Thatcham Railway Crossing, £83k wasted! Options

[motormad]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2013/road-la...g-will-go-ahead

I agree with Mr Woodhams (surprisingly).

Mr Woodhams said that he believed the road changes would have little impact on congestion.

He said: “From the outset the Thatcham Conservative councillors have been wracking their brains to come up with a new idea to impress motorists and residents, to reduce queueing times at the Thatcham level crossing.

“They have wasted £83,000, and the provision for a right-hand turn lane into the Thatcham sorting office … will have little to no effect on reducing these queues.

This will not reduce congestion. If people want to go into the sorting office they either go around the one-way system and out infront of everyone or just drive down the wrong side of the road. (there's nothing coming anyway).

I used to live 2 minute walk from Thatcham train station. Infact I grew up there and would go into town on the train regularly before I had a car.

A bridge is the only solution and unless they do that, anything will be a waste of money.
The sheer amount of disruption during the roadworks will cause havoc as well.

[On the edge]

How about working up a sensible long term real solution? This should not be considered in isolation. The size of the conurbation means the existing major routes are time expired and overloaded. A bridge, in civil engineering and cost terms is actually quite feasible. That is, if the scheme was designed and planned by civil engineers.

It would be pretty dumb as MM says to spend such a large sum on what is no more than a quick political fix with no gaurentee of success. Shades of Parkway bridge!

[Andy Capp]

It would be pretty dumb as MM says to spend such a large sum on what is no more than a quick political fix with no gaurentee of success. Shades of Parkway bridge!

I don't believe the approved plan is to 'fix' the problem. I believe the idea is to make the junction work better with the limited resources available. Another one would be to have better synchronised barriers. When a fast through-train is approaching, one is only held up for a couple of minutes, but the slow train and the 'gravel train' really do test your patience. The trouble is signalling is out of bounds to the council.

At the end of the day, it is the result of a ridiculous planning decision made many years ago. I remember seeing an ambulance with flashing blue lights stopped at that crossing, and I found myself wondering what poor sod's day was being spoiled by that barrier to A & E (of course in this case, it is the decision of the driver was at fault as much as the crossing being down).

Anecdotes shouldn't on their won determine policy, but that junction is only going to get worse as the south of Newbury gets more and more populated.