bit of a waste of more money to me. A train timetable already exists, just add 1 minute onto the Thatcham times and you've got it.

As an infrequent user of the crossing (twice a year) what's the maximum time a vehicle can be waiting in a queue before successfully crossing the railway line? More than 10 minutes?

[Andy Capp]

Sounds like a bit of a waste of more money to me. A train timetable already exists, just add 1 minute onto the Thatcham times and you've got it.

... Who's waste of money exactly? The time table doesn't account for freight trains and (straight-through trains) which often take the most amount of time and aren't timetabled. Plus, with what might be an inexpensive app, one can get data instantly which includes timetabled updates and delays, etc !!!

As an infrequent user of the crossing (twice a year) what's the maximum time a vehicle can be waiting in a queue before successfully crossing the railway line? More than 10 minutes?

Then it doesn't need to concern you does it.

[The Optimist]

Best of luck with the app - if it works I'm sure it will benefit road users.

One question: will the app track scheduled closing or actual? As we know, the train network is not always perfect (no, really, it's true) and if a train is running late, would the app aim to track this to provide real time information? The concern being is, if people use the app, it could have a reverse effect of stacking up cars at a time the gate should be open but is actually closed as a result of delays.

[The Optimist]

Double post

[motormad]

I'd like this!
Perhaps it could be integrated with Google perhaps.. would be the easiest thing since most people sync their phone with Google anyway.

[Andy Capp]

BTW, this initiative is nothing to do with me, other than I posted after reading the road side boards that are up. Perhaps the NWN would run a story (if they have time between their cocktail parties!)

For those hard of 'click-throughing'!

http://levelx.info/how-it-works

"We're aiming to develop a service which will give you alerts by website, SMS, Twitter, and smartphone app which would tell you when the level crossing gates are due to close - before you set off on your journey.

Based on your preferences - you may only be planning to travel between 8am and 9am for example - we would send you an alert like this at around 7.45: Thatcham Level X closures planned between 0800 & 0900: 0812 0821 0833 0847 0856 BE SAFE ! www.levelx.info

Behind the scenes we will be using data feeds from Network Rail, and also a video camera giving the exact closing times of the gates. Combining these two information sources should enable us to build an accurate prediction of future closing times - including those from delayed trains and freight trains, which you can't find out from passenger timetables.

First of all, though, we need to understand whether there is enough local interest to make this service worthwhile, and what features most people would like to see. So please take the survey, which is short (1 page and should take you no more than 5 minutes) and completely confidential. Please also help spread the word among your friends and family nearby who might also be interested.

We'll keep you posted on progress as things develop ..."

[Biker1]

I'm not sure what is so funny!

While not perfect, it makes sense to have a barrier-down time table. It is about the best idea I've heard so far.

OK OK,
Lets say for example, you live in North Thatcham and you work in Basingstoke.
You go onto your app. and it says the barriers will be down from say 07:45 to 07 52 and 08:01 to 08:10.
You set off, timing your journey so that you meet the crossing to avoid this..................great!
Every traffic light is against you delaying you by a couple of minutes.
Traffic is jammed because a lorry has broken down.
Bugger.............you get there too late and get held up after all.
Next day you get the information from the app again and time your journey to avoid the times set.
After you set off the train has a problem with the brakes at Newbury and sets off 4 minutes late.
Bugger....................the barriers are still down because of this and stay down for the next train coming the other way because it is now too close to the delayed train.
Oh well, better luck tomorrow!!
Oh, this time traffic is OK, trains run OK but you miss the timed gap on your app because the queue is too long for all to get through and the barriers drop again.
You see?
Matters may be made worse because you set off in good faith that the barriers will be up, things go wrong somewhere or other, and they are down. Even more frustration than before??
It may work in a perfect world.......................................but?

[spartacus]

A train timetable already exists, just add 1 minute onto the Thatcham times and you've got it.

Is your other forum name The Optimist?

......what's the maximum time a vehicle can be waiting in a queue before successfully crossing the railway line? More than 10 minutes?

I have (too frequently) been caught out at the crossing over the years, coming from the Crookham Hill side, and been in a static queue that has extended from the crossing up to half way up Crookham Hill (so no chance to turn around and head for Brimpton and you always think the queue is 'about to move as soon as you start to turn'.)

On more than a few occasions it has taken over 30 minutes from joining the end of that bledy queue to actually get my vehicle across the railway line. ......By which time I'm generally ready to rip my steering heel off the column and batter anyone to death wearing a Network Rail uniform.......

[Biker1]

By which time I'm generally ready to rip my steering heel off the column and batter anyone to death wearing a Network Rail uniform.......

Yes, because they deliberately delay your journey by as much as they possibly can don't they?
Nothing to do with a large amount of traffic using a road that was not designed to take that volume?

[Andy Capp]

Lets say for example, you live in North Thatcham and you work in Basingstoke...

What if you don't? If I lived N. Thatcham, I'd more than likely go via Midgham, Aldfermaston or Tadley, because my app would tell me there was a high risk of traffic at the crossing.

Of course it won't work for everyone, but nothing would, even a bloody bridge, because if we did we would have even more bloody traffic, which is bound to upset someone somewhere.

It is all about better traffic management and making the best of what there is available, (this includes queue warnings on approach roads) if you cannot see the advantages of that then we have no basis for a discussion beyond squabbling.

[Andy Capp]

Yes, because they deliberately delay your journey by as much as they possibly can don't they?
Nothing to do with a large amount of traffic using a road that was not designed to take that volume?

Rather like the bloody transport service which is holding people up!

[Strafin]

As an infrequent user of the crossing (twice a year) what's the maximum time a vehicle can be waiting in a queue before successfully crossing the railway line? More than 10 minutes?

Yes, more than ten minutes is not unusual, I have waited for half an hour on numerous occasions, normally because I have been to far back in the queue to make it through in the first wave.

[user23]

Will this app encourage people to use their phone whilst driving?

[Andy Capp]

Will Could this app encourage people to use their phone whilst driving?

Yes, rather like many other apps on the phone.

[Biker1]

Rather like the bloody transport service which is holding people up!

Yes, because it was decimated in the '60's by a short sighted government who could see no future in it and has suffered ever since.
But that's another discussion.

[On the edge]

Umm, so we can produce an App which will tell us when the Thatcham Barrier is down, but can't use this wonderful technology to tell us when our buses will arrive at each stop?

[Andy Capp]

Umm, so we can produce an App which will tell us when the Thatcham Barrier is down, but can't use this wonderful technology to tell us when our buses will arrive at each stop?

We can, but we just need a will.