Transport Chaos predicted by lay people for next 5 years! Is Government listening or caring?

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

FYI We have roads coming out of our ears! What we need is a rail alternative for people and goods. It needs a Government 'project nightingale' to speed up delivery of a full Oxford-Bedford-Cambridge rail link and more. Alas, like the tide out to sea, no passive accommodation for the rail link in Black Cat Roundabout scheme, no forwarding of a Retail Station at Kempston on the Bedford-Bletchley line (allowing park and ride/rail and ride from south of the River Great Ouse enabling avoiding the 20 minute crawl across the Prebend Street bridge to the Bedford Midland Station). Our regional body the English Economic Heartlands (EEH) seem to be working to a rail delivery of 2050 whereas the Climate Emergency gives us 10 years to have alternatives to guzzling emissions pandering infrastructure in place. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48964736 is a good summary of where we are at. 

These patterns are apparent across the English Regions. We can't export best practice if we ourselves are not prepared to make the changes to lead by example. No-one here is saying road improvements are not needed, indeed the conundrum should have been foreseen when the Great Barford Bypass was built. But roads alone cannot cope, they deliver to growing urban areas and they lack the land, capacity and ability to cope/provide parking and avoid congestion/frustration and please multiple access users beit drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, bus users, rail users and motor scooters. Witness no contraflow lane for cycling and motor scooters along the new High Street in Bedford and what is happening is encroachment upon the pavement spaces. The conflict and inherent risk is palpable. Sandy needs a better deal, but alas, after campaigning since 1987 for Bedford - Sandy 'in good faith', it is lost and a new route is required. But unless the Government acts to protect and formalise a rail route, then it too will be parked up in a file 'as closed'! 

The buzz word is 'Research and Develop' (R&D), but Planning surely seeks to fit the pieces of the given jigsaw or mosaic in some sort of coherence? Hence Wixams, you build your station first, then develop a mix of housing, schools, places of work, recycling and greening and much more, not station last and then stuck for somewhere to put it? I fear the same at Tempsford and that is why more housing there should be curtailed and a junction for physical rail links for a joined up rail net-work would be far better and let people from St Neots, Cambridge and East Bedfordshire travel by rail direct to Bedford and beyond, not have to change at yet another station and suffer cost, delays and probably will drive or use the existing bus/X5 for access? Grant Shapps is in Spain and then has lock-down time to do. But really we need a Transport Tsar to ensure these sorts of considerations are properly taken into account as we go 'forwards'!

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman

Consultation closes today on Highways England’s proposals for the A428 improvement, Black Cat (A1) to Caxton Gibbet (Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire).

 

HE are seeking views on their plans to “improve” journeys between Milton Keynes & Cambridge. They are proposing a new 10-mile dual carriageway (part of the Oxbridge Expressway?) between Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet roundabouts with new and improved junctions along the route.

 

Go to www.highwaysengland.co.uk/a428 if you wish to comment.

 

Also info@highwaysengland.co.uk

 

Tel 0300 123 5000

 

It is not clear whether their latest proposals take account of EWR (east of Bedford), because it is evident from EWR’s latest route preference that the rail route is intended to serve Bedford Midland (via the MVL) and then head eastwards towards Tempsford/Little Barford, the ECML & Cambourne. Black Cat roundabout is slightly to the west of the ECML & Tempsford/Little Barford. It is presumed therefore that the “new” dual carriageway will cross the ECML in this vicinity. Is it the intention that HE and EWR share a broadly similar, parallel route? One hopes EWR, Network Rail & HE are talking to one another!