The Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group met on Tuesday evening and discussed among other things Network Rail’s proposal to close the minor rural level crossing that connects Fieldgate and the Chiswick End footpath.

If you want to respond to the consultation, which closes on September 29, you can do so here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/anglialevelcrossings/

Click on ‘Information for Cambridge’ and then see ‘C04 Number 20 Meldreth Parish’ for information.

To respond, return to http://www.networkrail.co.uk/anglialevelcrossings/ and scroll to the bottom where you are invited to the ‘On-line survey’.

For my own response, I have indicated that I strongly disagree with the proposal, and I have provided this text:

There have been no safety incidents recorded at this crossing over the past ten years. Therefore there is no basis for any suggestion that safety at the C04 Number 20 level crossing would be improved. It is not clear at all what benefit would be achieved by closing the crossing.

It is clearly stated by the Highway Authority that pedestrians are more at risk crossing the highway than they are at traversing a properly functioning level crossing, which this is.

Closing the level crossing would force pedestrians to walk up and down the Station Road vehicle bridge. Pedestrians would be forced to cross this busy link road twice, both times near a blind turn with very poor driver visibility, in order to rejoin the footpath network. Pedestrians needing to make this road crossing are required to run not walk across the road due to the close proximity of the blind bends.
A further complicating dynamic at the point where pedestrians would be forced to cross the road is the access to the AP Burlton Farm site, which sees frequent and heavy farm machinery traffic entering and leaving the site throughout the day.

The footway along Station Road vehicle bridge is itself too narrow for two pedestrians to pass one another. It is avoided by mobility scooters due to pinch points that are too narrow to pass.

For all of these reasons, the proposal to close C04 Number 20 introduces significant new risk to 1) pedestrians of all physical abilities and 2) drivers of vehicular traffic contending with pedestrians crossing the road.

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