Dear Sir/Madam,
I wish to say the following:
1. Transport. I object to the proposed new East-West Railway around Bedford via Wixams. What I want is the railway to follow the traditional route via Bedford St John's as much as possible please. The reasons apart from obvious benefit to Bedford itself, is that you'd have Oxford-Bedford and Oxford - Cambridge not via Bedford which in my view is daft. Your route also puts the trajectory of the outer route on alignment with Bedford Bypass north of River Great Ouse which puts it on a hill overlooking Great Ouse and Ivel Valleys, which if you want to get to Sandy in any shape or form - as time and again all surveys point the traditional route is preferred - means coming down a hill. Moreover it has to come via Sandy as Shepreth is the likley meeting point with rails into Cambridge as old route is obliterated and Cambridge-St Ives is now Guided Busway and expanded A14 artery.
2. Whilst I support a Wixams Station for commuters to get to London, I also support a station at Ampthill to serve the wider area. I doubt people off M1, Milton Keynes and Marston Valley's will drive to Wixams and north of Bedford is to be appeased with an Oakley Station for Twinwoods, so all that traffic will still be heading towards Flitwick which has a poor road configuration and needs a bypass. It also, station-wise stuck in a valley doesn't command the land-scope for masse parking and on-street parking is a real menace even reaching Ampthill and walk/cycle.
3. Cycle-path-pedestrian widening and blue sign share between Flitwick and Ampthill needed.
4. New Zebra Crossing needed on road bridge on station over-bridge footpath to enable people to cross busy road and get to The Swan Pub and row of shops, community centre and market (Fridays) via Dunstable Street. The paths and crossing bias Tesco currently and it is a dangerous and hazardous bridge to cross.
5. Better signposting to needing a spruce up shelter for buses to Ampthill, RTI needs installing and late buses up to 10pm between Flitwick Station and Ampthill Centre required for night life market growth/cut car dependency lifestyles.
6. Cyclepaths off road between you various towns need to be planned and built akin to a rural version of the MK Redway - Greensands Ridge could be one following into the Clay Walk.
7. Round House needs reparation to a Civil War visitor centre and a cafe, picnic site and caravan park for panoramic views across Bedford alias Marston Vale - accessible by rail at Ridgmont - better signage and pathing needed with drains.
8. Water could be creamed off and piped along M1 corridor from Olney to Marston Vale/Canal, cutting North Bedfordshire flood potential.
9. Coventa and other similar waste incinerator compounds should be made to be served by rail from day one to bring regional waste in and also a recycle centre at Forder's Sidings - cars, fridges and bulkier for recycling by rail and all wastes including incinerator ash should be carted out by rail for redeployment not 500 lorries per day pounding and adding to congestion, wear and tear costs of local roads.
10. Support and evaluation should be given for Bedford - Northampton as part of a Luton Airport-Central Beds - West Midlands arc. Bedford-Northampton railway is the missing 21.5 mile piece for integrated Thameslink rail network and would cut Luton-Northampton M1 traffic and A6-A428.
11. Consideration of extending Bedford-Hitchin/Luton Stagecoach buses from Luton Town Centre to Luton Airport and Hitchin Town Centre to loop via Hitchin Station. Other buses, National Express interchange and airport/rail would boost bus usage and feeder patronage roles. Coach link from Luton-Ampthill/Clophill-
12. Serious consideration of better parking and all day safe parking pounds at Stewartby, Millbrook, Ridgmont and elsewhere needs to be given to make more of the commuting potential of the line as well as a new station to serve the Retail Park which Steer Davis Gleave Report circa 2000 said would add an extra 100 off peak passengers per day to the under used rail service = boosting cases for further investment.
13. Support for Sunday and Bank Holiday services over the Bedford-Bletchley railway should be given and hastened. Leisure lines with key leisure days closed does not make marketing add up.
14. Your Wixams map does not show how trains would do an east-north turn at any point to access Marston Vale into Bedford or Midland Main Line. It misses not only Bedford out, but the crucial east-north access - how can it take freight from Felixstowe-West Midlands without such a curve/link? Your idea seems not to have been very well thought through and the silence of Bedford on it, seems crazier still. The call is think again.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Pill
ERTA Chairman
richard.erta@gmail.com
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