Daily Mail article not good press for Kent and East Sussex

[Northroader]

I wasn’t saying use the bus rather than the train, I was merely trying to help someone who wanted to get to Tenterden to enjoy the railway.

[009 micro modeller]

Yes I did, sorry. I clicked on it wondering if it was going to be one of those rural bus services that only runs 3 times a week (not on bank holidays or when there's an 'a' in the month, only in school term time etc etc) but it seems better than that.

[Steamport Southport]

I wasn’t saying use the bus rather than the train, I was merely trying to help someone who wanted to get to Tenterden to enjoy the railway.

 

I know. But it was pointed out by a couple of people that the bus service was good.

 

It was an open goal for a jokey comment.   

 

 

 

Jason

[trisonic]

heT Grauniad lures!

 

Best, Pete.

[Mike Storey]

Paul Dacre, the multi-millionaire, Editor in Chief of the Daily Mail, owns a very large, cattle and arable farm near Wadhurst, a mere stone's throw from Robertsbridge. It is cited as his main home. It is not hard to imagine he may know other farmers in the area.

 

This may or may not explain the exposure this matter received in the Daily Mail, on their behalf.

 

If it does, then it might also explain why the resistance to the RVR proposal looks quite professional.

[Fat Controller]

heT Grauniad lures!

 

Best, Pete.

Almost forty years ago, I worked for a French farmer in rural Languedoc. Chatting to him one day, I discovered that he had been to Manchester to a football match; 'I saw Manchester United', he said, then astounded me by saying 'I bought Manchester Grauniad'.

[SED Freightman]

Whilst visiting a pub at Robertsbridge on Wednesday evening it was encouraging to hear some locals at the bar expressing their support for the extension and the additional trade it would bring to some local businesses, including the one in which they were drinking.  It would seem that there is plenty of local support for the scheme but not from those who may be on the receiving end of a CPO and with access to the popular press.

[SED Freightman]

Regarding the crossing, will it be a full blown one with barriers etc or one like the Leighton Buzzard railway where the train stops and is then flagged across?

 

As the Fat Controller has previously mentioned, the new A21 Crossing will be equipped with full barriers, as will the re-instated crossings at Northbridge Street (old A21) and Junction Road, these will all be controlled from a new CCTV & Control Cabin to be constructed by the A21 Crossing and approved as part of the planning permission granted on 16/03/17.  Details of the new Control Cabin may be found at  http://www.rvr.org.uk/Planning%20Applications/11092-PL-11A.pdf

[KDG]

There is an analysis on line, carried out by RVR's highly reputable consultant, which estimates traffic impact of the LC, in context of traffic impact of the lights and junctions along that (very annoying!) stretch of the A21, and it is miniscule in comparison, simply because it would be used so few times each day, whereas the other things break the flow every few minutes.

What the A21 needs from a 'trunk route' perspective, and for the for the prosperity of Hastings, is a decent dual-carriageway bypass, and I do wonder if that is what some of the objectors are really after, although that would probably cause far greater environmental damage and loss of passing trade, so who knows?!

Bye-passes are a 2 edged sword. They undoubtedly relieve congestion in busy ancient rural towns designed before modern traffic levels, and whizz happy motorists to their destinations, but....

 

My grandparents used to live in Appleby-in-Westmoreland. A delightful market town with Norman castle etc. You couldnt move for traffic in the summer as the A66 went through it with traffic bound for the Lake District. Cue calls for a bye-pass. As a result of the it opening, both petrol stations and many of the shops closed as their passing trade vanished overnight.

 

Tricky.

[PatB]

Bye-passes are a 2 edged sword. They undoubtedly relieve congestion in busy ancient rural towns designed before modern traffic levels, and whizz happy motorists to their destinations, but....

 

My grandparents used to live in Appleby-in-Westmoreland. A delightful market town with Norman castle etc. You couldnt move for traffic in the summer as the A66 went through it with traffic bound for the Lake District. Cue calls for a bye-pass. As a result of the it opening, both petrol stations and many of the shops closed as their passing trade vanished overnight.

 

Tricky.

Works the same here in Oz. The town of Northam, 50 km east of me, had major traffic problems as it was on the main highway to the Eastern States. Heavy traffic across two rather forage old bridges, 100 ton Road trains along the main street, including a couple of tight 90 degree turns, and generally a horrible place to be. However, local businesses appeared to be thriving from the passing trade. Then some major investment saw the highway upgraded and the town bypassed. Virtually overnight the place seemed to shut down. It's come back a bit now, but there was a very lean decade or so in the interim.

[Mike Storey]

Bye-passes are a 2 edged sword. They undoubtedly relieve congestion in busy ancient rural towns designed before modern traffic levels, and whizz happy motorists to their destinations, but....

 

My grandparents used to live in Appleby-in-Westmoreland. A delightful market town with Norman castle etc. You couldnt move for traffic in the summer as the A66 went through it with traffic bound for the Lake District. Cue calls for a bye-pass. As a result of the it opening, both petrol stations and many of the shops closed as their passing trade vanished overnight.

 

Tricky.

 

Completely agree. There was little support for a by-pass when we lived in Pickering, North Yorks, despite the horrendous traffic in the summer, for much the same worries.

 

Here in France most village centres have been declining for decades due to town-edge shopping centres, supermarkets, internet shopping and so on, much the same as the UK in most respects (except that certain shops are subsidised and tend to remain, such as bakers, chemists and, of course, hairdressers). But when by-passes or whole new (non-motorway) dual carriageway roads are opened, new service areas are very rarely opened. Instead, large signs are installed, pointing people to the next town or village, to find refreshments, food or fuel. This seems equitable in theory, but in practice of course, you never know when said facilities will be open, but it does seem to have kept many places alive.

[jjb1970]

If Paul Dacre is involved presumably those supporting the railway scheme will all be described using a certain expletive starting with "c"........

[hayfield]

Bye-passes are a 2 edged sword. They undoubtedly relieve congestion in busy ancient rural towns designed before modern traffic levels, and whizz happy motorists to their destinations, but....

 

My grandparents used to live in Appleby-in-Westmoreland. A delightful market town with Norman castle etc. You couldnt move for traffic in the summer as the A66 went through it with traffic bound for the Lake District. Cue calls for a bye-pass. As a result of the it opening, both petrol stations and many of the shops closed as their passing trade vanished overnight.

 

Tricky.

 

 

The village I live in could massively benefit from a bypass, it has a busy A road running through it, will it get one ? not a chance

 

It would take either a massive detour, as the village is surrounded by common land/ sites of special interest/National Trust woodlands, the costs would be massive and would drivers use it?

Road improvements outside the village would just make the situation worse as there is no possibility of road improvements (widening) due to the close proximity of various properties, so road calming outside the village could ease the situation at busy times

 

The level crossing argument is a bit of a red herring, how many times per hour will it be used, with the major use at weekends or mid summer. If you made that stretch faster it only creates pressures further along the road. Also it has lights or roundabouts either side of it which halts traffic far more often. Don't forget motorways slow down traffic in busy times to increase traffic flow so it could be argued it may ease traffic congestion at certain busy times by just being there and not being used