Switch Island to Maghull Cycle Route

Cycle path under construction between Switch Island and the River Alt along the A59 – April 2018. This section is now of course complete up to the River Alt bridge.

Regular readers will recall that I’ve raised the issue of the cycle route from Switch Island to Maghull petering more or less where the A59 Northway crosses the River Alt on the Maghull boundary.

My previous relevant posting on the matter can be accessed via this link:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2018/04/25/maghull-new-cycle-track-from-switch-island-towards-maghull-on-a59/

Where the cycle route presently stops at the Northway/A59 River Alt bridge.

Following the posting linked above I ascertained from Sefton Council’s highway engineers that they intended to deliver a new safe cycle route alongside the rest of the A59 to the Liverpool Road South junction. Seeing the road works and the presently closed access to Liverpool Road South I decided to check on the delivery of the cycle route and my understanding is this. At present Statutory Undertakers are diverting their equipment (which is the works currently on site) and the main contractor is scheduled to start soon. The junction improvements and cycle path should, I’m told, be completed this financial year.

Thanks to Sefton Highways for the update.

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Maghull & Aintree Stations

I’m member of the Mersey Railway Group on Facebook and every now and again I come across interesting old photos of our local railway stations. Here are 3 I’ve just seen for the first time. The copyright for each one is owned by John Tolson:-

Maghull Station – 10th March 1979

Maghull Station 13th June 1974

Aintree Station 11th August 1973

The first shot shows the former Maghull Signal Box (Removed in 1994, if memory serves) and the Station Master’s House, which having remained derelict for many a year is presently being renovated as part of the new housing development behind the Liverpool bound platform.

The last shot, of what used to be called Aintree Sefton Arms Station (Aintree Central was the adjacent Cheshire Lines Station), is interesting because some of the old tracks which served the Metal Box Factory (and before that the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway to Southport) were still is use back then as can be seen by the diesel shunter in the platform. The station still retained its platform canopy back then too. So sad that it was removed instead of being renovated.

The old Class 502 EMU rolling stock is evident in all 3 photos. The last remaining 502 two car unit is presently in a warehouse-type building in Burscough, owned by Merseyside Transport Trust, where it is painstakingly being restored by the Friends of the 502 Group

502 at Burscough – July 2018

Maghull – Book sharing scheme at the new(ish) Maghull North Station

The new mini library at Maghull North Station

Local resident Frank Sharp has launched a book sharing scheme at the new Maghull North Railway Station akin to the one that is run by the Station Volunteers at the original Maghull Station.

Maghull Station Library run by the Station Volunteers

Organisers hope it will encourage a sense of community and ownership of the new station. Frank thanks Merseytravel’s senior rail project manager Darren Hazlewood and Merseyrail’s Sally Ralston, for allowing the installation of a bookcase and books which have been freely donated by the local community.

The initiative follows on with similar initiatives at other railway stations (not just in Maghull) and the international Little Free Library organisation, which aims to increase book access and forge community connections.

Says Frank “The idea is simply to encourage the community to emulate other railway stations and organisations by taking a book or leaving one – anything you’ve read and would like others to enjoy. The more people use it, the more fun it will be, and the more it circulates. Hopefully, it will also encourage a sense of community and ownership around the new station, akin to the brilliant award winning work undertaken by volunteers at Maghull’s older station.”

Editor – It all sounds great to me so I’ll now share the books and magazines I donate to the old Maghull Station across the Town’s two stations. I hope others will join in too. Please try to remember to add a book when you take one, or soon afterwards, otherwise the system does not really work.

Labour’s Brexit problem – They are openly not Remainers

The Liverpool Echo has the article on its website – see link below:-

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/labour-mp-accuses-unite-boss-17247986

Whilst the report is about internal Labour Party difficulties the mere mention of McCluskey makes Remainers most unhappy. What on earth has a trade union leader been doing not fighting Brexit when it will in all probability lead to job losses and it threatens employment rights? It just makes no sense at all to me as a life long trade unionist.

And people like McCluskey must surely be at the heart of Labour being unable/unwilling to join the Remain Alliance? Here we have 3 political parties of the left PC, the Greens and Lib Dems fighting to stop Brexit because amongst many other things it is a threat to jobs and employment rights whilst a trade union leader with obviously huge influence within Labour leans towards Brexit. It beggars belief in my view.

Southport – Making the Wright choice in the General Election

I was at John Wright’s adoption meeting in Southport last night where the Lib Dem flag was being flown high by around 200 people attending the event.

John Wright – Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Southport

Of course Southport is one of the 60 constituencies across England and Wales where PC, the Greens and Lib Dems have stood down for each other so there is only one Remain candidate on the December 12th ballot paper. In Southport the Greens have stood down and it was really great that Laurence Rankin, who would have been their candidate, both attended and spoke to the meeting. Indeed, he made an excellent contribution which showed me how close many Green and Lib Dem policies really are. Here is Laurence speaking:-

Laurence Rankin the Green Party candidate standing down in Southport speaking at John Wright’s adoption meeting.

John Wright has impressed me from the first time I met him as he seems to have the ability to get along with people and understand differing perspectives. He is clearly both delighted and humbled to have the Green candidate standing down for him so he can have a clear Remain Alliance shot at the presently Tory held Southport seat.

As you might expect we heard a great speech from John. But he was also able to introduce a well known local Labour campaigner to the meeting as someone now backing him and he told the meeting that former Labour MP for Crosby Claire Curtis-Thomas had been in touch to offer her support.

Maghull – Totems get art-worked on Cheshire Lines Path

I came across these rather lovely art-worked totems on the Cheshire Lines Path/Trans Pennine Trail behind Sefton Drive on one of my bike rides the other day:-

The totems have been there for some time and I’m guessing that they have been painted up by the same volunteers who installed them. Very nice.

The 2nd photo is amongst my Flickr shots at:-

www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/49053830736/in/dateposted/