Congestion at Thatcham Station, Traffic survey approved but no bridge will be built Options

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Trains, I believe, operate to a timetable. It isn't rocket science to get to know when a train is going to be due.

And how often is a train on-time, not delayed due to light drizzle, or cancelled due to leaves?

[Lee]

Trains, I believe, operate to a timetable. It isn't rocket science to get to know when a train is going to be due.

Apart from Worst Late Western can't even stick to a timetable.
Also, when you factor in random goods trains etc.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Lee!

[dannyboy]

Apart from Worst Late Western can't even stick to a timetable.
Also, when you factor in random goods trains etc.

12.5% of trains are not 'on time'.

[On the edge]

Think we are also forgetting Newbury / West Berkshire isn't a sleepy old market town anymore. Population size says otherwise. The infrastructure needs are now very different and against this growth - costs of a bridge are reasonable. So, in the words of an earlier response - West Berkshire is now a big urban area - live with it!

[Richard Garvie]

I never promised a bridge. I'm only asking questions of those who did. The council officers have told be a bridge would be the only way to fix the problem, and that will never be taken forward due to high costs and low priority of the road. I accept what the council have said to a point, but my point on this thread is that if the council are to spend any further money on looking for a solution, we should establish the costings of a bridge. Guess work is not good enough. Rather than blowing £12k on a study of the number of cars using the level crossing, would it not be better to have a proper costing so that residents understand the reasons why a bridge is unlikely to be built?

[dannyboy]

I never promised a bridge. I'm only asking questions of those who did. The council officers have told be a bridge would be the only way to fix the problem, and that will never be taken forward due to high costs and low priority of the road. I accept what the council have said to a point, but my point on this thread is that if the council are to spend any further money on looking for a solution, we should establish the costings of a bridge. Guess work is not good enough. Rather than blowing £12k on a study of the number of cars using the level crossing, would it not be better to have a proper costing so that residents understand the reasons why a bridge is unlikely to be built?

Have you ever considered, that the way to get the cash to do a 'proper costing' might be to prove the need for a bridge with a traffic survey?

[Richard Garvie]

Have you ever considered, that the way to get the cash to do a 'proper costing' might be to prove the need for a bridge with a traffic survey?

Yes. But apparently this has already been done. The council have stated that they have identified a bridge as the only solution. If you have already identified "the only solution", do you investigate the proposed solution or simply start the process to establish a solution again?

My fear is that the "traffic surevy" will be a car counting excercise to rule out a bridge as a viable option. If we knew the cost of a bridge, that may achieve the same result, but would also show the viability to one and all.

[dannyboy]

Yes. But apparently this has already been done. The council have stated that they have identified a bridge as the only solution. If you have already identified "the only solution", do you investigate the proposed solution or simply start the process to establish a solution again?

My fear is that the "traffic surevy" will be a car counting excercise to rule out a bridge as a viable option. If we knew the cost of a bridge, that may achieve the same result, but would also show the viability to one and all.

What else is a traffic survey other than a car counting exercise? If the volume of traffic precludes the building of a bridge then why should one be built? It is the use, not the cost which should be paramount.

[blackdog]

West Berkshire is now a big urban area - live with it!

Newbury/Thatcham is a big urban area and Tilehurst/Holybrook etc are part of a bigger one - but West Berkshire is still mostly rural.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Aside from Newbury and Thatcham where 70% of the populus reside

[On the edge]

Newbury/Thatcham is a big urban area and Tilehurst/Holybrook etc are part of a bigger one - but West Berkshire is still mostly rural.

Quite - but I was trying to find a collective name for the Newbury / Thatcham / Greenham / Shaw urban area. This has moved far beyond 'parish council' ethos. It is quite an issue and in my view, our local fetish with the parishes has cost 'greater Newbury' a great deal in lost facilities. Retail minds in a wholesale environment.

[On the edge]

Newbury/Thatcham is a big urban area and Tilehurst/Holybrook etc are part of a bigger one - but West Berkshire is still mostly rural.

Quite - but I was trying to find a collective name for the Newbury / Thatcham / Greenham / Shaw urban area. This has moved far beyond 'parish council' ethos. It is quite an issue and in my view, our local fetish with the parishes has cost 'greater Newbury' a great deal in lost facilities. Retail minds in a wholesale environment.

[Richard Garvie]

What else is a traffic survey other than a car counting exercise? If the volume of traffic precludes the building of a bridge then why should one be built? It is the use, not the cost which should be paramount.

So you are saying that when the council decided that a bridge was the only solution, they had not done a similar study?

[dannyboy]

So you are saying that when the council decided that a bridge was the only solution, they had not done a similar study?

You don't need to do a traffic survey of any kind to know that a bridge is the only way to avoid traffic having to wait at this busy level crossing.

[Biker1]

Just a thought, but I would it not be even more of a problem with 25KV electric wires going over it?
High vehicle etc.??

I know other crossings in the country have them but surely not a desirable thing to have?

[blackdog]

Aside from Newbury and Thatcham where 70% of the populus reside

More like 50% or just under - roughly 70,000 out of 145,000.