Minutes of BEDFORD TRANSPORT FORUM – TUESDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 1.00pm

Minutes of BEDFORD TRANSPORT FORUM – TUESDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 1.00pm Social, 2.00pm – 4.00pm business, at The Pilgrims Progress, 42 Midland Road (near bus and railway stations), Bedford, MK40 1QB (usually near table 65 back of ground floor under the stairs). 

T. 01234 363751 E. richard.erta@gmail.com

1.       Apologies for absence: Simon Barber

2.       Notes from previous forum and matters arising/feedback:

Item 3. We have learnt only the main line section will be rebuilt to enable overhead lines for extension of electrification north of Bedford.

Item 4. No news on EWRL but continued clearance of vegetation keeps having to be done, delay is costing money.

Item 5. Bedford-Northampton:

Northampton Blitz early 2018 with meetings Saturday 24^th February at the Friends Meeting House (Quakers) School Room Quaker Meeting House, Wellington Street, Northampton NN1 3AS starting Saturday 24th February 1.30pm – 3.30pm. for Bedford-Northampton Rail Reopening Committee 1pm – all welcome.

Northampton conference Saturday 28 April 2018 from 9am-5pm at the Castle Hill United Reformed Church (upstairs/lift) Function Room), Doddridge Street, NORTHAMPTON NN1 2RN.

Market Stall and leafleting to kick in Jan-Feb to help boost presence, emails and letters will also go out.

3.       Bus Matters

No 40-withdrawal due to a lack of use and withdrawal of MK subsidy.

4.       Rail Matters: ERTA has the choice to either grow membership and allocate people top cover regional projects or knuckle down to more localised specialism like Bedford-Northampton scenario and related aspects. Great Central (Leicester-Nuneaton)-Calvert-Grendon needs complete rebuild/new build/backing, OOC-Heathrow direct to Woking Guildford (away from London contrast Crossrail) needs sorting and Guildford-Shoreham for Brighton likewise. Some bits are operational but 2/3 needs rebuild/new build so that’s 100 out of 150 miles approximately and can be done as one scheme or separate infills. Bedford-Northampton helps feed to and from Bedford-Cambridge (EWRL), M1 parallel end to end Northampton-Luton/Airport and vice versa and frees capacity/spare paths into/across and out of London and on the WCML at MK Central – critical for enabling EWRL, MVR, Southern and others access to and through MK Central which lacks adequate baying to accommodate them all with increasing frequency for multiple operational service providing with contra commute markets and other centric patterns, not just London. We applaud the reopening effort for the Dudding Hill Lines which will enable MML-GW/Southern transits for passenger services, London arcing centric but also Luton/Airport-Acton/Windsor or Reading for example ‘South Chiltern Link’. ERTA has long championed it.

5.       Bedford- Northampton: Needs more volunteers and a new webmaster. We are stretched and all can ask friends, family, local rail groups to join/affiliate/come to meetings/get involved/help us.

6.       Other related matters: XMAS BASH – TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER, 1pm – All very welcome.
If you would like to join us, so that bookings can be made, please let Richard know by 24 November – 01234 330090. Dragons, River Street, Bedford, MK40 1PX Tel 01234 328866/327778

7.       Day, Date, Time and Place of next Bedford Forum proposed as: Tuesday 30^th January 2018 1.00pm Social, 2.00pm – 4.00pm business, at The Pilgrims Progress, 42 Midland Road (near bus and railway stations), Bedford, MK40 1QB (usually near table 65 back of ground floor under the stairs). T. 01234 363751 E. richard.erta@gmail.com

England’s Economic Heartland – A curates egg!

England’s Economic Heartland – A curates egg!

http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Pages/home.aspx

The England’s Economic Heartland (EEH) is a consortium of Councils and quangos which arcs the East-West Corridor and Northamptonshire and brings road, rail and other interests. An umbrella of councils to shield them from risk and liability or a conglomerate of interests thinking more power from many pushing for or against than individual units can muster. However, it seems on the transport front to be with little overall vision or strategy or accountability to the electorate. Vote for someone in Oundle, which lost its railway in the mid 1960’s and you find your local representative is on the County Council, the County Councils Network, South Midland Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and Strategic Transport Forum Chairperson. Cllr Heather Smith commands a wide gambit of position and power but for what purpose? Is anyone proposing reopening Northampton-Peterborough railway? No. Is anyone supporting rebuilding Northampton-Bedford railway? No. Is anyone supporting Light Rail linking Rushden, Irchester, Irthlingborough and Wellingborough? No. So that is a considerable population with no new rail infrastructure. Likewise, the EEH supports Oxford-Cambridge East-West Rail, but also a monstrous East-West Highway (new) along the same geographic corridor, north or south or criss-crossing the railway. Other roads will feel the weight of development growth and cases likely to be made for other highways spend, but no new rail other than East-West Rail. There’s no station for 20 miles north of Bedford, so all new growth for 20 miles north of Bedford will bring commuter traffic to our station for London. We can’t reopen local rail links due to blockages, but we can do more roads whatever the cost. That is grossly unfair and the whole £’s sign of approach the EEH seems to present, indicates commodification of the area and people fit in with it rather than it tailors to people and what they want. Their hands are tied thanks to the legacy of local rail closures, locking in road consumption and pattern demand. However, that chicken and egg of demand and supply trend, ignores the land use allocation balance of scenarios like if we have a hard Brexit, land will be required for food more than before – home grown etc; but who owns the land, if we develop the countryside or split it up to ever smaller units and tracts surely, we undermine the objective, organic and non-intensive farming which we need for food and healthy eating? Some are complacent whereby they hold more than 3 strands of grass up and say “look! We have grass!” (plural) but whether it can sustain 75 million population by 2030 remains to be seen. If prices rise then wages frozen or lower incomes brackets will be priced out of the market locking in Food Bank syndrome. Again, our balance of trade deficit means that inflation is locked in unless we can re-rail the regions, get freight back on rail which in turn speeds bulk transit times and keeps costs down. Endless juggernauts plying the A14 or M1 in congestion laden corridors is wasteful of time, fuel and road space. Who or what will blink first? EEH has no real answer to this, it is tinkering at the edges and for 5, 735 people voting in Oundle, that is a lot of power and hardly represents the whole area. We should have local referendums on the switch from road to rail and lists of rail schemes and then charge quangos or councils to deliver. That we find we need EEH shows LEP’s have largely failed to deliver and whilst Parishes look after their own, it is locally elected councils which face the squeeze on government funding. In short more quangos give high flying jobs for more people, but actual service and service delivery is scant to say the least. We still need a Tsar for Rail, as many fragments speak akin to parish councils for their own patches, rather than the coordination of a regional and national network. Meanwhile what role Westminster? On the one hand the Government came in with Eric Pickles saying he would reduce quangos, but now it finds it useful to create new ones, as it shares and farms out responsibility, accountability, risk and makes news rather than tangibly and specifically delivers.

The question is what makes for change? Can change be brought about and what role the public at large other than to give comment at consultations to help bureaucrats refine their proposals and achieve their goals and be ever thus rewarded for it – but we return to our basis of operations – the foundations upon which the design of what changes are needed predicated on a roads agenda, rather than seeing the rail gaps, addressing them first and then if they don’t deliver seeing what else needs to be done. Alas.

Support a new Leicester-Brighton link via Heathrow

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/153355755256764/

Using a part of the old Great Central line and a rebuilding of the Guildford -Horsham-Shoreham line, the only other missing bits are Woking-Heathrow and Heathrow-Old Oak Common and Grendon-Calvert. Can it be done? 125 mph running, usable for passenger and freight, inter-link with East-West Rail in the Calvert area and with limited stops means that end to end timings would be quicker for fast services with plenty of capacity for stopping and cross-country utilisation of same tracks.
Join ERTA and help swell our growing team: https://ertarail.com/membership/

Why should investors be interested in our projects?

Support the campaign to reopen a Northampton-Bedford rail link

ERTA advocates a number of inter-connected projects. We believe these deserve better consideration and championing at various levels and we would wish to see more interest with a view to forming consortia and taking them forward to next stages. One of our main focal projects is Bedford-Northampton rail link. It has been studied before with positive credentials by Connex looking for paths on the West Coast Main Line and accessing Rugby from the south. The rail link:

a. Regionally arcs 3 regional boundaries (Southeast, Eastern and East Midlands)

b. Links Luton Airport with Northampton/West Coast Main Line (WCML) portal and vice versa/M1 end to end alternative/market capture.

c. Current bus link takes 1.5 hours to do just 21.5 miles, disincentive to trade between Bedford and Northampton, non-London centric commuting, localism and footfall and spend to Northampton, Bedford and Olney*. *Olney has a 5-mile radius population catchment of some 33, 000 people, even though the town is just 6500.

d. Bedford has a wealth of schools, Northampton more jobs and sport profile.

e. It is the only way to create more paths along WCML and more services for accessing Milton Keynes Central which lacks adequate baying capacity.

f. Potential for freight by rail with East-West Rail links at Bedford, Felixstowe-West Midlands ‘not via London’, freeing up paths, servicing A14-A45 arc corridor (rail alternative), Brackmills Industrial Estate and DIRFT en-route.

g. Stands on own two feet, second route to London from Northampton, lends to cross-country services, same tracks, multiple aspects.

h. Needs rebuild. Main blockages are London Road, Northampton (no level crossing) Olney (industrial units and offices) and Turvey (luxury housing). These are technically surmountable if the case and backing is robust enough – business case studies, environmental impact, realignment options and interception with Midland Main Line at Oakley.

i. Could offer Park and Ride off A45/A428 Brackmills into Northampton and also serve the new Waterside University Campus and Delapre Abbey – giving a choice to growing traffic drivers adding to congestion on local roads.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Tick if a New Member: _____ Tick if renewing as an existing member: _____ Membership of ERTA costs £10 per annum. I/We wish to join _______ Name: __________________________ Address: ___________________________________________ Postcode: _______________ 

Tel/Mobile: __________________ Signed: ______________________ Dated: ____________________ Please send completed form to ERTA Membership: ERTA, 24c St Michael’s Road, Bedford, MK40 2LT (01234 330090) E. richard.erta@gmail.com

Bedford Town Centre Plan - Sustainable or not?

Click the link for the details: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/business/projects__infrastructure/regeneration_projects.aspx

Please respond and if you can agree, please support our submission calls:

11 October 2017

Mr Adrian Piper

Head of Property Services

Bedford Borough Council

Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street,

Bedford, MK42 9AP

Dear Mr Piper,

In addition to what my colleague Mr Simon Barber has said, may I reiterate that my concerns are as follows:

1. Bedford Midland Station - is it going to be moved to the old site at the top of Midland Road with an emphasis away from an urban Park and Ride facility to one aimed at the town centre (visible to and from) and with walking, cycling and better bus links being a priority of design and stations north of Bedford like one at Oakley being more the provision for out of town audiences who wish to drive more-than 3 miles from home to a local railway station? That cordon one would think is Olney-Rushden-Bolnhurst and all in between including the new emergent Twinwoods estate/new villages to the Bedford urban cordon which is now built up to the edge of Clapham?

Unless this aspect is framed now, the continuation of excess traffic, congestion and pollution will accrue and that is bad for the local communities near the railway station and arteries to and from (Bromham Road/Shakespeare Road). We want:

a. straightening of tracks from Danfoss to north of Bedford Midland as a contiunuum

b. adequate arches in bridge design to cater for it

c. one-way west over Ford End Road Bridge and Hurst Grove to be made one-way to A428 Bromham Road exit. That would make crossing outside the main post office sorting centre easier and less hazardous. Bromham Road, since the new bypass opened has loads more free capacity whereas Prebend Street is always congested during day light hours both ways. 

2. The design of track lay out between Danfoss/1984 St John's, Midland Station and north of A428 Bromham Road Bridge (due to be replaced as a phase 2 following Ford End Road Bridge replacement for OHL north of Bedford). This is an opportunity to straighten tracks between St John's 1984 Halt/Danfoss and north of A428 Bromham Road Bridge via Bedford Midland allowing for East and West Rail passenger services to interchange at Bedford Midland (rather than bypass it). By straightening the tracks and re-modelling of the platforms and track layout (more capacity) you cater for more trains and get the fundamentals of interchange built into the station - built in the late 70's when closures had occurred, reopenings dismissed and less trains requiring baying was the order of the design then, needs some reversal now. Does the scope of your plan and the arch-way clearances and provision of Ford End Road Bridge cater for such re-configuration? Have any drawings been made and would it be possible for me to see the design plan please?

3. I share my colleagues concern that the East-West Rail Central Section (from the East) must come in via St John's and link with Bedford Midland as per Western Section (Oxford-Bedford) is envisaged to do. Borough should have been more vociferous in opposing the Wixams diversion idea and bypassing Bedford mooted in their recent Plan over the Summer of 2017. 

For that reason the St John Station (old) site needs to be retained as an open space - maybe an urban green space for recreation - until the railway comes. I therefore object to putting houses on that site for these reasons, putting the bigger picture of Bedford's strategic needs first (vital infrastructure).

4. Could the former loco shed, west of Midland Main Line/Ford End Road, lands not be made into a parking area and 2nd booking hall? Ford End Road and Hurst Grove should be made one-way to direct traffic to exit Queen's Park via A428 Bromham Road except for walking/cycling and bus options entering the town. Since the A6-A428 Bypass link road was opened I have noticed Bromham Road has more spare road capacity whereas Midland Road/Ford End Road roundabout is congested most day light hours. If the Ford End Road  through Great Denham was made one-way out to the Bypass as well, then a circular movement of traffic could be created and less conflict on on-coming cars at the mini roundabout on Coopers Corner/Midland Road would be lessened. One idea which has been mooted, if the 2nd booking hall, entrance/exit and parking area (including a bus turn around loop (see Maddingley P&R for an example) was for a link one-way single carriageway road off Dallas Road Kempston new under pass under Kempston Road Bridge (which needs an update anyway?) new single carriageway bridge over the River Great Ouse to allow access from Kempston to the station entrance and parking and also to Bromham Road via a one-way Hurst Grove. This would then allow the Prebend Street to be made one-way except for buses, cycles and pedestrians improving the ambiance and lessening the unacceptable intrusion of congestion and exhaust constant noise and emissions during day light hours in a poor, run down residential area - can't be good for public health and the more open terrain of a flat plain aforementioned option would allow prevailing winds to blow the exhaust away.

5. Bus routes should, coming from the south, turn from River Street into Midland Road to Ashburnham Road to Railway Station (or new site) onwards via Bromham Road and Hassett Street to the Bus Station and out on their normal courses. Likewise No. 10 could extend to serve the Market Square/Wilkos if a stop is allowed for it to drop off and pick up, loop via St Paul's Square, Horn Lane and loop via the station to turn left into Union Street for it's normal route. Likewise savings could be made if No. 7 at Putnoe went on to loop + new stop adjacent to the Spinney) via Elliott Crescent, over the roundabout (new stop) and along Putnoe Street to the Bluebell Pub and left onwards on it's normal route, saving returning via Woodside and Brecon Way, they should get on going out and back via the new route. Uno Buses could be directed to go via Prebend Street (new stops by the bridge) and loop round via the station. Bus Station needs cleaning - we have a bin for X5 Cambridge services but not X5 Oxford, front shelters hand rails have been coming off, shelters not swept, mopped or disinfected since erected. The loss of the Travel and Tourist Centre - Gatewaying for Bedford (credibility) needs restoring earliest opportunity - could it be staffed by volunteers from Universities (Beds and Cranfield for example) in exchange for a bus pass offering free travel on the days they volunteer? The former Gateway Building Society Building on the corner of Church Arcade/Harpur Street could be a reasonable place to consider locating such, halfway between bus station and High Street, revitalise arcade corridors and pull in from Riverside to rest of the town footfall and possible extra spend?

6. I am concerned at the move to commercialise the town central area, whereas it should be a balance of shopping, visiting, leisure, recreation, arts, entertainment and a safe space just to be. There's nothing for teenagers to do and maybe now it is finished, could a skateboard facility be placed somewhere in St Mary's Gardens for young people to safely play, let off steam and be within reach of food, drink, toilets and services? See Daventry for a larger facility, but a smaller version could be considered surely paid out of a £1 extra on parking? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-23309061 I believe that better bus and rail links for Bedford which bring bulk of people into town centres minus the traffic and land use conflicts is the environmentally sustainable way forward otherwise the charm is eroded, the flint face of commercialism bites and the atmosphere is affected for those of us with feet on the ground i.e not car-legged or helicopter views. Mill Street needs to be made one-way towards Debenhams from the East, pavement on north side widened, as there's a huge flow of people and lack of space with vehicles parking and informing hazards for pedestrians in a confined space + we now have umpteen mobility scooters needing more pavement space = a clash and needs a remedy including more zone boys to clamp down on parking on kerbside and pavements - Cardington Road on Saturdays does occur near the Duck Mill Turning. A plan with more cars in mind will only exacerbate the clash between people and congestion, saving our heritage and destruction for wider roads, cleaner air versus air pollution, and tranquility of experience or grimy sweatshop impressions underscoring inequalities rubbing shoulders in the same space driving the well off to evermore out of town shopping (boot full) and the poorer elements who cannot drive, shopping in the town (bag fulls) and the mix and match making a mess of themes, styles, choices and the lure for less smoking-in-your-face as is the current town centre experience, with drunks, homeless and urinating on street corners as toilets are clawed back because of the cuts. What will your plan do to address this beyond pricing and policing out undesirables?

7. I find it peculiar that the Borough can handle multiple developments and roads but only one rail reopening or scheme per time. We need to be making common cause with neighbouring places and working together to inform the essential rail based infrastructure to enable non London centric commutes, searches for work, exchanges and footfall and spend minus the cars and traffic and getting more freight back on rails (cannot if no reopenings) and Bedford and Northampton are best suited to be re-railed as they share many issues and problems including ailing town centres and out of town competition and a need to be restored to a sustainable transport underpinning - rail link restoration. 

If you feel a meeting would be in order please let me know, otherwise I hope these comments can be considered in the round of what your plan seeks to achieve for Bedford's sake. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman and local resident.

Also see: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/public-drop-in-ahead-of-road-bridge-reconstruction/

Bedford Midland Capacity Battle

Please Email:

consultingbedford@bedford.gov.uk

Model objection:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a member of the English Regional Transport Association (ERTA), which, as you may already know, is a voluntary membership-based, pro-public transport improvement association with its main projects initially in the Bedfordshire and surrounding regional areas but its remit has since increased since several of its projects have a nation-wide positive benefit and impact. 

ERTA website: https://ertarail.com/

The reason for writing is that I am responding to your consultation on the Bedford Town Centre Master Plan which begins today,and I now have the following concerns:

Ford End Road - The present road bridge (which will apparently very shortly be demolished) should be replaced with one which will offer sufficient span capacity to allow straightening of the present rail track (which should be doubled) between the present St.John's Station/Danfoss site and the Midland Main Line,with also a double-track link to the Midland Main Line north of Bedford  to optimise freight between East Anglia and West Midlands.

Midland Road Station - The new station should be built to the south of the present station with improved access for cyclists,pedestrians and disabled people - this should take priority of motorists.Bus links should also be improved to the station.

Finally, the site of Bedford St.John's Old Station/Goods Yard (referred to in the Bedford Local Plan 2035 consultation) - The 32 dwellings proposed on that site should not go ahead since  ERTA wishes to re-instate the old station as part of the East - West Rail Link on the section between Bedford and Cambridge.This section of the East - West Rail Link must be completed by 2035 at the latest.

Yours faithfully,

Simon Barber -Administrator
English Regional Transport Association

Email address:simon4barber@gmail.com

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/lne-and-em/midland-main-line-improvement-programme/ford-end-road-bridge-bedford/

Pictures around Ford End Road Bridge Bedford, taken October 2017:

Press Release 02-10-2017

02 October 2017

Press Release

Why should investors be interested in our projects?

ERTA advocates a number of inter-connected projects. We believe these deserve better consideration and championing at various levels and we would wish to see more interest with a view to forming consortia and taking them forward to next stages. One of our main focal projects is Bedford-Northampton rail link. It has been studied before with positive credentials by Connex looking form paths on the West Coast Main Line and accessing Rugby from the south.

It offers:

a.       Regionally arcs 3 regional boundaries (Southeast, Eastern and East Midlands)

b.       Links Luton Airport with Northampton/West Coast Main Line (WCML) portal and vice versa/M1 end to end alternative/market capture

c.       Current bus link takes 1.5 hours to do just 21.5 miles, disincentive to trade between Bedford and Northampton, non-London centric commuting, localism and footfall and spend to Northampton, Bedford and Olney*. *Olney has a 5-mile radius population catchment of some 33, 000 people, even though the town is just 6500.

d.       Bedford has a wealth of schools, Northampton more jobs and sport profile.

e.                   Is the only way to create more paths along WCML and more services for accessing Milton Keynes Central which lack adequate baying.

f.                    Potential for freight by rail with East-West Rail links at Bedford, Felixstowe-West Midlands ‘not via London’, freeing up paths, servicing A14-A45 arc corridor (rail alternative), Brackmills Industrial Estate and DIRFT en route.

g. Stands on own two feet, second route to London from Northampton, lends to cross-country services, same tracks, multiple aspects.

h. Needs rebuild. Main blockages are London Road, Northampton (no level crossing) Olney (industrial units and offices) and Turvey (luxury housing). These are technically surmountable if the case and backing is robust enough – business case studies, environmental impact, realignment options and interception with Midland Main Line at Oakley.

End of Press Release

For any further comment contact Mr Richard Pill 01234 330090 / richard.erta@gmail.com

http://midland-airport.com/