Apparently there were some hiccups with the City of York Council website that meant comments couldn't be submitted online to the revised barriers application. However, these have now been sorted out and the deadline for comments has been extended to 26th June. You can comment on the plans here:
http://planning.york.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KBXF5PSJ0A700
Another meeting is also expected to take place involving English Heritage that may result in yet further revisions to the scheme. The expectation at present is that they will be considered by the West and Central Area Planning Committee in July.
Please note that the advice is that anyone who put in a comment before should resubmit it to the council, to make sure that it will still be taken into account on the revised application.
For information the current position on the Newcastle barriers is that the council granted "minded to approve" consent, whcih now has to go to the Government Office for the North East for final approval. Updates to follow.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Do barriers meet safety standards?
There are surely serious questions about whether new ticket barriers meet safety standards in view of the warning posters being put up at stations by Fist Capital Connect (see earlier blogs). The Railway Group Standards on automatic ticket gates (guidelines that rail companies are supposed to follow, issued in 2003 say the following:
"The station operator shall ensure that the:
ATGs are designed to open in the event of equipment failure manually operated auxiliary gates are designed to release in the event of equipment failure ATG equipment is configured such that the contact forces exerted by thegates do not cause injury to passengers." The standards go on to state:
"The sensors provided within the ATG mechanism should ensure that, when a gate has been opened to enable a person to pass through, it does not close until that person has passed safely through the ATG. There should be no opportunity for the person to become trapped or for the gate to close on the person and so cause possible injury. The sensors should also detect that the area swept by an opening gate is clear before the gate can open. This should not apply if the emergency open facility is activated.
The design of the ATGs should also enable people to pass through without injury, for example by trapped fingers or limbs, or injury to the heads of smallchildren."
Not sure how all of that fits in with FCC's warning poster saying that children could face "serious injury". As well as children, there have also been instances of dogs, bicycles and luggage becoming trapped.
"The station operator shall ensure that the:
- design of the ATGs enables passengers to pass through them without injury (including injury caused by electric shock)
"The sensors provided within the ATG mechanism should ensure that, when a gate has been opened to enable a person to pass through, it does not close until that person has passed safely through the ATG. There should be no opportunity for the person to become trapped or for the gate to close on the person and so cause possible injury. The sensors should also detect that the area swept by an opening gate is clear before the gate can open. This should not apply if the emergency open facility is activated.
The design of the ATGs should also enable people to pass through without injury, for example by trapped fingers or limbs, or injury to the heads of smallchildren."
Not sure how all of that fits in with FCC's warning poster saying that children could face "serious injury". As well as children, there have also been instances of dogs, bicycles and luggage becoming trapped.
Sheffield station - demonstration to keep the footbridge open
Just to let people know that a demonstration will be taking place in Sheffield tomorrow against East Midlands Trains' massively unpopular plans to close off the station there with barriers.
TO KEEP THE STATION FOOTBRIDGE OPEN TO EVERYONE
Don’t let East Midlands Trains get away with highway robbery. You, the people of Sheffield, have contributed £7 million towards the creation of this safe, clean and much valued pathway to the city centre. Are you prepared to let East Midlands Trains take it from you?
Twice, in the week of 11th May, as part of a ticket checking exercise, East Midlands Trains stopped people using the bridge, including children and people with buggies, forcing them to use the unsafe alternative, known as "Mugger’s Alley".
Join us on Wednesday, 20th May at 5p.m. in front of the station and walk with us across the bridge, to show that it belongs to Sheffield and we intend to keep it!
They can check tickets without closing the bridge.
No one, except East Midlands Trains, wants the bridge to close. All the Sheffield M.P.s are against it, as are the Councillors. Come along and show your opposition.
From
RESIDENTS AGAINST STATION CLOSURE (RASC)
For details check out the website:
www.rasc-sheffield.com
TO KEEP THE STATION FOOTBRIDGE OPEN TO EVERYONE
Don’t let East Midlands Trains get away with highway robbery. You, the people of Sheffield, have contributed £7 million towards the creation of this safe, clean and much valued pathway to the city centre. Are you prepared to let East Midlands Trains take it from you?
Twice, in the week of 11th May, as part of a ticket checking exercise, East Midlands Trains stopped people using the bridge, including children and people with buggies, forcing them to use the unsafe alternative, known as "Mugger’s Alley".
Join us on Wednesday, 20th May at 5p.m. in front of the station and walk with us across the bridge, to show that it belongs to Sheffield and we intend to keep it!
They can check tickets without closing the bridge.
No one, except East Midlands Trains, wants the bridge to close. All the Sheffield M.P.s are against it, as are the Councillors. Come along and show your opposition.
From
RESIDENTS AGAINST STATION CLOSURE (RASC)
For details check out the website:
www.rasc-sheffield.com
Monday, 18 May 2009
Live from Norwich: the latest barriers fiasco
Apparently the new barriers at Norwich station have been causing so many problems (see earlier blogs) they've now been taken out of use altogether. The picture below shows that the wide gate has simply been left permanently open.
By all accounts the conductors on the trains are also making less effort as a consequence, so the net result is a massive reduction in the effectiveness of ticket checking. But don't worry, the barriers will only have cost a million or so to put in!
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Government health warning: ticket gates can seriously damage your children's health
According to a report in Rail Management Online by Sim Harris, First Capital Connect have now put up posters at several stations where ticket gates have recently been installed, warning of potential danger to young children passing through ticket barriers accompanied by parents. The posters state that a child caught in a closing barrier could face "serious injury" and advises those with children or luggage to use the wide gates - as long, of course as long as one of the limited number of wide gates will actually work.
No similar warnings have yet been posted at any stations run by other franchises.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
CABYS statement on revised York plans
Having had a chance to look at the revised plans for barriers at York, it appears that National Express have made some significant changes. The height of the glazed screens has been reduced and provision made for access from the short stay car park; however, there will still be four separate gate lines, at least two of which will only be staffed at peak times.
National Express have also issued a "justification" statement more or less identical to that at Newcastle.
CABYS has issued a press statement on the revised plans:
We are pleased to see that, in their revised plans, NXEC have addressed the problem of access from the short-stay car park. However the new plans do nothing to satisfy those of us who are upset at the way in which an important listed building is to be marred by the installation of ugly and unnecessary barriers. And yet this is not just a question of aesthetics, for there are other equally important issues at stake.
Basically ticket barriers are just not suitable for this kind of station. York has no less than four separate entrances, with the result that at both the long-stay car park and the Leeman Rd car park there will be no assistants on hand, just ticket machines and an intercom for passengers needing help. This means that people with disabilities (whether sensory, mental or physical) will have considerable difficulty dealing with these facilities, as too will mothers with small children and the elderly. Also if potential passengers find that it is not possible to buy the correct ticket or that the barriers will not allow them through then they will have to walk all the way round to the front of the station.
Another deeply worrying feature of the proposed scheme is whether NXEC will have the staff necessary to man all the barriers at all those times when passengers are likely to need assistance (especially since they seem to be shedding staff at present). They claim that the barriers will be fully manned “at peak times”. But the likelihood is that those passengers most in need of assistance – such as those with excessive luggage, the elderly, the disabled, and families – are precisely the people who do not travel at “peak times”. So how are they to get help when they need it?
And then there’s Grand Central. Currently travellers enjoy the fact that they are able to buy their tickets on the train. But if this plan goes through they will have to join the long queues in the ticket office, because National Express will be able to refuse access to the platforms for anyone without a ticket. This should be ruled out on the grounds that it is anti-competitive, especially as National Express run the Travel Centre and would therefore gain commission from these tickets.
The case for installing automated gates is not proven. Most journeys in and out of York allow enough time for on-train staff to check and issue tickets between stations. ‘Fare dodging’ is usually associated with short distance commuting, but most journeys that start or end at York are not of this type. Basically NXEC have not provided any evidence to demonstrate that the problems of fare evasion are of a type and scale that would be best addressed by ticket barriers, particularly given their other obvious disadvantages and cost. It would seem that they were included in the franchise bid without any proper evaluation.
As far as we are concerned York station should not be regarded as “belonging” to National Express, for whom it is just a `capital asset’, and who in all probability won’t be running the station for very much longer anyway. It really belongs to the people of York, who have as much affection for this glorious Victorian building as they have for the other great architectural glories of the city. NXEC should not be allowed to despoil it.
Verna Campbell
Chair, CABYS (Campaign Against Barriers at York Station)
CABYS@live.co.uk
National Express have also issued a "justification" statement more or less identical to that at Newcastle.
CABYS has issued a press statement on the revised plans:
We are pleased to see that, in their revised plans, NXEC have addressed the problem of access from the short-stay car park. However the new plans do nothing to satisfy those of us who are upset at the way in which an important listed building is to be marred by the installation of ugly and unnecessary barriers. And yet this is not just a question of aesthetics, for there are other equally important issues at stake.
Basically ticket barriers are just not suitable for this kind of station. York has no less than four separate entrances, with the result that at both the long-stay car park and the Leeman Rd car park there will be no assistants on hand, just ticket machines and an intercom for passengers needing help. This means that people with disabilities (whether sensory, mental or physical) will have considerable difficulty dealing with these facilities, as too will mothers with small children and the elderly. Also if potential passengers find that it is not possible to buy the correct ticket or that the barriers will not allow them through then they will have to walk all the way round to the front of the station.
Another deeply worrying feature of the proposed scheme is whether NXEC will have the staff necessary to man all the barriers at all those times when passengers are likely to need assistance (especially since they seem to be shedding staff at present). They claim that the barriers will be fully manned “at peak times”. But the likelihood is that those passengers most in need of assistance – such as those with excessive luggage, the elderly, the disabled, and families – are precisely the people who do not travel at “peak times”. So how are they to get help when they need it?
And then there’s Grand Central. Currently travellers enjoy the fact that they are able to buy their tickets on the train. But if this plan goes through they will have to join the long queues in the ticket office, because National Express will be able to refuse access to the platforms for anyone without a ticket. This should be ruled out on the grounds that it is anti-competitive, especially as National Express run the Travel Centre and would therefore gain commission from these tickets.
The case for installing automated gates is not proven. Most journeys in and out of York allow enough time for on-train staff to check and issue tickets between stations. ‘Fare dodging’ is usually associated with short distance commuting, but most journeys that start or end at York are not of this type. Basically NXEC have not provided any evidence to demonstrate that the problems of fare evasion are of a type and scale that would be best addressed by ticket barriers, particularly given their other obvious disadvantages and cost. It would seem that they were included in the franchise bid without any proper evaluation.
As far as we are concerned York station should not be regarded as “belonging” to National Express, for whom it is just a `capital asset’, and who in all probability won’t be running the station for very much longer anyway. It really belongs to the people of York, who have as much affection for this glorious Victorian building as they have for the other great architectural glories of the city. NXEC should not be allowed to despoil it.
Verna Campbell
Chair, CABYS (Campaign Against Barriers at York Station)
CABYS@live.co.uk
Monday, 11 May 2009
Pedestrian flow analysis at Norwich
National Express have declared in their justification statement for the barrier application at Newcastle that the Scheidt & Bachmann gates they propose to install are capable of letting through "up to" 33 people a minute. Apparently, they've even conducted a "pedestrian flow analysis" to show how well the gates will be able to cope with the number of people using them.
However, passengers in Norwich, where barriers were put in recently, no longer have to wait - they can experience the benefits of the "safety and security" of the barriers at first hand. So secure, in fact, that passengers arriving on the 18.22 from London Liverpool Street had to wait several minutes to get out of the station after arriving.
Here is a description from one passenger, forwarded by Richard Malins:
On Friday 9th May a full trainload of passengers alighted the 16.30 from Liverpool Street at around 18.22 at Norwich station platform 2. (It was particularly full as the 1600 from Liverpool street had been cancelled due to train failure.) Because of the ticket gates it took at least 3 minutes for most people to pass through the ticket gates. There are 5 gates opposite platform 1. However the wide gate was broken and barricaded off. (And was still that way on Monday 11 May at 9am.) Because of the layout, it is difficult for passengers exiting platform 1 to use the second set of gates. So around 400 passengers were trying to get through 4 gates. The photos attached show what it was like, with timings. It took me from 18.23 to 18.27 to exit, and then only because I managed to get to the other set of gates which had been set on open. Needless to say there was no ticket check! I suspect the Meteor Agency staff gave up and just opened all the gates. And there had been no ticket checks on the train.
One passenger standing next to me said, quite unprompted, I used to look forward to arriving at Norwich and know I was home. Not any more. (He had a large airline style ticket.)
One consolation for Norwich fans. The Ipswich gates come into operation on 12 May!
So obviously plenty of benefits to look forward to if NXEC are allowed to install the gates at York and Newcastle. So safe and secure, even the passengers can't get through them!
However, passengers in Norwich, where barriers were put in recently, no longer have to wait - they can experience the benefits of the "safety and security" of the barriers at first hand. So secure, in fact, that passengers arriving on the 18.22 from London Liverpool Street had to wait several minutes to get out of the station after arriving.
Here is a description from one passenger, forwarded by Richard Malins:
On Friday 9th May a full trainload of passengers alighted the 16.30 from Liverpool Street at around 18.22 at Norwich station platform 2. (It was particularly full as the 1600 from Liverpool street had been cancelled due to train failure.) Because of the ticket gates it took at least 3 minutes for most people to pass through the ticket gates. There are 5 gates opposite platform 1. However the wide gate was broken and barricaded off. (And was still that way on Monday 11 May at 9am.) Because of the layout, it is difficult for passengers exiting platform 1 to use the second set of gates. So around 400 passengers were trying to get through 4 gates. The photos attached show what it was like, with timings. It took me from 18.23 to 18.27 to exit, and then only because I managed to get to the other set of gates which had been set on open. Needless to say there was no ticket check! I suspect the Meteor Agency staff gave up and just opened all the gates. And there had been no ticket checks on the train.
One passenger standing next to me said, quite unprompted, I used to look forward to arriving at Norwich and know I was home. Not any more. (He had a large airline style ticket.)
One consolation for Norwich fans. The Ipswich gates come into operation on 12 May!
So obviously plenty of benefits to look forward to if NXEC are allowed to install the gates at York and Newcastle. So safe and secure, even the passengers can't get through them!
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