Sorry It's Surrey
Discussion
We live on a new build estate with a new main road dissecting it. This is to the North of an area with at least 4 other housing developments which itself is dissected East to West my a railway line. That new road will link to a roundabout over a new rail bridge at the South end of the area.
The road bridge is being developed by Guildford County Council and Surrey County Council are responsible for the roads it links to, with Network Rail responsible for the railway underneath. Each day the existing level crossing barriers are up and down around 150 times stopping traffic on one of the main rat runs for traffic between Guildford and Aldershot.
The project has been delayed a bit and was finally due to open in the last week of November 2024. Surrye CC had contractors lined up to close the level crossing to vehicles and carry out a lot of repairs, new service trenches, etc. starting on the Friday that week. At the last minute, it transpired that Network Rail and Surrey CC hadn't signed off on the safety of the completed road bridge, so everything was postponed until February 2025, so the 25 minutes' delay every hour continues and the bridge remains closed to traffic.
Yesterday morning, I had to drive across the level crossing first thing, and was pleased to discover that despite the barriers being down, there were only about a dozen cars ahead of me in the queue (which built up slowly whilst we waited for the train to pass. Up went the barriers and the traffic started moving ... and then stopped our side because some complete w
ksock in a small Volvo SUV halfway up ahead wanted to drive into the station car park and had waited all that time to be able to drive level with the car park before turning in, rather than taking advantage of the empty oncoming lane to zip up and in.
So we waited ... and waited ... until eventually someone in the lengthy queue coming the other way was nice enough to let the Volvo cross.
And then the barriers came down again!
What is it with "drivers" of those sorts of cars?
The road bridge is being developed by Guildford County Council and Surrey County Council are responsible for the roads it links to, with Network Rail responsible for the railway underneath. Each day the existing level crossing barriers are up and down around 150 times stopping traffic on one of the main rat runs for traffic between Guildford and Aldershot.
The project has been delayed a bit and was finally due to open in the last week of November 2024. Surrye CC had contractors lined up to close the level crossing to vehicles and carry out a lot of repairs, new service trenches, etc. starting on the Friday that week. At the last minute, it transpired that Network Rail and Surrey CC hadn't signed off on the safety of the completed road bridge, so everything was postponed until February 2025, so the 25 minutes' delay every hour continues and the bridge remains closed to traffic.
Yesterday morning, I had to drive across the level crossing first thing, and was pleased to discover that despite the barriers being down, there were only about a dozen cars ahead of me in the queue (which built up slowly whilst we waited for the train to pass. Up went the barriers and the traffic started moving ... and then stopped our side because some complete w
ksock in a small Volvo SUV halfway up ahead wanted to drive into the station car park and had waited all that time to be able to drive level with the car park before turning in, rather than taking advantage of the empty oncoming lane to zip up and in.So we waited ... and waited ... until eventually someone in the lengthy queue coming the other way was nice enough to let the Volvo cross.
And then the barriers came down again!
What is it with "drivers" of those sorts of cars?
On a related note, there is some local chap posting up drone views of the work on the Ash level crossing replacement (and the A3/M25 junction updates).
https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
Truckosaurus said:
On a related note, there is some local chap posting up drone views of the work on the Ash level crossing replacement (and the A3/M25 junction updates).
https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
Wow! Thanks for that: those are views I've never seen so very interesting to watch.https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
And those flooded areas? That's where housing is supposed to be going...
I lived in Ash for a few years and remember that level crossing well. Luckily I didn't often need to use it as my commute to work was along the A31 into Guildford when it still had a proper speed limt!
Years later I lived in Egham. To get out of the town towards the South East you had a choice of two level crossings to queue at in busy times.
Years later I lived in Egham. To get out of the town towards the South East you had a choice of two level crossings to queue at in busy times.
RichardHMorris said:
Truckosaurus said:
On a related note, there is some local chap posting up drone views of the work on the Ash level crossing replacement (and the A3/M25 junction updates).
https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
Wow! Thanks for that: those are views I've never seen so very interesting to watch.https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
And those flooded areas? That's where housing is supposed to be going...
LHRFlightman said:
Another Ash resident here.
The crossing is actually down more in a busy hour than it is up. The bridge opening can't come soon enough. I feel for the estate residents, the A323 is about to open up right outside their front door.
Piss poor planning if you ask me.
It's got to go somewhere, I suppose.The crossing is actually down more in a busy hour than it is up. The bridge opening can't come soon enough. I feel for the estate residents, the A323 is about to open up right outside their front door.
Piss poor planning if you ask me.
What gets me is the people who've moved in to houses on the estate who are complaining about not being able to have their kids playing out the front of their houses because of the road. Firstly, what's wrong with them playing in the back gardens? Secondly, it's not as though the road scheme wasn't on any local searches or planning details published on the Council website!
Oceanrower said:
That’s Ash then. I live about 200 yards from that bloody level crossing.
I was once told that, during the day, it’s down on average for 25 minutes each hour.
I have no proof of that but I absolutely believe it!
According to Guildford BC:I was once told that, during the day, it’s down on average for 25 minutes each hour.
I have no proof of that but I absolutely believe it!
GuildfordBC said:
The level crossing closes around eight times an hour or 150 times a day. This currently amounts to closure periods of up to 25 minutes per hour.
https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/26920/What-yo...A friend of ours has just sold their house in Ash due these issue, I'm amazed they managed to sell so quickly quite honestly, it's a shame as they did loads of work on the house with the husband doing it all himself, making it exactly how they wanted, they have put an offer in on a smaller house in Stoughton that needs modernising.
Truckosaurus said:
On a related note, there is some local chap posting up drone views of the work on the Ash level crossing replacement (and the A3/M25 junction updates).
https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
Oh yeah that's interesting, makes me almost not hate the amount of work going on at the M25/A3 junction. https://www.youtube.com/@aviewthroughthelens
I don't often go across the level crossing, but it does look like the 'bypass' literally goes around the houses.
I'm up the road from most in this thread on London side of the M25. Council decisions are no better up here if anyone was wondering.
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